INQUIRER LIBRE Varsity Action is a special edition of the No. 1 free newspaper in Metro Manila specially dedicated to collegiate sports. We are a media partner of the UAAP, NCAA and the National Cheerleading Championships. This issue features the result of the UAAP Cheerdance Competition 2012.
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• Ang lagay ng puso, career at bulsa mo malalaman na sa BILOG ANG BOLA page 7 • TOP PRIZE ELUDES FEU Cheering; Heartbreaker for the wild side page 3 • Fitting fairy-tale ending for NU page 4 • Fighting hearts not enough for UE page 6 ATENEO BLUE BABBLE Voltes V didn’t save the day —Page 8 DLSU Animo alive Stronger next year —Page 7 VOL. 1 NO. 9 • SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 4, 2012 —Page 2 • ADAMSON finds reward in all- out perfomance page 6 • STUNNER UP’s NICOLETTE AMBULO page 2
Transcript
•Ang lagay ng puso, careerat bulsa mo malalaman na saBILOG ANG BOLA page 7
•TOP PRIZE ELUDES FEUCheering; Heartbreaker forthe wild side page 3
UNWAVERINGBARANGAY UP Pep showsits support. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
When the going gets tough,UP Pep Squad gets going
By Patrick Leonard Mayo
T HE UP Pep Squad has been known as the squadthat brings strong, innovative and, at times,shocking concepts in its routines every year in
the UAAP Cheerdance Competition (CdC). And thisyear was no different, except that the stakes got a bithigher and the competition tougher.
Their recent conquest in theUAAP CdC capped their thirdstraight championship and placedthem in a tie with their old rivals,the University of Santo TomasSalinggawi Dance Troupe formost titles, with eight.
But the road to the top wasnot without bumps and falls.The squad literally had to en-dure a fall from one of theirmembers in one of their liftsduring the end of their routinewhich left the UP crowd uneasyand the team concerned as theywaited the announcement ofthe winners.
“At the back of my mind, I wasworried about the fall during thelast part of our routine,” said as-sistant coach Pio Opinaldo. “Ithought we might not win know-ing that most of the teams had aclean or perfect run.”
But despite the fall, it wasthe strong routine that savedthe day for the Diliman Pride.
Sporting shaved heads, whiledonning minimalistic suits thatsymbolized not only the iconicOblation but also freedom andequality, the UP Pep toweredabove the rest.
“Our routine had a lot of dif-ficult stunts which I believeearned us enough points andhelped us earn the top spoteven with that mistake in theend,” added Opinaldo.
One of the team’s three co-captains, Irish Planes, said thesquad’s creativity also played abig role in this year’s victory.“There were a lot of key ele-ments in our routine which wereally needed. Aside from thedifficulty of our stunts andpyramids, our creative choreog-
raphy and clean transitions alsogave as a good head start, saidPlanes.
With the Far Eastern Univer-sity Cheering Squad consistentlyimproving every year as well asthe other squads who have beeneasily discounted in the past,the UP Pep Squad believes thisyear’s CDC edition was one ofthe toughest in their champi-onship years.
“The stress level and thepressure to win the three-peatand the 8th title also affected usand it meant that we also hadto outdo ourselves,” saidOpinaldo.
“Aside from the growingcompetition, this year’s task wasto become better than what wedid last year, and it is alwaysmore difficult to beat yourself,”he added.
“For me, this year was thetoughest. People just see the endproduct on the day of the com-petition but they don’t see thestruggles that we had to gothrough and the sacrifices wehad to make to get there, fromthe stunts, to the costumes andeven the hair,” ended Planes.
3SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 4, 2012
PERFECTDESPITE their perfect routine, members of the FEUCheering fail to bring the top prize. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
DEVASTATEDFEU cheerdancer just can’tbelieve it. RUTH NAVARRA
STRETCHINGGETTING ready for the toughgrind RUTH NAVARRA
NOT THE END OF THEWORLDFEU Cheering members consoleeach other RUTH NAVARRA
LOVE in time of war as UP Pepand FEU Cheering members hugeach other after the awardingceremony. RUTH NAVARRA
TOP PRIZE ELUDES FEU CHEERING
Heartbreaker forthe wild sideBy Ruth L. Navarra
T HIS year is proba-bly one of thebiggest heart-
breaks that the FEUCheering Squad experi-enced. They came soclose. They were separat-ed from the eight-timechampions, UP PepSquad, by a hair’s breadthof 0.9 point.
