If you’ve been doing any research on the recruiting process, you’ve probably come across dozens of templates. “Dear Coach Name, My name is Your Name, I am a year gymnast with a score all-around…
Here’s the problem nobody wants to say out loud…when contacting NCAA gymnastics coaches those emails or messages are super cringe and even worse it brings no excitement to yourself.
Literally you put yourself in the same box as everyone else, when your entire goal of sending the email was to stand out in their eyes!
When contacting NCAA gymnastics coaches, most athletes might realize they are competing for an exclusive spot on a programs team. And a coach will get hundreds of emails every single day from kids trying to grab their ATTENTION!.
The generic template that some recruiting website told you to copy and paste and fill in the blanks is hard to get their ATTENTION? They’ve read that exact email hundreds of times before yours ever landed in their inbox.
You’re not standing out, you’re blending in and thats not who you are. You are unique in your own ways!
So what’s the fix? Be a human being… BE YOU when contacting NCAA Gymnastics Coaches!!
Personality Is a Recruiting Factor
Oftentimes we get so caught up in the gymnastics side of things that we forget that coaches are evaluating our personality, character traits and even our values.
YES, do not get me wrong the first thing that allows you to stand out is your gymnastics! They want to see you competing at a high level or you growing towards that level of gymnasts.
But when a coach is deciding who fits their program, personality and values are a major factor. They’re going to spend years having you around their program. They want to make sure its a good fit for them and you.
That’s why on your Gymnastics Plus profile we have a space for an introduction video talking about yourself. Give some fun facts, talk about your values and tell coaches why you stand out in your eyes.
Gymnastics Plus profile was designed to help you stand out when contacting NCAA gymnastics coaches.
The problem is most gymnasts wait until a campus visit to show who they really are. Don’t do that. When contacting NCAA gymnastics coaches, start showing your personality in your very first email.
Make them laugh. Share something weird and wonderful about yourself. Honestly the fastest way to connect is through vulnerability, and sharing a funny/embarassing moment.
Pick Your Strategy Contact NCAA Gymnastics Coaches
When sending your emails to coaches especially the schools that you are pursuing have a strategy or cadence when sending them…
Think about it back in the day when newspapers came everyday, magazines were mailed once per month or some companies send a quarterly newsletter…
You want to do the same thing for yourself and here is the best example I have heard about…
One college gymnast figured this out beautifully. Every single Friday, she sent coaches an email she called “Fun Fact Friday.” She didn’t talk about a ton about her gymnastics but about herself to keep coaches attention and engage them!
She shared random facts about herself, embarrassing stories, stories and things that had nothing to do with gymnastics at all.
Coaches looked forward to her emails, their words not mine…Why?
Because she was the most interesting person in their inbox. While everyone else was sending highlight videos and achievement lists, she was being genuine and BEING HER.
When you’re contacting NCAA gymnastics coaches, you have permission to do this. You’re allowed to be funny. You should to be a little quirky. In fact, it might be the most strategic thing you ever do.
Track Your Emails (For Free)
Here’s another tool so many people forget about and thats email tracking. There’s a free Chrome extension called Streak that will tell you when a coach opens your email and whether they clicked any of your links.
Instead of sending emails and wondering if anyone is reading them, you can actually track what they are doing with your emails. This helps you become much more strategic when sending your emails because for those that don’t open them you will go about it much more differently than to those that are opening your emails and clicking your links.
If no one is opening your emails at all, that’s a signal too, your subject lines need work.
Streak gives you real data to play it smarter.
Start Earlier Than You Think You Should
One of the biggest mistakes gymnasts make is waiting too long to start reaching out. Yes, when you first start contacting NCAA gymnastics coaches as a younger gymnast, you will probably get the generic response. You might get an invitation to a camp. That’s okay.
The goal isn’t an immediate offer, it’s getting on their radar.
Coaches notice athletes who are consistent, enthusiastic, and show up in their inbox with something worth reading over a long period of time.
By the time you’re in the thick of recruiting season, you’re not a stranger. You’re someone they’ve been following along your journey. We all love a good story so make yours fun to follow along!
Believe in yourself enough to share your journey before you think it’s impressive enough to share when contacting NCAA Gymnastics Coaches.
Bringing It All Together
Contacting NCAA gymnastics coaches doesn’t have to be a formal, stiff process that stresses you out.
The athletes who stand out are the ones who treat it like a conversation, not a job application.
Be creative. Be consistent. Track what’s working. Show your personality long before you ever set foot on a campus.
GO BE YOU!!!
Create your FREE Profile and start contacting NCAA Gymnastics coaches today at gymnasticsplus.org/exclusive and start building the profile that gets you seen.
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