Hey guys, I seem to be having some team problems as of late. All five of us on this team are really good friends. Friends off the lanes, roommates on the road, etc.

We, as a team, are planning on going to a prestigous team tournament later this year, and all of us have purchased our airline tickets and even booked a 2br suite for the team and our friends to enjoy. However, with him living so far away from the rest of us, communication is quite an issue, and remembering the stories of past "flakiness" has become quite a concern to myself, as well as my teammates and friends.

This trip is important to us, as all of us have said we will win this tournament before our eligibility is up. We are close to cutting a partial sponsorhip deal with ball company, which will remain anonymous, and if they decide to back us, and this 5th member decides to flake out last minute and not show up, this will put a big "X" on the foreheads of myself and the three other guys.

I have planned an ultimatum- that he buy his airline tickets by the end of the month to show me that he is "legit" for the job as a member of this team. This guy is very talented, has a good mental game, but has some potentially serious issues socially.

Is my ultimatum decent? Does it work? Any criticisms? What do I do?
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-Jeremy Vitug


Edited on 3/23/2004 2:06 PM

The first thing is to look for a back up person that would fit in with team's chemistry and good player. Then have a team meeting including the team mate that's you are not to sure about, Then let him know how important this trip is for the team and if he can not commit to this trip that you have a back up person that would take his place for the trip.