“They were perfect. They dideverything perfectly. They didnothing wrong,” said coachJacqueline Alolor-Alota.
The squad unleashed theirwild side with their routine.Months of disciplined trainingshowed in the movements that
were fierce and fluid. Theycame out strong and synchro-nized from start to finish.
For the first time in years,
they did away with the bulkyprops that hindered their move-ments on the mat. They pulledoff a surprise in the end withTamaraw headdresses and tailsthat they pulled out of theiruniforms. Their fans showedtheir support by sporting similarhats.
They executed their routinealmost flawlessly. Alota wasspotted crying with happinessafter their performance.
Everything appeared to workfor them. However, it was stillnot enough to win the topprize. It was a devastating blowfor the team.
“I will talk to them and makethem feel that I will be here forthem no matter what,” saidAlota the day after UAAP CdC.
4 SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 4, 2012
Fitting fairy-taleending for NUBy Alexx Esponga
A FTER years of trying, theNational University PepSquad’s wish was finally
heard by their fairy godmother,granting the squad its very firsthappy ending after bagging theTop 3 spot in the UAAP Cheer-dance Competition.
The NU PepSquad’s Disney-in-spired theme sur-prised the jampackedMall of Asia Arena asthey also placed thirdin the UAAP GroupStunts Exhibition.
“We are over-whelmed,” said NUPep Squad CaptainRose Anne De Leon.
“Honestly, we wereexpecting to enter theTop 3 because of thedifficulty of our rou-tine compared to theother schools.”
True enough, theNU Pep Squad’s hardwork paid off andthey weren’t justcheering with heartand passion but alsowith a lot more confi-dence compared tolast year.
“Inisip talaganamin na mananalokami habang nag-peperform,” added DeLeon.
“Gusto namin nagumawa ng history saNU community at iyontalaga ang naging mo-tivation namin.”
The captain alsoshared that despite allthe criticisms thatthey received afterthe “unexpected” win,she is just thankfulabout what hap-pened.
“We’re just soblessed na nanalo ka-mi,” said De Leon.
“Hindi na lang naminpinapansin ang mgasinasabi ng ibang tao.Masaya kami sa nang-yari at iyon ang im-portante.”
She is also thank-ful of the NU commu-nity for supportingthe squad all through-out the competition;they couldn’t havedone it without them.
“Sila ang reasonkung bakit kami na-ging matatag at mastatatag pa sa susunodna taon. Salamatdahil naniwala silasa amin. Hindinamin ito maga-gawa kung walasila.”
The seniorcheerleaderalso clarifiedthat the bat-tle is notover yet andthey will notbe contentedof runningthird placeonly.
“Abangannila nextyear dahilmagbibigayulit kami ngmas magan-da pang la-ban.”
Indeed,there is nomore hold-ing backthe NUPep Squad.
SHOUTSOF JOYTHE NU PepSquad on the wayto a podium finish.
AUGUST DELA CRUZ
IT’S OVERNU’s long wait to jointhe big guns is over.
RUTH NAVARRA
5SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 4, 2012
UST SALINGGAWI
Back to the drawing boardsfor traditional powerhouse
By Ruth L. Navarra
T HE UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe (SDT)found themselves out of the podium againduring the UAAP Cheerdance Competition,
finishing fourth for the second straight year.For the SDT’s avid support-
ers, it’s not exactly a bad finish.After all, the group outper-
formed expectations. NationalCheerleading Competitionpundits predicted they willland a mere sixth. The squadis going through a lot ofchanges, its members com-posed mostly of rookies.
This year’s performancewas basically a showcase ofpotential.
“They did well, they didtheir best and they did whatthey could,” said SDT coachRamon Pagaduan IV.
Departing from their usualfierceness, the members of theSDT chose Rio’s carnival at-mosphere as their theme, don-ning bright red and orangeuniforms that blended withthe school’s traditional colors.Their routine had that “hap-py” element that their presi-dent Danrev Dimacu-langan had earlierhinted on.”
The only thingthat didn’t go accord-ing to plan was themissed lifts at the begin-ning of the routine.
