DLSU Animo Squad takes UAAP to Japan, finishes seventh

The DLSU Animo Squad finished seventh place in their Japanese-themed performance.
The DLSU Animo Squad finished seventh place in their Japanese-themed performance.

The De La Salle University Animo Squad settled for seventh place in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition 2017, Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Japan-inspired Animo Squad, whose theme for this year was #JapANIMO, performed second among the eight UAAP schools. Complete with as well Japan-inspired music and props, they instantly portrayed their “Land of the Rising Sun” characteristics.

They opened their performance using Japanese fans in their dance routines. Their dances incorporated different traditional Japanese movements, but they executed them fiercely and they remained fearless with their various stunts and heart-stopping tosses. Furthermore, the Animo Squad also displayed their strength and balancing abilities, impressing the crowd in their multi-level pyramids. To cap their routine, they used green and white Japanese umbrellas in the Lasallian traditional “Green! White! Fight!” cheer, maintaining their inspirations.

No less than the defending champions, the National University Pep Squad, set the bar for the rest of the competition. The five-peat-seeking squad from Jhocson delivered as expected. However, they were not free from errors, collecting a few in their pyramids and tosses very early in their routine.

The Adamson Pep Squad performed third. The 2016 surprise podium-finishers sought to make sure to the UAAP community that their third place was no fluke. And with an almost perfect performance, they sure wowed the crowd.

Returning from a hiatus was the UP Pep Squad. As a consistent Top 3 in the competition, many expected them to once again show the way. And they were absolutely impressive in their dance. But, just like NU, they also gathered a few errors in their routine.

After finishing in the Top 2 in four of five categories, Adamson was hailed as the 2017 champions, their first in the cheerdance competition. The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe led the competition in dance, but their stunts pulled them to second place. Finally, the UE Pep Squad made a surprised by completing the podium cast at third place. They led the competition in tosses and trailed only Adamson in pyramids.

Probably the biggest shocker of the competition, however, was NU. Their four-year reign had finally come to an end as they finished out of the podium and slid to fourth. The 2016 second placers, the FEU Cheering Squad, followed at fifth. Another shocker was UP, who failed to reach the podium for the first time since joining the competition in 1995. They ended up at sixth place after finishing last in stunts and pyramids. Lastly, the Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion ended in the bottom three in four out of five categories, sending them to the end of the line for the fifth straight year.

Meanwhile, FEU triumphed in the Group Stunts side-competition. Adamson and UP claimed the second and third places, respectively.

Results:

1st place: Adamson Pep Squad – 663.50 points

2nd place: UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe – 638.50 points

3rd place: UE Pep Squad – 634.50 points

4th place: NU Pep Squad – 610.50 points

5th place: FEU Cheering Squad – 610.50 points

6th place: UP Pep Squad – 575.50 points

7th place: DLSU Animo Squad – 567.50 points

8th place: Ateneo Blue Babble Battalion – 558.50 points

Animo Squad unites UAAP schools, settles for sixth place

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Animo Spirit ignited the fire within.

The De La Salle University Animo Squad unified all UAAP schools in their dazzling performance as they finished sixth for the second time in a row with 560.5 points in this year’s Cheerdance Competition at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Saturday.

The National University Pep Squad once again seized the coveted championship for the fourth straight year, tallying 711 points against a one point deduction. NU is the second team that accomplished the feat since the University of Santo Tomas Salinggawi Dance Troupe in the mid-2000s.

Adamson University Pep Squad, just like their men’s basketball team, caught everybody by surprise as they reached the podium to bag second runner up honors with 655, while Far Eastern University Cheering Squad was hailed as first runner up with 658.5 points.

17, 850 roaring fans from seven prestigious universities competed in this season’s cheering wars, with University of the Philippines Pep Squad opting not to join.

UST followed AdU at fourth place, garnering 650 points. While the University of the East Pep Squad placed fifth with 645. The Ateneo de Manila University Blue Babble Battalion scored 512 that sank them to last place.

“Masaya pa rin yung team kase yung pinaghirapan namin nalabas namin, and yung feedback nung crowd sa amin yung talagang gusto naming makita”, Animo Squad team captain Adrian Pesebre marveled.

Asked about the things that the squad has to improve on to finally climb up to the ladder, Pesebre said that they have to add some flare into their stunts.

“Yung technical skills, from gymnastics to the solid stunts, yun talaga yung kailangan ng Animo Squad para mag-improve”, he said.

That proved to be right as the Taft-based squad only posted 70 points in the stunts category, just six points more from last place Ateneo.

Nevertheless, Pesebre expressed gratitude to the Lasallian community for sticking by the team from the start.

“I want to say thank you to the Lasallian community for the support, for the never-ending love for the school and the Animo Squad”,  he said, “Kayo yung bida para sa amin, lahat ng ito para sa inyo”.

