Top teams gear up for Nat’l Cheerleading finals

MANILA, Philippines - The top cheerleading schools, led by defending champion Perpetual Help, brace for another fierce battle of breathtaking fliers, aerial tricks, tosses and routines in the National Cheerleading Championship (NCC) set to fire off tomorrow at the MOA Arena in Pasay.

Held in cooperation with Solar Entertainment, the country’s biggest cheerleading competition is all prepped up to deliver the culminating activity of the year-long festivities in the three-day NCC National Finals ending Sunday.

Now on its 12th year, the NCC is putting up a new event, the Drumline competition, in response to the clamor for coverage of cheerleading as a whole with Jack TV tapped to broadcast the inaugural event which will be held tomorrow with Solar Sports and ETC to telecast the event.

What started out in 2006 as a two-category (High School and College) meet between 10 teams overall (five for each division) has now become a full-field event eagerly anticipated by cheering fans from across the country.

“Each year, we continue to get bigger and better,” said NCC director Paula Nunag.

The NCC now features over 300 participating schools from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The squads vying at MOA were among the top finishers in the regionals held throughout the season. Highlights of each leg can be seen on Solar Sports from March 3-8 at 7:30 p.m.

The Drumline and Dance competition will be shown live tomorrow on Jack TV from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and on Solar Sports from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

On Saturday, the All Girl Cheer competition will be aired live on Solar Sports and ETC from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. while the Coed Cheer event will be telecast live on Sunday on Solar Sports and ETC from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.