CCP BobcatsFEU Cheering squad

PHOTOS BY RICHARD REYES

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•Santiago, TajimaTOWERING PRESENCE

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• FEUcheerleadersLEVEL UP

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•UST’s Lantinand DLSU’s TiuVOLLEYBALLACES page 5

•SAN BEDA ROARS IN NCAAVOLLEYBALL page 7

VOL. 1 NO. 12 • JANUARY 24-31, 2013

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•BOBCATS arefo real

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• LADYFALCONS aimto upstage thefavorites

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2 JANUARY 24-31, 2013

Our mainadvantage over theother teams is ourexperience withthe competitionformat. Unlikeother teams whohave been used tocheerdance,cheerleading istotally differentand I can say it’sthe Bobcats’ game.

“”

TRUSTTHE defending champs trust themselves. ROMY HOMILLADA

CCP Bobcats awe oppositionBy Danielle Nakpil

A FTER a painful loss to the University ofCordilleras Jaguars and a botched back-to-back championship in 2011, the Central Col-

leges of the Philippines Bobcats made a powerfulcomeback and reminded the opposition who own theNational Cheerleading Competition.

The Bobcats brought hometheir fourth overall crown in the2012 National CheerleadingCompetition. They preyed onUAAP Cheerdance Competitionbridesmaid Far Eastern Univer-sity Cheering Squad, whichplaced second and the Universi-ty of Perpetual Help SystemDelta Altas, which finishedthird.

The CCP Bobcats emergednot only as champions but asrecord breakers in the entireNCC history, scoring an impres-sive 322.5 points, to finish sev-eral notches above FEU andUPHSD (310.0 and 296.0 pointsrespectively).

‘‘CCP Bobcats have been ac-tively competing in the NCCsince its inception in 2006,’’saidhead coach Arnold Villanuevaon the team’s dominance in theleague.

According to Villanueva, hissquad has a lot of advantage interms of cheerleading which ledthem to their fourth crown.

‘‘Our main advantage overthe other teams is our experi-ence with the competition for-mat. Unlike other teams whohave been used to cheerdance,cheerleading is totally differentand I can say it’s the Bobcats’game,’’ he added.

In cheerdancing, every squadhas 4-5 minutes to showcasetheir routine and focuses moreon the dance portion. On theother hand, cheerleading focus-es on the stunts and gives eachteam a total of 2 minutes and

30 seconds only.But, as one song goes, even

the best fall down sometimes.Despite their reign in the

league, the Bobcats also hadtheir share of downs. Whatcould have been a repeat in2011 was spoiled by the UCJaguars, and the Bobcats admit-ted what went wrong.

‘‘Medyo naging petiks kami.Puro guestings kasi,’’admittedBobcat Desiree Cruz.

After ruling the 2010 NCCchampionship, the Bobcatsstarted appearing on noontimeshows like ABS-CBN’sHappy Yippee Yehey.They also won inShowtime’s CampusClash Dance Compe-tition.

The Sta. Mesa-basedsquad learned theirlesson and started totrain early after the

loss in 2011.According to Villanueva, they

trained very hard for 10 monthsin order to get the team well-oiled, especially the rookies.Team member Cecilio Cabuenasalso admitted that they werepressured to reclaim the crown.

‘‘Sobrang pressured. Nungnatalo kami nung 2011, nagdouble time kami sa training.Yung eagernes naming manalo,doble doble talaga. Gusto talaganaming mag champion nung2012,’’ he said. ‘‘Nakatayopalang kami, gusto na namingmanalo. Run-through palang,gusto na naming manalo.’’

The 40-member squad inten-sified their stunts and routinesfor their much anticipatedcomeback. According to them,their winning formula is theirtrust in themselves, in theirteammates, and in their coach.

‘‘Pinilit naming bumangon.Iba yung pakiramdam. Iba yungmotivation namin,’’ Cabuenasadded.

This upcoming season, how-ever, will be a severe test sincethe Bobcats would be losing alot of veterans. But according tothem, they have no doubts andfears in facing future chal-lenges.

‘‘We never let our guarddown. We will exert all effortsand push the team further torealize our dream of a doubleback-to-back crowns, a feat noother team has ever accom-plished,’’ said a vigorous CoachArnold Villanueva. For him,they were never as ready asthey are now.

‘‘Lalaban at lalaban kamibasta buo kami,’’ said Cabuenas.“Bobcats kami eh. All for God,CCP Bobcats.”

