WAG Emailing college coaches. Who all to CC?

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gymbeam

Proud Parent
I spent some time yesterday looking at online Staff Directories for several college gymnastics programs.

Some school websites had emails for all coaches, some only assistants, some recruiting directors, some office assistants and some various combination of those.

What I’d like to know is who to actually email if sending an introductory email from an athlete. Just head coach only if their email is available? Or go ahead and also copy all supporting staff listed?

Would love any advice! Thanks!
 
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I spent some time yesterday looking at online Staff Directories for several college gymnastics programs.

Some school websites had emails for all coaches, some only assistants, some recruiting directors, some office assistants and some various combination of those.

What I’d like to know is who to actually email if sending an introductory email from an athlete. Just head coach only if their email is available? Or go ahead and also copy all supporting staff listed?

Would love any advice! Thanks!
I would send it to the Head Coach and Assistant Coaches. If there is a Recruiting Coordinator send it to the Head Coach and that person. It is usually the Assistant Coaches who are in charge of recruiting though it could work differently at different schools. I wouldn’t bother with office staff.
 
I don't have anything on that specific question, but I will say that one of the biggest mistake parents & recruits make in college recruiting in general is the parents writing the emails. It's usually pretty obvious, and it doesn't reflect well. Make sure it's an email written by your gymnast, in his or her own voice.
 
I second what Ausnat wrote. You can proofread but be sure it your child voice comes through. Don't let it be too formal or they will suspect the parent wrote it. My dd wrote to the head and assistant coaches. She received return emails from the asst coaches for D1 and the head coaches for D2 and 3. She wrote emails first and most responded within the first week. Then she continued with phone/email contact with whoever had responded initially (head or asst). She didn't start the process in earnest until mid junior year due to an unfortunate series of injuries that plagued her for 18 months starting in just after he first year in L10 (9th grade).
 
I don't have anything on that specific question, but I will say that one of the biggest mistake parents & recruits make in college recruiting in general is the parents writing the emails. It's usually pretty obvious, and it doesn't reflect well. Make sure it's an email written by your gymnast, in his or her own voice.
Yes, I was going to say this too. The gymnast needs to write to the coaches. They write it and it is from their e-mail account. But, they should be sure to proofread. The coaches are looking for kids who are almost adults. This process needs to be owned by the gymansts. As for who to e-mail. For the schools my son was contacting, most of them only gave contact infor for the head coach.
 
I spent some time yesterday looking at online Staff Directories for several college gymnastics programs.

Some school websites had emails for all coaches, some only assistants, some recruiting directors, some office assistants and some various combination of those.

What I’d like to know is who to actually email if sending an introductory email from an athlete. Just head coach only if their email is available? Or go ahead and also copy all supporting staff listed?

Would love any advice! Thanks!
Send to several coaches, each school is different so the more people involved the better. And don't forget to CC your own head coach. :)
 
Yes, I was going to say this too. The gymnast needs to write to the coaches. They write it and it is from their e-mail account. But, they should be sure to proofread. The coaches are looking for kids who are almost adults. This process needs to be owned by the gymnasts.

... then the coaches should stop recruiting middle schoolers if they are looking for “kids who are almost adults “... I get that the coaches want to hear from the kid themselves and want them to own it but it is this type of “parental hands off “ mind set that got USAG into the Nassar/ abuse fiasco that went on for years.... sorry, you want to recruit my minor child to be basically owned by you and your university for 4 years (1460 days) , I’m going to be involved, period.
 
Yes, I was going to say this too. The gymnast needs to write to the coaches. They write it and it is from their e-mail account. But, they should be sure to proofread. The coaches are looking for kids who are almost adults. This process needs to be owned by the gymansts. As for who to e-mail. For the schools my son was contacting, most of them only gave contact infor for the head coach.

That is interesting. D has found the assistant coaches' emails for just about all the schools!!
 
Yes, it’s safeguarding 101 over here that any direct coach/athlete communications always have a parent cc’d.

Dd has started (she’s not 15 yet) by following the colleges she’s interested in on social media. I think all have followed her back so far, and she’s had a few coach requests too.
 
