Smells like team spirit

MANILA, Philippines - Remember that scene from Bring it On? The one where the sassy girls from the Clovers, the opposing squad to Torance and the tuh-tuh-tuh-Toros, were petitioning Pauletta to send them to Nationals? (Read: talented but broke, a.k.a. story of our 20-something lives.) Isis goes, “Where we come from, ‘cheer’ is not a word you hear very often.” And then sassy girl Lava says, “They should call us ‘inspiration leaders’ instead.’ “Oooh, that’s deep, I like that!” ends another sassy girl named Jenelope. WERQ.

While cheerleaders have always suffered an annoying preconception of them as the popular kids in school with their short skirts, high ponytails, and perpetually hammy faces and veneered smiles, they are also the secret weapons and the heart and soul behind every successful sports team. If behind every successful man is a woman, behind every successful lay-up is a “Ye-bo-ra!” I mean, look at the UAAP. A game is not half as fun without the resounding beats of the battalion drums, and the cheerdancers prodding the crowd in support of the players.

On the eve of the annual UAAP Cheerdance Competition, Young STAR, in cooperation with the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Light—the laptop for the dynamic young student on the go—and Forever 21, turns its eye on three of this year’s high-flying superstars. In matters like rivalry, playing a balancing act between school and extracurriculars, and the art of dance, they prove that in everything, especially in cheerleading, “there’s no ‘I’ in team.”

When your life is increasingly busy and forever kinetic, after all, you need gear that keeps up with you.

Tasha Mendoza DLSU Animo Squad

A lack of experience was no deterrent for Tasha to venture into the high-flying, booty-shaking world of cheerleading. A competitive gymnast when she was younger, she tried out for the DLSU Animo Squad and found herself bagging a coveted spot on the team. She even ended up becoming head cheerleader, three years later. Now a month away from graduating with her degree in BS marketing management, she and her squad are determined more than ever to upset UP’s winning streak and bag the crown.

YOUNG STAR: As last school year’s captain, how did you handle the squad?

TASHA MENDOZA: I just instilled in them that they have to do the best that they can — self-discipline talaga. It’s difficult handling a lot of people. Our numbers really fluctuate within the school year because some members quit in the middle of the year because of studies. As much as possible, I try to give them the time they need for academics. But siyempre, when we’re in training, training is training.

Are there any values that you learned from cheerleading?

In cheerleading, whatever happens, it’s a team sport. You have to get along with each other kasi, like now it’s competition season, if one team member is not there, the whole team suffers. We need to work with each other. And in cheerleading, you see us smiling palagi. Ganon talaga, even through tough times you have to keep on going kahit ano mangyari.

Enzo Santos, Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion

Enzo is what many would consider an unlikely cheerleader. Not that he’s waving pompoms or doing spirit fingers like Torrance from Bring it On but despite his lack of experience, he found himself getting into the swing of things (literally) as a solid lifter for the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion. At first, the BS management senior thought he’d quit the squad in his last year of college but when you’ve got a family as tight-knit as the people in the battalion, he realized this is easier said than done.  

YOUNG STAR: How did you get into cheerleading?

ENZO SANTOS: The team lost a lot of members (in 2010) and my brother, being the boyfriend of the head cheerleader, told me to just try it out. I didn’t want (to at first) but my brother forced me. So I did and (eventually) had fun doing everything, especially the lifts.

Have you ever though about quitting, especially now that you’re graduating?

I wanted to finish being a part of the varsity team, but there were times that I wanted to quit because of the games. They take a lot of my time, weekends especially because we’re required to go to a lot of games like basketball, volleyball, badminton… basta a lot of sports.

Carla Piscosoust Salinggawi Dance Troupe

Being a hip-hop dancer in high school, Carla was on the lookout for a legit street group when she enrolled at the University of Sto. Tomas. What she found instead was the Salinggawi, a dance troupe and a pep squad rolled into one. Joining the troupe, she was taught not only the art of cheerleading and hip-hop but other dance styles as well, kind of like what a contestant goes through in every season of So You Think You Can Dance. She even learned tinikling! A BS biology junior by day, she manages to juggle her studies and extracurricular by practicing time management and coming into challenges with the right mindset – most especially, love for her craft.

YOUNG STAR: What makes you want to continue being part of the team?

CARLA PISCOSA: It’s fun because I learn a lot from Salinggawi, not only when it comes to dance but also when it comes to values especially respect, humility and discipline. You have to go to training on time all the time; you can’t be late. If you’re gonna be absent you have to ask permission first.

How is Salinggawi as a team?

I consider them my second family. Because in school, basically you go to (class) lang and then training… school, training, school, training. So like when I have problems, some of the seniors I consult them and all. They’re my teammates but (at the same time) they’re my (family). I consider them as my brothers and sisters, and our coach as our father. With additional interviews by LOREN SEÑERES

Photos by Kaity Chua, Styling by Sam Potenciano, Makeup by Joyce Platon of Shu Uemura, Sittings by Christopher de Venecia and Ralph Mendoza, Assisted by Loren Señeres and Janine deLA Cuesta, Shot on location at the TRILOGY SKATE PARK in Alabang Town Center Special thanks to Lawrence Cua of Trilogy and Pam Bassig of Forever 21