COVINGTON, Ga. — Championships, trophies and student-athletes’ progression were featured for all of Veterans Memorial Middle School’s athletic department throughout the 2022-23 school year.
Niquan Alston, who previously served as Veterans Memorial Middle School’s athletic director from 2017-2023, highlighted the difference in the Generals’ athletics compared to a few years ago.
“Now we’re going back to the basics,” Alston said. “So this year has really been focused on the fundamentals. Let’s focus on the basic things that get us where we need to be for all sports across all levels.”
Placing an emphasis on the fundamentals seemed to pay off, too.
Veterans Memorial Middle’s boys soccer team won the NewRock League championship in the spring. The wrestling team won its second consecutive traditional championship. The Generals’ track squad won the Newton Cup.
The basketball team was sixth grade heavy this past season while the football group honed in on more training. Alston also mentioned that the softball team had a ‘good season.’
Alston recognized how each player accomplished something greater outside the field of play.
“It’s just been a great year,” Alston said. “The biggest thing is giving those kids opportunities to show what they have.
“We have high expectations for the way they act and carry themselves. We have this saying, ‘You have to carry yourself in a certain manner to wear that Veterans G for General on your chest.’ And our kids understand that. They buy into it.”
Another aspect of Veterans Memorial Middle’s athletic programs is the focus on student-athletes’ academics.
Though the goal is to win every game or match, Alston views the students’ success in the classroom as the “big win.”
“So the big win is for all of our kids to participate in sports, they complete their academics to a certain level,” Alston said. “That’s always gonna be a big plus. I want to put all the focus on academics, because you have to be a student-athlete.”
Before transitioning to his new role as Liberty Middle School’s principal, Alston recognized many factors of his previous position that he enjoyed.
But going to sporting events and watching the Generals in action takes the cake.
“The positive to me is, ‘Mr. Alston, I saw you at the game. Did you just see what I did?’ You get to see the kids in a different light outside of just being a student inside the walls,” Alston said. “So now they’re in their element and they’re happy. You might see them in the morning when they come in, and you may stop them and say, ‘Hey, is everything okay?’ But when they’re in their element in that sport, it’s like they’re a different person. So I try to make as many as I can.”
Alston believes that middle school athletics is in a good spot. They’re in the middle of the children’s transition from elementary school to high school.
Veterans Memorial Middle has alumni performing on the high school stage and there are many others incoming for the 2023-24 school year.
As far as the vision moving forward, Alston wants to see progress toward building even stronger relationships with the elementary and high schools.
“We want to make sure that we’re bridging the gap at all levels. And I think that’s the most important thing about Veterans because we stand in the middle and get the kids that come in and get the kids that go out to the next place,” Alston said. “I would argue that Veterans Middle School is a good place. They’re great students and they have the ability to do great things. You just gotta do it. You got to carry yourself in a certain way, and make sure that you continue on that path.
“We just want to make sure again, that they know when they wear that ‘G’ that you represent something that’s much bigger.”
