UAAP cheerdance: What made Adamson’s routine stand out? Coach reveals

As the trophy for the UAAP Cheerdance Competition was set to be handed out on Saturday, the crowd inside the Mall of Asia Arena, regardless of school, was shouting the Adamson University Pep Squad’s name.

The loud cheers did not go to waste as the San Marcelino-based squad was announced the new champions.
“Sabi ko, 'Nangyayari ba ito?' Simula noong naging cheerleader ako, I used to play for Adamson since 2007 until 2012. Sanay ako na laging UP, UST, NU. Sabi ko, 'Is this real?' It was surreal and magical ng feeling,” said Adamson coach Jeremy Lorenzo.
But what was Adamson's edge?

Lorenzo believed that if his crew could capture the hearts of the audience, the trophies and medals will follow -- and that's what happened.
Adamson's performance, accompanied by throwback music, seemed to get the crowd grooving. Partnered with an almost flawless routine, Lorenzo and his group snatched the crown from error-plagued National University Pep Squad.

“It is not about how intense or how serious your theme is. It’s about how you win the hearts of people. Iyon ang pinaka-motto ng Adamson -- to win hearts, and trophies,” said Lorenzo.
According to Adamson's second-year coach, he already had in mind the idea of going retro after settling for second runner-up in last year’s competition. Lorenzo bared that OPM soundtracks were rarely used in the competition.

“Kung pipili na lang din ako ng OPM, why not iyong iconic na? Iyong pinakakilala na sa Pilipinas, mapabata o matanda man,” said Lorenzo. “Why not iyong VST na lang kasi iconic siya sa Philippines. Kasi sure ako na makaka-relate talaga lahat and mapapa-groove lahat.”

The coaching staff also focused first on instilling discipline in the squad before upgrading its skills.
“Ini-start naming i-mold iyong disiplina sa bata last year. Unang una, disiplina mentally, spiritually, tsaka physically. Sunod disiplina sa group, in terms of call time, academics. From there, nag-start na kami ng difficulty sa cheerleading element,” Lorenzo bared.

Adamson registered a total of 663.50 points, enough to clinch its first cheerdance title and become the fifth school to lift the golden trophy. This was despite parading a relatively young crew after half of the members graduated last year.
For someone who used to be at the losing end of the competition, winning the championship for the first time made it sweeter.

“Since I entered Adamson noong 2007 to 2012, we were winless. Na-experience ko iyong pagiging talo buong college life ko,” Lorenzo told reporters. “Given the opportunity to apply for school, iyon ang naging motivation at inspiration ko, iyong frustration ko na ibawi iyong mga panahon na nakaramdam ako ng talo.”