Columbus East No. 2 doubles players Catherine Millwood and Emie Kiser talk with coach Matt Malinsky during the sectional final May 17, 2019 at Columbus North.
The Republic file photo
Coaching in the shadow of powerhouse boys and girls tennis programs across town, Matt Malinsky had his moments leading the Columbus East programs.
The Olympian girls won their first Hoosier Conference title in 35 years in 2017, and Megna Chari and Kathryn Hodzen finished as state doubles runner-up in 2018. The East boys also showed signs of improvement during Malinsky’s tenure, which came to an end when he announced his resignation last week.
“I was especially proud of being able to get a conference championship for the girls,” Malinsky said. “Then, also Megna and Kathryn in the individual doubles going to state, those were a couple of highlights. We had several winning seasons. On the girls side, we came close to being .500 late in the season, which was a big turnaround from the year before. When we had down years, we were able to bounce back a lot of the time.”
Malinsky spent seven years as head girls coach and six as head boys. He previously had been a boys assistant under Jim Stone for six years.
“Over the years, I felt we had a talent pool that I was able to help develop and get the most out of,” Malinsky said. “There were a lot of people that came through our program that tennis might not have been their primary sport, but we worked on them developing their game through their athleticism.”
Malinsky came to the decision to take a step back after meeting with first-year East athletics director David Miller.
“I was talking with coach Miller, and we were talking about some things that the East athletics department wants to develop going forward, and we were talking about some of the things it would take to bring all of our programs up to the highest level, and just looking at some of the stuff, my wife and I talked, and at this point with where our family trajectory is, there were too many commitments that I would be spread too thin, and I just decided I needed to focus more fully on fewer things so I can do them better,” Malinsky said.
Malinsky and his wife have three young children. He also is a teaching pro at Tipton Lakes Athletics Club and worship leader at Waynesburg Christian Church.
“It’s very busy going to all those things, but I also don’t want to miss going to all those things,” Malinsky said. “I would have to miss some of those things if I were to continue as coach. I’m sad to go, but at this point in time, it’s best for everybody.
“I look forward to helping out with East tennis as much as I can,” he added. “I’m still pulling for those guys. The guys that are still on the team, I hope I still see them at Tipton.”
