Sports has a unique way of forging relationships and turning coaches and teammates into friends and family. Perfect examples of this are Methuen residents Becky Marino and Skylar Shaw.
Marino served as the head cheer coach at Greater Lawrence Technical School (GLTS) from 1991-1999 and again from 2001-2021. During her final few seasons, Shaw was her Junior Varsity coach. After Marino stepped away from coaching in 2021, Shaw took over as head coach.
In a unique turn of events, Marino returned to the program as Shaw’s JV coach in 2024, essentially reversing their roles. There is also a personal connection between these close-knit coaches. Shaw is a close friend of Marino’s daughter Megan, which makes their shared journey even more special.
Neither Marino nor Shaw will be returning to GLTS next season. Marino is stepping away to spend more time with her family, while Shaw’s professional commitments no longer allow her to dedicate the time that the role requires.
GLTS athletic director Mike Nelson talks about their shared impact on the program: “Becky and Skylar have played a major role in the success of the GLTS cheer program. It’s a great example of how a mentor-mentee relationship can evolve over time, coming full circle in a truly unique way.”
Indeed, this is more than just a sports story. It is a personal journey of two women who have dedicated their lives to mentoring and motivating. For the 29-year-old Shaw, it all began by accident: “I was at my sister’s team party when I was really young, doing cartwheels and roundoffs in the yard. One of her coaches approached my mom and asked her to bring me to the next practice. After that, I never stopped going. I transitioned into coaching once I moved back home from college.”
While Shaw’s cheer career happened by chance, Marino, a 1990 GLTS grad, had a defined plan.
“I always dreamed I would be a cheerleader,” she asserts. “My Aunt Gail was a Methuen High School cheerleader. I would sit in the stands and watch her.
“My freshman year at GLTS, I made the Varsity team. I was named captain my junior year, and MVP both as a junior and senior. I genuinely believe the way my aunt pushed me to never give up was indeed the solid foundation I needed to be a successful coach.”
Marino coached at Greater Lowell Tech before returning to GLTS as head coach in 1991. Both she and Shaw made that leap from competing to coaching.
Shaw talks about what she brought to coaching as a former competitor: “This isn’t an individual sport. You have to have people by your side to lift you up when you’re having an off day.
Sometimes it feels like the weight of the world can be on you within that two-and-a-half-minute routine, so it’s crucial to always look for someone next to you.”
Clearly Marino and Shaw are linked by more than just the orange and black colors of GLTS. Marino talks about the genesis of the relationship.
“My son Brendan attended GLTS and became an All-Star Cheerleader. It was at this All-Star program that we met Skylar,” she said. “(Brendan’s twin) Megan and Skylar became instant friends. In 2021, I asked Skylar to join our program as my assistant coach, hoping that she would take over the program. Under her leadership, the team went on to win numerous league championships, vocational state titles and invitational titles.”
Shaw relates, “Becky and I first met over 20 years ago. Our families grew close as we traveled the country together for competitions. Becky is someone who loves deeply and has treated me like family since the moment we met.”
If you think Shaw is all about family, the 54-year-old Marino takes it to another level. All three of her children – Mikey, 33, and 29-year-old twins Brendan and Megan – have been involved in cheerleading at high levels of achievement. Megan and Mikey graduated from Methuen High School, and Mikey went on to coach the Rangers Cheer team to a State Title. In addition, Marino’s sister, brother and nephew all cheered for her at various levels in her coaching career.
Beyond the familial ties, Marino and Shaw have built GLTS Cheer into one of the perennial regional and state powers.
“The program has grown tremendously over the years and has remained extremely competitive,” says Shaw, who graduated from Methuen High School in 2015 and later from UMass Lowell.
Adds Marino, “Skylar has kept this program successful. She was hands-down the perfect choice to be head coach. When she was in search of a JV coach, I knew in my heart knew it was time to go back.”
So, exactly how does a friendship like this translate when the coaching titles reverse? Shaw’s answer is to the point.
“So fun! To be honest, I never really paid much attention to our roles. We’d have 50-plus kids running back and forth switching between teams so each kid had an equal opportunity to work with each coach.”
I asked Shaw if it was emotional telling her GLTS Cheer athletes that she would be leaving the program. Her response?
“Oh my God, was it emotional?! It was terrible! I was an absolute wreck.
“There was so much sadness in the room, lots of tears, but also smiles and laughs. Telling them that I was leaving was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”
Marino relates, “It just broke my heart when I told them through the tears, but I did the best I could and made many memories that will last me a lifetime.”
Emotion, family, relationships, passion. These seem to be the watchwords in the story of Becky Marino and Skylar Shaw at GLTS. All of these feelings will go with them as they depart.
Says Marino, “The pride is forever, and my heart will be forever full for Skylar. I love her like my own daughter and will support her as she tries new things in life.”
Shaw offers a similar sentiment: “Becky and I will always be family. My time coaching the Reggies has been so pivotal in my life – the most rewarding position I’ve ever had. They became part of my heart. That’s what I cherish the most.”
John Molori is an author, columnist, and a 2011 inductee into the Methuen Athletic Hall of Fame. Facebook: John Molori, Twitter @MoloriMedia. Email molorimedia@gmail.com
Longtime Reggie Cheer coach Becky Marino, in her days as a GLTS cheerleading captain and MVP. She’s a 1990 grad.
Shown are Becky Marino, her nephew and GLTS cheerleader Raymond Kenyon, and Skylar Shaw.
In more than 2 decades at GLTS, Marino has brought home a lot of championship hardware for the Cheer Program.
Shaw (MHS Class of 2015) and Marino’s daughter Megan both cheered for the Methuen Rangers program.
