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

After a couple of days of rest due to a case of acute bronchitis…must have been from all that perfume in Atlanta…I am back with the second part of our convention coverage.

The P-R-O Convention is the premier professional cheerleading and dance convention in the nation. Held annually in Atlanta, Georgia, P-R-O features instructors from the NFL, NBA and MLS. Professional cheerleading squads and dance teams came from all over the country to attend the two day event.

The staff of All-Pro3 gave James and I complete access to the convention’s events.  In the second part of my article, we continue our coverage of P-R-O with a report on Sunday’s events.

 

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SUNDAY

I have got to be a honest.  I was more than a little sore when I woke up on Sunday…all those endless hours of shooting 300 of the most beautiful and talented cheerleaders took its toll on my decrepit body and tendinitis ridden shoulder.  But it was a good kind of soreness, the kind that only happens after working out at something you really enjoy doing.  And I am sure I wasn’t the only who felt that way because the instructors worked the girls tirelessly on Saturday.  So, I was a little loathe to wake up extra early for Sunday’s session…I could have used the rest.

The instructors called an early morning arrival time because there was something special scheduled.  So at 8:45 am, the staff and the cheerleaders arrived to the grand ballroom to warm up and stretch.  At 9:00 am, host Catie informed the girls that they would be learning a new dance routine and that they would be perform it along with the artist, Angelique Sabrina.  The performance would be taped for her music video entitled “Pull Up Remix”.  And with that announcement, the energy level rose immediately and palpably.

Pull Up Remix

So the dance routine was introduced in short, eight count segments and before the hour was up, the entire two minute routine was learned.

After the girls learned the routine, the artist some people have called the next Rhianna came to the stage and introduced herself.  Angelique Sabrina is a budding Bahamian pop star that clearly has the talent and stage presence to make it big at the next level.  And she performed her single, “Pull Up” on the stage once before taking it to the floor to perform along with the cheerleaders and dancers.

After the video taping was completed, Angelica Sabrina bid a fond farewell to the girls and let them return to their regularly scheduled instruction.  And after a brief respite, Brandii McCoy led the girls in a group dance to the music of Usher’s “Scream”.

After the group dance was completed, the instructors reminded the girls where the next sessions would be held.  The girls quickly made their way to their respective meeting rooms because the day’s schedule would be tight with so many squads making travel arrangements to get home.  In the grand ballroom, Derric Whitfield choreographed a routine to the song “You make me wanna”.   In room 2, Paige Carter of the Oklahoma City Thunder demonstrated a routine to the song “Let’s Go”.  In room 3, Denise Garvey taught a routine to the song, “Boys wanna be her”.  And in room 4, Alto Gary led her group in a dance to the Aerosmith song “Pink”.

After their sessions, the girls reconvened in the grand ballroom to once again showcase what they learned.

After the showcase, the girls hurried off to the next round of dance instruction.  It was 11:30 am and we needed to keep to the schedule if we were going to conclude at 3:30 pm.  So there was no rest for the weary.   In the grand ballroom, Stacie Kinder from the Titans demonstrated a country theme dance to the song “Fake ID”.  In room 2, a dance was choreographed to the Run DMC song “Tricky”.  In room 3, Tamara Jenkins choreographed a fast paced hip hop dance to the song “”Cagado”.  In room 4, Heather Karberg of the Arizona Cardinals led her group to the song “I’m a lady”.

As was usual, after the instruction the girls showcased their skills in the grand ballroom.

At the conclusion of the showcase, the girls were released for lunch, which was provided by Angelique Sabrina’s management company.  My stomach was feeling a bit unsettled from my breakfast, so James and I stayed in the grand ballroom to snap some posed photos of the cheerleaders who awaited their scheduled lunch time.   This is the last time I will be talked into the breakfast buffet by my waiter…I cannot imagine how long those scrambled eggs were sitting there, congealing in that hot plate…probably not a good idea next year.

At 2:15 pm with the girls finished snacking on pizza and soda for lunch, they gathered back into main ballroom to check the schedule and see which class they were going to take.  One last session.  In the grand ballroom, Tami Krause choreographed a military appreciation theme dance to Elvis Presley’s “G.I. Jones”.  In room 2, Brandii McCoy demonstrated a holiday themed dance.  In room 3, RaShawn demonstrated a sidelines routine.  And in room 4, the Redskin’s Stephanie Jojokian led her group in a dance technique session.

And as was usual, the girls reconvened in the grand ballroom to showcase what they had just learned.

After the showcase, the instructors called all the girls back to the floor to perform the group dance that they learned in the morning.  I am always amazed that after a full day of dance instruction, that the girls can still remember a dance they were taught 5 hours ago.  But these girls are professional dancers, the best of the best and that’s why they were here…at P-R-O.

As the group dance ended, the girls gave thanks to their instructors for an amazing weekend of dance.

And Catie called all the remaining girls together for the last official act of the 2012 P-R-O Convention…the group photo.  And then they video taped a message to Tracy Rutledge, one of the principals of All-Pro3, who could not be here in Atlanta due to a death in the family.

We here, at UltimateCheerleaders.com, send our condolences and hope to see her next year.

And with that the girls were excused one last time.  Many of them collected their baggage and headed directly to the airport or to their ground transportation if they were driving home.  Some of us lingered around the ballroom, not wanting this fabulous weekend to end.  James and I said our goodbyes to those squads we are familiar with.  I posed for a photograph with the Seattle Sea Gals…I am not sure why they would want a photo with me, but I cannot say “no” to a pretty girl…or two…or six of them.

It was a little after 4:00 pm and James had a flight to catch, so he took off for the airport.  I didn’t get to harangue him about the blog as is customary when we are together, so I said goodbye to our fearless publisher.  I had a Monday flight so after a few minutes, I made my way back to my room to start downloading and extracting my files for this article.  I had a lot of work ahead of me and I was burning daylight, so I got to work…and this is the fruit of my labor and that of 300 of the hottest cheerleaders you’ll ever see.

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I would like to thank Brandii McCoy, Alto Gary, Tracy Rutledge and the staff of AllPro3 for allowing me to cover the 2012 P-R-O Convention.  And I would like to thank the instructors of P-R-O and all the cheerleaders and dancers for allowing me a little glimpse into their lives and sharing it with our readers.

Thank you for the wonderful experience.  I had a great time and hope to be back next year.