How Do You Thank A College Coach After A Camp?
Going to a college camp or showcase is a great way to gain exposure in the recruiting process. While your performance on the field will speak to your athletic talents, it’s always important that you take the responsibility of building relationships with coaches following the camp.
There are several ways that you can reach out and thank coaches after a camp. You’ll want to either email, call, or DM a college coach, and you’ll want to genuinely thank them and mention a few personal memories from camp. The goal of thanking a coach after a camp is to demonstrate your interest in joining their program and your strong manners and character off the field.
Coaches watch tons of players at camps, so it’s important that you take action to set yourself apart and make an impression that might lead to further communication and recruiting opportunities. Even if you shine as a player at the camp, you could be lost in the pack if you don’t take the necessary steps to follow up and show the coach that you have a genuine desire in moving forward. With that being said, you should be aware of the best practices for thanking coaches after camps and understand how this can make a positive impact on your recruiting process.
Thanking A Coach Via Email
Email is a great communication tool throughout recruiting because it’s easy to access, convenient for both coaches and players, and allows you to share important information. When thanking a coach after camp, email is usually the easiest and most recommended way to do so.
Sending A Thank You Email: You’re probably wondering how exactly to send a thank you email to a coach and what to include so that you can make an impression and set yourself apart. Like we’ve said, you’ll want your email to be personalized and include anything that you might want a coach to know about you from a recruiting standpoint.
Subject Line: The main goal is to remind the coach of who you are, because despite watching you play throughout the camp, they might not remember personal details or have a way of contacting you. Start by crafting a subject line that identifies who you are and states your reason for sending the email, which in this case is a thank you and follow up from a specific event. So, your subject line could read something like “Joe Smith 2022 Grad Point Guard – (camp title) Camp Follow-Up.” If it’s your first time contacting the coach, you might want to include a bit more about yourself in the subject line like GPA, brief athletic stats, or personal attributes (height, weight, etc).
What To Say In The Email: The very start of your email should be a brief paragraph that provides the purpose of the email as well as some personal information. Begin by stating that you recently had the privilege of competing in the camp that the coach hosted, and then go into your experience at the camp and why the school appeals to you specifically as a potential opportunity. If you made connections with specific coaches or members of the program, go into detail on that and tie it back to your interests in the school. There are several things you could discuss, but the key is to be specific about your experience, who you are, how you think the school could be the right fit for you based on your time at the camp. Most importantly, this section should contain genuine gratitude, thanking the coach for giving you the opportunity to attend the camp and for taking the time to watch you and give you exposure in the recruiting process.
Include Any Additional Information: After thanking the coach and detailing your interests in the program, the rest of the email can follow the same guidelines as a standard introductory email. You’ll want to include athletic information, like where you’ve played, what you’ve accomplished, and what inspires you to become a collegiate athlete. Additionally, the coach will want to see academic information for eligibility purposes, such as GPA, test scores, or a transcript. Lastly, you’ll want to attach anything else you might want the coach to see, like highlight tapes, a sports resume, stats sheets, or your upcoming schedule so the coach can come watch you again. For more on this, check out this article on emailing college coaches.
Remember, coaches receive many emails from aspiring college athletes, so you’ll want to be sure that your email is personalized and genuine.
Thanking A Coach Via Phone Call
Email is the recommended way to thank a coach for initial contact so that you can formally introduce yourself and give them a chance to learn more about you, but a phone call can also be an appropriate way to thank a coach after a camp. If you’ve already had prior contact with the coach and established some form of a relationship, it can be more meaningful and personal to pick up the phone and thank the coach for hosting you.
It’s understandable that verbal communication with coaches can be more intimidating than an email, but if you’re prepared and know what to expect and what to say, these conversations can have a very positive impact on your recruiting opportunities.
Calling A Coach: When you do call the coach, you should be prepared to lead the conversation and plan out how you want to express your gratitude. When the coach answers, start by simply reminding them who you are, and then go right into your thank-you: “Hi Coach (coach last name), this is Joe Smith. I met you at the (camp title) Camp last week and just wanted to reach out and thank you for taking the time to watch me and give me the opportunity to compete at your school. I really enjoyed meeting other members of the program and I’m very interested in playing for you because (why you want to play for them).” Be specific about your interests in the school and your experience at the camp, and this should provide a good foundation for the rest of the conversation.
Keep in mind that coaches might have questions for you when you call them, so be prepared to answer things on the spot regarding your academics, athletic plans, recruiting timeline and status, and other related topics. The goal is to make a meaningful impression on the coach. Doing this with a phone call can be very genuine and help set you apart from other athletes that were at the camp.
Thanking A Coach By Connecting On Social Media
In today’s world, social media presents a number of opportunities for communication and relationship building with college programs. Many coaches actively use social media for recruiting purposes, so it can be a very helpful tool for you as a prospect.
What To Do: After the camp, you should follow the coach or team page on social media if you haven’t already. Make sure to use an account specifically for recruiting, separate from your personal page. Once they connect with you, you can direct message the coach and explain that you recently attended their camp and enjoyed your experience, and of course thank them for hosting you and providing you with the opportunity.
There’s no guarantee that the coach will see your message or reply to you, but social media can be a great resource for thanking coaches in addition to an email or phone call, or even as an alternative to those if the coach is especially active on the platform.
Things To Keep In Mind
The Purpose: Why thank coaches after camps? This might seem obvious, but there’s a few reasons why this is an important step to take. Coaches watch tons of other players at camps, so they might not remember exactly who you are or what your story is. It’s important to give coaches the chance to recall who you are and learn more about you and your recruiting attributes. Additionally coaches put a lot of effort into camps, so a thank you can be very meaningful to them. And, you never know when a simple thank you will be the start of building a new relationship.
Best Methods: Remember that email is the easiest and most common way to thank a coach after a camp, especially if you haven’t had any prior contact. However, a phone call can also be very genuine and make an impression that sets you apart from other recruits. There are many options for going about your thank you, but at the end of the day the goal is the same – you want to make a strong personal impression on the coach and remind them who you are.