Varsity Wars Jan19

STANDOUTS(Standing fromleft) NatashaMendoza, PiaJoanna Matas,Kiesha FrancescaSilayan, Nikka DeDios. (Front fromleft) Trishia Mateo,Rachelyn Astillar

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•DLSU ANIMO SQUAD,Ready, fearless page 2 •Back with a blast FEU

Cheering squad page 3

•NCC CONTENDERAteneo Blue Babble readyto surprise page 10

• More VARSITYWARS stories page 11

•The Rise of the FallenICA DASMARIÑAS

page 11

•UNITY key forParañaque NHS page 11

BRING IT ONICA All Stars

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nccphilippines.com.ph

JANUARY 19-25, 2012 VOL. 1 NO. 11

JANUARY 19, 2012

DLSU ANIMO SQUAD

Ready, fearlessbecause I’ve beenhearing that they’renot really content withtheir ranking last yearand I see them workinghard,” says Paulina.

So what happened in lastyear’ NCC where they slippedfrom fourth place in 2010 to17th?

Natasha explains, “Asidefrom a lot of (members) gradu-ating, it was difficult because itwas the first time that wejoined the all-girls division lastyear and the trainings (forboth divisions) were held allat the same time and weneeded people in the all-girls team to be in thecoed team and viceversa, I guess it gotvery tiring for us.”

‘‘Maybe the coed(team) was compromised in away,” adds Nikka de Dios.

But things are looking up ev-er since the Animo Squad cameunder the instruction of CoachRhufa and his coaching staffcomposed of Ramon Saliegue,Marlon Domingo and FrancisAsonto.

‘‘It’s going to be more visualbecause we’re now un-der Coach Rhufa. We al-ready have the skills butwe don’t have the chore-ography and the creativi-ty (before) but now,they’ve seen (what we arecapable of in) UAAP andthey’ve seen how much wehave changed as a squad, soexpect more surprises, explainsNikka, who is on her last termas a member of the pep squad.

There is no doubt that theteam has put a lot of confidencein their coach. But Coach Rhufareminds the team that whilethey know he can help them,they must help themselves too.He tells the squad, ‘‘Don’t stopbelieving. Don’t stop trainingand learning kasi kapag sumali

By Din Villafuerte Junior Inquirer

T HEY took everybody by surprise when they hada podium finish after twelve years of frustra-tion in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition last

September.Now, the De La Salle Univer-

sity (DLSU) Animo Squad ismore determined than ever toprove they’re not just accidentalwinners in the National Cheer-leading Championships thiscoming February.

It was one roller-coaster rideof a year for the team.

The Animo squad placed17th in the coed division of theNational Cheerleading Champi-onships while finishing firstrunner-up in the all-girls divi-sion of the same event last year.

But they caught the attentionthe fans by bagging the 2011Fil-Oil Flying V CheerleadingCompetition trophy and placingsecond in the UAAP event.

Coach Ruf Vandolph G.Rosario, head coach of the Ani-mo Squad since April last year,knows that expectations on theteam got high ever since theywent home as champs from theFil-Oil competition. Coach Rhu-

fa, as he is fondly knownaround the cheerdancing cir-cuit, remembers telling theteam, ‘‘Panindigan n’yo na yan.”

The team expects to do wellin the coming NCC qualifiers.“We’ve been working hard andthere’s been a lot of changes sowe deserve it,” says second yearMarketing major Natasha Men-doza. ‘‘We can do it, it’s goingto be a better year for us.”

Rookies Anna Bongato andPaulina Alberto, both freshmen,are also hopeful. ‘‘Championsfor the all-girls (team) and Ithink the coed (team) will real-ly do better,” says Anna whenasked about her expected out-come of this year’s NCC. ‘‘I ex-pect championships for bothteams (the coed and all-girls). Iwant to see my team happy be-cause we’ve been working hardall year and for my seniors also

ka sa Animo Squad panindiganmo, gawin mo yung mga dapatmong gawin. At higit sa lahat,ilagay mo yung puso mo sateam.”

The 2011 NCC Coach of theYear clearly believes in the DL-SU pep squad’s potential aswell.