3JANUARY 24-31, 2013

But theMorayta-basedsquad mayhave to dealwith anotherform ofadversity asthe injury bugand academichurdles didn’tspare them—sideliningthree of theirkey membersBryanBumbales,Xavier Tan andJansenMagadiong.

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”FEU CHEERING BETSLEARNING from their past mistakes. ROMY HOMILLADA

FEU hates to miss this timeBy Denison Rey Dalupang

T AKING notes fromtheir dismalshowing from last

year, where they landedbehind eventual champsCCP Bobcats, FEU isagain ready to aim andfire- and, for a change,not miss.

The squad, despite beingpencilled as the favorites forlast year’s NCC crown for itssmoothly-executed basic ele-ments and pyramids, was penal-ized with 13 points—a deduc-tion that played heavily in theoutcome as they were deprivedof a 323-point finish. The Bob-cats won the event with 322.5points.

Stunts coach Francis Fulgen-cio, though, emphasizes thesquad’s maturity, saying it hasand will continue to be one oftheir strengths.

‘‘In every competition, I be-lieve each team learns a share oflesson,” Fulgencio said. “We tryto learn from our inadequacies--in both wins and losses.”

But the Morayta-based squadmay have to deal with anotherform of adversity as the injurybug and academic hurdlesdidn’t spare them—sideliningthree of their key membersBryan Bumbales, Xavier Tanand Jansen Magadiong.

The three are still tentativefor clearance in March’s NCCskirmish. They are at the mo-ment listed as reserves.

Meanwhile, Eryka de Roxas,who rose from the ranks as thesquad’s captain, said that FEUwill draw its brilliance throughKarl Bugtai, Annievi Perez, MaeZuñiga, Giovanni Perturbos,Lester Buluran and FeradilleSalcedo.

Bugtai, Buluran and Perezwere members of the 2009squad that ruled the UAAPCheerdance Competition.

De Roxas notes that they arecurrently putting premium ontechnicalities and audience im-pact.

‘‘We’re trying to up our anteof our showmanship,” she said.

“I think that’s where we lacksorely.”

According to FEU’s 10-timecoach Jacqueline Alolor-Alota,

the squad’s greatest opponentsare themselves.

‘‘We’ll try to bring perfect ex-ecution,” she added. “Lessons

learned--we’ll be more focusedand we’ll try to finally achievehigher--all through performingwith a Tamaraw heart!’’

4 JANUARY 24-31, 2013

AdamsonLady Falconspin hopes on

Soriano,Zapanta and

Pineda.(From left) Zapanta, Pineda and Soriano.RICHARD REYES

FRIENDS on and off the court. (From left)Soriano, Zapanta and Pineda play ball seated withstatues of Adamson founders. RICHARD REYES

Big Three takes chargeT HERE’S no doubt that Adamson’s bid to end its

title-drought in the heated UAAP volleyball warsdepends on the performances of its Big Three.

Composed of Ma. Paulina ‘Pau’ Soriano, Sheila ‘‘Bhebs” Pinedaand Luisa Mae ‘‘Mayette” Zapanta, the Big Three is well-known inthe local volleyball circles as the key to the success of the Lady Fal-cons in the face of awesome competitions.

‘‘We do our job. Winning is about teamwork. There are threeother players on court. Our job is to lift our team and follow theinstructions of our coach,” said the 5-foot-7 Soriano, who like Pine-da and Zapanta, are veterans of the Shakey’s V-League.

Zapanta, a Customs Administration student, is playing with gus-to. After losing unwanted poundage, Zapanta, a native of DavaoCity, has the extra kick in her hits and defense.

Pineda endears herself to the crowd with gutsy kills againsttaller defenders.

‘‘I know my role,” said the 5-foot-4 Pineda. ‘‘We’re up againsttough rivals and we must not let our guards down.”

After finishing the first round of eliminations with a 4-3 card,the Big Three believes that they can still improve and show the fa-vorites a run for their money.

‘‘We’ve learned from our mistakes. We are determined todo better in the next round,” Soriano concluded.

As a starter, the Lady Falcons got back at first roundtormentors Ateneo Lady Eagles in five thrilling sets atthe start of the second round. Dennis Eroa

5JANUARY 24-31, 2013

CROWD-DRAWERLANTIN tossesthe ball.

ORMOCLASSTIU’S areliablehitter forDLSU.AUGUST DELA

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UST’s Lantinknows her role

By Randolph B. Leongson

WHEN University of Santo Tomaslost top volleyball setter Rhea Ka-trina Dimaculangan to gradua-tion, the Tigresses knew they hadto fill the void quickly.

