Ivan Custeau on the ball field. (Photo Rémi Tremblay)
For the auspicious year of its 30th anniversary of existence, the Lac-Mégantic Minor Baseball Association saw all the stars align in 2023: record youth registrations, there were 132 to set foot on the ball field , impressive support from its financial partners and privileged external support from the Blue Jay’s Foundation which announced a second scholarship to the A’s, this one of $150,000, after that of $123,000 paid in 2019. At the dawn of its 31st season, President Ivan Custeau nevertheless appears worried.
A few days before training camp, before the regular season which officially begins on May 27, the man who presents himself as “the voice of young people” agrees to say out loud what many parents are thinking quietly. Volunteering has become a rare commodity, the upgrading of work around the field is delayed, the registration cost, the lowest for this sport throughout Quebec, is maintained, but with a reduced discount rate compared to to 2023, and finally, the intermunicipal “disagreement” over the use of the Mégantic Sports Center which is causing a stir in neighboring municipalities in the inner ring.
The 2024 season is assured, with 103 players currently registered, a drop of around thirty over the year 2023 which Mr. Custeau explains in part on the reduction to 25% of the discount on the regular registration cost, as opposed to 50% in 2023, already the lowest in baseball and even all sports combined, in Estrie and everywhere else in Quebec. “And the highest paid coaches, referees and scorers, thanks to sponsorships and fundraising activities. But volunteering is becoming increasingly difficult to do and to recruit. There are plenty of administrative constraints, enough that the A’s were forced to return to an old formula from before COVID, that is to say that for each child who registers, we ask for 4 hours of volunteering per family to help us with our fundraising activities. Otherwise, we would have to charge them an extra $50.”
The players’ parents are finding it more and more difficult to keep up. “And it’s not about the money, it’s about the complexity of volunteering. I had three groups of referees and scorers trained here in Lac-Mégantic, rather than sending them outside. Mandatory annual training required by Baseball Québec.”
An even more worrying prospect is the possibility that the City of Lac-Mégantic will introduce a non-resident rate for users of the ball field. “Somewhere in the 2000s, the city set a rate of 50% more for A’s registration for non-residents. It only lasted a year, because the number of players dropped from 50 to 35. We said: why charge a surcharge, when the A’s travel to Frontenac and Woburn to play? The net result was that the non-resident surcharge was dropped and baseball saved.
The cost of registration has a major influence on children’s participation. 22% drop in registrations in 2024, the discount offered having dropped to $25 off the regular rate. And for 2025, end of the rebate program. The organization expects another drop in registrations, this time by 20%, for around 83 players. “At the bottom of 70 players, unfortunately, I will have to draw the line on competitive baseball,” underlines Ivan Custeau. We have already done the calculation, below this threshold, it is no longer viable, because our fixed costs remain the same, tournament costs, series costs. If there are fewer registrations, there will also be less money!”
A surcharge on non-residents would become catastrophic. “If the City, for example, imposes an additional fee on non-residents, whether or not it is reimbursed by the municipalities, that changes nothing, because currently, the citizen card (Accès-Loisirs for the CSM and Baie -des-Sables) is not reimbursed for a citizen like me (residing in Frontenac). I’m taking advantage of the CSM, there are four of us, let’s do the math four times $230, it’s close to $1,000 that I have to pay to go to the Sports Center and Frontenac doesn’t want to reimburse me. In addition, they reimburse registration 100%.”
The intermunicipal climate has deteriorated in the inner ring. With repercussions on baseball. “Last year (in 2023), the general manager of Marston called me to come and see their land; they (the elected officials) were willing and ready to make the adjustments so that their land was regulatory and safe. I moved around, I said what it took for the A’s to be able to play there and they decided to move forward. On the other hand, I just learned on Facebook (mawebtv) from the mouth of Mayor Claude Roy, that the project was put on ice, considering everything that is happening with the agreements. What I learned: we are not going to help Mégantic, while Mégantic does not help us! There, my arms fell!”
And what about land leveling work? Could there be work done during the summer to complete the project with the Blue Jay’s Foundation? Ivan Custeau remains confident. “We hope so. It’s going to be difficult, since the contractor has not yet been chosen. By the time the calls for tenders come out and the contractor has obtained the contract, he must order all the material (fences, ball stops, etc.) and you can’t get that from the local merchant!”
2024-05-14 18:57:57
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