NU looks to defend Cheerdance crown with difficult routine

MANILA, Philippines – The National University Pep Squad reveled in their first ever UAAP Cheerdance Competition title for a year. Today, it’s time to defend it against 7 other schools raring to snatch it away from them.

NU leaped to the top last season after simmering at 3rd place in the 2012 competition and impressed with their Arabian-themed routine packed with very difficult stunts and pyramids that definitely pushed the standard up a couple of notches.

With the University of the Philippines a perennial favorite to win the last few years, NU’s romp still somewhat came as a surprise to many.

This year, they’ve already been marked and schools will definitely be anticipating what they have in store for Season 77’s competition.

Without the element of surprise, NU is looking to up the ante once more with a routine that’s a hundred percent more difficult than last year.

“Basta mahirap. Para kaming dumaan sa butas ng karayom para ma-achieve lang yun,” said head coach Ghicka Bernabe, who also led NU last year. (It’s difficult. We had to go through the eye of a needle just to be able to achieve it.)

The squad has been preparing for their title defense since this past summer and they’ve been undergoing highly rigorous training.

“Mas mahirap yung training ngayon kasi mas mahirap na yung mga ginagawa ng team,” Bernabe said. “Iba na kasi yung level ng difficulty pag dating sa stunts, pyramids, tosses and tumbling.”

(Training is far tougher now because we’re doing even more difficult routines. The level of difficulty now is higher when it comes to stunts, pyramids, tosses and tumbling.)

The NU Pep Squad will be bannering 9 rookies out of their total 30 participants, including 5 for the Group Stunt competition, which they also topped last year with an amazing display of gymanstics. They look to defend that title as well.

With high expectations set for them, are the first-time champions ready to handle the pressure?

“It’s part of the competition,” Bernabe said. She insisted they are putting pressure to good use by turning it into motivation.

“Laging may pressure (There’s always pressure). And it’s up to us on how are we going to handle that pressure. Sa ngayon (For now) it helps us to be more competitive.”

NU yielded its 2013 National Cheerleading Championship title to the Central Colleges of the Philippines this year. They dropped to 3rd place in the annual tourney that features the country’s best squads.

They hope to avert the same fate at the competition happening later today Sunday, September 14 at 1 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. LIVE BLOG: UAAP Cheerdance 2014

As the level of competition rises, Bernabe expects nothing to come easy for her squad today.

“Alam ko lahat (ng teams) mag-improve, magpapakita ng bago at mas mahirap na mga stunts,” she shared her expectations for the highly anticipated competition.

“Magiging mahigpit yung laban.” (I know everyone will improve and will show up with much harder stunts. Competition will be stiff.) – Rappler.com