Tag: No. 4

A WIDELY-CONSIDERED UAAP favorite, the UST taekwondo squad has lived up to its promise as it has been demolishing the opposition with ease.

Boasting of tested talents from the national pool, the Tiger jin’s roster is quite formidable, even intimidating. Coach Dindo Simpao’s mix of personnel still has the tools to dominate despite their recent academic troubles.

THE INEVITABLE has finally caught up with the UST Growling Tigers.

Despite an inspired second round rally highlighted by a stunning upset of the fancied Ateneo Blue Eagles, the Growling Tigers came up short and fell prey to a vicious pre-season predicament that hounded them throughout the tournament.

For the first time since the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) adopted the final four format in 1994, UST would not be a part of the semifinal round action.

OPTING to go traditional, the Salinggawi Dance Troupe (SDT) remained in championship hiatus, finishing behind reigning titlist University of the Philippines (UP) Pep Squad for the second straight year in the 2008 UAAP Samsung Cheerdance competition last Sept. 7.

FIFTH place no more.

Learning from past mistakes, the UST Male Woodpushers finally barged into the medal column after being denied a space on the podium the last two years.

Bouyed by a 33.5-point aggregate at the end of the UAAP chess tournament last Sept. 21 at the UST Tan Yan Kee Student Center auditorium, the Male Woodpushers posted a remarkable bridesmaid finish amid a last-game officiating controversy that nearly relegated them to third place in lieu of Adamson University, which filed a protest after repulsing the black-gold-white crew, 1.5-2.5.

Far Eastern University (FEU) ruled the UAAP boards with 36 points while third-placer Adamson finished 0.5 points short of overtaking the second-seeded UST.

Adamson rued an error in judgment by the arbiter, who recognized a draw in favor of UST board 4 bet Jude Fronda despite the San Marcelino-based woodpusher Tristan Soriano’s winning position.

HOW OFTEN do you consider yourself a Thomasian?

Such question may have been as off-beat as the cacophony of jeers that most UAAP aficionados drumbeat whenever their respective alma maters’ basketball teams hit the hardcourt for the sake of turning the opposing team into crumble-cookie delights for the bullies to munch. This scenario was never far from the hostilities that occurred on the cheering plateau last Sept. 16 when the annual UAAP cheerdance competition took place at the Araneta Coliseum.

Although our Salinggawi Dance Troupe, which ruled the event for five consecutive years, fell short of extending its reign to an unprecedented ‘six-peat,’ the euphoric atmosphere typified by the UST faithful gave me an impression that despite momentarily grappling with the ruckus caused by the “setback,” Thomasians (the ‘Gawi in particular) hardly exhibited wanton displeasure, or to kindly put it, bitterness toward the outcome of the competition.