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On being a captain of the UP Pep Squad

Last year was the first time I watched the Cheerdance Competition live. What was even more special was that as a courtside reporter, I got to don a blonde wig, introduce the squad and, best of all, sit down with them at the center of the court right before Boom named the UP Pep Squad champions. I had always been in awe of their athleticism, difficult routines and, most of all, at the way they managed to be so enthusiastic at all times.

This week, I was fortunate enough to have gotten the chance to sit down with one of the team captains to talk about what it's like to be part of what has been dubbed the 'Pep Squad ng Bayan'.

Irish Planes, a fifth-year Speech Communication major, is one of the three captains, along with Trixie Segundo and Kiko Cortez, entrusted by the coaches to lead the champion squad. It's a job Irish admits to be both fulfilling and challenging. "The best part is that I get to inspire and influence an awesome group of people, but the challenging part is that because these people have a diverse set of personalities, one has to have the right amount of patience and determination to handle everyone", she says.

What keeps her going is getting to do what she loves and doing this with people who the same passion as she does. Her teammates, she admits, she'll miss more than the cheerleading itself after she graduates. "I've been working with the same people for three to five hours every day, so I'll definitely miss being with them every day," she says.

[RELATED: the UP Pep Squad guns for a three-peat]

The UP Pep Squad is, in fact, so bonded, they've come up with little traditions and pre-performance rituals of their own. Irish shares that every year, before the Cheerdance Competition, they have Dancers' Night. "It's a night where we all come together, state our fears, goals and frustrations for the team. It's just a time to be able to bond more with the team," she explains.

Curious about what fuels them during basketball games, especially with the performance of the Men's Basketball Team in the previous seasons, I asked Irish how they keep their energy up. "We do our best to keep on cheering for the team and keep encouraging them, no matter how hard the times get. We just try to embody the true spirit of a Fighting Maroon and never cease to hope for and believe in the best for our teams," she says.

That being said, Irish's personal favorite cheer just so happens to be the Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (Matatapang, Matatalino). "It really embodies what an Isko or Iska is," she says.

Aside from a passion for serving the university, the coaches and members of the UP Pep Squad put a premium on creativity, a characteristic staple to all of their performances. "For our halftime performances, we usually do our dances from our concert of the previous year. For the competition, it's really our coaches who are behind the idea. We actually don't get to find out about the theme until a month before the performance," she says.

A cheerleader since her freshman year, Irish admits that of the four cheerdance competition routines she's been a part of, her favorite is last year's Madonna-inspired performance. "It was something really different. I think everyone else expected us to do something cultural again, so it was a good way to come out and surprise the audience. It was hard for us to perform blonde, though, because we had to sacrifice our hair," she says. "But blondes really do have more fun," she quickly adds with a laugh.

So, what can top a Madonna-themed routine? Well, Irish won't give anything away, but she does promise harder stunts, more creative choreography and a theme that, in her words, will capture not just the hearts of the UP community but everyone watching in the Arena and at home.

However, Irish isn't counting out any squad. "With the development of cheerleading in the country, we know that there have been a lot of improvements from the other teams, and we've been receiving a lot of pressure from everyone. But we just want to focus on our own routine and do our best to perfect it on the day of the competition," she says.

But pressure or no pressure, blonde or brunette, Irish and the rest of her teammates are sure to deliver another mind-blowing performance on Saturday. Watch out! The UP Pep Squad is back (and going for back-to-back-to-back)!

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.

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