Tally for the Stunts Division:

1st place – NU Pep Squad (249 points)

2nd place – UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe (229 points)

3rd place – FEU Cheering Squad (209 points)

4th place – AdU Pep Squad (198 points)

5th place – UE Pep Squad (192 points)

La Salle did not compete in the stunts division.

The DLSU Animo Squad rocks the UAAP crowd; but still finishes 6th


The spirited DLSU Animo Squad definitely rocked to different beats finishing 6th place in the UAAP Season 78 Cheerleading competition. They had incorporated a “Rock n’ Roll” theme for this year’s performance. The event took place in the Mall of Asia Arena last October 3. 25, 388 recorded supporters from different universities came to be part of this historic event.

All prestigious universities prepared for the most awaited annual UAAP event. There is no doubt all eight teams have improved compared to previous years. This made the Taft-based squad strategize more to focus on the specific criteria to showcase in their performance.

Cheska Chua, a sophomore competing member who suffered an ACL injury prior to the competition said, “I would be cheering for them on the mats. I want them to use their hearts because I believe that they are strong enough, they just need the confidence for it.”

The Green-and-White squad focused on honing their skills of dance and one-man stunts, specifically from “hand liberty, toss extension, and to cupie” to get a higher overall rating due to last year’s standing of 3rd place in terms of the criteria of dance and pyramids.

The DLSU Animo Squad ranked differently in different criteria. They placed 7th in tumbling with 66.5 points. They placed 3rd in stunts with 66 points thanks to their highlight stunt, which is the “round-off rewind”. They placed 7th again in tosses with 49 points even though they presented impressive tosses, such as the “step-out full twist”. They reached 8th place in pyramids with 65 points. And lastly, they reached 6th place in dance with 300 points. By putting everything together, they got the ranking of 6th place with the accumulated points of 538.5, including the 8 points deduction.

The universities that reached a podium finish were UP, UST, and NU. The UP Pep Squad garnered a total of 610.5 points and reached the 3rd spot of the competition. They featured smooth transitions with the theme of “Utak and Puso” The UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe accumulated a total of 651.5 points and placed 2nd in the battle. They presented a reviving performance with a “Tribal” theme. Lastly, The NU Pep Squad had a grand total of 668 points and took the illusive Cheerdance title. They presented a very strong performance with the theme of the “Stone Age”

In addition, Kating Enriquez and teammates competed for the group stunts division among six out of seven other universities, where they landed in 6th place with a total of 195 points.

The top three teams were the FEU Cheering Squad, NU Pep Squad, and the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe. FEU reached a total of 232 and took the 3rd spot. While, NU garnered a total of 234 points which gave them 2nd place in the competition. Lastly, UST had a grand total of 239.5 points giving them the group stunts title.

The DLSU Animo Squad definitely gave their best efforts in this season’s Cheerdance competition. It was clear that they have improved from their previous year by showcasing a rather powerful routine. They appeared more conditioned and ready than last year. With their higher tosses and better stunts, it showed how much this team has grown physically, mentally, and emotionally. Their chemistry was simply contagious as they were still all smiles in the end.

The six-year veteran and team captain, Jaymes Saez, had a final message for his beloved team and second family. “Thank you kasi pinaramdam niyo sakin na special tong last year ko. You all proved me na kaya niyo na iwanan kahit mostly sophomores and rookies ang nag compete. Way niyo papabayaan ang second family natin. Kahit mahirap i-balance ang sport and academics, it is worth it to give pride to our alma mater.”

This article was written in collaboration with Michiko Alejandro and Denise So.

DLSU Animo Squad, ready to Get it done this Season

 

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With the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Cheerdance Competition just a few days away, the De La Salle University (DLSU) Animo Squad has been training really hard as they try to clinch the championship title after last year’s sixth place finish.

Team Captain Rod Arceo III, said in a social media interview, that the Animo Squad has been adding ‘more conditioning’ to their training, but ensured that they have been ‘more careful’ as well.

“Safety is always our number one priority and as the competition draws near, we can’t afford any more injuries. Along with these, we strengthen our bonds on and off the mats. This helps us grow closer as a team to understand each other better,” Arceo III said.

DLSU came up short last season after they ranked third a couple of years back, and are now pumped up to bag the coveted crown this time.

Asked what motivates them to get it done this season, Arceo III stated that the Animo Squad is now eager to prove that their success in the last few years were not because of luck and they will bring out their best to fight for the Green and White.

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“What motivates us is that we want to prove to the Lasallian Community that our previous achievements were not flukes. Hindi yun chamba. We want to show them how hard we’ve worked on our routine and how much we love performing for them,” Arceo replied. “What motivates us the most is that we would not want to let down those who support us, most especially the Lasallian Community, our families, our coaches and each other,” he added.

The Animo squad is now one of the teams to look out for this season as they are hungry to bag DLSU’s maiden cheer dance competition championship.

“You can expect that we’re coming in stronger and that we’re not going down without a fight”.

Catch the UAAP Season 78 Cheer Dance Competition this Saturday, October 4, 2pm at the Mall of Asia Arena.