FEU snares UAAP cheer dance title

MANILA, Philippines - A pair of surprises rocked this year’s UAAP cheer dance competition as Far Eastern University and Ateneo pulled the rug from under traditional powerhouse teams University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas to capture the top two places, respectively, before a record crowd at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday.

Using the sari-manok theme, the FEU cheering squad received a score of 86.1 percent to rule the event for the first time since pulling off the same feat 11 seasons ago. The hosts pocketed the top purse worth P225,000 plus Samsung cell phones.

The Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion also came through with a stunner of a performance as it scored 83.4 percent to bag the runner-up honors, its best-ever performance since finishing fourth the last two seasons. The team won P120,000.

“I told the team no one is your opponent except yourselves,” said FEU coach Jacqueline Alolor, the top choreographer for the Tams’ routines and stunts the last nine years.

Last year’s back-to-back champion University of the Philippines Pep Squad veered from its unique, free-flowing style to conventional stunts and cheer dance routines for 83.1 percent and wound up third worth P90,000.

The famed Salinggawi Dance Troupe of UST came through with the original and most difficult routines, highlighted by the moving pyramid routine and one that involved a circular walk amid the fire-like images of colorful clothes.

Curiously UST, which once reigned for five straight seasons from 2002 and had a league-best eight titles, ended up fourth with 81 percent, its worst finish since the cheer dance competition was conceptualized 15 seasons ago.

But it was Ateneo which produced the most entertaining performance in the day – a “moonwalk dance” in tribute to the late musical legend Michael Jackson and the Broadway-inspired hairspray dance that capped its number.

“Not a lot of people know that we’re a rookie team,” said Ateneo co-captain Sari Campos, also adjudged the Samsung Stunner awardee for her good looks and energetic dance.

“Our goal this year is to really pull off our routine and not to think about the other teams. We just want to challenge ourselves and do the best we can,” she said.

“We were really surprised, it hasn’t really sunk in, I really still can’t believe it,” said the other Ateneo captain Marty Boragay.

“I don’t know their basis but I am prepared for this to happen,” said UST coach Ryan Silva, who was responsible for the school’s five titles. “FEU was very strong and had a clean routine. It’s just but normal that teams lose, we just have to grow with this experience.”

The sari-manok concept, which was also used in the season opening last July 11 that was prepared by 72nd UAAP host FEU, also factored in the Tams stunning upset.

“Sari-manok was the concept used in the opening so we also decided to adopt it in the cheer dance competition,” said FEU skipper Ven Mar Cudog, whose team finished only sixth in the National Cheer Dance event early this year but received the Most Energetic Award.

Campos, an Inter-disciplinary Studies senior, said the “moonwalk” came into fruition only in practice.

“We just got the concept while we were training and we’re glad we came up with it,” said Campos.