What is Club de baseball Saint-Laurent (CBSL)?

CBSL is a non-profit organization registered with Le Registraire des entreprises. CBSL promotes and organizes baseball for the children (both girls and boys, ages 5 to 21) of the Borough of Saint-Laurent. CBSL achieves its mandate through its parent-volunteers, who provide their time and energy, and the Borough of St-Laurent, which provides all other resources, including parks, equipment and uniforms. CBSL also accepts children from other municipalities, such as Town of Mont-Royal and Outremont, as long as it does not interfere with those cities’ summer programs.

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What is the cost?

The base cost to play in CBSL depends on the age of the player. Usually, the fee is between $125 and $275 (for St-Laurent residents). There are rebates for siblings. There are also rebates for low-income families.

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In what age group would my child play?

Rallye-Cap is for children turning 5, 6 or 7 during the calendar year
Atom is for children turning 8 or 9 during the calendar year
Mosquito is for children turning 10 or 11 during the calendar year
Pee Wee is for children turning 12 or 13 during the calendar year
Bantam is for children turning 14 or 15 during the calendar year
Midget is for children turning 16, 17 or 18 during the calendar year
Junior is for players turning 19, 20, 21 or 22 during the calendar year

 

Do you encourage participation in more than one sport?

Baseball Canada encourages participation in more than one sport. Be that as it may, such participation should not consistently conflict with the schedule of the other sport, otherwise the benefit of neither sport will be maximized and moreover your team will suffer from your absence.

 

How do we register our child?

In an effort to make the registration more efficient and in order to direct the energies of the volunteers to other areas, CBSL provides for registration on-line only, which can be found on our web site, starting in January. Generally, we do not accept children turning 4 years old during the year.

When do we register our child?

CBSL is operated by volunteers who, like yourselves, have jobs and families. We donate our leisure time to organizing the baseball season for our members. Like yourselves, our time is important and consequently it is imperative that CBSL operate as efficiently as possible. Whether a volunteer or not, you can still help us with one very basic task: register as soon as possible.

The registration (online only) begins in January and usually ends once teams are completed (which could be as early as the end of February). From that point forward, our focus moves to the preparation of the leagues, teams, schedules, etc. There is usually a lot of work to do.

After teams are completed, we only accept players on an If-needed basis. Kindly note that only fully registered players are contacted which respect to specific information regarding the season ("Fully registered" means a player who has properly completed the registration form and has provided full payment). If you have not paid in full,your child will not be considered registered with CBSL nor Baseball Québec and will not be included in the rosters given to the Head Coaches.

 

What levels are there at CBSL and what level should my child be playing?

CBSL participates in A and B levels. The Tigers, an affiliated organization, handles the AA Level and they can be contacted at our email address Club de baseball St-Laurent. A child's participation in any level depends on their abilities and commitment. "AA" demands a high level of commitment (with many games and practices weekly, which are usually compulsory). The "A" level requires a slightly lesser commitment (less practices than "AA" but it is expected that almost all games and practices are attended), while the "B" level is more recreational in nature. It is not unusual to find very talented players at the "B"level simply because of their commitment level.

If your child participates in a AA tryout, you must absolutely register him/her with CBSL as well in order to reserve a place in the event he/she is not selected for the AA team. If he/she is chosen for the AA team, you will be reimbursed.

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When does the season start?

For Rallye-Cap, the season usually starts at the beginning of June and lasts until the end of August with practices and/or games twice a week. Players are contacted by the instructor after mid-May.

For A and B Levels, the season usually starts by mid-May and last until August or the first week of September, with practices and/or games,at least twice a week. Players are contacted by their team's Head Coach during the first 2 weeks in May. It is possible that your team plays in Regional Championships or play-offs after mid-August, so plan your vacations accordingly.

If the instructor or Head Coach does not contact you by the time indicated above, kindly contact us at our email address Club de baseball St-Laurent.

For any level or age group, the schedule is usually not known until mid-May or later. Once finalized, they are posted on our website.They are often subject to change and should be consulted regularly.

 

What equipment is required?

Your child will need a batting helmet, a baseball glove and running shoes (or rubber cleats: suggested for Mosquito and older). We suggest shopping at sports stores indicated above in this section. The shirts and pants are supplied by CBSL upon presentation of a cheque deposit of up to $120. Catchers’ equipment and bats are supplied by CBSL and must be returned, along with shirts and pants, at the end of the season. Shirts and pants need not be washed in order to be returned.

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If you require purchasing equipment, we suggest the following retailers:

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Play-it-again Sports 
2100 Decarie Boulevard
Montreal, QC H4A 3J3
(514) 484-5150

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Baseball Town
3835, boul. Curé-Labelle
Laval, QC H7P 0A5
(450) 682-0009

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Bat and glove selection chart

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What is my commitment as a parent?
Like all amateur sports, Baseball St-Laurent is operated by volunteers with support from the Borough of St-Laurent. Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Directors or even parents who perform just one task per season are worth their weight in gold and ensure the proper functioning of CBSL. Parents tend to stay as long as their children are playing baseball, which could mean one or 14 seasons. Ideally, Parents should "pick up a shovel" and help CBSL. At the very least, they should adhere to the Code of Conduct (the link to which can be found on our Web site) and attend all games in which their child is participating.

