Three cheers for NU Pep Squad!

MANILA, Philippines – For two and a half minutes, they turned and twisted high in the air, impressing the judges and delighting the crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena yesterday.

In the end, five months of hard work paid off for National University, which retained the title in the National Cheerleading Championships Co-Ed College division.

It was a near-flawless performance for the highly trained NU Pep Squad.

“We really worked hard for this,” said head coach Ghicka Bernabe of his 24-member squad that trained four hours a day, six days a week, since November.

The NU Pep Squad won their third NCC crown in five years under Bernabe, first winning it in 2013 then repeating the feat last year.

“It’s more difficult to defend the title. There was tremendous pressure,” she added.

The members of the victorious squad were still celebrating in front of the crowd, with hugs and kisses, and selfies with the huge silver cup as their coach talked about the victory.

“The students handled the pressure very well. We all knew the pressure was there. But they learned to embrace it,” said the winning coach.

In the country’s highest level of cheerleading competition, the NU Pep Squad won with a total of 340.5 points, followed by nine-time NCAA champion University of Perpetual Help System Dalta with 317.5 points and Far Eastern University with 301.5 points.

A total of 19 teams vied in the College Co-Ed division, which capped two days of intense competition, the culmination of a year-round search involving 350 schools.

National University is the UAAP cheerleading champion since 2013.

“It’s just overwhelming,” said the coach.

Carlos Valdes, the man behind the NCC, congratulated all the participants, and said the NCC is leaving its doors open to more schools.

“From 10 competing schools in 2006 we now have 350 schools competing. It’s overwhelming. We have built a community. Next season will even be bigger,” he said.

“The NCC is the highest level of competition. We will continue to reach out to more schools in the provinces. We will give them the experience of competing against the best,” he added.

Last Saturday, the All-Girls competition took place, with St. Paul College of Pasig City dancing its way to the AG Senior Cheer championship.

St. Pedro Poveda College reigned supreme in the AG Junior Cheer division while St. Paul took home another title by ruling the AG Senior POM. Angelicum Colllege ruled the AG Junior POM, and St. Anthony was crowned champion in the AG Pewee Cheer. 

Students barely 10 years old competed and were cheered on – win or lose.