Edwin Thompson, orange shirt and white hat, coaches local youth at the annual day-long baseball camp July 15 at Spruce Mountain High School baseball field in Livermore Falls. Rebecca Richard/Franklin Journal

LIVERMORE FALLS — Edwin Thompson, the current head baseball coach at Georgetown University and a Jay native hosted a baseball camp July 15 in Livermore Falls. The camp was open to children in eighth grade and younger and ran from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost was $20, which included lunch and a t-shirt.

Thompson, who grew up in Jay, began the baseball camp in 2004 while playing professional baseball. He is passionate about providing local kids with opportunities he did not have during his own school years, he said.

“I started this when I was playing professional baseball back in 2003,” he explained. “I graduated Jay High School in 1998. I started this in 2004 and ran it until I took a break when I was coaching at Duke University. It is something I am really passionate about, to come back home and have a day with the kids. It is a lot of fun.”

The camp was held at Spruce Mountain High School baseball field, a location that has been consistent since the camp’s return in 2022 after a hiatus during COVID-19. “We didn’t do it in 2020 and 2021,” he noted. “Before that, it ran from 2012-2019. This is the third year after COVID. This year, we have 50 signed up, last year was 90. We will have between 50-60 kids, a good amount of kids.”

Thompson emphasized the community aspect of the camp, with children attending from various areas including Portland, Rangeley, and Augusta, although the majority came from Jay, Livermore Falls, and Farmington. “It is just a good day to get the community together,” Thompson said.

“I have been doing college coaching for 20 years at the Division 1 level,” Thompson said, reflecting on his coaching career. “The most important part is coming back and giving kids an opportunity to learn the game of baseball.”

He elaborated on the skills and drills covered at the camp, including defensive skills, base running, and offensive skills. Participants also played modified games with the coaches and former college players, some of whom attended the camp in their younger years. “It is a pay-it-forward opportunity for people that have come through the camp at different times in their younger years,” he added. “It is a day of baseball.”

Coach Edwin Thompson coaches local youth at a baseball camp July 15 at the Spruce Mountain High School baseball field in Livermore Falls. Rebecca Richard/Franklin Journal

“When I come back, the people are the best,” Thompson shared. “That has never changed. Growing up in the community, the people are always the best part. Things change, different businesses come and go, but the people have always been amazing.”

He said he hopes the baseball camp experience inspires the next generation. “We talk about college and education and going different places,” he said. “I have been fortunate to come from the same area as the kids. I am now a Division 1 coach; there are only 300 Division 1 coaches for baseball. A lot of the kids that have come to the camp have been inspired to go to college and explore different opportunities.”

Thompson emphasized the importance of dreaming big and having a vision. “I think that the message is the ability to dream and dream big,” he said. “Whatever it is you want to do, you have to work and have a vision. You have to have a vision first to get where you want to be. ”

He stressed the importance of holding the annual baseball camp, even for just a day, to bring smiles to children’s faces. “Coming home and giving back in a small way is important to me,” he stated.

Thompson’s journey in coaching has taken him across various roles and locations. He has been a head coach at Bates College, worked at Duke University, Georgia State in Atlanta, and Eastern Kentucky for five years, and now is in his fifth year at Georgetown in Washington D.C. His coaching career began with middle school basketball at Jay Middle School, followed by four years of coaching high school basketball, middle school track, and assistant coaching high school football at Jay High School.

Edwin Thompson coaches local youth at the baseball camp July 15 at the Spruce Mountain High School baseball field in Livermore Falls. Rebecca Richard/Franklin Journal

“My foundation is home, Jay and Livermore Falls,” he said. “I grew up there, so it is always really special to come back to where I started.”

For more information or to sign up for future camps, visit www.hoyabaseballcamps.com.