BISMARCK – Park's Place has been a busy one the past two years. Telephone calls and letters have been as prevalent at the residence as sand on the beach.

The two-way efforts were part of a plan designed to assist Ian Park in securing a college scholarship.

The hours spent on research and the time spent on travel to visit various institutions along with the commitment the Bismarck-Henning senior made to his sport of choice – soccer – resulted in a birthday present Tuesday.

On the day he turned 18, Park signed a letter of intent to continue his career at Harding University in Searcy, Ark.

"It's even more ironic that Coach (Greg) Harris will be getting it the next day, on his birthday," Park said.

Self-promotion

Recruiting is a process that involves more than a coach contacting a player and expressing interest. Athletes at smaller high schools, especially, have to be proactive. It's often imperative that they contact the institutions where they are most interested.

That point was reinforced to Park at various summer camps he attended.

"These (camp) coaches explained that you needed to market yourself," he said. "With most soccer teams having very limited scholarships, you needed to recruit yourself to the schools you'd like to attend."

Park and his parents, Tim and Mary, understood the necessity of doing the legwork.

"There is a general misconception that if you're good enough, coaches will find you," Mary Park said. "The whole recruiting process is mind-boggling to me still. It's a daunting task but well worth it in the end.

"I don't think people have any idea how difficult or time-consuming it is to pursue an athletic scholarship."

The Parks could write a how-to guide.

Academics first

The family didn't go about the process blindly. Ian Park knew what he wanted to study long before he had any idea where he'd be doing the learning.

"Where I went to school was based on the engineering program first and foremost," he said. "I wanted a hands-on education that gave me the ability to not only be employed but to also be job-ready as soon as possible."

Knowing her son's academic interests enabled Mary Park to create a list of schools to consider.

"I searched (the Internet) to determine which schools had engineering programs and soccer," she said.

From more than 100 possibilities, some schools were dropped from the outset.

"Ian knew from the beginning that he didn't want to go to a large school, so many immediately came off the list," Mary Park said. "He didn't want a program focused on research. He wanted to be taught in small classes by professors, not grad assistants."

Studying options

Mary Park and her husband devoted much of their free time to researching schools.

"Parents have to take an active role in the recruiting process," she said. "The kids need to focus on school, keeping their grades up and scoring high on their ACT. We were astounded by the amount of money students could receive based on ACT scores."

The Parks completed many online profiles as well as individual forms that were specific to certain institutions. They also made a videotape.

"The tape included highlights and portions of games," Mary Park said. "Several coaches wanted to see game film, particularly coaches who are interested but are farther away.

"Ian was asked for film from coaches in Arkansas and Texas. They had been unable to see him play in person. He visited both schools and was offered spots on both teams based on the video we sent out."

Eye-opening experience

Ian Park's entrance into soccer came as a 6-year-old in the Danville Soccer Association.

"Playing in the rec league, I always thought I was a good player," said Park, who was a forward or striker.

By the time he was ready for high school, Bismarck-Henning and Hoopeston Area had joined forces for a cooperative soccer team. Park stepped in as a freshman and made varsity. He wound up as a two-time All-Area selection.

After he turned 15, he traveled to Champaign-Urbana to participate with the Little Illini Soccer Club, playing for a team coached by Urbana's Randy Blackman.

It was an eye-opening experience for an individual used to dominating in his area.

"Reality set in. I didn't play much at first," Ian Park said, "because I had a lot to work on. I definitely had a long way to go to play at the next level."

By his junior year in high school, college coaches were making contact, not just for soccer but also for football. Park served as a place-kicker for the Blue Devils the last two years and was an All-Area second-teamer as a junior.

As a midfielder, he scored 37 goals in soccer his final two seasons and earned all-state laurels as a senior.

In all, 34 schools were in touch about soccer and 27 for football. The first school to make contact was McKendree College for soccer.

The road traveled

Less than a year ago, Park and his family began visiting various campuses. They made one-day trips to Wheaton College, Rose-Hulman (Terre Haute, Ind.), North Central College (Naperville) and Indiana Tech (Fort Wayne, Ind.). There were overnight visits to Trine University (Angola, Ind.), LeTourneau University (Longview, Texas) and John Brown University (Siloam Springs, Ark.)

Ian Park made an official visit (paid by the school) to Harding, with his parents paying for their own air- fare and accommodations once they arrived in Searcy.

