USC out to end UC’s reign

For years now, the University of San Carlos has been relegated to the shadows of 17-time champion University of Cebu in the race for overall supremacy of the Milo Little Olympics Visayas Finals.

Now with a complete lineup, the Warriors feel its time the annual meet will crown a new secondary champion when it wraps up on August 25.

Yesterday, USC sent this message loud and clear.

Incorporating modern choreography with synchronized movement and jaw-dropping acrobatics, USC ran away with the secondary cheerdance crown.

It was the first competed event of the two-weekend calendar which highlighted yesterday’s opening ceremonies at the Cebu City Sports Center.

And the Warriors hope their winning start will conclude with a first ever overall crown next Sunday.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

However, UC athletic director Bernard Ricablanca remains confident his wards will win their 18th straight secondary title.

“Quality over quantity”, said Ricablanca will be his team’s winning formula.

USC, the current champion in the elementary division, is eyeing to add the high school title it narrowly missed last year when UC nipped USC, 176.25-161.5.

Bigger USC

delegation

In order to bolster its bid of annexing the secondary crown, USC decided to compete in all 14 sporting events calendared this year.

“We may not be deploying a large number of athletes to compete in all sporting events but we are sure that we are fielding strong teams and athletes who are capable of maintaining high-level performances,” said Ricablanca.

According to Ricablanca, the exposure of the Webmasters in various international competitions like the ASEAN Youth School Games in Vietnam and the University Olympics in Russia is what the team is banking on this year.

From the traditional medal standings to the implementation of the points system in the Little Olympics, UC managed to continue its dominance especially in athletics, badminton, chess and table tennis. But Ricablanca, as confident as he is, remained realistic and said UC’s reign will someday come to an end.

“Seventeen years is already a huge achievement for us. I think the time will come that another school will replace us on top. But before we give it up, we will give them a good fight,” Ricablanca said.

Visayas delegation head and organizer Ricky Ballesteros actually expects UC to stay within the top three spots. But he said it will be difficult to say who will emerge on top in the tightly contested secondary division, especially with the presence of Western Visayas-based squads.

“It will be a very tough battle between USC and UC because the presence of the Ilonggo athletes may give USC an equal chance against UC’s bets in the latter’s dominated sports,” said Ballesteros.

USJ-R SWEEPS BEST MUSE CROWNS

Meanwhile, Cebu City Central School captured this year’s title in the elementary cheer dance contest.

University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) bets Francess Aine Abella and Choebe Rezaba were crowned this year’s Miss Milo Little Olympics in the secondary and elementary divisions, respectively.

In the opening ceremony, Ulyross Lopez of Abellana National School (ANS), who won a bronze medal in the boys volleyball competition in this year’s ASEAN School Games in Hanoi,Vietnam, lit the urn of “Peace and Unity.” Lopez’s fellow ASEAN School Games competitor Fritz Michael Sagaad of UC led the oath of athletes.