‘‘If there’s one thing about

the Animo Squad, is that theydon’t feel fear,” discloses CoachRhufa. They are so driven andhell bent on doing well thatthey always tell him, ‘‘We don’twant to lose again, coach. Hindi

ka namin papahiyain.”And they don’t talk

about not making it incompetitions.‘‘Walang usapan na ga-

nun,” smiles Coach Rhufa.‘‘Sinasabi ko sa kanila na kung

ano yung skill na meron tayo,yun ang ilalabas natin. Sinasabiko na whatever happens, justdo your best, of course for LaSalle,” says Coach Rhufa. He re-minds the team that they arenot this not just for themselvesbut for God, their family, friendsand most especially theirschool.

FOR REAL(Clockwise, from left) Natasha Mendoza, Nikka De Dios, Anna Bongato,Paulina Alberto. ROMY HOMILLADA

RELIABLE: De Dios

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TOP COACHPAULINA, Nikka, Anna and Natasha joke withmulti-awarded Coach Rhufa. ROMY HOMILLADA

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FEU CHEERING SQUAD

Back with a blast!

us before,” 18 year oldRachelyn Astillarshared. “Ibang-iba siyasa mga nagawa nam-ing sa UAAP kaya tala-gang pinaghirapan atpinaghandaan naminsiya.”

The Sampaloc-basedsquad also preparedhard not just for theprize itself but also forthe mere satisfactionthey will soon get ifthey perfectly executetheir routines.

“Kahit hindi kamimanalo basta nagawanaming ng magandaat maayos ang rou-tines namin, sobrangsarap na sa pakiram-dam,” Joanne Asun-cion said. “Pinaghira-pan namin ng sobrapara magawa lahatng ’yon kaya nakaka-satisfy kapag na-fulfilllahat ng maayos.”

Even though halfof the squad whocompeted last time al-ready said their good-byes to the team, this

did not hinder thenewbies to step up.Instead, it marked asan inspiration and amotivation to contin-ue the fight they leftunfinished.

“First time ng ha-los karamihan saamin na sasali thisyear kasi grumaduatena ’yung batch nalumaban dati,”quipped sophomoreTrisha Mateo. “Silaang isa sa mga inspi-rations namin, gustonamin na magingproud sila sa amin.”

With FEU pouringmore heart and sweatthis year, no doubtthat they would bringa bigger and bettershow for all of thepeople who patientlywaited for them.

‘Tatak FEU’“Magiging mahirap

ang laban pero sini-sigurado naming namay laban kami,” saidDe Roxas. “Ang mgataga-FEU, palaban. Iy-

By Alexandra JessicaEsponga

T HE longwait is fi-nally over.

After a two-yearabsence in the Na-tional CheerleadingCompetition, the FarEastern UniversityCheerdancers all havetheir guns loadedready for battle andtheir eyes intenselyaimed on only twothings; perfection andexcellence.

“We are a differentFEU team from whateveryone saw twoyears ago,” said juniorcheerleader Eryka DeRoxas. “We are morepowerful and hungrythan what we werebefore.”

True enough, theboys and girls of CoachJacquelyne Alolor-Alotahave their fingerscrossed, hoping that allthe hard work would

be enough to bring therowdy and roaringcrowd of the country’spremiere cheerleadingtournament one heckof a comeback.Bigger and better

The FEU squad hasalways been a crowdfavorite in the Univer-sities Athletic Associa-tion of the Philippines(UAAP) CheerleadingCompetition but theychoose to leave theircomfort zone andonce again go againstall odds in trying toearn themselves a topthree slot in the NCC.Despite being taggedas pre-tournament fa-vorite, FEU settled forthird place last yearin the UAAP.

And they are justmore determined tobring home the baconand fulfill the missionthey failed back then.

“There’s a bigchange in our routinesthat would surprise ev-eryone who watched

on ang tatak namin,iyon rin ang makikitanila.”

Although theyhave kept a highfighting spirit, theyknow how to settleeverything on thestage and amidst allthe tension; they stillkeep in minds trueessence of cheerlead-ing.

“We know themeaning of a ‘friendlycompetition,’ ” Asun-cion said. “We make

friends kapag mayoras, get to knowthem and also, learnfrom them.”

And since they areaware that it will nev-er be easy, CoachAlolor-Alota alwaysreminds them the ’3Ds’, which she consid-ers one of the factorsfor her team to sweepthe championship.

