Wasilla man promotes local athletes to nation's colleges

Tony Olivera recently changed direction in his career -- a change he hopes will help Alaskan youths find direction in their quest for athletic scholarships.

He operates the Alaska site for the National Scouting Report, a service company that specializes in promoting athletes at colleges around the nation that are looking for athletes.

Many small colleges do not have an operating budget that allows them to scout in Alaska. The National Scouting Report provides a conduit to showcase Alaskan athletes through video, Internet, and mail to schools nationwide.

Olivera works with local schools, coaches, parents, and athletes to ensure that kids enrolled in his program are on the right track to make them competitive in the national market to colleges providing athletic scholarships.

A big part of his focus is on academics. The National Collegiate Athletic Association has many academic requirements for scholarship eligibility that must be fulfilled while in high school.

Olivera works closely with parents and athletes to ensure they understand the requirements so they can plan a course of action to complete the requirements.

"Colleges want athletes who have good grades," Olivera said. "Colleges will take a less talented athlete with good grades over a great athlete with poor grades."

The National Scouting Report does charge a fee for enrollment into the program. Once enrolled, Olivera works to meet the athlete's requirements and preferences until a scholarship is obtained.

"The bottom line is to get kids recruited," Olivera said.

With today's competitive environment for athletic scholarships nationwide, many athletes enroll as high school freshmen. This gives athletes better opportunities, since most colleges start tracking athletes at a young age and plan their scholarship awards years in advance.

Most athletes living in Alaska are isolated from exposure to many of the nation's college recruiting opportunities, Olivera is working to change that.

"I think it's a good opportunity to get noticed," said Colony football player Dominick Bellotte, who is promoted by Olivera. "The program is giving me exposure to colleges around the nation."