Pursuit is a sports feature series highlighting athletes, coaches, and staff and significant sporting events from North Bay and the surrounding area.
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Growing up in North Bay, Megan Cundari’s life revolved around sports. Hockey and volleyball were her mainstays, and golf was also in the mix until her early teens. Now based in Ottawa, the St. Joseph-Scollard Hall alum is making waves in Canadian sports, recently earning recognition for her leadership in developing Baseball Canada’s Women in Coaching Program.
Cundari moved to Ottawa in 2018 for university and stayed to work in sports. “Both my brother and I were heavily involved in competitive sports growing up. Hockey and volleyball were my focus, and now I’ve found my passion in coaching volleyball and working in baseball.”
Cundari comes from a family steeped in coaching expertise. Her father, Glenn Cundari, is a well-known figure in North Bay’s sports community, receiving the prestigious National Coach Developer Award from the Coaching Association of Canada in 2012. “It was definitely passed down to us,” says Cundari who coached volleyball in North Bay, before moving to Ottawa. She has been with an Ottawa Mavericks’ U16 club team, for the past two seasons. “I had a previous experience working with Volleyball Canada, so when I left and came over to baseball, I missed the sport, so that's why I got back into coaching,” she says. “Sports were always a big part of our family, but we had the freedom to choose what one’s brought us joy.”
In May 2023, Cundari joined Baseball Canada as a Program Coordinator. “They had a multitude of programs that they were looking to have someone develop, so they hired two coordinators to split up the work,” she says. “One of my big objectives was girls and women's development, starting from grassroots all the way up to coaching at the high level and coaching certifications, as well as doing some event work with the Women’s National Team.”
Cundari says it was a goal of their CEO, Jason Dickson, to build a program for women's coaches and they put some money aside to make it happen.
“Jason has been an integral part of building this program and providing the support. He's very passionate about girl's and women's baseball as well. I'm very lucky to have a CEO who cares about this program,” says Cundari. “When the program was pitched, it already fit the role I was doing perfectly. As a National Sports Organization, we have a pretty small staff, coordinating programs, events and other opportunities for baseball in Canada, and so I think it was a good opportunity for me and for the organization to have someone come in and build this program.”
The Women in Coaching Program is aimed at fostering female leadership in what is a male-dominated sport. The initiative focuses on mentorship, professional development, and creating inclusive spaces for women in baseball.
“Girls in baseball don’t often see role models that look like them,” Cundari explained. “We wanted to create a space where they could connect, share their experiences, and see that coaching at a higher level is possible. It’s about breaking barriers and showing that women have a place in this sport. Kristyn Coley is the Chair of the Women and Girls Committee for Baseball Canada, and she has also provided so much support to our program. She's one of six female coach developers in Canada, which is a low number, she ran several of our National Certification Coaching Program (NCCP) clinics and she was a huge part in it as well.”
Launched in November 2023, the program exceeded expectations, with over 122 coaches participating in its first year. It included 14 NCCP clinics led by female facilitators, including Coley, and hosted its first all-female Competition Development clinic. This groundbreaking work earned Baseball Canada the 2024 Impact Award from the Coaching Association of Canada, recognizing the program’s innovative approach and its benefit to marginalized groups in sports.
Accepting the award at the Petro-Canada Sport Leadership Awards Gala in Regina was a proud moment for Cundari. “It was an honor to be recognized for this important program,” she said. “I’m super grateful for that. It's awesome to be able to say that it's an Award-winning program. I don't think we ever expected that. I think a lot of new people learned about the program as well. I was able to speak about it during one of the breakout sessions and talk to other organizations about building similar programs for them.”
Cundari says overall it was reassuring for the program to earn that recognition.
“The program has made a difference for a number of female coaches,” says Cundari. “I think it really just gives us the motivation to do better and get more coaches on board and make an impact on even more women.”
Cundari also highlighted the broader cultural shifts in baseball, pointing to trailblazers like Kim Ng, MLB’s first female general manager, and Alyssa Nakken, the first full-time female coach in MLB history. “It’s humbling to be part of this group of women advancing baseball,” she said.
Cundari’s work, rooted in her North Bay upbringing, is paving the way for the next generation of women in sport. “I can't compare myself to those people, that's for sure, but it is an honour to be part of a group of women who are working in baseball at a professional level,” she says. “I think if it if you're passionate about what you do, you can really face any challenge. I feel very grateful to Baseball Canada for backing this program from day one and I feel very privileged to be part of such a great group of women that have paved the way for myself and for other young women like me,” she said.
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