“Determination,determination anddiscipline, that iswhat coach Jacque-lyne always tell us,”shared Astillar. “Itoang meron ang teamna sobrang pinapaha-lagahan namin.”

With their breath-taking routines, highjumpers, renowned

cheers and people whobelieve in them side byside, the FEU cheer-dancers are confidentenough, knowing thatthey’ll make their sup-porters proud.

“This fight is forthe FEU community,for everyone whosupports the team,our coach and men-tors and most espe-cially, to God,” ex-plained Asuncion.“Gagawin namin anglahat at sinisiguradonamin na hindi silamapapahiya.”

For the secondtime around, the FEUCheerdancers will trytheir hardest to stealwhat they believe isrightfully theirs.

BATTLE-READY(From left)Trishia Mateo,Ma. JoanneAsuncion, ErykaDe Roxas,Racheln Estillar

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3JANUARY 19-25, 2012

JANUARY 19-25, 2012

Ateneo BlueBabble readyto surpriseBy Denison Dalupang

F AR Eastern University, University of the Philip-pines, champion Central College of the Philip-pines and rival De La Salle University.

All of these squads may haveled people to forget the AteneoBlue Babble Battalion going in-to this year’s National Cheer-leading Championship hostili-ties.

But the Blue Babble Battal-ion believe that they will havetheir presence genuinely feltthis year. The Blue Babble willsee action in the NCR qualifierson February 4 at the Mall ofAsia Activity Center.

‘‘We’ve matured over theyears,” said Babble cheerleaderPia Matas. ‘‘Considering we al-so hacked-out whatwe thought of hold-ing us back in theprevious years.”

Despite being onthe back seat sincecompeting in theNCC, the Babble hasnever finished out-

side the Top 10.Kiesha Silayan, another Bab-

ble cheerleader notes that Ate-neo will bring something newto the competition this season.

‘‘We tried to experiment.We’re infusing variety in ourroutines in stunts,” said Silayan.

‘‘We’re going out as a squadhaving a little bit of everythingrolled into one,” concurredMatas.

The Babble will draw greatboost from coach Randell SanGregorio, who was tapped as

coach for the nationalcheerleading squadalongside Tina Fer-rer of CCP, JaySayno of St. Benildeand NCC’s JRDavid.

‘‘We’re happy thatwe have our coachby our side,” said

Matas, who wasalso handpicked torepresent the na-

tional colors underSan Gregorio.

‘‘He’s both a friendand a mentor to us.He knows our ca-pacity and he tendsto meet us halfway

by asking us suggestions andthen trying to mix it with hisown,” Silayan added.

Part of the Babble’s corewould be Ateneo’s squad cap-tains, seniors Jessie San Juanand Desiree Fadri.

‘‘They’re the ones we look upto. They also provide us withstrength,” said Matas. ‘‘Theylook out for us, checking our er-rors, and the consistency of ourroutine.”

‘‘They do that without havingto make us feel they’re our se-niors. We are friends with eachother,” said Silayan.

Surprise will be Ateneo’s keythis year. With the Babble tryingto buck expectations and to notstick with a certain style, thesquad will certainly tickle spec-tators’ imaginations, makingthem muse how potentially ex-plosive they can be this comingseason.

‘‘I believe another strengthwe have is companionship.Through that, we can weaveourselves seamlessly as a unitand that’s where the creativityrolls out,” said Matas.

‘‘Creativity works hand inhand with how cohesive we canbe,” added Silayan.

But at the end of the day,Ateneo just wants to enjoy, exe-cute and pull it off according toMatas.

‘‘I believe every squad out

there is a threat to anybody.Whatever rank we land, as longas we think we deserved it, it’sgoing to be fine with us.”

Armed with enthusiasm andpositivism, this might be theBlue Babble’s year to shine.

FRIENDSPIA Matas (left)and KieshaSilayan.

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UNITED COLORS: Kiesha Silayan and Pia Matas with their rivals. ROMY HOMILLADA

KILLER SMILESMATAS (left) and Silayan. ROMY HOMILLADA

11 JANUARY 19, 2012

The Rise of the FallenBy Alexandra Jessica Esponga

T HE Immaculate Concepcion Academy(Dasmariñas, Cavite) All Stars madetheir debut in the National Cheerleading

Competition two years ago and as everyonealmost expected; they left the stadium emp-

ty handed with tears in their eyes, disap-pointed and hurt.

