The Philippine cheerleading team, led by perennial UAAP cheerdance champion University of the Philippines Pep Squad, placed third in the Cheer Mixed category of the 6th Cheerleading World Championships in Hong Kong.
The two-day event held at the Hong Kong Coliseum featured cheerleading teams from China, Chinese Taipei, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Peru, Poland, Slovenia, Thailand, and United Kingdom, apart from the Philippine team.
Team Philippines finished behind powerhouse squads Japan and Thailand in the Cheer Mixed category.
UP professor Eloi Hernandez, who accompanied the team to Hong Kong, expressed satisfaction with the squad’s performance. “Our kids had a perfect run, and we are happy,” Hernandez wrote on her Twitter account.
Team Philippines, which was also comprised of members of the Centro Escolar University and Polytechnic University of the Philippines cheering squads, were making their debut in the competition. The UP Pep Squad was originally slated to participate in the 2009 edition of the tilt, but did not push through with its trip due to lack of funding.
It was an auspicious debut for Team Philippines, which made it past the cut in the first day in all categories in which it participated. Aside from the Cheer Mixed category, the squad also participated in the Cheer Dance, Groupstunt All Female, Groupstunt Mixed, Partnerstunt, Cheer All Female, and Cheer Mixed competitions.
