An Atlanta Heatwave: The 2012 P-R-O Convention – Part One

What’s hotter than Cameron Diaz?  300 of the most beautiful cheerleaders in professional sports.  Let me explain.  I was scheduled to cover the 2012 P-R-O Convention and Cameron Diaz was on my flight to Atlanta…Cameron Diaz the actress.  And as beautiful as she was, all I could think of was the amazing cheerleaders that I would get to photograph.

Each year, the hottest cheerleaders in professional sports gather in Atlanta for two days of intensive dance training.  And though there was a record heatwave in the city, inside the 2012 P-R-O Convention it was even hotter.

The P-R-O Convention is the premier professional dance convention and the instructors represent the very best in professional cheerleading and dance.  This year’s instructors included:

Jakene Ashford – Atlanta Falcons (NFL)
Sandy Charboneau – ProTour Productions
Denise Garvey – New York Jets Flight Crew (NFL)
Alto Gary – Houston Texans (NFL)
Tamara Jenkins – FC Dallas (MLS)
Stephanie Jojokian – Washington Redskins (NFL)
Heather Karberg – Arizona Cardinals (NFL)
Stacie Kinder – Tennessee Titans (NFL)
Tami Krause – Minnesota Vikings (NFL) & Minnesota Swarm (NLL)
Brandii McCoy – Charlotte Bobcats (NBA) & Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
Theresa Pottratz – Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
Tracy Rutledge  – former NBA Atlanta Hawks & South Georgia Wildcats
Jenny Durbin Smith -Dallas Cowboys Rhythm & Blue Dancers (NFL)
Derric Whitfield – Washington Wizards (NBA)

James and I were given exclusive access by the organizers of the event, AllPro 3.  For our readers who have never attended a dance convention, the following report will give an idea of what goes on during a weekend of nonstop dance action.

SATURDAY

James and I met for breakfast in one of the hotel restaurants at 8:30 am.  We wanted to meet up early to discuss what each of us would cover and to get down to the convention center early.  With registration scheduled for 9:00 am, we thought we had plenty of time to prepare…but we were wrong.

With over 300 girls in attendance, some of them arrived early.  James and I hurriedly made our way over to the registration area to begin covering the day’s events.  You see, the savvy P-R-O Convention goer knows that you want to get down there early to hit some of the sponsor tables and get some of the best swag.  Perhaps the most popular  was the P-R-O table that offered many cute tops for sale and the experienced cheerleader picked up her tops before they were all sold out.

So I saw that the Colts, Texans and a few Titans cheerleaders first in line when the tables unveiled their offerings and needless to say, these tops sold like hot cakes.

Another popular sponsor is Peavey Hosiery.  They were giving away free pantyhose to all the cheerleaders in attendance.  Peavey hosiery is better known as the brand that Hooters girls wear and many dance teams wear their products.  In addition to the free pantyhose, Peavey offered all the girls a significant discount on future purchases via their website.

Since P-R-O is the premier professional cheerleader and dance convention, the top three uniform designers were in attendance.  The Line Up is a provider of custom dance costumes and creative performance apparel.  Their uniforms and performance apparel are worn by the most notable professional cheerleading squads, such as the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders, Washington Redskins Cheerleaders, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, and the Wizard Girls.

Satin Stitches, another major player in the custom uniform business, was in attendance and showing off some of their uniform designs.  Satin Stitches provides uniforms to several professional dance teams as well as serving the high school, college and skating markets.

Our third uniform and performance apparel designer in attendance was Angela King Designs.  You might recognize them for designing the iconic Charger Girl uniform, but they have also created uniforms for the Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Detroit Pride.

A new sponsor was It Works, a maker of body wraps, skin care products and supplements.  Kelsey and Julie demonstrated their contouring body wraps on a few of  the cheerleaders in attendance.

So as I made way from one end of the sponsor area to the other, I decided that it might be a good idea to grab a few cheerleaders and ask them to pose for me for my series entitled P-R-O Convention All Stars.  There were a few minutes before 10:00 am and getting these girls to pose once the dance instruction began would be problematic, so I scanned the area and snagged a few girls that stood out in my mind.

A little before 10:00 am, the doors to the grand ballroom were officially opened and I witnessed a rush of girls running to their desired spot on the floor.  Apparently there is a protocol to where the squads line up because in the three years that I have been covering this convention, it has been the same.  From stage left to stage right, it’s the Washington Redskins, Tennessee Titans, a smidgen of Colts Cheerleaders, Houston Texans and the Jets Flight Crew.

Perhaps these squads know that James and I can only photograph the first two rows of girls.  And with over 300 girls in attendance, this place was going to be packed…and it was…there was almost too many cheerleaders.  I know that sounds crazy, but with so many cheerleaders, it was hard to get a clean shot of a girl.  If P-R-O continues to grow at this pace, they are going to have to find a larger convention hall.

There was a few minutes before the festivities began and many of the girls took the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with members from other squads and take a few photos of themselves.

At 10:00 am, the convention began with the opening remarks and the introduction of the guest instructors.

