Alberta Amateur Baseball Council is honouring those individuals who have contributed significantly to Baseball in Alberta, at the youth level. This week’s nominee, regarding “Passion for Baseball” is Darren Cockx. Darren, along with Jason Tanton, Sonny Warrack, and Rick Zarowny are the driving forces behind the development of the Cheadle Ray Fair Field Baseball Park, in Strathmore, AB, which was built in 2017 to serve youth baseball players in the region.
The inspiration for the ballpark came from the need for baseball parks for Strathmore youth. Players from Strathmore were having to travel as far away as Carseland for a team practice. With this reality for the Strathmore baseball youth, and the combination of the 100th Anniversary of the Strathmore Lions Club and the 125th birthday of Canada, Darren, Jason, Sonny, and Rick spearheaded the development of a youth baseball park.
The obstacles to such a development were many. First, the field cost development was roughly $500,000. But through the donations of many, and the generosity of Gray’s Excavating Inc., the financial requirements were met. As well, the donated labour of many, helped bring the fields initiative to a reality. Land was also an issue. However, the County of Wheatland allowed for some variance in road allowances, and with the construction of a 13 foot right field wall, the park is viable for U18 and U15 baseball.
Today, Darren’s greatest satisfaction comes from seeing kids play baseball on the field. (The field is booked every night of the week.) He also gets great joy in hearing the astonishment of many people have when they first see the park. As well, he is always proud when he sees players taking selfies, prior to their participation at the park. Every time Darren sees the park, he is proud to be part of the group responsible for creating a dynamic youth facility.
In the future, Darren hopes more communities will take a view of this park and try to construct something similar for the kids of their community. One of the keys to having more kids play, is having good facilities.
Alberta Amateur Baseball Council would like to thank Darren Cockx, as well as Jason, Sonny, and Rick for their contributions to Alberta youth baseball.
