Hi!

430 people are registered for my sailing and college admissions webinar so far. With room for more, hint hint.

When I started putting this together, I reached out to coaches I'd met at events or through mutual connections. Chris Klevan at Stanford, Brendan Feeney at Fordham, Carter Brock at Boston University. All three said yes. Zim Sailing, North U, and Team One Newport, whose management I've all either sailed against or worked for, signed on as sponsors. Steve Hunt, a sometimes-teammate of mine, agreed to co-host.

It came together fast - and I know exactly why. I haven't spent a single dollar on advertising or viral-tiktok-creation, but I've spent a lot of time sending texts, making calls, posting on forums, and writing emails like this. To coaches, to program directors, to past Olympians, to America's Cup sailors. And it's working.

I've been showing up in the sailing world for a long time. Regattas, running events, having parking lot conversations that went nowhere professionally and everywhere personally. Honestly, most of the people I talk to still think I'm just an English tutor and don't really know what I do. And I'm not the best sailor out there, not even close. But I keep showing up, I keep helping when I can, and I genuinely love the people in this community. That's it. That's the whole strategy.

And somewhere along the line, those people started wanting to help me back.

I don't say all of this to brag, but to show proof that this is how the world of networking really works. This is exactly what I want students to understand about college and everything after it. Not networking in the gross, transactional sense. Shaking hands and handing out business cards and asking for referrals. No, you just need to be someone who contributes before they need something. Who stays curious about other people. Who shows up consistently enough that when they do need a yes, people actually want to give them one.

The smartest person in the room doesn't always get the job, the opportunity, the open door.

The one who was reliably, genuinely there usually does.

Your student is building that reputation right now. When I talk to students about preparing for interviews, I remind them that they're always being interviewed, not just during an official meeting. The way they carry themselves to class is an interview for future recommendation letters. The way they interact with staff as a customer is an interview for getting hired at that ice cream shop for the summer. The way they support their teammates during projects is an interview for being invited to special opportunities later. The way they show up to meetings with me - on time or late, prepared or unprepared - even tells me a lot of what I need to know about what colleges they might get into (hint: the Ivy league isn't into slackers). That is the true nature of networking.

If your sailor is figuring out the recruiting process, come to the webinar. April 14, 8:30 PM EDT. Free, live, and I promise worth 90 minutes of your Tuesday night. Besides, in that crowd of at least 500 other sailors, who knows who you might meet!

Register at collegesailingwebinar.eventbrite.com.

Until next time, Nikki