UAAP CHEERDANCE
UP Pep Squad ready to “bring the heat” in UAAP S87 CDC

“Kahit gaano kalamig ang MOA Arena, papainitin namin,” was Coach Kim Parra’s coy response to the question of what the UP Pep Squad’s theme for this year’s Cheerdance Competition will be.
Over the last week, the UP Pep Squad have teased fans and casual viewers with a variety of content posted on their social media pages, all centered around their official hashtag, #SunnySideUP. Dressed in brightly colored get-ups and surrounded by an assortment of beach balls and floaters, the team promises to bring the summer heat to a chilly December first.
“Expect a new, [more] refreshed, brighter routine this Sunday” expressed Parra in an exclusive interview. “It will be very aligned with our theme in terms of the props, costume, yung sayaw — lahat yun mag-aalign with what I’m not telling the press con today with regards to our theme.”
Alongside the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe, the UP Pep Squad remains one of the winningest programs in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition, clinching the title eight times and holding the most podium finishes with an unprecedented 20-year run. In recent years, however, the UP Pep Squad have been absent from the podium, with their last championship having been in 2012 and their last third place finish being in 2015. They have spent the past six seasons in sixth place, but managed to improve on their standing last year by climbing to fifth.
With this season’s lineup composed mainly of newcomers, fresh talent is abound within the squad, which Parra hopes to tap into despite the limited time of preparation they had prior to the competition.
“We’ve only had two months to prepare for this competition, so we had a lot of things that went around sa team. With the new set of athletes naman […] wala naman naging issue about that, with the competition, with the chemistry — lalong lalo na with the chemistry,” he said. “Siguro yung pinaka naging challenge lang namin is how we can create a better, a stronger routine from our last year since we’ve raised our ranking, from sixth we made it to the fifth rank, and we’re aiming na magkaroon ng mas malakas na routine this year to hopefully umangat ulit yung ranking namin this season.”
Parra also acknowledged that, come Sunday, anything can happen in terms of the team’s performance, but he further maintained that, as their coach, he is certain that they will be hitting their routine to the best of their ability.
“Sobrang confident ako sa kanila, sobrang laki ng tiwala ko sa kanila, sa mga ginawa namin these past few months,” he stated. “So when they perform, I’ll be fully trusting them, I’ll have full confidence [in] them na magagawa nila nang maayos yung routine nila sa mats.”
The UAAP Season 87 Cheerdance Competition will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, December 1, 2024, at the Mall of Asia Arena. The UP Varsity Pep Squad will be fifth to take the stage, succeeding the Adamson Pep Squad and preceding the NU Pep Squad.