There is so much beauty found in the unpredictability of life; what will move us tomorrow to make a change, or what might fuel our motivation today.
Rome Middle School’s new Athletic Director, Amanda Malcom, knew at an early age that sports was her motivation. She couldn’t have predicted though, that her love of the game would elevate her to a director position, two hours from her family and her hometown.
Malcom grew up in a small town in Morgan County, south of Athens, where she played it all in school; she ran track and cross country, and played softball and basketball.
Sports have been a major part of her life, she said, since she was able to pick up a ball.
“I practiced skills that helped challenge me and helped me become a better athlete,” she recalled. “I used to drive my parents crazy throwing balls on top of our roof to have it roll down for me to try to catch.”
Malcolm later attended Kennesaw State University on scholarship for softball, where she played for four years.
It was her student teaching in Bartow County, at Woodland Middle School, that brought her to the north Georgia area.
Malcolm is no stranger to Rome City Schools; she embarks on her ninth year with RCS as she accepts her new athletic director position. She taught five of those years at RHS, and four at RMS. She has coached a diverse list of teams, including softball, track, cross country, and wrestling, which she said is actually one of her favorites because of the intensity.
“I love athletics, but what I do, I do for kids,” she said. “I love being able to share my knowledge and my history and instill that into what I bring to the table coaching wise.”
Malcom expressed that her new position will allow her to immerse herself even further into a career that she adores.
“Coaching is so demanding and so one dimensional – you have to stay within that one area,” she explained. “The athletic director job allows me to be a part of all of it. I love all of it, so I enjoy being a part of it, again, for the kids and being able to be involved in their journey.”
As she assumes her new role in the RCS system, Malcom cites a great role model and teacher in former RMS Athletic Director, Randy Nobles. As he has passed the torch to Malcom, she says he has done so with fantastic guidance, advice, and leadership.
Malcom expressed that community is important to her, and while the city of Rome is much larger that her hometown two hours away, she finds a sense of that familiar small town feel that she grew up with and finds comfort in.
Malcolm moves forward in her position with the best of intentions and motivation for the kids.
“Our kids are awesome,” she smiled, “and talented beyond belief. My biggest goal is to shine a spotlight on them, to showcase them.”
As her career propels her into a position with new responsibilities and opportunities, she addressed the support of her family as motivation and inspiration. “I was brought up in a family where work ethic – working hard at whatever you do – was important,” she explained. “My parents worked hard to help provide me with the opportunities that I was given growing up. I hope that I convey that same sense of work ethic now in all the things I do.
