By Aliya Janeo

Go Ateneo! One Big Fight!

Scattered chatter in the room is instantly silenced by the booming of drums that fill the court or field; pillars of blue and white hike up the energy of the audience, urging everyone to channel their school spirit. Spreading their wings amongst the aisles of seats at every game, cheer rally, or school event is the thumping heart of the Blue Eagle, The Blue Babble Battalion— who have been the epitome of what it means to love your school out loud. 

Still, behind each echoing chant, iridescent pom-pom, silver drum, is a student just like anyone else who has to balance similar responsibilities to the players they cheer for. There is more to babble than simply yelling, jumping, and playing instruments, they are a band of students, a team, who are all driven by their individual goals and aspirations.

The Blue Eagle’s Elongated Wings : The Cheer Unit

Everyone deserves to have a cheerleader.

Babble’s Cheer unit is the burst of vigor that will bring everyone cheering with them. The cheerleaders, with their signature dark blue and silver pom-poms are sure to catch your eye whenever they’re at an aisle nearby showcasing nothing but pride for the school whose name they carry.

From the perspective of head of cheer, Charito Cruz, Babble is the “last line of defense,” for the team during games; especially those on weekdays when classes are ongoing and arenas are barely filled. No doubt, challenges are harder to overcome when you have no one backing you up— that is one of the biggest things that keeps Cruz going, knowing that the athletes playing can’t have their family or friends who are caught up in work or school. To Cruz, she and her unit are the representations of the fans who can’t be at the games in person, saying: “Even beyond my responsibilities as a cheerleader, I really believe that everyone deserves to have someone that roots for them unconditionally.”

Carrying the atmosphere of the room is the cheer unit— knowing this, the members always hold their heads up high to boost morale even when there is a lack of energy. In moments where the odds are swaying towards the opposition, Babble and cheer are tasked with ensuring that the cheers never falter and that every small win is celebrated. Cheering becomes all the more personal, especially when the ones you’re cheering for are the same people you sit in class with, and share the same academic workload.

Unfortunately, this workload only gets heavier for Babble members come finals week— combined with the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season, it is a heavy burden to bear. For Cruz, who has had to endure such an amount of work and stress alongside college entrance tests, it is less about the quantity and more of the physical fatigue it brings her. Despite all the stress Cruz’s commitments bring, she has still found time to separate herself from her life within the campus walls, and has learned to take breaks every now and then. For what was once a childhood dream; to a shot in the dark following SHOrsem; was now an environment she thrives in.

Everyone deserves to have someone cheering them on whenever they’re in a hopeless situation— Babble is a light that doesn’t go out even in the toughest of storms.

The Blue Eagle’s Fighting Spirit: The Battalion Unit

Even if all goes wrong, you won’t be left hanging.

Further immersing the crowd and talking to audiences to encourage them to cheer is Babble’s Battalion unit. Always keeping the crowd at 100% and athletes playing at their best, the battalion unit is one who keeps their vitality on display and shares that with everyone on their side of the court. Yelling school phrases left and right, keeping everyone at full battery is one way the battalion unit keeps the inner fire burning. 

For battalion unit member, Adrian Rodulfo, he views Babble as the main motivator for athletes on the court— always making sure that they are putting their all into the game. To be able to give these athletes, sometimes close friends, inspiration to maintain their confidence is an integral part of what keeps Rodulfo cheering. Having active supporters who never falter once, even when the ball is in the other court, is bound to keep you going; to Rodulfo, the kind of impact and support Babble and the battalion unit bring to games and official events is game changing. 

Being able to support his school through cheering is what truly motivates Rodulfo to cheer, and what brought him to try out in the first place. His captain is the one who ingrained proper beliefs and values such as discipline and commitment in Rodulfo— alongside his confidence and perseverance, these traits have allowed Rodulfo to become the strong cheerleader he is today. Ever so connected to the team and the players he cheers for, he takes every challenge to heart as he states: “Every win and loss that the Ateneo team faces affects me from a cheerleader’s standpoint because Babble serves as a motivator for the athletes performing their best.”

One of the obstacles that Rodulfo faces, identical to his fellow Babble teammates, is balancing the hectic schedules his involvements have brought him. Besides academics and training hours, he holds the position of Logistics co-head of the Fair Committee; with the fair approaching there is much to be done. Yet above all else, Rodulfo prioritizes his academics and sometimes even sacrifices time to train to catch up with school work. Even if he believes his time management to be on point, the burnout and total drainage of energy is a factor to be considered more than half of the time. 

Even when its members have a lot on their shoulders, Babble remains a constant reminder that there is someone who is always there even at your lowest— the epitome of unconditional love. 

The Blue Eagle’s Fierce Cry : The Band Unit

The sound of the mighty eagle is more than just noise— it’s heart.

Bringing the sound to every program or game is Babble’s Band unit— a loud blast of thunder that shoots a jolt of energy into each crowd it reaches. Babble’s band is the catalyst to fun at every event, as cheers backed up by a set of bursting drums is sure to up the ante and hype up both athletes playing and the crowd watching.

In the eyes of the unit’s co-captain and lead snare, Christon Bayking, having a band in the same room as the battalion and cheerleaders is essential in establishing an impactful presence, and drives the momentum of each game. Bayking acknowledges that although some may write off Babble as simply ‘loud,’ or ‘noisy,’ he believes that the same ‘noise’ described is the same one that makes school events and games more special. Bayking narrates that while the Ateneo crowd have been a challenge to convince to cheer, the impact of having a cheering squad is clear, stating: “Every shout of ‘fight,’ or ‘get that ball,’ is all the more powerful with basses and snares working together to lead the chant.”

At the forefront of every major affair is the Blue Babble Battalion, and that is something that gives its members much pride; an integral part of what keeps the team motivated to give their all. According to Bayking, the team upholds a high standard for its members to reach both in training and in live performance; with Bayking personally stating his own motivations to put effort into Babble come from being part of the batch that brought the band back to life after the aftermath of the pandemic. 

What was once a dream that never flourished in seventh grade for Bayking, was soon something that would come to grow in tenth grade after he stumbled upon Babble tryouts after class. A window opened, and Bayking took a leap of faith despite having only been playing drums for a short period of time; with the thought of being able to use Babble as a way to improve in drumming and cheer for his alma mater. 

Still, this leap of faith has brought him challenges, with him echoing the same sentiments as Cruz and Rodolfo who experience the same workload come finals week and UAAP season. Nonetheless, Bayking, along with his team, continuously adapt and adjust to whatever is thrown at them to balance their lives inside and outside of school.  

Yet shedding light on his own team, Bayking also shares how competitions are often opportunities for Babble to prove themselves, as they may sometimes face off with college bands or fellow high school bands, and tend to be underestimated.

But of course, Babble is more than just your average high school band that plays at games and cheers on its players— it’s a family that has gone through grueling training and painful injuries, who are always going out of their way to show how far they have come. 

An eagle may not be able to soar without its wings, face off against prey without a determined spirit, or let its presence be known without its commanding cry. But most importantly, it cannot live without the heart that keeps it breathing. 

The Blue Eagle cannot touch the sky without the beating heart of the Blue Babble Battalion.