Photo by Andrew Pamorada
“Play with all you heart.”
These were just some of the words mentioned by Bro. Bernie Oca, FSC, President for Lasallian External Missions, to the athletes who had gathered at the Amphitheater at the hart of the DLSU campus for the annual Animo Rally. The event serves as a final send-off to the athletes who will be competing in the fourteen events in the 74th Season of the UAAP.
Oca’s statements perfectly echoed the theme for this year’s installment of the tournament, as host school Ateneo had decided on the theme, “All Out, All Heart.” He also mentioned that the current batch of athletes have the privilege of representing 90,000 Lasallian students in the Philippines and thousands of alumni.
The athletes who will wage war against opponents from seven other colleges were then paraded around the St. La Salle Hall before being seated at the Amphitheater. Most of the rookies from teams like the Green Tankers, Green Judokas, and the Green Archers even wore matching costumes, which is, like the event, an annual tradition.
Each of these newly-minted athletes were then asked to perfrom the DLSU Centennial Dance while in their costumes. Several cartoons characters, like Po from Kung Fu Panda, Mojo-Jojo, and the Powerpuff Girls were able to “grace” the event.
The event was also comprised of performances from the La Salle Dance Company-Street (LSDC), the DLSU Animo Squad, and the DLSU Drumline.
Wrapping up the event is the presentation of a trophy to each of the team captains of the 14 squads who will be competing in the months-long collegiate wars. The trophy is set to become a fixture in La Salle’s future Animo Rallys.
The fires of the 74th Season of the UAAP are set to be lighted this Saturday, July 9. Unlike previous years, the opening ceremonies will feature all of the athletes from all of the competing universities. The rites will also veer from its former venue, the Araneta Coliseum, as it is set to take place at the Marikina Sports Complex.