Following these few steps below, a student athlete can further their knowledge and improve their opportunity to participate in sports at the college level.
Personal Contacts- It is necessary for student athletes to contact current and prior teammates, coaches and other potential sources to guide them to promising opportunities. This will start the process of getting a student athlete's name and desires known.
Organization Skills- The next part of contacting college coaches is finding out their contact information. Student athletes can gather this information by locating the athletics page of college web site. When gathering this information, make sure to write down assistant and head coaches names, their school, phone numbers,fax numbers, and email. After receiving this information, it is a good idea to organize it in an electronic spreadsheet.
E-mail- This is one of the best tools for getting a college coach's attention. To save time, it is important to construct a model email that can be used to send out to multiple college coaches. Write the email so that the only part required to change is the coach's name and university from your opening and conclusion paragraphs. The body of the e-mail will always remain the same. Therefore sending multiple emails to potential schools becomes a simple process. When writing the model email, it is important to include:
* Student athlete's name
* GPA, SAT and/or ACT scores
* Height/weight
* Vertical jump score, 40 yard dash time, mile time, bench press max, squat max, etc..
* Current team(s)
* Student athlete's athletic accomplishments in high school years.
* Video clips of student athlete in action
* Coach referrals
* Multiple ways to contact the student athlete (home phone, cell phone, fax, email)
Video Clips- A student athlete should provide a video clip displaying their skills in a competitive environment. This is one of the ways that will initially attract college coaches to the student athlete. If done correctly, this will not only create interest but also motivate coaches to come to a live game.
Follow Up- After a student athlete sends out their emails to prospective colleges, it is important to follow up. The best way to do so is through phone calls. Make sure the student athlete is the person who is attempting to call. Some college coaches prefer not to talk to parents!
For the colleges that replied back and expressed interest make sure to respond within a 24 hour time period. It is important to come across as a dedicated person who is serious about getting into a college sports program.
When a student athlete replies back to a coach it is important to include a schedule of upcoming practices, games, and tournaments. Coaches will eventually need to physically see you play in a live, competitive atmosphere in order to make their final decision.
If the student athlete did not receive a response within a week or so, the next step is to contact the coaches through phone. Student athletes will find that many times the coaches did not see their emails due to the amount of emails they receive in a day.
It is very common to call coaches and receive their answering machine. Leave one message on their machine and keep attempting to reach them. Once a student athlete has reached the coach by phone, it is important to write down the day of the week and time at which this occurred. This is because the student will want to remember this as a good time to reach the coach.
Domino Effect- Create a domino effect by verbally letting prospective schools know which top notch college teams are expressing interest in you. This will create demand and give student athletes a higher chance of receiving an athletic scholarship.
Just remember that there is a difference between interest and a full commitment. Never lie about your status because not only do coaches talk but it is important to never loose site of your integrity.
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