... I get that the coaches want to hear from the kid themselves and want them to own it but it is this type of “parental hands off “ mind set that got USAG into the Nassar/ abuse fiasco that went on for years.... sorry, you want to recruit my minor child to be basically owned by you and your university for 4 years (1460 days) , I’m going to be involved, period.

No one is saying that kids should be having private relationships with coaches here, come on. Parents can supervise communications between their children and coaches without writing the emails for them. Discuss who they're going to email and the goal of the email, walk away and let them draft it, come back and proof read, make sure you're CC'd, and hit send together. Just like you can supervise homework time, read through assignments, and follow up to make sure things got turned in and grades are on track without just doing your kid's homework for them. And just like my assistant CC's me on most of her emails with my clients, and often asks my ok to handle a situation directly. In her time at the firm, I've managed to supervise her just fine and have yet to actually write or dictate an email for her.

Coaches want to see that your kid is motivated to pursue NCAA gymnastics (and their team), not just you. They want to see strong communication skills and maturity. But they know they're teens, and that's why they don't want to get an email that reads like a parent wrote it.
 
I second what Ausnat wrote. You can proofread but be sure it your child voice comes through. Don't let it be too formal or they will suspect the parent wrote it. My dd wrote to the head and assistant coaches. She received return emails from the asst coaches for D1 and the head coaches for D2 and 3. She wrote emails first and most responded within the first week. Then she continued with phone/email contact with whoever had responded initially (head or asst). She didn't start the process in earnest until mid junior year due to an unfortunate series of injuries that plagued her for 18 months starting in just after he first year in L10 (9th grade).
Thank you - I was going to ask how soon she (my dd) should start sending them...!
 
Thank you - I was going to ask how soon she (my dd) should start sending them...!
Mine started the process late. I would not recommend waiting until junior year, though if you are currently in this position, don't feel like all is lost. Preferably, you should be contacting around 8/9th grade as long as she has solid L10 routines at that point. If not, then I would wait another year. And know that you will not get any response until junior year, but it's still a way for them to keep an eye on her progress and to ensure them she is still interested.
 
No one is saying that kids should be having private relationships with coaches here, come on. Parents can supervise communications between their children and coaches without writing the emails for them. Discuss who they're going to email and the goal of the email, walk away and let them draft it, come back and proof read, make sure you're CC'd, and hit send together. Just like you can supervise homework time, read through assignments, and follow up to make sure things got turned in and grades are on track without just doing your kid's homework for them. And just like my assistant CC's me on most of her emails with my clients, and often asks my ok to handle a situation directly. In her time at the firm, I've managed to supervise her just fine and have yet to actually write or dictate an email for her.

Coaches want to see that your kid is motivated to pursue NCAA gymnastics (and their team), not just you. They want to see strong communication skills and maturity. But they know they're teens, and that's why they don't want to get an email that reads like a parent wrote it.

I wasn't saying it would be a "private" relationship , and I think your professional relationship with your adult assistant at your job isn't the same dynamic as what the NCAA coaches are pursuing with these young athletes..... I know my daughter's old NCAA coach would have loved it if the communication only ever involved her and my daughter but it was a huge, life changing decision to be made...so it involved her parents as well. There were schools that I crossed off the list after checking out the coaching staff , and some of the issues would not have been rooted out by my 14 year old sending her emails back and forth to said coaches...everyone, athletes included, puts their best foot forward so to speak.

They are signing up for a 4 year contract that is binding after the NLI and just like I was involved in the college searches for my other kids, I was involved here...yes, she sent her own emails and communicated directly with coaches, but after it was all vetted by me.
 
They are signing up for a 4 year contract that is binding after the NLI and just like I was involved in the college searches for my other kids, I was involved here...yes, she sent her own emails and communicated directly with coaches, but after it was all vetted by me.

I absolutely agree with you that parents should be involved in the college recruiting and decision making process. I don't think anyone would suggest otherwise - that seems like a given. My advice (and what others echoed) was purely about who should be actually drafting the interest emails sent out to coaches. It's tempting as parents wanting the best for kids to want to craft the email ourselves, and a lot of parents give in to that. It sounds like your advice was just about something different, and we're on the same page there.
 
There are new recruiting rules, some here might want to read up on them.....
Anyways, your Child can and should send emails with video's , CC everyone on the planet if you want..... But send those emails!
 

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