As a freshman at Neuqua Valley, Nathan Malinowski made an immediate splash on the diving team. In 2022, he won the conference meet and then claimed the IHSA Sectional Championship to qualify for State. This story is sponsored by Fair Oaks Ford and Fair Oaks Lincoln.
Nathan Malinowski dives headfirst into cheerleading at Neuqua Valley
“Winning sectionals as a freshman was a shock because I was going against seniors and juniors who have been doing it for longer than I have,” said Malinowski. “It was really rewarding to win at that age.”
Malinowski was just one of three freshmen among 48 competitors at the IHSA State Meet. But despite his success and promising future in diving, something important was missing from his athletic experience.
“I wouldn’t say I got bored of it, but, like, I didn’t have the spark that I had before where I wanted to do it to practice,” said Malinowski.
After stepping away from diving, Malinowski took his sophomore year off from sports altogether. A family connection would soon lead him in a surprising new direction that would reignite his competitive spirit.
“Leading into junior year, I was thinking about cheerleading because my sister did all four years at Neuqua,” said Malinowski.
Turns out that flipping through the air is, well, flipping through the air–whether you’re diving into water or landing on a mat. Malinowski’s years of knowing exactly where his body was mid-flight gave him a head start when he traded his swimming trunks for a cheerleading uniform.
“There’s a lot of body awareness in diving, such as being able to control your body in the air and knowing where you’re at spatially,” Malinowski explained. “With that, going into tumbling with cheerleading, it’s very similar, like the same way you twist and flip is all the same.”
Malinowski’s role with Neuqua Valley Cheerleading is one of opportunity and responsibility
Malinowski is the only boy on the Neuqua cheerleading team, and he holds a position that brings both opportunity and responsibility.
“Having a male is very crucial and we put a lot of pressure on them,” said Neuqua Valley Cheerleading Head Coach, Brandon McGhee. “We’ve had boys in the past, but we’re kind of harder on the boys sometimes because potentially you’re taking a spot from a girl that can have this spot. So you need to be very valuable to the program if you’re going to have this spot.”
Neuqua cheer competes in the large division of the IHSA, which allows for one male on each team.
“So having Nathan I think is a wow factor for us,” said McGhee. “He’s a great performer, he’s very talented, he can jump his butt off, he can tumble.”
The Wildcats have come a long way since their first cheer clinics as freshmen
This year’s Neuqua Valley cheer team is special because the team has come a long way together. Many of them, Malinowski included, had never done a toe-touch, or built a pyramid before high school. They basically learned the sport–together–from day one.
“We had 17 members on our varsity team, and 11 or 12 of them literally started cheerleading at Neuqua,” said McGhee. “So everything they have known or, been taught about cheerleading, they learned from us here at Neuqua.”
Neuqua Valley has a strong cheerleading tradition, qualifying for State every year since 2008. This year was no exception, as the team continued to build on its legacy of competitive success. The Wildcats jumped from sixth in the prelims to third place at the state finals, earning the program its first state trophy since winning three in a row from 2014 to 2016.
“Well, I cried for at least an hour straight,” said Malinowski. “It was this feeling of knowing that all the work that we put in was getting acknowledged and taken into account.”
The Wildcats beat Edwardsville by just .30 points to secure a place on the podium.
Nathan Malinowski trades solo dives for team routines
Malinowski traded solo dives for team routines – It didn’t just win him a trophy, it helped him find his own team spirit and a boost in self-confidence.
“Junior year, I would say I was more shy,” said Malinowski. “This year, I feel like cheerleading has helped me open up and become more of a people person rather than saying closed off.”
As Nathan Malinowski prepares to graduate, he hopes to continue cheerleading at Michigan State University.
“After my first year at Michigan State, I plan to apply to the nursing program, and I also hope to cheer at Michigan State,” said Malinowski.