Good thing that coach Arthur “Odjie”Mamon found the solution in form of herthird-year player, Ma. Loren Lantin.

One of UST’s top recruits three yearsago, Lantin has settled nicely in her role ofassisting a powerful line-up led by JudyAnne Caballejo, Maika Ortiz, Maruja Banati-cla, Pamela Lastimosa and Carmela Tunay.

‘‘Di ko na lang iniisip yung pressure,’’the 21-year-old biology major said.

Whether she minds it or not, Lantin hasto live up to the expectations given UST’sname card of being perennial contenders inthe UAAP volleyball wars. Moreover, she isexpected to deliver, just as the great settersin the past, like Denise Patricia Tan and Di-maculangan, did for the Tigresses.

Lantin, though, will not be thrusted intothe squad without guidance. Dimaculangan,their squad’s “ate” and the UAAP Season 72Finals MVP, now serves as a trainer for theTigresses, mentoring the 5-foot-7 Lantin androokie setter Aleine Cabaños.

But Lantin downplays her newly activerole to the squad.

‘‘Ang importante sa akin, magawa koyung role ko sa team,’’ said the Povedaproduct. “Kung ano yung hingin sa akinni Coach (Mamon) whenever I’m on thecourt, dapat magawa ko ng tama.”

With all the talk of UST’s performance inthe tourney with her being the primary set-ter, Lantin said there is no difference fromthis year to last year, and doesn’t want toget caught up with the comparisons.

‘‘Nothing’s new. Pareho lang naman yungtraining namin kahit nung naglalaro pa siAte Rhea (Dimaculangan) eh,’’ she said.

But she admits that what the Tigressesneed to do is to focus more on their de-fensive end. “We just have to practicemore on our floor defense for us to getbetter results in our matches,” she said.

Whether Loren would pass the test ofthe keen UST supporters closely watchingher, she said that there is only one thingthat defines them whenever the squad ison the floor.

‘‘We are all eager to win. That’s all.’’

Jeushl Wensh Tiusays DLSU’s specialBy Randolph B. Leongson

IT’S hard to get noticed in ateam overflowing with goodlooks and great talent.

But for La Salle open hitterJeushl Wensh Tiu, she’d ratherfocus on the Lady Archers’ questfor a third straight champi-onship in the UAAP women’svolleyball tournament.

‘‘I do the best in my position,na magkamali man ako, alamkong makakabawi ako the nexttime I get the chance,” said theadvertising management major.“We cover each other’s mistakesin-game. Ganun nanamin kakilala yungisa’t isa.’’

The 21-year-old acknowledgesthe potential ofthis Lady Spik-

ers squad to enter the recordbooks. The rare three-peat islooming for La Salle, when theylorded over the UAAP volleyballscene from 2004 in Season 66to 2006 in Season 68 with Mau-reen Penetrante, Desiree Her-nandez, and Chie Saet at thehelm.

Tiu saw all of this unfoldwhile she was still studying atNew Ormoc City National HighSchool.

‘‘This squad is special be-cause of the bonding we have,”she said. “We have already han-dled different experiences as agroup. We have already beenthere numerous times and wewould love to repeat it again.’’

In fact, Coach Ramil de Je-sus’ girls have been in the Finalsfor the last four years, with theonly blip coming in 2010 whenthey fell to the Angeli Tabaque-ro-backed UST Tigresses.

More than just a pretty face,Tiu, a transferee from De LaSalle - Dasmariñas, has cededthe spotlight to teammates likeMichelle Gumabao, AbigailMaraño, and sophomores AraGalang and Mika Reyes, whileracking up the scoreboards forthe Lady Spikers. She is cur-rently the sixth-best spiker inthe league, good for 20th over-all when it comes to points.

‘‘We believe we have a com-plete line-up and we believe wecan win it all again this year,’’she said.

This year, the Lady Spikersare looking to send Tiu andlibero Melissa Gohing to theircurtain call with their tiara in-tact, just as they did last yearwith Charleen Cruz.

‘‘We already have the adapt-ability. We can compose our-selves whenever we face bigdeficits and we fight our wayback in the game,’’ she said, be-fore La Salle clawed their wayback from a two-set hole intheir game with the Ateneo La-dy Eagles, giving them a shareof the number one seed at theend of the first round.