“The on-the-spotchanges in judging (costus our third ranking). Wewere supposed to be thirdif the total average scoreis to be implemented,”says Pagaduan.
A picture of the score-sheet was leaked to differentwebsites, social media andonline forums after the com-petition. The picture showedthat the SDT garnered a to-tal of 85.56. On the samepicture, the third placers-NU Pep Squad got a totalaverage score of 85.16.
It was only before thewinners were proclaimed
that host Boom Gonzales toldthe crowd that the averagescores for the winners will notbe announced.
Instead, the judges rankedthe teams. It was met with afew “boos” from the audience.
“Hey, I’m only the messen-ger,” Gonzales was promptedto say.
Still, the squad took the re-sult in stride. They have noplans to contest the results.Instead, they’re focusing ontheir game plan for the future.
“To be on top again, (weneed to have the) humility thatwe once had. (We need to getthe) champion mentality. Asthey say ‘if you want to be
champions, youhave to train andact like one,’”said Pagaduan.
POTENTIALMEMBERS of Salinggawi have eyes on the future. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
G OING against the big dogs with nothing tolose, the Adamson Pep Squad showed it waswilling to take on all comers last Saturday.
Though failing to sendshockwaves in the cheerleadingworld, the San Marcelino-based squad posed aformidable challenge againstthe top-tier teams of the UAAP,brandishing their own style ofcheerleading done the Adam-son way.
Behind their experiencedcoach Joseph Mascariñas, theFalcon cheerers unveiled anear-flawless routine to gowith their flashy and sparklingattire.
“I couldn’t be happier with
the team’s performance,” saidMascariñas, a veteran of thefield for 13 years now.
In an attempt to touchtrendier and the latest themes,the Adamson Pep Squad used aK-Pop-inspired performance toopen the festivities at the 2012UAAP Cheerdance Competi-tions.
With all of its memberssporting hairstyles inspired bythe Korean stars who are nowpopular in the country, thesquad flaunted a performancethat was a culmination of what
they worked on for the last fewmonths.
“Worth it lahat ng pagodnamin sa practice,” said 20-year-old team captain Dan Al-bert Ravino. “Whatever hap-pens, we’re satisfied sa pinaki-ta namin sa audience.”
Aiming for a surprise entryto the top three like they did in2001, the Adamson Pep Squadfinished seventh this year, beat-ing only the UE Pep Squad.
Despite the results, Mascari-ñas couldn’t even be moreproud of his team.
“I feel rewarded with thededication these guys are giv-ing,” he said. “They gave theirall in that six-minute perfor-mance and I couldn’t even behappier.”
Fighting hearts notenough for UE
By Alexx Esponga
A NEWLY-INSTALLED coach.An improved routine. A newbatch of Warriors.
Still, they weren’t enough.Despite the changes, the
University of the East PepSquad has been unable tobreak its dry spell in theUAAP Cheerdance Competi-tion and still ended at thebottom of the cellar.
“We are a new team. Atgaya nung sabi ko beforemag-start ang tournament,kung hindi kami umangat ngplace, may next year pa na-man,” said adviserLove Yee. “Angmahalaga, luma-ban kami.”
Though theywalked out of theMall of Asia Arenawith broken hearts,they still carry thatfighting spirit. Justlike their theme, theUE Pep Squad will holdon and continue to have‘immortal’ hopes.
The new coach of thesquad, Coach Jomel Bernardowas just hired last summerand he admitted that theyweren’t really prepared. Theyonly had three months tomake and polish theirroutine unlike thoseof other pep squadsthat prepared almostthe whole year for thetourney.
The squad also itself israw, they lost a lot of se-niors last year and had tostart with fresh members..He also shared in an ex-clusive interview beforethe competition that theboys and girls had nobackground of cheerleadingbefore. Thus, he needed tomold each of them and teachthem new techniques which atetheir time to prepare.
Coach Bernardo, who alsocoaches the Central Colleges ofthe Philippines Bobcats in theNational Cheerleading Compe-tition, said that even from thebeginning, he wasn’t expectingmuch from the squad because
of their immaturity. But he ap-preciates the efforts of the teamand is also amazed of squad’sfighting spirit.
