Writing Tips For CU Student Athletes
“Give me a boy, I’ll bring back a man.” Deion Sanders ‘Coach Prime’ Head Coach Colorado Buffaloes.
He has been saying that long before he got to Colorado University to coach the football team. However, he also cautions not all players will end up in the NFL. That makes sense because it is a small village and cannot accommodate every man with that dream.
That is why we want to help Coach Prime mold those players to men, and real men know how to write. Writing skills will be needed, wherever they land. Yes, there’s money to be made in YouTube channels, but the next level needs writing skills.
Writing Tips
1. Writing is a house call. You knock. Somebody comes to door, lets you in because you are expected, and offers you a seat. The same with writing. You cut to the chase. ‘My name is Tim Timmini from TM Recycling. I’m here to show you how we can recycle plastic from your 34 offices. That’s the hook. It shows you’ve done your research.
2. Writing is also a house. It is difficult because it has different rooms but it is one house. These are things to take into consideration when writing for a website. You might have a target audience in mind, but you are still throwing seeds in the air with the hope they will land on fertile soil and germinate.
3. Writing goes hand in hand with facing an audience and Colorado University has someone who helps students with presentation skills. I presume.
4. Writing school assignments is easier than you think because the answer is in the topic or question. Example. Baseball popularity has declined in the last ten years. More Americans love basketball now. Discuss. You can have 3- 5 points in your paper.
Baseball: description of the game, how and where it is played, protective gear etc. Don’t assume that everybody knows, what you are writing about. Why was it popular?
Decline: do your research, maybe it hasn’t declined. The librarian might show you old newspapers. Your parents might introduce you to former MLB players and coaches. What is MLB? Don’t assume everybody knows. Find stats to prove or disprove ‘the last ten years.’
Basketball: description of the game where and how it is played. Highlight differences between baseball and basketball. Research again. Most NBA stuff is online, but go off the track, interview old players and coaches. Be bold, set up an interview with a top NBA administrator.
Conclusion
All this digging will help you decide if you agree with the assignment topic or not. Avoid the internet, most people cut and paste from it. Your paper should be unique.
You need writing skills if you don’t end up in the NFL. You can use them in science, law, marketing, tech, real estate, engineering, sports medicine, retail, your own podcast or music.
READ MORE: Your parents might have trophies and other sports memorabilia. Read, read and read. The more you read, the more you learn how to sew all your research into an ‘A” plus paper.
By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.
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