FARMINGTON — For Jamie Beaudoin, the University of Maine at Farmington is home.
“I definitely bleed maroon,” Beaudoin said, alluding to the college’s official color.
University of Maine at Farmington Athletic Director Jamie Beaudoin. University of Maine at Farmington photo
Beaudoin, a four-year varsity soccer and basketball player for the Beavers from 1993-97, was significantly impacted by his experience as a student-athlete.
“UMF has a rich history in its athletic programs, and I was fortunate enough to have the best experience in athletics at UMF,” Beaudoin said. “I didn’t know at the time what impact UMF would have on me. Spending time with coaches in their offices, in our non-athletic time, that just told me this is what I want to do, and it told me I want to be involved in college athletics.”
Beaudoin turned this passion into a coaching career for the Beavers. He was an assistant men’s basketball coach — under longtime UMaine-Farmington coach Dick Meader — and associate soccer coach in 1998, and then he guided the women’s basketball team from 1999-2021, most notably leading them to five conference championships in a span of six years from 2002-2007. He was also associate athletic director from 2010-2021.
Then, in 2021, Beaudoin stepped down from his coaching and associate AD positions to apply to be the full-time athletic director for UMF. He secured the coveted position in June.
“I’m super excited to be in this position. This place means so much to me,” Beaudoin said. “My friends, my teammates, the relationships I formed with faculty and staff, it’s just such an amazing community.”
MISSING COACHING
Despite his desire to land the athletic director position, Beaudoin is a coach at heart.
“My passion has always been coaching and the relationships I’ve formed with my student-athletes,” Beaudoin said.
“Someday (the former athletes) are gonna call you and tell you that they got a promotion, or they’re going to get married, or they’re having a child,” Beaudoin added. “And they’ll also call you when things aren’t well, and to me that’s what coaching has been all about. This past year, I definitely missed the interaction with the women’s basketball players.”
UMF women’s basketball coach Jamie Beaudoin watches his team play during a game in Farmington during the 2018-19 season. Tony Blasi/Sun Journal file photo
Although a work in progress, Beaudoin aims to get that same level of fulfillment from being AD as he did from coaching. It will, however, be a learning process.
“I think I’ve got to find a way where my passion for student development and seeing them grow as people (still exists as AD). I’m coming at it from a different angle now,” Beaudoin said. “Just like my coaching experience took a long time to come to fruition, I’m going to have to find some new ways to do that as athletic director.”
One thing is for sure, though: Beaudoin will still be heavily involved with each program.
“As a coach, the end of the season was always challenging, because I didn’t have practice the next day,” Beaudoin said. “I just love practice. I still get to go watch practice, though, and I love that.”
WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA?
The first order of business for Beaudoin, like many new athletic directors, is filling out his coaching staffs.
“I’ve spent a lot of time trying to hire coaches full time and part time, so that has been something that we’ve spent a lot of time on,” Beaudoin said. “It’s hard work, but it’s also meaningful work, because those staff members are gonna have a significant impact on student athletes.”
“Us being able to provide good coaches and also support for those coaches is our number-one goal,” Beaudoin added.
In the long term, though, Beaudoin has his sights set on improving the athlete experience and finding more success.
“I want to grow our student-athlete experience, and hopefully we become more competitive,” Beaudoin said. “There’s a reason that our athletes are choosing us, so we want to be able to work with them as individuals and as a team to become more competitive. We want to win conference championships. I think it comes back to me wanting to provide that same experience I had to our current students. I want them to want to send a future student here. A son or daughter, a neighbor, a friend.”
According to Beaudoin, improving and expanding athletic facilities is the No. 1 priority.
“We’ve gotta be able to expand and improve our facilities. A turf field, a track and lights are super important to us,” Beaudoin said. “It’s been on the radar for a long time, and it’s something that we need. We have a growing track and field program, but without a facility for them to practice at.”
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