Our Honorary President: Guy Marchand
The organizing committee of the 60th edition of the M-11 Mousquiri National Tournament in Richmond is proud to welcome this year, as honorary president, one of its long-time volunteers: Guy Marchand.
Recently retired after working as a journalist at L’Étincelle, La Tribune, and Canada Post, he is an essential figure in the M-11 Mousquiri National Tournament in Richmond. A volunteer for more than 50 years, he has dedicated a large part of his life to making this sporting event a major annual gathering for generations of sports enthusiasts.
He notably played in 1968 during the 5th edition of the Mosquito Tournament. He began his volunteer work in 1970 as a scrapper (snow plow operator), then as a statistics assistant, publicity assistant, and later as an assistant registrar before becoming a director on the organizing committee during the 21st tournament in 1984. He has been serving on the board of directors for 40 years, taking on the roles of publicist, public relations manager, and, in recent years, he has also held the position of assembly secretary.
Over the years, he has been involved in several significant projects, including: creating a historical booklet (research and writing) for the tournament’s 20th anniversary in 1983, participating in the para-tournament activities committee for the 25th anniversary in 1988, and creating a commemorative booklet.
He has also contributed to the establishment of the Mousquiri Evenings (tribute evenings to local businesses and personalities for about ten years), the volunteers’ evenings, reunions of champion teams, organizing press conferences in Sherbrooke, the 40th anniversary parade, creating annual tributes to volunteers, the René Thibault Excellence Award, and the search for honorary presidents. He also worked on identifying the champion banners, researching and compiling the champion teams, and highlighting former tournament players who went on to play professionally.
All of these accomplishments aim to highlight the role of volunteers and make the Mousquiri Tournament a unique event, different from all others.
“I am truly honored to have been chosen for this role, and I accept it with great humility,” he said. “As a volunteer, we do not seek honors, and I accept this recognition on behalf of all those who dedicate themselves each year to ensuring the success of the tournament,” added Guy Marchand, who will once again be involved in the Mousquiri Tournament from February 3 to 16.