It became the saddest and most heart-break-ing experience for them and they promised them-

selves it would never have to happen again.“We took that as a challenge and an inspiration to do

better,” said senior cheerleader Jaireen Arasula.And that brought them to where they are now. Only on

their second try, they savored the sweet taste of victory andbecame the brightest Stars in the tourney.

This year, however, would be their ultimate test as they de-fend their title for the first time. But the girls of Archie Merisare decisive; never again would they want to feel that painfulloss, never again would the Stars lose their light.

Though it was devastating news, quitting was never anoption for these girls, especially on their first try and theynever entertained the thought of hanging up their sneakersand costumes for good.

“Masakit ng sobra pero never namin na-isip na i-give upna ang pagsasayaw,” quipped Marielle Vallano. “Kapag ma-hal mo ang ginagawa mo, kahit gaano pa kahirap at kasak-

it ang kailangan mo’ng pagdaanan, itutuloy mo pa rin.Ganoon ang nangyari sa amin.”

“Pagkatapos ng classes, diretso na kaagad kamisa training,” shared sophomore Chona Viray.

Exhaustion never stopped them to pursue ex-cellence not only in cheerleading but of course,in their studies. They say that school and aca-demics are still on the top of their list of priori-ties and dancing only comes next after that.

‘‘Nais rin namin makakuha ng mataas nagrades,” Jasmin Barzaga.

One of the many things Coach Meris tellsthese girls is to never be satisfied, there issomething more. She also reminds her teamthe importance of humility.

“Marami nang naaksidente sa amin perodeterminado pa rin kami,” said Arasula whoshares some of her teammates’ injuries.

And they are hopeful that all of those sacri-fices would be sufficient, that they’ll end thisseason with the crown, still. After all, accord-ing to these girls, they have only one motivein this competition and that is to prevail andcontinue their reign as champs.

“Gusto lang naming manalo at hindinamin iniisip na talunin ang mga kalabannamin,” Viray said.

The ICA All Stars know how crucialthis tournament is and they are prettydarn sure that they wouldn’t want to re-peat history all over again.

“Sa cheerleading, ‘do-or-die’ lang la-gi, walang second chance, walang baw-ian,” quipped Varasula. “Kaya namansobrang pinaghandaan namin ito at

lalaban kami ng parang wala nang nexttime. Ibibigay namin ang lahat ng kaya

namin ibigay.”

Unity key for Parañaque NHSALMOST all happily-ever-after stories are those that one has to work very hardfor, it is never easy and most of the time, protagonists have to battle through aseries of unfortunate events and sometimes face the most painful of them all;defeat. And that is how the Parañaque National High School closed the firstchapter of its book. But their story goes on; they manage to turn the tables andhad their chance to write their very own version of a happily-ever-after just aftera painful loss. ‘‘Yung pagkatalo namin, ginamit namin para bumangon kamiulit,’’ said Katherine De Leon. Indeed, losing their most valuable possession isdefinitely not in their system. This, despite an expected very hard competition.‘‘Masaya na nakakatakot yung feeling,’’ she added. ‘‘Alam namin na lahat ngmga teams ngayong season, sa amin nakatingin kaya mas kailangan pa nam-ing galingan.’’ However, multi-award winning Coach Rhufa Rosario always re-minds the team that no matter how pressured they are, safety is their numberone priority and each of the members of the squad must look out for each oth-er. ‘‘We treat each other as brothers and sisters in the team,’’ said ChristianVanessa Olea. Although being young cheerleaders isn’t easy and at times, theyget scolded by their parents because of getting home late due to practices, theyshow their love for cheerleading not by acting rebellious but by proving thatthey can manage both school and dancing at the same time. ‘‘Gagawin naminang lahat para maging back-to-back champions kami at naniniwala kami nakaya namin to,’’ stressed Keycie-lene Paguio. Alexandra Jessica Esponga

AIMING FORTHE TOPICA standoutsJaireen Arasula,Mairelle Vallano,Chona Viray andJazmin Barzaga.

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HARD TO BEAT(From left) Christian Olea, Katherine De Leon and Keycielene Paguio.

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