Team
After four straight last place finishes, the Ateneo Blue Babble cheerdance team is once again working to break out of its lackluster slump. This year, a rookie-laden group will be thrown into the fire of competition alongside veterans who are hungry to finally lift the Blue and White into collegiate glory.
Team Captains
Captains Nico Vergara and Patricia Gumaru
Patricia Gumaru and Nico Vergara join forces as this season’s team captains. The pair hopes to use their mix of stern and smooth personalities to breed a winning, trust-based culture among their young and promising core.
“We want to prove that we have something to show them, that we have skills [too],” says Vergara.
“The goal for everyone is to improve our individual skills. It’s from here that [we will] continuously improve and we want that starting this year,” says Gumaru.
Micaela Turano
Entering her sophomore year, Micaela Turano has made a name for herself both on and off the mat for the Blue Babble cheerdance team. Serving as an assistant captain for the squad, the young lifter will be asked to carry a large weight on her shoulders as she contributes her vital cheerdance experience.
Brendan Gazmen
A relatively new face on the team, Brendan Gazmen shares the task of leadership as an assistant captain for this year’s squad. Having no formal training prior to joining Babble in 2015, the lifter will likely be an inspiration for a team looking for ways to climb back up the collegiate cheer ladder.
Shawn Nagrampa
Hailing from El Dorado Hills in California, Shawn Nagrampa transferred to Ateneo de Manila University after studying in the Ateneo de Naga campus. Entering the team with four years of experience behind him, the lifter will serve as one of the many key rookies tasked to show maturity as prized recruits.
Kaila Magat
Kaila Magat is no stranger to victory, having won four Women’s National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and two National Cheerleading Competition (NCC) titles during her time at St. Paul College Pasig. The rookie joins a foundation of freshmen that can catalyze a winning pedigree.
Coach’s Corner
Jacqueline Alolor-Alota
Coach Jacqueline Alolor-Alota was unable to lift Ateneo from eighth place last year, but a new season presents the coach with another opportunity for redemption. Known for helping mold the Far Eastern University (FEU) Cheer Squad, Alolor-Alota aims to bring the same success to the Blue and White side.
“Discipline, determination, dedication…I’m expecting the team to have these three values. The team is hungry to win this year, not only to win, but to achieve a perfect routine.”
