Pep talk with Pippo

By Edgar Villar


The UP Pep Squad has been looked up to in the cheerdancing scene for years now. Especially with the championship crown in the Cheerdance competition back in UP’s premises, the UP Pep Squad has regained its glory after a four-year loss to UST’s Salinggawi Dance Troupe.

With this kind of achievement, the members of the squad have been treated with high regard as a group. But seldom does one pay attention to the composition of the squad, the individual members who sweat it out to build fantastic pyramids, play those well-coordinated drum beats, and shout those solid “ooohs”.

So what really composes our champion Pep squad? Believe it or not, students just like us.
Paolo Soriano is now a fourth year journalism student at the College of Mass Communication. He transferred from UP Manila on his third year but was already training for the UP Pep Squad as a drummer the previous summer.

Pippo, as he is called by his friends, has been a member of the UP Pep Squad for a year now, so the obvious question would be how he copes with his studies considering the time-consuming training demanded by the squad. “Time-consuming talaga dahil matagal ang training,” he answers, and when asked about any conflicts in academics, he replies with a smile: “all the time”. “Minsan you really have to cut classes for some games,” he admits “but you really have to keep it to a minimum.”

But the sacrifices do pay off for the squad has again achieved their first championship since 2002. “Syempre masarap ang pakiramdam,” he says before bursting into laughter. “Second competition ko pa lang nakatikim na ako ng championship,” he boasts. “Maswerte talaga ako kasi some who join the squad ay guma-graduate na di man lang nakaranas ng championship”.

But now that the cheerdance competition is over, what’s life going to be for a Pep Squad member? “Definitely balik acads na muna, habol-habol in time for the finals,” he sighs, thinking of all the work in front of him. The members do not enjoy incentives in other subjects besides PE.

“After this, definitely pahinga muna,” he answers when asked for any plans for next year’s competition. “May pressure to defend the title especially dahil host ang UP next year,” he says, “pero ngayon focus sa acads, yun naman kasi ang mahalaga di ba?”#