The Philippine cheerleading delegation showed off their championship routines in front of an appreciative crowd at the St. Paul Pasig gymnasium on Wednesday, April 18.
The event served as a send-off for the national cheerleading teams who are set to compete in the 2018 World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida.
Carlos Valdes, head of the National Cheerleading Championship (NCC) -- the recognized national governing body of the the International Cheer Union, said the teams this year are among the best they've seen.
"The teams have been practicing hard every night and it shows. They will make waves in Orlando for sure," said Valdes, who is also the head of the Philippine cheerleading delegation.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially declared cheerleading an official sport in 2016 and Valdes believes this may be another event in the Southeast Asian games where the Philippines can excel.
"With Cheerleading now enjoying Olympic Sports status, we can look forward in earnest to further developing the sport and building our community as we have for the past decade or so."
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Deputy Secretary General Karen Caballero was also on hand on show support for the team.
"We at the POC would like to express our good wishes and support for all the teams competing in the World Championships of Cheerleading in Orlando," she stated. "We are looking forward to watching their performances along with the best in the world."
The country will send over 150 people to Orlando, which is the largest delegation it has sent to a cheerleading competition.
The 2018 delegation is composed of four teams, all of which participate in the NCC Nationals every March: the Assumption College Dance Team (cheer hiphop), the Poveda Juniors team (Junior Championships) and the All Girl and COED Elite teams which are composed of athletes from different high schools and universities, such as Holy Spirit, Miriam, St. Paul Pasig, Santa Rosa, Ateneo, La Salle, Benilde, NU, FEU, UST, and UP.
The 2018 World Cheerleading Championships will be held from April 25 to 27 at the Disney World Resort in Orlando.