GHICKA Bernabe turns NU Pep Squad from minnows to five-time champion.

For the past decade, the troika of University of Santo Tomas (UST), University of the Philippines (UP) and Far Eastern University (FEU) has dominated the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) cheerdance competition.

National University (NU), which was the considered a minnow among heavyweights, burst into the limelight to break the three-cornered battle of UST, UP and FEU.

Brandishing spotless routines, unique stunts and devil-may-care tosses, the NU Pep Squad announced its arrival by winning five titles in six years.

And this year, hopes are high on NU as everybody made them the gold standard of cheerdance excellence and is expecting them to unleash one big bark.

But head coach Ghicka Bernabe tries to play it cool.

“I am not even thinking of our position as the standard or whatnot. But if that’s the case, we are more driven to perform this season,” said Bernabe, the golden girl of the FEU Cheering Squad before accepting the challenge of turning things around with the NU Pep Squad.

NU’s journey to cheerdance crown wasn’t easy.

It was a rags-to-riches story that required practice, perseverance and a lot of faith.

In fact, from 2002 to 2008, the team finished dead last in the ranking, prompting the school to find solution and start its journey to the top.

She patiently built the program from ground up until emerging into a superpower that threw the heavyweights in UST, UP and FEU out of their lofty perches.

And now that they have been dominating, Bernabe stressed that their greatest enemy is no longer UST, UP and FEU.

“We’re setting our personal standards,” she said.

“To be honest, we are having difficulties in surpassing our performances in the previous years. We are kind of feeling the pressure.”

“We just want to give our best in every performance that we do. We like the competition, yes, but above all, we love what we are doing,” she added.

Bernabe stressed that everybody had leveled up and are said to be doing their best in pursuit of a title.

“I wish that every team get to experience, if not a championship, at least a podium finish,” Bernabe said, adding that she won’t be surprised of other schools emerge this time.

“I really hope. I really hope that everyone leveled up the quality of their performances so that they can have a finish that is way better than their previous ones.”

“I’m excited to see everyone’s performance. I don’t want to underestimate the capabilities of other teams because we’ve been there. We are always at the bottom of the standing.”

Still, Bernabe stressed that they will go to war not as the five-time champion with a shiny crown on their heads, but as hungry minnows who are out to bring down the giants of the sport.

“We would always be the underdogs,” she said.

“We rose from the bottom before. We have to keep that kind of hunger and the intensity to defend our title.”