Will my involvement be appreciated?
Everyone involved in baseball in St-Laurent, from the Borough to the players to the other volunteers, would appreciate your involvement in CBSL. The fact of the matter is that you should derive satisfaction from volunteering, as its own reward.

What is my child's commitment as a player?The more a child puts into any endeavour the more they will get out of it. Ideally, players are expected to attend all games and practices.In reality, this is not likely mainly because of vacations. It is imperative that you advise your Head Coach if your child is unable to attend a game or practice. The notice could be sent by email, if it is sent more than 24 hours before a game and should be by phone, if less than 24 hours. In the Lac St-Louis leagues (i.e. all A teams and some B teams), a team will lose by default if it shows up with less than 7 players. In such an event, CBSL is also charged a fine of $100.

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How many players are on a team? Will my child be sitting on the bench for most of the game?
All teams adhere to the concept of fair-play (which is also required by Baseball Québec). This means that all players get to bat. The positions on the field are left to the Head Coach's discretion but no player may sit on the bench more than other players. Furthermore, in CBSL we do not have more than 13 players per team. This allows players to play more often than if a team had more players. To ensure that teams are not caught shorthanded,teams are encouraged to take full advantage of the Call-up system which means that players of lower levels are used as substitutes. In CBSL, players generally play more often than in most other associations.

Could my child and his friend play on the same team?
At the B level, we will do our best to include your friend on the same team but this is not always possible because of restrictions regarding the calibre and age of the players. At the A level, children are selected according to their skills, performance and talent. Only children selected according to these criteria are invited to play at the A level. This is done in order for CBSL’s teams to be competitive and, consequently, fun.

Do teams travel?

Usually, all CBSL teams travel outside of the Borough, with the exception of the Rallye-Cap groups. “A” teams may travel anywhere in the Lac St-Louis region, from Hemmingford to Lac St-François. The B teams, with the exception of Bantam and Midget, usually travel to Dollard-des-Ormeaux and Pierrefonds. The Bantam B and Midget B teams  generally travel somewhat farther than the younger B teams. Kindly note that for the past few years CBSL “B” teams have had to travel because there are not enough teams to create our own leagues. Our goal each season is to create schedules favouring more home games or creating leagues exclusively in St-Laurent.

 

How does CBSL disseminate information?
Usually by e-mail during the off-season and through e-mail and coaches during the season. If you still have questions after reading the e-mails or consulting our web site at www.baseballstlaurent.com, feel free to contact us at our email address Club de baseball St-Laurent. Do not, however, contact CBSL to ask about your team's game, practice or photo shoot schedule or other issues specifically related to your team: you should contact the team's coaches or other parents of your team. With respect to the e-mails, they are sent to the general membership, and are usually bilingual. E-mails to registered players during very busy periods (i.e. in May), however, may be in French only. Information sent by the coaches will be at the coaches’ discretion.

Does anyone actually read the e-mails sent to Club de baseball St-Laurent?
E-mails sent to us at our email address Club de baseball St-Laurent are automatically received by the Board of Directors (of which there are usually 5). During the season, others, such as the Head Umpire, may also automatically receive these e-mails. Generally, responses are provided promptly.

Are the coaches accredited, certified or trained in some way?Coaches are volunteers. They are encouraged to complete courses (the initial one of which is on-line and one can complete by registering at this link: http://nccp.baseball.ca/). Parents who become coaches may or may not have experience in baseball. This is not an issue since the knowledge can easily be acquired over time in the position and through courses. CBSL tries to have at least one certified coach per team.

 

Can anyone become an Umpire or Scorekeeper?
Any one wishing to become an Umpire or Scorekeeper should contact us at email address Club de baseball St-Laurent and we will advise you of what is required. Umpires and Scorekeepers must be at least 13 years old.

Does CBSL issue tax receipts?
Yes, if you ask for one.

Is there off-season training?
Fall and Winter trainings are held on Saturdays at Cegep St-Laurent gymnasium and on Sundays at the Complexe Sportif de St-Laurent, for any child, whether registered or not. These sessions, usually for Atom-age and above, are not mandatory and are for those who wish to start their training in anticipation of the summer season or simply wish to learn more about or try out the sport. Details are sent through e-mail, usually in September and January. Costs are 5$/session and some weekends may be reserved for special training that would require a nominal fee (these sessions are also open to any child).

Are there any evaluations?
The winter training session is followed, at the end of March, by evaluations that usually last 5 weeks. Only Fully Registered players are contacted regarding evaluations ("Fully registered" means a player who has properly completed the registration form and has provided full payment). We apologize, in advance, if these evaluations conflict with your child’s hockey practices or games but the gymnasium’s availability partly dictates the schedule while we also try to accommodate many age groups. Fully-registered players who do not wish to play for the A teams should still attend the evaluations and consider them as training sessions.

Is there an end-of-season party?
Yes. It is usually held the weekend after Labour Day. Members are advised of details by e-mail, usually in August.

What is the Annual General Assembly?It is usually held at the end of October and is when the Board of Directors provides a résumé of the past season and when members have an opportunity to pose questions to the Board of Directors. Moreover, if any positions are available on the Board of Directors, it is when elections are held. Members are advised of details through the Communiqué, usually in September with a reminder in October.