Drivers along Colonial Avenue between Route 419 and Brambleton Avenue have probably noticed the grading taking place at the South end of the North Cross campus.
The Southwest County private school is in the final stages of adding their third athletic field to compliment their highly successful athletic programs that are perennially at the top of the Virginia Independent School ranks.
Cook Field, named after Richard Cook, the father of soccer at North Cross School and the Roanoke Valley, will be the new home to soccer and field hockey for the Raiders, joining adjacent Thomas Field and Porterfield Field as the school’s primary outdoor sports venues.
For the last 43 years Cook has dedicated himself as a teacher, mentor, leader and coach. Richard coached for 36 years and compiled 458 wins. For over 30 years every headmaster at North Cross School has wanted to name a field in his honor. Now, Cook Athletic Field will become a reality.
The timing couldn’t have been better. The North Cross boys soccer team has won 15 conference championships and four state championships, most recently in 2014. The school has had only one losing season in 42 years.
In field hockey, the girls’ team has won five conference championships, and for the first time in school history, advanced to the state finals in 2014.
The school noted in a release that approximately 700 students have played varsity field hockey or soccer for North Cross since 1972, establishing an outstanding reputation in these sports while being competitive at the conference and state levels.
Cook Athletic Field will be a testament to a man who has given so much of his life to developing strong moral character and a love for soccer to young men and women. This is a man who has touched the lives of almost every child who studied in the Upper School at North Cross.
There had been the need for a new field dedicated solely to soccer and field hockey. Previously, those teams shared Thomas Field with football and lacrosse for their games. Unlike football, soccer and field hockey fields need to be flat, with well-rooted grass, and wide enough so as not to restrict play. Thomas Field, built for football, was not wide enough to accommodate soccer and had a significant crown for drainage, facts frequently noted by visiting teams.
“The North Cross community needs to recognize this man’s contributions to his students and players by coming together and building this field in his honor,” current North Cross Headmaster, Chris Proctor noted in an earlier release.
Cook Field will be regulation-sized for soccer: 120 yards X 75 yards. The surface will be Bermuda grass with the facility having an irrigation system, scoreboard, bleachers and perimeter fencing.
“We had so many teams playing on Thomas Field, this will totally spread it out for both keeping the fields in good shape as well as making it easier for scheduling,” North Cross Athletic Director Eric Lawrence said in a recent interview. “Thomas Field was not big enough for soccer.”
“The school had a capital campaign that attracted many donors,” Lawrence noted of the funding. “Many donors have been former players.”
The original projected cost for the project was $360,000.
“We’ve added a few things that will increase the final total to around $400,000.” Lawrence added. “For instance, we decided to sod the field instead of seeding. That will establish a better surface for the long run. If the weather cooperates, we hope to dedicate the field and play the first games in October.”
Bill Turner