There was a long day ahead, so things got underway quickly with Stacie Kinder of the Tennessee Titans leading the group in a series of stretching and warm up exercises.

 

After the warm up period, it was time for Derric Whitfield to demonstrate the group dance.  This routine was broken down into several sections and introduced in eight count segments.  As the routine progresses, additional eight count segments are added and over the course of an hour or so, a two minute routine may be demonstrated by the instructor and learned by the group.

06 Wild Ones

After the entire group dance routine was demonstrated, the cheerleaders performed the dance several times to the music.  And then to keep it fresh, Derric called up all the rookies cheerleaders to perform and then the remaining girls by uniform color.

Once the group dance was concluded, Catie came back to the stage to announce those girls who made it into the Sidelines Distraction magazine, P-R-O’s own publication.  As the names were announced, the girls came up to the front of the stage area to be recognized. Ryann, Roselinda, and Gina of the Jets Flight Crew cheerleaders were announced as this year’s centerfold girls.

And then it was time to announce the cover girl and that honor went to Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader Bianca.

It was at this moment that the Sidelines Distraction magazine was distributed to the cheerleaders.

Now the magazine distribution was important for one reason only…it contained the instruction schedule.  The girls were given a few minutes to review the schedule and decide which of several sessions to attend.  It was noon and in the grand ballroom, Tami Krause choreographed a routine to the song “Unstoppable”.  In room 2, Jakene Ashford demonstrated a dance to the song “Poison”.  In room 3, a country oriented routine to the song “Good Girl” was offered.  And in room 4, Heather Karberg taught a routine to the song “Everybody Talks”.

At the conclusion of the session, the girls reconvened in the grand ballroom to showcase what they had learned.

 

It was 1:30 pm.  The last showcase dance routine had been performed and we adjourned for lunch.  One of the great things about the P-R-O Convention is that the instructors put on the Real Deal Workshop at lunch.  This workshop is designed for both rookies and veterans and discusses the business side of professional cheerleading from the Director’s perspective.  Some of the highlights in bullet form:

• Always give 100%.
• Don’t disrespect your coach or your team.
• Don’t be a source of drama.
• Cope and deal – things will be fair, not equal.
• Always improve – do the same thing you did to make the team to stay on the team.
• Full out or get out.
• You worked hard to get this job, you’ll work hard to keep it.
• Be humble.
• People expect you to be your best, even when it’s your worst.
• Get fatty, get outty (as in out of here).
• Be a good teammate – be excited for the success of others on your team.
• Don’t be late – for rehearsals, appearances, or game day.
• As a veteran, you need to improve every year.
• If you love to dance, you’d better love to work out.

As a man who has never been a professional dancer, I always find the Real Deal Workshop interesting.  It’s like a peek behind the curtain into the world of professional cheerleading…the business side.  It is expected that the girls will be good looking and talented dancers.  But there is an expectation of professionalism and a team first mentality that belies the point that these organizations do not have time for self-centered prima donnas or persons that will embarrass the team.

Professional cheerleading is a big business and selecting the right girls for your squad is as important as a football team or basketball team selecting the right mix of players.  It’s really no different…exceptt ballers don’t wear make up and high heels…not in public at least!

After the lunch break, it was back to the dance sessions.  It was 2:45 pm and the girls had already learned five routines.  In the grand ballroom, Tamara Jenkins choreographed a dance to the song, “Turn Up the Music”.  In room 2, Denise Garvey led her group to the musical selection, “Another One Bites the Dust”.  In room 3, Derric Whitfield danced to “Party Animal”.   And in room 4, Sandy Charboneau demonstrated a routine to “Pound the Alarm”.

Once again, after the instructional sessions, the girls gathered back in the grand ballroom to showcase what they had learned.

The showcase concluded at 4:15 pm and the girls were quickly ushered on to their final sessions of the day.  In the grand ballroom, Jenny Durbin Smith presented a dance routine to the song, “The Boys”.  In room 2, Brandii McCoy choreographed a routine to Blake Shelton’s version of “Footloose”.  In room 3, Stephanie Jojokian presented a dance to the song “End of Time”.  And in room 4, Celia conducted a fitness training demonstration.

As was usual, the girls reconvened at the end of the session to showcase what they had learned.

With the final showcase concluded and all the girls assembled, the instructors called the girls to the floor to perform the group dance they learned that morning.

And that was that.  It was 5:15 pm and the girls were excused for the evening.  Six hours of instruction.  Twelve dance routines.

Yes, it was hot in Atlanta.  But not as hot as it was inside the Sheraton Downtown Atlanta Hotel where 300 of the hottest professional cheerleaders just concluded day one of the 2012 P-R-O Conventi0n.

Up next: Day Two from P-R-O.  Please check back soon.

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I want to take this opportunity to thank Brandii McCoy, Alto Gary, Tracy Rutledge and the staff of AllPro3 for allowing me the opportunity to cover the 2011 P-R-O Convention. I had a wonderful time and hope to be back next year.