Marc-André Marineau has been a dedicated volunteer for ten years now. He arrived in position at the birth of the Aigles de Trois-Rivières, making himself to this day an indispensable part of the team.
“My dad was involved in baseball and my brother played baseball. I mainly played football. I found myself here from the beginning of the team with Jean-François Picard and Ben Chaput, because we were all friends. We even have freaked out dumplings on the terrace together, so we did a bit of everything. I also sold advertising. Then René Martin took over, but I stayed there. We got on well from the start,” he says.
“I love baseball, but especially the atmosphere here. I like what baseball brings to the city, but also to young people. It’s such an important product to grow the region and it’s super fun. It is a product for everyone. I do it mainly for that. I have never been employed. I have been working for Laboratoires Choisy, which has become Groupe Kersia, for 20 years, so we were approached to be a partner. We are therefore a supplier here for everything related to toilet paper, hand paper and soap. My presence is full-time volunteering. I am involved in other places as well, such as my son’s school foundation and Collège Laflèche. »
The adopted Trifluvien no longer counts the games he has attended. He is aware that his role has evolved over time and that is what makes him happy.
“I begin to know begins René Martin thinks, how he acts. We complement each other well. I’m starting to get to know Simon Laliberté (general manager of the Eagles) well as well. Simon is a young person who brings another vision. He is a young man who has a lot of experience in sport. He played hockey and he started here before joining the Cataracts and then coming back. We really have a great team around which are always grafted good young people, ”he testifies.
“People like Marc-André Marineau, there are fewer and fewer of them and more are needed, testifies René Martin, president of the Aigles de Trois-Rivières. There are fewer and fewer people as dedicated as him. He has always been in all the battles with us, as if he were an Eagles employee. I often say it’s my right arm, but also my left arm. We developed a beautiful friendship. He is a seller and he is known. Marc-André does not leave anyone indifferent. He is an excellent employee, even though he is a volunteer. He is very versatile and very passionate. He always took the Eagles’ situation to heart. We are an NPO, so a volunteer who does as much as Marc-André is definitely worth gold. »
The volunteer likes to meet people so much that very often, he will not be able to tell you what really happened on the ground during the evening.
“I’m a guy who socializes a lot. We are a gang of friends and we have fun. Quite often, I will gossip the whole evening. You’re going to ask me for the score and I might not know. I go for walks and I like to see the world. We see that everyone is happy to be here and it’s really not a job, it’s a pleasure. If it tempts me less one evening, I can stay at home. Well, sometimes René calls me for backup (laughs), but I love this. I have the luxury of deciding. »
“I also like to see everyone being developed. Simon Laliberté started here before ending up with the Cataractes. Louis-Philippe Carbonneau is with the Victoriaville Tigres (LHJMQ), while Hugues Marcil is with the National Hockey League (NHL). It’s big! On the pitch, we saw Cam Kneeland get an offer from the majors, then Ryan Bollinger, who is now in Australia. We had the arrival of Raphaël Gladu with the Eagles and that is major for the team. It’s one of the best things that couldn’t happen to the Eagles. In short, I always liked better being here than being at home rocking me (laughs) and my girlfriend knows that I am like that. She knows I need this. »
The beginning of his adventure with the Eagles also coincides with the date of birth of his son, within a few months. Quickly, the evenings at Les Aigles became a daily routine for the young Eliott.
“My son is the same age as the Eagles. He is 9 years old and he grew up here. Aside from the construction holidays, we are still pretty much at the stadium. I have to attend at least 40 to 42 games a year here. We also travel so we regularly go to see baseball in Quebec (Capitals) and Ottawa (Titans),” he explains.
“Eliott loves it! I have pictures of him stretching with Steve Brown in the field when he was only 3 or 4 years old. He trained with Kyle Lafrenz, Pedro Lopez and Daniel Mateo. The guys have all seen him grow up. Before each match, he embarks with Simon in the side by side and he prepares the ground with him. He comes here, he always has a smile and he’s happy, so I’m happy,” he concludes.
