If Stephanie Parkin’s athletic career at Clarkston High School was a mutual fund, even the rockiest economic conditions would not shake her investors ? because in becoming CHS? first female 12-varsity letter athlete Parkin kept a heavily diversified portfolio.
Parkin toiled, sweated and competed through four years of basketball in the fall, volleyball in the winter and track in the spring. To her off-season was myth, free time a legend.
‘It wasn’t necessarily easy. What it all came down to was wanting to play sports and there was nothing else I’d rather be doing,? said Parkin.
But Parkin did not just play three varsity sports, she excelled in them. Having secured a scholarship to play volleyball at Oakland University, her athletic career flies in the face of conventional thinking which says the way into college athletics is through focusing on one sport, and one sport only.
‘I think young kids today try to specialize too much. Balancing three sports was good for (Parkin),? said Anne Lowney, Parkin’s former basketball coach.
‘I think if I wasn’t playing the other sports, I wouldn’t be as good at the others. I think they complemented each other,? said Parkin.
Most college bound volleyball players play on spring and summer teams to hone their skills year round. Like those she will play with and against at Oakland, Parkin played on spring and summer teams, except during the spring she also ran track.
‘I had a meeting with (track coach) John Yorke to discuss volleyball. If I had told him I wasn’t going to run track, they would have hunted me down,? said Parkin.
The track team needed Parkin, a three-time state qualifier in the long jump, 100 hurdles and 1,600 relay. By the end of her four year career she amassed more meet points than anyone else in the graduating class.
‘At the end, I was run down. I wanted everything to be done. I was tired of school and sports. I’m glad that I stuck it out. It’s a great achievement,? said Parkin.
This year, Parkin received the Outstanding Female Athlete Award from the Clarkston Athletic Department.
‘In today’s world, this is pretty remarkable. She was never a bench warmer, she was up there because she could play,? said Clarkston Athletic Director Dan Fife when Parkin signed her letter of intent with OU.
In basketball, Parkin was twice named honorable mention All-State and All-OAA.
‘It was an honor to coach her. She handled everything so well. I never once saw her break down, she was so mentally tough,? said Lowney, who returned to coaching after having triplets in Parkin’s freshman year and left to become a full time mom again after her senior year.
‘I was scared of her my freshman year, but she prepared me for life. My volleyball coach (at OU) is a yeller,? said Parkin. ‘She’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve ever had. I’m happy she came back my (freshman) year.?
Across the board, Parkin’s coaches fall over themselves to praise her, both as a person and a player.
‘She’s quiet off the court, but she is so competitive. All she thinks about is winning,? said Kelly Avenall, Parkin’s volleyball coach over the past two years.
Parkin was twice named All-League and All-Region in volleyball, her favorite of the three sports. This past year, as middle hitter, Parkin’s play anchored the team through a rough opening to the season. Her combination of lithe and powerful play at the net showed her team what winning took, while at times her cutting glare kept everyone focused on victory. By the end of the season, Parkin and her teammates won their district.
‘I’m not really a vocal person. I didn’t really take the role of an assistant coach, but my teammates looked up to me,? said Parkin. ‘It was my year ? I didn’t feel any pressure. I enjoyed carrying the team.?
Now that her high school athletics career is behind her, Parkin is trying to adjust to a less harried life.
‘It will be strange to only play one sport. I’ll actually have an off-season,? said Parkin.
One person who Parkin feels played an integral role in her development was Gordy Richardson, who coached her in volleyball and track in her freshman and sophomore years.
‘Gordy Richardson pushed me to become a better volleyball player. Even though I was young, he never stopped teaching me.,? said Parkin.
A call from Richardson is what initially tipped OU coach Dave Schmidland.
In her volleyball career at Clarkston, Parkin set school records for most kills, digs and dig percentage. At OU, Parkin will move from her high school position of middle hitter to either outside hitter or a back line defensive specialist role.
Parkin will share a suite with three of her teammates at Oakland, but is glad that home won’t be too far away.
‘My parents never missed a game ever. Sometimes they would even watch me practice because they like to,? said Parkin.
While the scholarship surely brought smiles to the Parkin household, Stephanie’s family just wanted their daughter to have fun playing sports.
‘We always emphasized that she didn’t have to play sports for a scholarship and I think she is a better athlete for it,? said Tim Parkin, Stephanie’s father, on the day she signed her letter of intent with Oakland University.
Stephanie credits her mother Lynette and father both with unerring support. She felt the time she spent ‘tagging along? to her older sister Lindsey’s volleyball tournaments was invaluable, and enjoys teaching her younger sister Emily, a sophomore at CHS, the finer points of the game.