Santia Deck had big dreams while growing up as a teen athlete, but she lacked connections. “When I was a high school athlete, I wanted it so badly. To run track at a college in Texas. To get seen. To get a shot,” she said on her platform winningherway.com.
“We didn’t have connections. No roadmap. Just my mom, spending hours emailing my highlights to coaches we’d never met, hoping one would write back.”
She never forgot those difficult moments, and today, as a former pro athlete, an entrepreneur, and a tech CEO, she is ensuring that no athlete lacks the resources to be seen or heard.
RELATED STORIES
Deck is doing this through her new platform, Winning Your Way AI, which helps students get recruited and land NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals with the swipe of a screen.
“We just launched Winning Your Way, our Recruiting + NIL app to the public,” Deck said following its release. “And I’m not gonna lie, this one’s personal.”
“This is the app I wish I had when I was 16,” she added. “And now it’s live, for the next generation of athletes who refuse to be overlooked.”
READ ALSO: Santia Deck makes history as first female athlete with a shoe company
Available for $15 per month, the app is for high school athletes to help them connect with hundreds of college coaches in minutes. The athletes can also track which coaches have opened their emails and reviewed their highlight reel.
The app’s built-in AI will also help high school athletes to write powerful, coach-ready messages. What’s more, athletes can learn how to position themselves well for NIL opportunities.
The app essentially provides support for every sport, even non-traditional ones like flag football, equestrian, and beach volleyball.
“Coaches, parents, come here. Every year, millions of athletes chase the dream of being recruited, and, unfortunately, only 7% ever make it to college sports,” Deck said in an Instagram video.
She added, “I’ve seen talented athletes get overlooked because they didn’t have the tools. I’ve watched parents get overwhelmed by the recruiting process. I’ve seen athletes lose eligibility or deals because they did not understand the NIL rules. So I built the first all in one recruiting plus NIL app for overlooked athletes.”
Five years ago, Deck made history as the first female athlete with her own sneaker company. That year, in 2020, she became the only female athlete to sign a multi-million-dollar contract with the Women’s Football League Association.
Deck, who is popularly known online as the “Queen of Abs”, has also made a name for herself in fitness and social spaces. She started as a collegiate track athlete, then launched her own brand as a celebrity fitness trainer.
