Many adolescent children in South Georgia turn to athletics for numerous reasons. Sports are a great to stay in shape and meet new people. Many children take part in multiple sports until they find the one that is their true calling. A good number of them find one sport that fits. Others may decide that sports aren’t for them. But every once in a while, you find a rare breed that excels in more than one sport. Not only do they excel; they continue to play all of them.
To say that Justin Rome is an active child is quite the understatement. An eighth-grader at Valdosta Middle School (Valdosta, Ga.), he carries the load of a typical student, while also bearing the load of being a three-sport athlete. During the fall, he takes the field as a quarterback and wide receiver for the Wildcats’ football team. Soon after, he switches his cleats for sneakers, as he plays point guard and shooting guard for the basketball team. And, come springtime, he can be found on the baseball diamond, where, according to Justin, he has spent time at every position.
“Yeah, I play pretty much everywhere,” Justin says. “I enjoy playing catcher the most.”
Justin’s father, Stan, was quite the athlete in his own right. As an All-State receiver for Valdosta High School under legendary coach Wright Bazemore. Stan was a member of what many argue to be one of the greatest high school teams in history. The 1971 Wildcats claimed a region, state, and national championship, and over the course of the season, Stan would account for 1,573 receiving yards. His total stood as a state record for 29 years, and still holds as a Valdosta High record to this day. He also holds the school record for most receiving yards in a career with 4,477. He would eventually go on to play for Clemson University and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Stan’s talent has clearly manifested itself in his children. Justin is already a force to reckoned with, his older sister, Kiersten (who currently attends Valdosta State University) was a standout competitive cheerleader while she attended Valdosta High School, and his older brother, Jay, is currently a tight end at the University of Georgia. Jay graced the cover of In the Game Magazine on two separate occasions (October 2009 and March 2011). During his time at Valdosta High, Jay was an All-State member of the football and basketball teams. Already paving his own way, Justin has been named tournament MVP on multiple occasions with his travel baseball team, the Valdosta Black Sox.
“Jay teaches me a lot about sports,” Justin says. “Probably the biggest thing that he’s taught me is that things won’t be perfect. There will be coach that you don’t like, and some that you might not get along with. But you just have to do your best and let your talent and hard work speak for you.”
Justin currently stands at 5’7” tall, which is much smaller than his brother was at the same age (Jay was 6’0” at 13 years old; he currently stands at 6’6”). But according to their father, for what Justin lacks in height, he more than makes up for in other areas.
“Justin is such a quick study,” Stan says. “Whatever sport is in season, he picks up right away, whether he’s playing or not. He’s also more athletic at his age that Jay was. Because he’s smaller, he’s able to execute and create moves much easier.”
Jay was also a multi-sport athlete growing up. He dropped baseball prior to middle school, and played both football and basketball up until his freshman year of college. Eventually, he would let basketball go to focus his talent on the gridiron. Justin is appearing to find his forte in baseball, but his focus and determination are apparently eerily similar to their father’s.
“Sometimes, it’s scary,” says Stan, Justin’s father. “I’m around Justin a lot more than I was around his older brother (Jay) and sister (Kiersten). When his siblings were growing up, I had to travel often for work, so LaVerne played a much stronger role in their everyday lives. I spend much more time with Justin, and our similarities are striking. His athleticism is through the roof.”
During games, Justin is guaranteed to be locked in. He gives his all in every aspect of his life; when his grades began to slip, his parents made certain that he attending tutoring sessions so that he would remain up to speed academically.
“We’ve let him know that grades are not ‘a’ priority, they’re ‘the’ priority,” says his mother, LaVerne. “We tell him that, if it gets to be too much to handle, we’ll pull a sport. No questions asked. But he’s willing to meet expectations. He doesn’t give up on anything.”
His demeanor is that of a professional; he cannot be removed from “game mode” until he decides. However, away from athletics, Justin is one of the most sociable people one could ever meet, and his heartwarming smile is sure to brighten any room. He will make an attempt to be your friend, no matter the circumstance.
“Justin is such a people-person,” Mrs. Rome says. “He never meets a stranger, and he goes out of his way to make people smile. He is always reaching out to others, especially those less fortunate than him. I had a parent of a special needs child pull me aside one day to tell me that, every time Justin sees her child, he goes out of his way to talk and thrown the football with him.”
His caring heart and friendly nature carry over into his family life as well. Justin and Jay share a bond that has to be seen to be truly appreciated.
“There’s no doubt about it; they’re best friends,” Mrs. Rome says. “If Justin ever has questions that (my husband and I) can’t answer, or specific questions about sports or school, I’ll ask him, ‘Who do you think you should talk to about that’? And he’ll run off and call Jay. And when Jay is away in Athens, he’s calling and texting every day, asking how Justin is doing and what he’s up to. It’s such a blessing.”
When Jay is home from college, the two are always together. They talk about everything, from sports to life in general. Justin has even gone to visit him in Athens for weeks at a time, meeting Jay’s teammates and coaches along the way.
“I get to go to all the workouts with him (in Athens),” Justin says. “Sometimes I get to work out with them a little bit too. I get to watch practices sometimes and see what the guys do and learn.”
When it comes to middle school sports in Valdosta, young Justin Rome is in a class of his own. And if his athletic path turns out anything like his family before him, he’s got a tremendous future ahead of him.
More About Justin
Favorite College Team: Vanderbilt
Favorite Athlete: Derek Jeter
Favorite Subject: Science
South Georgia/September 2015
Justin Rome
Valdosta Middle School
Valdosta, Georgia
When a Rome, Do as the Family Does
By James Washington
Photography by Micki K Photography
