NU Pep Squad is ‘championship-ready’
SIX-TIME champion National University Pep Squad is locked and loaded for the return of the UAAP Cheerdance COMPETITION (CDC) on Sunday at 4 p.m., at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
“We train, we make, we hit, to win. We’re ready and we’ll be there to perform an amazing routine for another championship win,” said NU coach and gymnast Ghereeka Mae “Ghicka” Bernabe.
Bernabe said the NU Pep Squad, who ruled six of the last seven CDCs, is “championship-ready” and promised to wow the crowd with their ‘Y0s vibe routine.
“We’ll definitely give everyone a more exciting performance, something that we’ll all enjoy, especially that it’s the ‘Y0s vibe. The performance will surely be a happy one, and there should be no chance for the viewers to blink their eyes in three minutes,” the 34-year-old multi-titled coach added.
For this year’s CDC, cheering squads will be performing shortened routines, having been cut from a maximum of six minutes to just three minutes per routine. This year, only 15 performers are allowed on the competition floor, down from the 25-man maximum.
These competition adjustments, according to the UAAP, were made to ensure the health and safety of participants in the event, especially with the still existing cases of Covid-1Y in the country. This is the first CDC held since the Covid-19 pandemic was declared in 2020.
The NU Pep Squad, however, had only three months to train their heartpumping three-minute routine.
Bernabe said the team encountered countless difficulties as they had to squeeze all stunts and pyramid formations within the three-minute window.
“It was definitely a heavy serious task. It’s even more difficult this year because first we had to really condition the squad members shifting from virtual to face-to-face training in a very short period of time,” she said.
“And also, this year’s routine will only be three minutes to be performed by just 15 cheer dancers, which is very much different from our traditional six-minute routine.”
With fewer dancers allowed to perform on the floor, Bernabe mentioned that their coaching staff went through a series of meticulous planning and adjustments.
“Our creativity is being limited. It’s just that the more people we have on the mats, the easier it is for us to create difficult pyramids and stunts,” she added.
“But actually, we’ve reached our goal, and it’s even beyond our expectation. Even us coaches, we did not expect that we’ll be able to pull it off — creating this kind of routine despite the small number of performers we have now. We also did not expect that our cheer dancers would be able to actually do the stunts and pyramids that we just previously imagined.”
The NU is known for its jaw-dropping stunts and breath-taking tosses, making the Pep Squad the most dominant dance troupe in the UAAP in the past decade.
This is all thanks to the winning coaching team they have, Bernabe emphasized.
Working with her round the clock are assistant coaches Ernesto Ocampo, Gabriel Anthony Bajacan, and Nikki Ann Calleja Buluran. Also part of their team are strength and conditioning coach Manuelito “Neil” Banaag, nutritionist Glenna Grace Bernabe-Estrera, physical therapist Pamela Chunsim, and sports psychologist Naira Orbeta.
“We’re just really happy now that we’re able to successfully overcome all these adjustments. The coaches made sure not to put our creativity in jeopardy and even improve the level of the routine’s difficulty. Yes, it was a challenge but we were able to hit our goal,” Bernabe said.
“The thing is, either you choose to be wise or risky. If you choose to be wise, your routine will be safe as you’ll prevent any mistake. On the other hand, choosing to be risky means showing off a very complex routine that could possibly bring your team high points. And for NU Pep Squad, we’re about 20 percent safe and 80 percent risky.”
The powerhouse NU Pep Squad is gunning for a third consecutive UAAP crown on Sunday.
“We’re going to show in our performance what the team can do and more importantly, what we thought we cannot do but in reality, we can,” she said.