“Mas palaban sila ngayonat nakakatuwa naman ’yun,”said Coach Bernardo. “Meronpa naman next year at masmagiging handa na kaminun.”
True enough, it is just timeto prove what the pep squadneeds and in a matter of ad-justments, they will soon alsobe seen in the limelight asthey did a decade ago.
Though they have onceagain failed to take a leapforward, the UE Pep Squadaren’t discouraged to fightonce again next year andthey will always keep theirfingers crossed, hoping for amiracle to happen.
GETTINGBETTERUE will be aforce to reckonwith nextseason.AUGUST DELA CRUZ
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DLSU Animo aliveBy Randolph Leongson
S OMETIMES, even if you give your all, that’sjust isn’t enough. Unsuccessful in its at-tempt to land a spot in the top three, that
is the lesson learned by the DLSU Animo Squad af-ter finishing fifth out of the eight squads whichstrutted their stuff at the 2012 UAAP CheerdanceCompetition.
With their finale danced inthe tune of We Are The Cham-pions, last year’s first runner-up failed in their bid to maketheir Season 74 silver a goldthis time.
As unpredictable as theywere in that rainy Saturdayafternoon, the outcome was afar cry from the bar set bytheir multi-titled coach RhufaRosario.
“We had minor mistakes,”said Rosario, the coach of thesix-time NCAA cheerdancechamps Perpetual Altas Perp-squad.
But for the cheerdancers,despite the results, they weresatisfied with what they havedone in the mat.
“I think we really did agood performance out there,”said female captain NatashaMendoza. “We owned it.”
And they did. Aspromised, the gloves reallydid come off as the Taft-based cheerdancers show-cased a boxing-themed per-formance. Wearing boxinggloves and championshipbelts, the Animo Squaddanced like they were in a
tense round 12 of a closelycontested boxing match.
“We did our best andwe’re happy that we enjoyedit all throughout the routine,”Mendoza added.
Premium was put in the dif-ficulty of the stunts they did,which is already an accom-plishment for Rosario given therookie-laden team that he had.
“All in all, that could bethe greatest performance wecan ever give to the crowd,”Rosario said.
As they say, it’s not all aboutwhat you can get in the com-petition, what matters is whatyou get from it. And that iswhat keeps the coach and theDLSU Animo Squad upbeat.
With their rookies gainingsignificant experience fromthis year’s tiff, Rosario couldonly promise one thing.
“We’ll come back strongernext year.”
BOXINGA members ofthe DLSU Pepshows her gloves.AUGUST DELA CRUZ
8 SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 4, 2012
ATENEO BLUE BABBLE BATALLION
Voltes V didn’t save the day
By Danielle Nakpil
W HILE the Ateneo men’s bas-ketball team is on top of itsgame, the Blue Babble
Batallion seemingly has to wait for an-other season with hopes high and allbets in for a podium finish.
Pulling through a Japanese animé-inspiredtheme and showcasing more difficult stuntsand tosses than their last year’s routine, theAteneo Blue Babble Batallion still wasn’t ableto place in the Top 3 even with Voltes V cap-ping their performance.
In 2009 though, Ateneo placed second toFar Eastern University with a Michael Jacksontheme, the first time Ateneo landed a podiumfinish.
Maybe the magic of Voltes V didn’t work asmuch as the King of Pop’s as the Babble Batal-lion only landed on sixth place in the Season75 UAAP Cheerdance Competition, one stephigher from their seventh place finish in Sea-son 74.
According to co-captain Desiree Fadri, theteam really prepared for this year’s cheerdancecompetition. Senior cheerleader Bea Crisologoalso added that their Japanese animé theme’sroutine was definitely more challenging thanlast year’s.
But still, it wasn’t enough.Maybe because the Blue Babble Batallion
needed to change their routine one day beforethe competition due to an MCL injury obtainedby one of their lifters, George Santos. Goodthing their showmanship conquered all odds.
The team coached by Randel San Gregorioand Ivan Claudio, still did their best like noth-ing happened and gave their everything for theAteneo faithfuls.
The Ateneo Blue Babble Batallion may havefailed to bring home the bacon to Katipunan.But it does not matter. Because just like whatthe Ateneans often say, “Win or lose, it’s theschool we choose.”
At the end of the day, that is the true Ate-neo way.
