When Malaney Gatlin was a little girl, you would have seen her completing flips in her front yard. She was self-taught in the acrobatic steps and movements she made, always challenging herself, so she could show everyone her accomplishments from practice and hard work. Although Malaney thought she was just having fun, she was actually setting the path for a future that has led to her receiving an athletic scholarship in cheerleading to attend Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri.
“My cheer experience has shaped who I am as a person. My passion for the sport pulled me through even when it felt impossible to accomplish,” said Malaney. “I first started cheering at Bolivar Middle School in the sixth grade. I cheered because I figured out after many years of doing gymnastics that I liked it more and wanted to do school cheer.”
“My experience cheering in high school was fun. I would say my teammates contributed a lot to my great high school cheer experience, along with my eleventh-grade cheer coach, Anita Robertson. What I enjoyed most though was basketball season and the adrenaline we all got during rivalry games,” said Malaney.
Life After High School Cheer
Malaney graduated from BCHS with the Class of 2024 and continued her studies at Jackson State Community College (JSCC). Her focus was on academics as she pursued a degree in general studies, and cheer became just a memory of her great times while at BCHS. In the summer of 2025, JSCC announced it was starting a cheerleading club. Although academics were important to her, Malaney felt confident in her ability to complete her schoolwork if she were selected to be a part of the team. With that, she did not hesitate to try out and return to her love of cheer. Malaney secured a spot in the inaugural JSCC Cheerleading Club.
“It was a bit easier to transition because I had already been at the college for a year. One thing that was more challenging though was the number of workouts and conditioning we did, because I never really had that in high school cheer. My time at Jackson State had its ups and downs for me personally, but I always think about how Coach Avery and Coach KP made my experience the best,” said Malaney, who shared how she balanced school and cheerleading. “Balancing classes with cheerleading can be difficult, but it’s all about putting time aside for certain things. Being able to know when to focus on school and know when you can do your own thing is important.”
Cheerleading is So Much More
Malaney shared while in high school, she had always tumbled during cheer and had only stunted to a minimum. While at JSCC, she gained more experience with stunting, which helped her improve her skills all around. For those who may think cheerleading is just pretty girls with pompoms, Malaney definitely disagrees and shared what cheerleading means to her.
Malaney continued to Bolivar Central High School (BCHS) where she cheered for three years.
“I would tell them that cheer is more than being pretty and shaking pom poms. It is about teamwork, patience, and being able to balance your life and cheer at the same time while being great at both. I love the community and friendships it brings. I love the girls I cheer with and think about how blessed I am every day,” said Malaney who shared some of her favorite memories. “One of my earlier favorite memories was cheer battling Middleton High School at their school in my eleventh-grade year. A more recent one is when my cheer team at Jackson State attended the Strawberry Festival in Humboldt, Tennessee.”
Just as Malaney thought cheer was part of her past after graduating from high school, she thought it would be the same after graduating from JSCC. Again, that was not the case.
A Least Expected Opportunity
“When Coach Emma at Cottey College reached out to me, that’s when I realized that my cheerleading could take me farther than just my two-year community college experience. I did not even know Cottey College existed. I couldn’t be happier Coach Emma reached out to me. Even now, it seems like the craziest thing that has ever happened to me and I’m so incredibly blessed. Coach Emma and I had scheduled phone calls along the way, skill goals, and much more that helped me be ready to transfer to Cottey,” said Malaney, who is living a cheerleader dream. “It means the world to me because I let go of the sport I thought I was so in love with, gymnastics, to do school cheer. Now it has led me to this and I’m so grateful. I know my family is proud of me, even though they miss me being close to them.”
Although Malaney has five years of cheer experience, she is looking forward to learning more about the sport at Cottey College. She will do sideline cheer and competitive cheer at the Cottey.
“I hope to do good during competition season, considering I have never done it before. I also hope to become more versatile in my stunts,” said Malaney.
Malaney is pursuing a degree in elementary education and hopes to teach elementary school and possibly learn more about special education. She plans to graduate in 2028.
Malaney never dreamed practicing flips in her front yard would lead to earning an athletic scholarship. Her continued cheerleading journey has been unexpected, but one she is ecstatic about being on. Malaney shared advice with others who love cheerleading as much as she does and want to earn a scholarship in the sport.
“It definitely takes getting out of your comfort zone and being seen by colleges,” said Malaney. “”f you are planning on going to JSCC and cheered in high school, I would recommend it!”
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