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For the last four years, we’ve officially opened the floodgates for Canada’s ugliest bleachers. After rolling out our inaugural Ugly Bleacher Contest back in 2023, we’ve received hundreds of photos from coast-to-coast, showing off the splintered wood, sagging seats, and paint that’s more of a memory than anything else, of Canada’s Ugliest seating structures. Each year since then, we’ve crowned a winner and delivered a fresh set of bleachers directly to their community.
But here’s the secret the rest of the country is starting to figure out:
You don’t have to win to win!
Last year a determined crew from the Municipality of St. Joseph on Allumette Island (right in the heart of The Pontiac, Quebec) sent in their old wooden bleachers for the 2025 edition of the Ugly Bleacher Contest. Unfortunately, they didn’t take home the top prize as their entry never made it into the winners’ circle. And where most people would have shrugged and walked away, these folks did the opposite.
Rather than accept defeat, they kept the conversation going. Their old bleachers were headed for demolition as the ball diamond underwent major upgrades, leading them to reach out to our sales team for a proper quote. The moment we realized this was one of our 2025 contest entries, the gloves (and the full list price) came off. We put together a special discount on the supply and installation of our most popular 5-row bleacher simply because they were good enough to get out and have a little fun with us during last year’s contest.
Deciding on a slight upgrade from what the top prize is, the community opted for our nicely appointed Platinum Model BL-5TB-21PLT bleacher. With the ability to seat 54 spectators comfortably, all while being fully code-compliant across Canada, these bleachers were the perfect fit for the kind of community diamond that deserves better than “good enough.”
Those new bleachers are now sitting pretty in St. Joseph, ready for the next generation of foul balls and home-run cheers. And the best part? The crew already has plans for a second set along the first-base line once more funding becomes available.
No provincial borders. No “sorry, you didn’t win.” Just good people who refused to let an aging set of seats hold their community back — and a company that believes every entry deserves a shot at something better.
Thank you to our friends in The Pontiac and across Quebec for participating and taking the contest well beyond the confines of the voting process. We look forward to working on the second phase sometime soon.
