By Izah Morales

WITH the thumping beat and hip hop groove, the University of the Philippines pep squad wowed the audience in their tribal-inspired stunts and routines allowing them to defend their title and becoming the 2008 UAAP Cheerdance Competition champion.

UP pep squad team captain Angelica Sison, BA Communication Research senior, said that with the support of family, friends, and teammates, they were able to pull through despite the injuries and challenges they encountered.

“As long as one person is fighting, hindi pwedeng bumitaw, talagang kapit lang talaga lahat (we cannot quit, we just held on),” said Sison.
Sison said this year’s competition brought a lot of pressure on them since UP is hosting the UAAP and is celebrating its centennial year.

Nonetheless, this helped them refocus their vision on the competition leading to the enhancement of their routines, she said.

Sison observed that all of the teams have improved this year, bringing the competition to a higher level.

About 20,000 people dressed in yellow, maroon, green, blue, red, white with exhilarating energy rocked the big dome as they cheered for their alma mater with their respective banners.