VERO BEACH, Fla. -- “I can do hard things.”
That is what U.S. Virgin Islands Nike RBI pitcher Amanda Thompson always tells herself.
The phrase has guided Thompson through some of the biggest moments of her young life, including helping her team win the Nike RBI Softball World Series championship at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex. They made history as the first team from outside the continental United States to win the tournament.
“It means so much, genuinely, to represent such a small island nation on such a large stage at this truly amazing [facility],” Thompson said. “To have this opportunity is ... I'm at a loss for words. It's a blessing.”
But Thompson is just getting started.
“The sky’s the limit for her,” said Elroy Hill, president of the Virgin Islands Softball Federation and director of the RBI program. “She is the most confident young lady I’ve ever seen. What she does with the 18U [team], and actually with the national team, is unbelievable.
“[She] brings energy, [and] most of the girls feed off of her. So, it's like a magnet.”
The valedictorian at Saint John Paul II Catholic High School will attend Harvard University in the fall, where she will concentrate in both government and history, pursue a secondary study in philosophy and play softball.
“There is this childlike wonder and this childlike ambition that I have tried to instill in myself to never, ever give up,” Thompson said. “People have always told me to be realistic, and frankly, I’m going to Harvard. That’s not realistic. I’m at the RBI World Series; that’s not realistic. I’m playing with professional players; that’s not realistic at all.”
Thompson also plays for the U.S. Virgin Islands Women’s National Team and dreams of helping the team qualify for the 2028 Olympics.
And while softball has opened doors for her, Thompson’s ambitions go beyond the sport.
“I strive one day to have my own company and be a CEO,” Thompson said. “I strive to also one day be president. 2044, that’s the year I’m going to be running for President of the United States. That’s very unrealistic, yet somebody has to do it. So why not me?”
Those ambitions are rooted in the same belief that has carried her through every challenge: “I can do hard things.” Her Christian faith has also played a vital role in shaping that mindset.
One testament is when Thompson tried out for the USA team four years in a row, reaching the final selection round in her last attempt. While playing at the JRTC, she dove into second base in the final inning and broke a rib, ending her bid for Team USA.
For Thompson, it was a blessing in disguise that led to her becoming an RBI World Series champion.
“It’s things like that where I have to trust in God’s plan, and trust His plan for me that anything is possible through Christ who strengthens me,” Thompson said.
That faith is also reflected in the way Thompson gives back to the softball community.
Her father, James, started the Capitol City Diamonds softball team when Thompson was 8 years old, allowing her to grow up around younger girls and help provide them with opportunities to play softball.
The organization works with girls from underserved communities in the Tallahassee, Fla., area, helping provide equipment and opportunities for those who might otherwise struggle to afford the sport.
“If I wasn't playing softball, I cannot tell you where I would be right now,” Thompson said. “Softball has completely and 100% changed the trajectory of my life. … Sports can genuinely change people's lives.”
Softball can keep young girls active, build confidence and provide motivation in the classroom, so Thompson wants more girls to have access to those opportunities.
“In the same way I want to share the gospel with the whole world, I want to share softball with the whole world,” Thompson said. “Softball should be in every single country in the world, available to every single little girl out there. [They] should have the ability to play this wonderful game and truly change their lives.”
One of the clearest examples of the impact Thompson has on younger generations is Emily, one of the girls she gives pitching lessons to.
“She's seeing big strides in her ability after working with me,” Thompson said. “She had a presentation in school where she had to write about someone who inspired her. She wrote down my name, and she wrote down a little paragraph about how I'm inspiring her to do better in school, to do better in softball, and it genuinely made me cry.”
By being vocal about her dreams, Thompson hopes to inspire other people to do the same.
That idea comes from the opening lines of her favorite poem, “Our Deepest Fear,” by Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us,” she recited.
That is the epitome of how Thompson hopes to inspire others. For her, everyone is a child of God, and dimming your light does not make others' shine brighter. Shining brighter is what makes other people shine.
“I’m going to Harvard. I’m going to the Women’s College World Series. I’m going to the Olympics. I’m going to be President. I’m going to be the CEO of a company. I’m going to be a mom one day. I’m going to be the coach of Miami’s first-ever softball team,” Thompson said. “If I can do that and say that out to the world, it shows other young girls that they can also do that.
“Be vocal. Be loud. Be present. Take up space. You don’t have to shrink yourself down to make others feel bigger.”