Albert Einstein once said,‘‘Try not to be a man of suc-

cess, but rather to be a man ofvalue.’’ Tiu is just doing that,helping her team in her littleown way while enjoying a lowprofile with the team.

6

MIDDLE BLOCKERDindin Santiago

AUGUST DELA CRUZ

NU’S SANTIAGO, ATENEO’S TAJIMA

Delivering the goodsBy Randolph B. Leongson

H EIGHT is might, as they oftensay in sports. And that’s whatAteneo’s Mary Mae Tajima and

National University’s Aleona Denise“Dindin” Santiago hope to bring fortheir teams in the UAAP women’s vol-leyball tournament.

The 6-foot Tajima and the 6-foot-2 Santiago,though, know that they should deliver more thanjust intimidation on court.

‘‘It helps (that I am tall), but we can balance itwith the speed that we have,’’ said Tajima, an 18-year-old middle blocker.

As a Lady Eagle, she doesn’t really have to rackup the numbers for her squad, given that she hasthe luxury of playing with the core of AlyssaValdez, Fille Cainglet, Gretchen Ho, and AngelineGervacio whenever they need points.

‘‘My teammates encourage me to do the block-ing, to man our defensive frontline,’’ Tajima said,citing that defense is what coach Roger Gorayeb iscounting her for.

But for Santiago, the assumption of having atall player on a team is two-pronged.

‘‘Being a tall player makes you stand out in ateam where almost all of the players are at 5-foot-8, or 5-foot-9,’’ the Lady Bulldogs’ middle blockersaid. “But only a number of tall players are able toreceive, defend, and do the other things which arevaluable for their team’s success.”

And that success is what NU are currently reap-ing. Behind Santiago and mainstays Myra Pabloand Cai Nepomuceno, the Lady Bulldogs are cur-rently in contention for a spot in the Final Four.

‘‘The height really helps more on the offensiveend,’’ she said.

The 19-year-old Santiago is the league’s second-best scorer, just behind Ateneo’s Valdez, with avast majority of her points coming from spikes.

But for the two ladies, they believe that playerswho love volleyball but are not blessed with theheight they enjoy should remain unfazed.

‘‘They should never down themselves for notbeing tall, but rather they should try and try if

they really want to play volleyball,’’ said Santia-go, a former UST high school standout. ‘‘Theyshould always have that focus and train hardwhen it comes to practices.’’

Tajima adds, ‘‘If they really have the pas-sion for playing volleyball, it’s their love forthe game which would drive them. They

don’t need to be tall to be successful in playingvolleyball. They should just enjoy playing thegame.’’

JANUARY 24-31, 2013

DEFENSIVEfrontliner Tajima

AUGUST DELA CRUZ

7JANUARY 24-31, 2013

Beware of the Red spikersBy Alexx Esponga

W HENEVER the San BedaCollege Red and LadySpikers take foot on the

court, they act like it’s their territo-ry and whoever crosses the board-er line will be eaten alive.

The deafening silence will be replacedwith thundering roars and as soon as thewhistle blows, Captain Lorenzo Capate andsenior Janine Marciano would charge with-out holding anything back and show nomercy to their preys to lead the Lions tosupremacy and prove that they are still theKings and Queens of the Jungle.

Both the Red and Lady Spikers sealedlast year’s NCAA Volleyball tournamentwith disappointment written all over theirfaces as they failed to reach the pinnacle,ending the season as 3rd placers while thegirls of coach Ryan Sucaldito tied with theLyceum of the Philippines University LadyPirates with a 5-4 record.

“Last season was my worst experience inthe league,” said the 5’6” Marciano. “Na-feel ko na nag-expect sa amin ang mga taoat yung team ko sa akin pero hindi naminnapatunayan kung ano ba yung kayanamin talaga.”

On the other hand, the Red Spikers,who have been gunning for their first-everNCAA Men’s Volleyball title in almost fivedecades, are very optimistic that this willbe the Lions’ year. With an immaculaterecord of 6-0, the Red Spikers are confi-dent that they will be taking home the ba-con this time.

“Kahit maganda ang record namin ngayon,kailangan pa rin namin mag-trabaho ng masmatindi,” quipped the fourth year skipper Ca-

pate. “Noon, kulang pa talaga eh.Pero ngayon, mas lumal-

aban na kami.”

LION KINGCAPATE soarshigh for a spike.

AUGUST DELA CRUZ

TITLE-HUNGRYMARCIANO wants tolift San Beda to thetitle. AUGUST DELA CRUZ