The Far Eastern University Cheering Squad busted out a thrilling performance in the UAAP Season 82 Cheerdance Competition, paying tribute to one of the best performers in Michael Jackson on Sunday night.
Bopping to the King of Pop’s grooviest songs, the Morayta-based cheerdancers’ energy proved infectious. In no time, the ecstatic capacity crowd inside the SM Mall of Asia Arena was jiving along their every move.
Basking in the delight of the audience, FEU head coach Randell San Gregorio felt more than satisfied.
“Judging from the crowd’s reaction, sa routine namin, we’ve done our job — we’ve done a good job. Feeling ko naman, the crowd cheered the loudest during our performance. Okay na ako dun,” San Gregorio bared.
The Tamaraws gave their own flare to Jackson’s moonwalk, anti-gravity lean, and other iconic dance moves, which drew oohs and aahs from the crowd. And so, San Gregorio felt like his cheerdancers were second to none in the dancing department.
But as the dust settled, FEU (362 points), the first runner-up of the competition, fell short to eventual champion National University (369.5 points) in the dance category by 7.5 points. This proved fatal, since it was the largest difference between the aforementioned teams, with a 91.5-90 differential in tumbling; 76-81 in stunts; 87-89.5 in tosses; 93.5-96 in pyramids; and 4-4 in penalties and deductions.
“Can I be honest? I was actually expecting a different score. ‘Di naman ako judge, so okay pa rin,” San Gregorio admitted.
“‘Yung dance score. ‘Yung dance score.”
But at the end of the day, the results are already set in stone. With a silver medal dangling around their necks, San Gregorio and his cheerdancers still feel proud of their successful campaign.
“Of course, it feels great, kasi mahirap mag-place sa top three sa CDC. To do it back-to-back is a great achievement para sa amin.”
