If this is the mindset, and we just blame Ateneans for “not supporting” Babble, then we won’t really see Ateneo improve and rise above 8th in UAAP Cheerdance.

Why not call on the admin and the athletics office to first help recruit the core lifters and flyers that will lead the team? They don’t need to recruit all 25. They just need that core of maybe 10 to 15 members who would give us even a fighting chance for the 5th or 6th place. Things were looking up in Season 81 and 82 (2018 and 2019) because Ateneo slowly recruited key experienced flyers and lifters starting Season 79! The team got a number of gymnasts and experienced lifters who could tumble from different cheerleading high schools starting 2016, and these members slowly built up until 2019. But damn, I don’t understand why there was no single additional skilled male lifter added in the line up for Season 85 and 86 (2022 and 2023). They just let the previous recruits graduate one-by-one with no more new skilled members added in the succeeding years, post-pandemic. Susuporta ang mga tao, pati mga Atenista kapag makita nila na pinopondohan at sinusuportahan naman pala ang Babble. The admin needs to support Babble first, and not just with the bare minimum! If admin feels that supporting means just providing the buses, the costumes they use, the props for CDC, then that’s not just the support they need. Kailangan nila ng key recruits, kahit lima or sampu lang yan every year. What’s sad is that for some reason, hindi na natuloy yung nasimulang recruitment last Season 79 and wala nang nadagdag na experienced lifters sa line-up simula Season 85. Ang ganda na sana ng build up hanggang 2019 pero wala, hinayaan na lang ng Ateneo na malagas yung mga lumang recruits ng Babble. If you guys watch the 2018 and 2019 routines, sobrang nag-peak ang skills ng Babble doon!

Ateneo has been getting top coaches. Pero wala sa coaches ang problema. They acquired an NCC champion coach (2014-2015), UST and FEU’s previous head coaches (2013, 2016 to 2022) and even NU Pep Squad alumni (2022-present)! But these talented coaches could only do so much with the members that are given to them. You don’t expect these coaches to do well in Ateneo just because they have been winning in other schools. Parang sa basketball, you can’t expect Coach Tab Baldwin to get the championship for Ateneo if yung members naman na binibigay sa kanya ay walang basic skills sa pag-shoot ng bola. Minimum skills ng ibang squad ngayon sa tumbling, backhand na, tapos ang Ateneo, nauubos ang oras just teaching cartwheel.

TRIVIA: In Babble’s “peak years” (when we were placing 7th in 2018/2019), Babble was supposed to compete in an international cheerleading competition in Japan in 2019, but cancelled almost at the last minute because the team got no funding. They trained for months! That Greatest Showman routine was almost ready, but they did not push through because there was no funding from Ateneo and Ateneo didn’t even bother looking for sponsors for them. Really sad.

ANOTHER TRIVIA: Coach Randell San Gregorio, currently FEU’s head coach, was previously from Ateneo. His program and magic has been working for FEU, because FEU admin is supporting their squad! Coach Randell already gave FEU 2 championships, and 4 podium finishes in the past 8 years.

I will forever support Babble and cheer for them every CDC. But I appeal to the Ateneo admin, PLEASE GIVE A SHT ABOUT UAAP CHEERDANCE AND SUPPORT BABBLE WITH KEY RECRUITS! Babble won’t win just by recruiting top coaches (I swear, Babble’s coaches are topnotch). Please support your coaches too! Please establish a good cheer program and sustain it!