Crystal Marousis Handchen’s dedication to coaching cheerleading was so strong that, into her 60s, she was still demonstrating backflips to kids.
“I saw her teaching that to my grandkids on my front lawn one day and I said, ‘Are you out of your mind?’” said her sister, Karen Marousis.
That kind of energy made Crystal something of a legend at Brick Memorial High School, where she guided the cheerleading program for nearly three decades. And it’s why, after her shocking death by a stroke at age 63 in 2021, the community continues to honor her.
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A street and a scholarship
Last fall, Brick Memorial named the road leading to the football field Crystal Marousis Handchen Way and dedicated a street sign bearing her name. More than 50 former Mustang cheerleaders of all ages braved the rain to attend the dedication ceremony.
“That tells you what a great cheer family she created,” said Sara Ball, the school’s current cheerleading head coach. “It was an awesome thing to see.”
There’s also an annual scholarship in her name. In June the recently established Crystal Marousis Handchen Walk With Me Foundation gave out four $1,000 scholarships to senior college-bound cheerleaders — two from Brick Memorial and two from Pinecrest High School in North Carolina, where Crystal coached cheerleading after retiring from Brick schools (where she taught science at the middle-school level).
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“It was a great honor,” said recipient Lizi Shcherbakovi, who graduated from Brick Memorial in June after serving as cheerleading captain there. “Cheerleading challenged me both mentally and physically. I learned leadership, I learned how to bond with people who have big personalities, and I learned to always be optimistic — because that’s what cheerleading really is.”
Shcherbakovi is now a freshman at Seton Hall University, where she’s double-majoring in political science and philosophy with an eye toward attending law school. She’s also working a part-time job on campus and trying out for the Pirates’ cheerleading team — a high-profile endeavor given the basketball program’s frequent presence on national television.
That’s exactly the type of reach-for-the-stars, all-in-for-your-school ethos Crystal Marousis Handchen fostered among her charges.
“Being active in the school community, pushing girls to have high standards and be your best — that’s something we’ve tried to keep going,” Ball said.
Crystal started coaching cheerleading at Brick Memorial in 1984, and over the course of three decades led them in both competition (where the Mustangs racked up titles) and sideline cheerleading.
“It was an honor to be part of her program,” said Elena Mahoney, who was coached by Crystal, then later served as her assistant coach before succeeding her as head coach in 2014. “She put her heart and soul into coaching.”
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More than coaching
Mahoney said when she entered Brick Memorial as a student, in 2001, the program was so popular that 30 ninth-graders signed up — enough to form a separate freshmen-only cheerleading team. Crystal attended a preseason sleepaway camp with the newcomers to help get everyone acclimated, an experience Mahoney and her old teammates still talk about and treasure to this day.
“If you lived in Brick between 1984 and 2014, you think of Brick Memorial cheerleading and you think of Crystal,” Mahoney said.
Karen Marousis said her sister’s coaching went way beyond cheerleading.
“If a kid couldn’t afford a dress for the prom, she would take them shopping and pay for their prom dress,” Karen said. “She would buy them food if they didn’t have enough.”
Those are deeds the foundation intends to continue, Karen Marousis said.
The underlying point: A good teacher, a good coach, can make a huge impact off the field as well as on it. Crystal’s impact will continue in the form of these scholarships.
“It’s leaving her legacy in a way that she would have wanted,” Mahoney said. “She tried to teach girls about important life skills and being responsible, being good leaders. She wanted them to go on (from high school) and be successful people.”
For more information on the Crystal Marousis Handchen Walk With Me Foundation, or to donate, visit www.cmhwalkwithme.org.
Jerry Carino is community columnist for the Asbury Park Press, focusing on the Jersey Shore’s interesting people, inspiring stories and pressing issues. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Brick Memorial cheerleading coach’s legacy lives on after death
