The Elliot Lake Youth Slo-Pitch and T-Ball club held its Annual General Meeting last night at the Mt. Dufour Ski Hill chalet. The year’s successes were highlighted but the looming loss of the Kiwanis Park ball diamond dominated conversation at the meeting.
Youth sports program growing
The club reported recovery from the effects of COVID on registrations. Registrations the previous year (2022) totalled 138 kids because many parents were “not ready yet,” to put their kids back into sports programs.
In 2023, registration grew by 48 per cent to 204 boys and girls.
“Our registration numbers were amazing this year. We were able to get our full four teams in both youth and teens and also added a fifth team to juniors this year,” said club president, Jess Cyr, delivering her report.
Cyr continued, “This is a great sign, and hopefully, we can continue and ensure the longevity of youth slo-pitch in Elliot Lake.”
Future continues uncertain
In March, city council approved a staff recommendation that would remove the Kiwanis Park ball diamond to make way for an “All-wheels skate park.” It was a move that took the club by surprise and they’ve been trying to have their concerns debated publicly ever since.
Small sized ball field supports youth programming
The youth slo-pitch and t-ball program uses the two smaller children’s ball fields in town: Kiwanis Park on Dieppe Avenue and the field behind Our Lady of Lourdes school at Burley Park. The two fields allow the club to schedule games on Tuesdays and Thursdays and avoid conflicts with the soccer program on Mondays and Wednesdays. Some kids play both sports.
The small sized fields are important. Executive member-at-large, Stephanie MacLeod, explained, “We try to keep the smaller kids on the smaller field because it’s definitely less intimidating for them.”
Cyr agreed. “We need two children’s fields- specifically for the kids.”
“[If] the little t-ballers or juniors, come to [a] big field - they might not come. They’re already spooked as it is. Leery about coming because there’s other kids there and stuff, right? So, we want to make it comfortable for them,” Cyr said.
Club is open to other ideas
Lighting can extend the playing hours later in the evening for older youth and adults but “we can’t have little guys, six- and eight-year-olds playing until 10 at night,” Cyr said. “They barely make it to 8,” she added with a chuckle.
City suggests other fields
In lieu of the Kiwanis Park ball diamond, the city suggested there are three other fields available.
On Sept. 8, ElliotLakeToday reached out by email to Director of Recreation and Culture, Kari Kluke, and asked which fields the other ones are.
Kluke responded, “The three other ball diamonds in town are Parsons, Burley 1 and Burley 2.”
Parsons, located beside the Centennial Arena, is an adult-sized field. It has since been closed due to its location beside the Centennial Arena - also closed due to safety concerns.
Burley 1 is already used by the youth club and Burley 2 is an adult-sized field.
Council remains silent
Stephanie MacLeod brought the club’s concerns to the council, Sept. 7. Committee Chair Rick Bull’s welcome and MacLeod’s address to the committee are in the video archive here.
The new information MacLeod brought to the committee about the scheduling concerns, could allow council to reconsider their plan to eliminate the Kiwanis Park ball diamond. However, there was no motion for a reconsideration.
The club volunteer’s frustration was evident last night.
Commenting about the club's efforts to communicate with the council, Cyr said, “Unfortunately, we haven’t really gotten too far, not for a lack of trying. It’s proven to be somewhat difficult to get in front of council. We keep being told to go to the Parks and Rec meeting, which we do, but that doesn’t seem to get us anywhere.”
“We’ve worked hard - all of us as an exec and previous execs have worked really hard to continue. So, it’s a big slap in the face, I feel, from the city to basically tell us that we don’t matter. The kids don’t matter. What we’re doing doesn’t matter,” Cyr said.
MacLeod wondered aloud, “Why does it have to be such secrecy? Why can’t we just all work together? Why can’t we just compromise and speak? We could talk and they actually listen and try to compromise and find a solution that works for everyone?”
Cyr added, “It’s about the kids.”
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Don’t take the kid’s ball field away from them – Youth Slo-Pitch