Cook Helps Conklin Raiders Reach Their Golden Potential

Story Highlights

• Conklin Raiders hosting youth softball camps the next two weeks at Schnurbusch Park.

• Conklin Raiders Gold coach Dale Cook has been invoved with the Raiders program since 1989.

• The Raiders face top teams during the summer and are ranked 67th out of 300 Triple Crown teams.

• Coach Cook was inducted into the New York State Softabll Hall of Fame on June 27.

If you are a top softball player in the Southern Tier, chances are you have spent some time as a member of the Conklin Raiders program and have worked with Gold team coach, Dale Cook. If you haven’t, you will have an opportunity to over the next two weeks, as Cook and the Raiders will hold two camps at Schurbusch Park, a hitting camp Tuesday through Thursday and a pitching camp next week.

Coach Cook was the varsity coach at Susquehanna Valley from 1994 through 2006, where he led the Sabers to five state championships. From there, he moved on to Binghamton, where he also teaches Social Studies. He coached the junior varsity team in 2007, but also assisted varsity coach John Seedborg as the Patriots reached the state semifinals. Cook ran the varsity program from 2008-10 before retiring to focus on coaching in summer leagues. Overall, he went 341-91 in 17 seasons.

Cook has been involved with the Conklin Raiders program since it was started in 1989 as the Conklin Cubs. He continued coaching even after his daughter Barb became a high school All-American, graduated and went on to college. According to Cook, the Raiders started a Gold team “around 2006 or 2007,” joining the TC Tremors as the only such programs in the area.

Whether with a high school team or with one of the Raiders teams, Cook is a very disciplined coach who teaches his players the value of putting in maximum effort.

“He’s very fun, but he’s a disciplined coach in that he expects certain things from the girls and helps the girls to expect things out of themselves,” said Dee Morgan, whose two daughters have attended camps run by Cook.

“Mr. Cook is very tough on us in the aspect that he knows the potential each of us has,” added Morgan Starley, who spent two years in the Raiders Gold program. “He wants you to understand that you can play so well and you should expect that every time you step on the field.”

Starley went on to win a state championship with Windsor and spends her summers as one of three coaches with the Raiders 12 and under program. She also pitches at Division II Queens College.

Even though he has stopped coaching at the high school level, the 58-year-old Cook keeps a busy schedule with the Raiders. The program has five teams — the gold team, and 18-under Elite team, two 14-under teams and the 12-under team — that travel nearly every weekend during the summer.

After the summer season ends in August, teams begin practicing for fall teams, which run from early September through early November. The Gold team travels to New Jersey, Georgia, Colorado, Nevada and Florida throughout the summer and fall with quite a bit of success. The Raiders are 67th out of 300 teams in the rankings of Triple Crown Sports, a top youth tournament organization.

Cook’s wife Catherine used to coach and travel with him until two years ago. He still keeps going, because of her and also because of his desire to help his players be the best they can be. “A few years ago, I wanted to get out, but she told me I couldn’t leave because I had to keep helping kids get into college,” he said.

Cook’s hard work and dedication paid off when he was inducted to the New York State Softball Hall of Fame on June 27. Even with this well-deserved honor, Cook remains humble.

“That comes with age, I think. You get old and they decide to put you in the Hall of Fame,” he joked, also noting that Barb doesn’t let him forget that she got in two years before he did. “That all comes down to having good kids. To have that honor is awesome and nobody can take that away.”

For information about any of the Conklin Raiders camps, contact Cook at (607) 775-4775 or at popscook01@stny.rr.com.

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