<p>Hi all, I have been following this forum for a while now but this is my first post here. My daughter is starting junior year and is getting ready to send out her first e-mails to coaches (rowing). She has been researching teams via the school websites and often there is an assistant coach who is in charge of recruiting. Is it better to e-mail just the assistant/recruiting coach, or send to the head coach and cc the assistant coach? Any advise anyone can offer on making that first contact would be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi My D is a junior and is being recruited for Field Hockey. From her experience, I would send it to the Head Coach…unless you know for sure the asst. coach is doing the recruiting. You could sent it to both if you would like. I don’t think it will hurt. Some Head Coaches responded and some asst.coaches responding to her emails. I would suggest attaching her transcript (so far) and a link to video (if you need one for her sport). That way she will look serious and organized. NB asst coaches change often!</p>
<p>K2mom, our experience is limited, but your daughter can’t go wrong in sending to both the recruiting coach and head coach. No one will take offense and one (or both) might reply. More to the point though: crew coaches right now are extraordinarily busy with their current rosters/teams (remember, it’s the beginning of the school year) and with recruiting the class of 2012. They’re still setting up official visits, contacting/communicating with seniors, etc. Again, this is just an impression, but your junior may be better off by waiting a couple of months to contact coaches. Our daughter started in Feb./March of her senior year and it was by no means too late. Indeed, as I reported in a post yesterday, coach interest. already on alert, was piqued anew by a late July 2K PR.</p>
<p>Your daughter may be better served by focusing right now on her courses, grades, GPA and the standardized tests yet to come. If she has that organized + good race results and/or competitive times through the next months, it will all fall into place for her as her junior year progresses.</p>
<p>My D started contacting coaches at specific colleges in October of her junior year; in all cases, she received immediate responses. Some coaches did write that they were finishing up the current recruiting class, but by the end of the calendar year, the next class (hers) was the focus. By December of her junior year, the process was in full swing, with other coaches starting to contact her via email.
I would send the initial email to both head and assistant coaches, addressing it to one, and copying the other. Sometimes head coaches made the initial response, with the follow up being done by the assistant; sometimes the whole process was driven by the head coach, and other times, the assistant coach was fully in charge of correspondence. Assistant coaches do change, but the strongest programs do seem to have assistant coaches that stick around - at least, that was our own experience. Good luck!</p>
<p>All good advice. I would hold off on sending the transcript with the initial email, though. Just send a brief note expressing her interest (personalized to the particular program) and a couple bullet points listing academic and athletic credentials. Offer to send a transcript and video link.</p>
<p>This gives the coach a reason to respond and start a dialogue. Also, I think it feels a little less like a generic, blanket email.</p>
<p>Yes, some good advice here already. </p>
<p>For Juniors already participating in Fall sports, I’d add periodic email check in with all coaches describing recent athletic accomplishments.</p>
<p>Best times are the day after a noteworthy athletic performance. Sharing
some of the details of their season in an ongoing narrative is a great way for the coaches to get to know your child.</p>
<p>My daughter is a freshman playing DI Field Hockey. Aside from the occasional complaints about 6am workouts, I am thrilled to say I’ve never seen her happier.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the great advice!</p>