NBA, NFL cheerers here for camp

Believe it or not, cheerleading has evolved into a sport where performers compete for honors in stunting and dancing. It has also become a career for professionals who excel in the art.

In the US, professional cheerleaders are contracted to stir up hometown crowds and create an electric atmosphere during games. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, for instance, employ their own cheerleading squads to harness the energy of fans who are often described collectively as the "sixth man."

The popularity of the sport prompted local exponent Joe Guerrero to conceptualize the first-ever National Cheerleading Camp which starts tomorrow at the Adidas SportsKamp in the Fort.

Guerrero, a cheerleader the past 13 years, pioneered in partner stunting at La Salle and is in the record books as the first to perform a one-on-one partner lift during a University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) contest. He coached the Assumption Hard Court to the Johnson and Johnson Cheerleading title in 1998.

NBA and National Football League (NFL) cheerleaders, who were to arrive last night act as resource specialists in Guerrero’s five-day camp. They will perform a rousing routine with 30 local cheerleaders during the halftime break of the Coca-Cola versus FedEx game in the Philippine Basketball Association at the Araneta Coliseum tonight.

The resource specialists are Jason Bass, Giselle Fabricante, Todd Decker and Christy Ann Namoco.

Bass is in his third season cheerleading for the New Jersey Nets. He performed for the Wild Stars squad that took the World Cup Open Cheerleading crown and has traveled to Milan, Tokyo, Mexico City, Paris and Barcelona for NBA special events.

Fabricante coached the senior co-ed team at the New Jersey Cheer Academy. She manages and choreographs the Fan Patrol for NBA Entertainment. A 15-year cheerleading veteran, she has performed at both the collegiate and professional levels.

Decker and Namoco boast extensive experience performing at the Rose Bowl and NFL events. They supervise the cheerleading program at the University of Hawaii.

"Organizing a camp with NBA cheerleaders has been a life-long dream," said Guerrero. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Filipino amateur and aspiring cheerleaders to learn from some of the world’s best cheerleaders. We have a good chance to compete in the international level and this is what we need to up the ante."

Guerrero said he expects 400 cheerleaders at the camp. Registration fee is P3,500 and entries will be allowed to enlist up to Monday. The daily schedule is divided into two four-hour sessions. Campers will be split into teams of 15 to 20 to facilitate communication with instructors.