What’s your name and what do you coach? My name is Andrew Park and I coach soccer here at Niles North High School
How long have you been coaching for Niles North? I started out volunteering 9 years ago and became a full time coach.
What got you into coaching? Well, I like soccer, so when I started working at Niles North, I was bored and had so much energy being wasted. So I reached out to the varsity head coach, Coach Cejovic and asked “Hey, can I just volunteer?” and he said yeah, so that’s how it started.
What’s your favorite thing about being a coach? It’s nice seeing kids outside of an academic setting. When you’re in a classroom, kids act a certain way, and when you coach them in a sport, you’re less constrained by the setting of the classroom. So you can see students in different ways, interacting in different ways. And so it’s nice to see how different students are when it comes to sports.
What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you in practice? When I tried to demonstrate a drill and slipped and fell on my back. As embarrassing that may seem, there was still humor behind it.
What’s something you tell your players to help motivate them? It’s okay to fail. Especially at the level of soccer that I coach, which is boys freshmen and girls junior varsity. There’s so much room for improvement and they have so much time before one day they will be at the highest level of soccer which is varsity. So don’t be afraid to make mistakes during drills, you can always improve and be better than you were yesterday.
What’s your favorite soccer team? The South Korean Men’s National Team
What’s your go to snack? 2 snacks that come to mind that take the cake have to be Sour Cream and Cheddar Ruffles and Cool Ranch Doritos
If you’re stranded on a deserted island, what are three essential items you’d bring? A book, my Iphone, and laptop with unlimited batteries.
What do you want to see more of at Niles North? More interactions between students and faculty and staff at extracurricular events.
