Keeping in touch via e-mail

DD (2018) is emailing coaches at (5) schools to get/stay on their radar. (I know this needs to expand)
she has emailed them 2 or 3 times already but this time it has been about 4 weeks and last night she asked me what she should be telling them because nothing new has happened since last time. (now all of their seasons have started)

are there any guidelines for the right way to do this?

I'm thinking keep it short and sweet. let 'em know what you've been up to, as if you are writing a letter home or to a friend who you want to stay in touch with. don't talk about injuries, sickness or negative stuff. you can say you've visited schools or attended games but don't say which ones, just enough info to let them know you are serious about going to college. to the schools where you visited or attended a camp or game, you can get more specific about what you liked, etc.

am I going in the right direction as far as giving her direction? is there a better approach or did I leave out anything important?

thanks!

Hi obbay;

Since we're in the same area, you're HS tryouts probably start today as well. Maybe your DD can wait until the end of week and give an update on her hopes and goals for the season based on things that happened at tryouts?

Does she have any new video to share? Even 30 secs of practice video of something she's working on to improve her game may create a little more interest in her email.

Right now is tough. Most of our NE schools are down south playing, or on their way back and getting ready for the start of their conference games.

You can comment on their season. "Saw you actually won a game! OMG! Finally!'' Joking about the content, but you get the idea. Don't go overboard, IMO, but if you tailor the email to an individual school, that at least shows effort and that you aren't sending the same email to 50 coaches.

If possible, go to one of their games. Tell them you're coming. Then tell them you went. One of the things that coaches are looking for in emails is a reason to keep reading. (Or, one of the things that an assistant coach is looking for in an email is a reason to forward it to the head coach and not delete it). A player who comes to the game might do the trick, especially at a smaller school.

I think an email every 2-3 weeks to keep the coaches informed of her activities is a good idea. If nothing else have her put down that she is working hard in school to get good grades!

obbay said:

DD (2018) last night she asked me what she should be telling them because nothing new has happened since last time.

Click to expand...

DD asked me the same question during her junior season. She just kept emailing/texting with updates. Sometimes she never got a reply or it took them a long time to reply. There were all kinds of things she put in the messages.

- Taking the ACT again next week
- Made the honor roll
- HS softball practice starts this week
- Good luck against XYZ State this weekend
- She visited several times for softball games and always let them know ahead of time that she was coming
- apply to the school and get accepted. Let the coaches know you were accepted.
- go on an overnight visit to the campus and let the softball coaches know you will be there and plan to attend a game

Has she camped at any of those five schools? How much interest have they shown in her? If they are showing true interest definitely set up an unofficial. Their enthusiasm about setting up the visit will be a pretty clear indicator of their interest level in your DD at this stage of the game.