Cheerleading competition will air live on ESPN5
THE National Cheerleading Competition (NCC) has found a string partner in ESPN5, making the event available for international audience.
ESPN5, the collaboration between TV5 and ESPN, will present the exclusive live coverage of the event on Feb. 27 and March 1- 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena, but making the biggest cheer and dance competition more significant is the fact that it will be covered live.
This year’s event is also tipped as the biggest as it will be held in three phases.
The Cheer Camps non- competition events, the Regional Qualifiers in Bicol, Visayas, Mindanao and the National Capital Region and the Nationals final round.
The NCC serves as a platform for all schools competing in the cheer and dance competition where competing colleges and universities from the UAAP and the NCAA as well as other institutions from the metropolis and nearby provinces will get a chance to showcase their wares.
Last year, 150 schools consisting of over 3,500 athletes competed in the NCC’s Dance, Cheer, and Drumline competitions. This year promises to have a similar or even bigger number of participants in what promises to be a more exciting competition up ahead.
As part of its coverage, ESPN5 will have a live coverage of the National Dance and National Drumline Championships on Feb. 27 as well as the All- Girl Cheerleading Championships scheduled for March 1 and the Co-Ed Cheerleading Championships on March 2.
All three events will be live streamed on ESPN5.com while the March 1 and 2 events will start airing on Aksyon TV while there will also be a two- hour highlights episode on TV5 on March 3 from 2 to 4PM.
Vincent “Chot” Reyes, President and CEO of TV5 noted that the extensive coverage of the National Cheerleading Competition is part of ESPN5’s efforts to give sports fans the broadest array of Philippine sports content.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the National Cheerleading Championships to bring the sport of cheerleading to larger audience in the Philippines. Aligned with our thrust of super-serving the Filipino sports fan is the goal of providing all sports with a platform to help them reach and grow their audience. What better way to showcase the best our country has to offer than by showing local talent on ESPN5,” Mr. Reyes said.
Carlos Valdes III, president of the National Cheerleading Competition expresses a similar sentiment and said, “We’re excited about this partnership with ESPN5, particularly now that cheerleading is recognized by the Olympics as a sport. Since we started in 2006, the Philippine cheer community has grown by leaps and bounds and is now considered one of the top teams in the world, and with this partnership, we continue to aim to develop our community and continue to compete with best in the world — and maybe even an eventual Olympic medal.”
“I’d like to thank the ESPN5 management for recognizing and supporting cheerleading. The broad coverage plan and media platforms of the ESPN5 network will provide our growing community with an unprecedented opportunity to enjoy the sport as it was meant to be. We hope to continue this partnership in the coming years,” Mr. Valdes enthused. —