Have you ever been in this situation?
You are responsible for registering your team for a future tournament. You are pretty sure the team is going but you are not 100% certain so you aren’t ready to pull out the credit card to pay. You still have time to hit the registration deadline. You book hotel rooms because those can be canceled but you want a little more certainty before paying the registration fee.
Then life happens and your mind wanders to other priorities. In the back of your mind you know you still need to register but before you know it the registration deadline has come and gone and uh oh…now you’re scrambling to get in.
How could this happen? You knew the tournament dates but the deadline just got away from you! Players are going to be disappointed. Parents might be upset. You’ve got to find a way to get in!
We’ve been there. It’s stressful. And we’ve found the best way to avoid this is setting up a few catches along the way in order to hit the registration deadline on time (or even early).
Two tips to make sure you hit the registration deadline
Here are two tips that can keep you stress free and in the good graces of your team.
Step 1 – Set up a reminder that you are sure to see about 3 days in front of the deadline, not the tournament. We know you can’t always register 2 months in advance. But by setting up a reminder on your smart phone, writing in on your calendar at the office, creating a Google Alert or putting it somewhere else that makes sense you are sure to see it in time. If you’ve already registered at that point then you can ignore it at no cost. But if you haven’t then you are ready to get it done on time.
Step 2 – Set up your fall back reminder. It may seem like overkill to have someone else remind you, but it might save the day. It’s like using that second alarm clark before a big trip or job interview just in case the power goes out. Ask a friend, your spouse, your kids or someone you trust to set up a reminder for you. It’s a back up plan that might make you a hero. That person feels great because they helped you and you feel great because your team will definitely be in the tournament!