"Ian knew what he wanted in a school," Mary Park said. "He was able to tell pretty quickly if a school would be a good fit for him. We visited one school and Ian knew within an hour he wouldn't fit there."

Before he made his decision, Park had set foot on eight campuses covering nine visits (checking out Trine twice), in four states.

"We traveled roughly 5,500 miles," he said.

Making the grade

The amount of travel, Mary Park said, was truly much more. Once Ian Park entered an Olympic Development Program, there were trips to camps, practices and matches.

"We put 90,000 miles on our car in three years attending soccer tournaments, campus visits and various practices in Champaign, Bloomington and Schaumburg," Mary Park said.

If you figure gas prices averaging $2.50 per gallon and a vehicle that averages 30 mpg, the cost alone for fuel would be $7,500.

It's little wonder Mary Park joked with friends, "if we saved all the money we spent on club (soccer), ODP and travel expenses, we might have had enough money to pay for college."

Then again, probably not.

Harding University has five full scholarships available for soccer. Total. The coach recruits 15 players, offering each the equivalent of one-third of a scholarship.

Park, who scored a 26 on his ACT and has a 3.50 grade-point average, qualifies for an academic scholarship that will cover about another one-third of a year's schooling.

That will leave him and his family about $7,000 to pay annually.

Heeding advice

Along the way, the Parks received tips and advice that they considered beneficial.

Mary Park said Wheaton College coach Mike Giuliano emphasized the importance of watching a school play before making a commitment.

"He said every coach was a nice guy in the office," Mary Park said. "It was important to see how a coach handled himself during the heat of a game. His biggest piece of advice was not to pay for the recruiting services but to market yourself.

"He personally didn't want to receive information from a recruiter. He wanted to receive information directly from the family. We took that advice, and it worked for us."

Another point reinforced repeatedly was the value of club soccer.

"A college coach said he didn't care about high school soccer," Mary Park said. "He wanted to see how players handled the higher level of competition. High school soccer was a place to go to have fun and hone your soccer skills."

Most important, she said, was persistence and not bypassing any opportunity.

"The key is getting your child's name out there among the coaches," Mary Park said. "Sometimes, college coaches will refer kids to other coaches. We found them to be very helpful."

A helpful 'team'

Ian Park is grateful for those who have helped him, in particular those who are closest to him.

"My parents gave up far more than I ever did," he said. "They dedicated the last two years to this process. I don't think I could have done it without them. This process for me wasn't stressful.

"My mom really made it all possible. She spent a lot of time with my profile. Without her involvement, none of this would have been possible."

Even notifying coaches whose scholarship offers he was declining wasn't something Ian Park dreaded.

"It wasn't tough to tell the other coaches I wasn't coming," he said. "I selected schools (as finalists) where the coaches were absolutely first-class guys. I knew they would all wish me the best even if I hadn't selected their school."

Gabe Lutterschmidt, one of Ian Park's first soccer coaches in Danville, helped nurture the interest. Mike Kobylinski, the director of coaching for the Little Illini Soccer club, was thorough in his explanations to the family about what to expect during recruitment.

Numerous coaches made contributions, Ian Park said, which "helped shape me into the athlete I am."

Not all were soccer-specific coaches.

"Without those like Gary Spezia, who has coached me in speed training, flexibility, basketball and hurdling, I wouldn't be where I am right now," he said.

Mary Park has no regrets about the time and effort she devoted to the project.

"If I had to do it over again, there is no doubt," she said, "I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Moving forward

The Parks didn't leave anything to chance concerning the academic reputation of colleges. Ian's uncle, Mike Park, is an engineer based in Texas.

"If Ian was interested in the school, we had his uncle take a look at the engineering department and give his opinion," Mary Park said.

It was important, she said, that decisions were not based on athletics.

"His dad always told him he was one injury away from never playing again," Mary Park said. "Our biggest piece of advice was to look for a school which focused on academics first. I wanted him to be at a school he liked well enough to attend if soccer wasn't in the picture."

Ian Park is confident he made the right choice.

"I am not nervous about fitting in as a freshman at Harding as a student or an athlete," he said. "The Christian school's welcoming atmosphere is another reason I wanted to attend. I feel like I've found the place where God wants me to be."

Fred Kroner is The News-Gazette's prep sports coordinator. He writes a weekly high school-related column throughout the school year. He can be reached by phone at 217-351-5232, by fax at 217-373-7401 or at fkroner@news-gazette.com.