NL_072017

46 | July 20, 2017 | The New Lenox Patriot SPORTS
newlenoxpatriot.com
Tuminello brings talent, leadership to St. Norbert
Jon DePaolis
Freelance Reporter
Providence Catholic
cheerleading coach Laura
Duesing remembers the first
time she met Natasha Tuminello.
It was about four years
ago, when the teenager tried
out for the squad her freshman
year.
“She made an immediate
impression on me, just by
the way she handled herself,”
Duesing said. “We
were just really drawn to her
personality. She was very
kind and humble, but you
could tell that this was a person
who was grateful for the
opportunities that she was
going to have. And she made
such good use out of those
opportunities.”
But before Tuminello
would go on to those successes
— including three
Top 4 finishes at state and
two sectional championships
— Duesing just had a
feeling about the New Lenox
teenager.
“I had no doubt,” Duesing
said. “I knew when I saw
her that this was going to be
someone who would go on
to do very well — not just
athletically but in all aspects
of her life.”
The recently retired cheerleading
coach couldn’t have
been more right, as Tuminello
— who just graduated
from Providence in the
spring — has committed to
continue her cheerleading
career at St. Norbert College
in De Pere, Wisconsin.
A presence on the sidelines
Tuminello — the daughter
of Raymond and Jennifer —
has a deep love of her sport
and her school.
An honor roll student and a
student ambassador, she also
was a member of the National
Natasha Tuminello will continue her cheerleading career next year at St. Norbert College.
St. Norbert cheerleaders also have the opportunity to perform at Green Bay Packers’ home
football games all season long. Photos by Burns Photography
Honor Society, Spanish Honor
Society, Habitat for Humanity,
the Augustinian Youth
Ministry and Student Council
at Providence. But Tuminello
really comes alive on the sidelines
and on the mat.
“I think the part about
game day cheerleading that I
love is getting the school and
fans of the school involved
within the sport,” Tuminello
said. “Football or basketball,
whatever you’re cheering
for, I feel like we can participate
more in them. And once
you start to get the crowd
excited, I think it gets [the
players] excited and ready to
play the game.”
Duesing said Tuminello
is a passionate person, who
was great at interacting
with the student section —
dubbed Celtic Nation.
“She loved being a Providence
Catholic student and
cheerleader,” Duesing said.
“She took that love for being
a Providence Catholic student
to the sidelines [with her].
“She was really able to
draw people in and raise
the school spirit during the
games. She would run one of
the flags onto the field during
the pregame. She actually
would ask to do that, because
she loved doing it. She
would run flags after every
touchdown. She ran the flags
at school assemblies and
basketball games, as well.”
And on the mat during
competition season, Tuminello
displayed that same
enthusiasm and energy.
“Natasha was a dream to
coach,” Duesing said. “She
was very committed to her
goals — both personal and
team goals. She worked extremely
hard not only during
practices and games but also
to put in individual time outside
of our practices.”
Duesing praised the former
Celtics cheerleader, saying
she was one of the strongest
leaders the program has
ever had.
“She is not someone who
has ever taken a shortcut,”
Duesing said. “This is the
type of student who went the
extra mile.
“She was someone who
was friends with everyone
on the team. She was a great
speaker and motivator. She
was an absolute joy to coach.”
And while Tuminello said
the team accomplished some
amazing things during her
four years at the school —
including the team placing
third at state in 2014 and
second in 2016 — she pointed
to the smaller moments as
the ones she loved the most.
“I really loved being at
practice and bonding with the
girls,” Tuminello said. “We
did a lot of team bonding
exercises and went to Irons
Oaks. It was a camp, and it
was team bonding all day doing
fun activities. You really
get to know your team.”
She also loved participating
in service activities with
her teammates, such as serving
meals at the Ronald Mc-
Donald House, working with
children from Down in the
Southland, and donating and
The four-year varsity cheerleader helped lead the
Celtics to three Top 4 finishes at state and two sectional
championships in her career.
Jennifer Tuminello (left to right), Natasha and Raymond
pose for a picture at Senior Night during one of
Providence’s football games.
wrapping gifts for those at a
women’s shelter.
“While doing those service
activities, I was really
able to get to know the people
I was helping and talk to
them,” Tuminello said. “It
gave me a better outlook on
life, especially now going
into college.”
And while being successful
in the sport meant devoting
a lot of time, Tuminello
said it was all worth it.
“When I was younger, it
was hard,” she admitted. “I
didn’t always want to go, but
after accomplishing all those
[state finishes], every hour
and every camp was worth it.”
Overcoming adversity
Not everything went according
to plan, however, for
Tuminello. And while it was
a moment of great adversity
for her, Tuminello also listed
it as one of her favorite memories
she will take with her.
It began her junior year,
when she was unable to execute
a double toe touch back
tuck at state. She said she
messed it up. Her coach remembers
it slightly different.
“It was a skill that was not
something she even had to
think about doing,” Duesing
said. “But it was a situation
where her shoe came off
Please see Tuminello, 44