Every year, I get to photograph some of the most beautiful and talented professional cheerleaders in the nation and this year was no exception. One cheerleader has given me several memorable photographs and has been featured in my lead off images two out of the past four years. And that cheerleader is Courtney from the Seattle Sea Gals. What is special about her performances is that she emotes well, conveying the essence of the choreography. And for this reason, Courtney is a 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.
Our next group of P-R-O Convention All Stars hails from the New England Patriots Cheerleaders, who were a welcome addition to squads in attendance. Stephanie and Heather, if I recall correctly, are both Captains and beginning their fourth year with team. I got a chance to chat with both during some down time in which I took these photographs. We mainly spoke about Rob Gronkowski and his pesky injuries…Gronk being one of my fantasy football keepers. It’s nice to be able to chat with girls who are knowledgeable about the team they cheer for and it is nice to know that some cheerleaders are just as much fans as us, regular guys.
So without further ado, our latest 2013 P-R-O Convention All Stars, Stephanie (the blonde) and Heather (the brunette).
I must admit, I’m a big uniform guy. If if wasn’t for the glamorous and sexy uniforms, these cheerleaders would look like a convention of jazzercisers. But many did wear their game day finery and one squad that look amazing in their uniforms were the Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders. Make that the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders.
When I arrived on Saturday, the Raven Cheerleaders were on squad that stood out…I guess it was the purple…no…it was the cheerleaders. Let’s be honest. So while everyone else was registering, I stole a few of them to pose for some photographs…the first batch of the day. And the first girl that I shot was Christine. She’s a rookie, but even I could tell she had that special quality that captivates your attention, that quality that all good cheerleaders have.
So without further ado, introducing 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star Christine.
Now I must apologize to those Ravens Cheerleaders that I photographed. They were the first group of girls that I shot for this series and I did not notice the new, shiny vinyl backdrop until later in the day. Unfortunately at the time, I wasn’t able to modify my shooting angle to eliminate the glare. I promise next year, I shall endeavor to do better…and let’s hope the organizers of P-R-O replace that god awful backdrop.
Each year, the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders bring a large contingent of girls to P-R-O. That means I get a lot of girls to choose from and in my humble opinion, the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders are amongst the most beautiful in the NFL. And it’s a plus that they bring some of the most glamorous uniforms to the convention…and that’s makes a difference. They stand out amongst a sea of cheerleaders. And one Redskins Cheerleader stood out amongst their squad of impressive ladies. Tall and statuesque, Tiana definitely attracts your attention (even while wearing some thick-rimmed glasses) and for this reason, she is a 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.
Who’s next? Stay tuned. There are plenty more deserving girls yet to be recognized.
The P-R-O Convention is the premier professional cheerleading and dance convention and cheerleaders from all over the country gathered in Atlanta, Georgia for two days of intensive dance training and team building. This year, we celebrate the 10th year anniversary of this wonderful event. And if you weren’t in Atlanta, here’s what you missed.
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.
UPDATE: My apologies, in my haste I misidentified our lovely representative from the Buffalo Jills as Maria. This 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star is named Kristina.
One of the greatest aspects of the P-R-O Convention is that I am able to meet cheerleaders from squads that I will, in all likelihood, never see on their home fields. I rarely travel to an away game because of my scheduling as a season ticket holder of the San Diego Chargers. So for me, to be able to see squads that I would not normally get to meet, is a blessing.
And one of the new squads that came to P-R-O, at least since I’ve been coming, was the Buffalo Jills and they had the good grace to wear their game day uniforms. The Jills were a nice addition to the roster of outstanding dance teams. And in this featurette, we turn our attention to one particular Jill…introducing Kristina, a 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.
At my first P-R-O Convention, I confided in James that the squad that I wanted to shoot the most was the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. They have some of the most beautiful girls in professional cheerleading and they wear some of the sexiest, most eye catching uniforms in the NFL. But, I am from the West Coast and the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders are clearly from the East Coast and as such, I’d probably never get to photograph them, except for here at P-R-O. And that’s one of the reasons why my first P-R-O Convention was so memorable.
Another reason was our next 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star. She is a three time P-R-O Convention All Star and was the Cheerleader of the Day back in 2011 when I did finally make it out to D.C. There’s just something special about her…it’s that special quality that captivates your attention. For this reason, Ashley A. is a 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.
We are not even half way through our 2013 selections…that’s how many remarkable cheerleaders were at P-R-O. Stay tuned to see who’s got next!
The Seattle Sea Gals brought a fair number of girls this year and that is significant because I think they were the squad that traveled the farthest to get to Atlanta. Now that’s dedication. We will see more of the Sea Gals later, but for now let’s turn our attention to one in particular. This is the second year that I have featured Laura as a P-R-O Convention All Star and I think you can see why from the photos below. Like most professional cheerleaders, she is beautiful and a talented dancer. But she also happens to be one of the most photogenic cheerleaders that I have photographed and I have been doing this for quite a long time. Plus, she has killer hair!
So without further ado, introducing Seattle Sea Gal Laura, a 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.
Who will be next? You’ll just have to wait and see. With over 300 professional cheerleaders, there were several that earned the title of 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star. Hold on to your hats, we’ve only just begun.
This year, the P-R-O Convention celebrated their 10th year anniversary and over 300 professional cheerleaders and dancers gathered in Atlanta, Georgia to celebrate a decade of dance. From humble beginnings, the P-R-O convention has evolved into the premier professional cheerleading and dance convention in the nation, attracting the hottest cheerleaders in professional sport for a weekend of choreography and team building.
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)
Paige Carter – Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA)
Sandy Charboneau – ProTour Productions
Denise Garvey – New York Jets Flight Crew (NFL)
Alto Gary – Houston Texans (NFL)
Stephanie Jojokian – Washington Redskins (NFL)
Heather Karberg – Arizona Cardinals (NFL)
Stacie Kinder – Tennessee Titans (NFL)
Shannon Kingsley – Seattle Seahawks (NFL)
Tami Krause – Minnesota Vikings (NFL) & Minnesota Swarm (NLL)
Brandii McCoy – Charlotte Bobcats (NBA) & Charlotte Checkers (AHL)
Tracy Rutledge – former NBA Atlanta Hawks & South Georgia Wildcats
Kelli Wagner – Buffalo Bills (NFL)
Derric Whitfield – Washington Wizards (NBA)
James and I were given exclusive access by the organizers of the event, All-Pro3. 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.
Notes on a Scorecard
The great sportswriter Allan Malamud wrote a column entitled “Notes on a scorecard” which reflected his musings on the day’s sports events. In honor of the 10th year anniversary of the P-R-O Convention, I thought I would take a moment to note some of my observations regarding the nation’s greatest professional dance convention.
Musing 1: P-R-O is a great place to meet people who share your passion for dance.
Every year I get a chance to chat with some amazing cheerleaders (Chelsey from the ACC, the blonde rookie MVCs, “Miss Alabama” from the Titans, the two Patriot cheerleaders, and Anne P. from the Titans) and I am always impressed with their engaging personalities, their life stories and their passion for dance. There is a prevailing stereotype of a professional cheerleader that we all have heard, but I must say that false image cannot be further from truth. The cheerleaders and dancers that I have met are special people. Nice people. Talented people. Passionate people.
Musing 2: To be the best, you have to learn from the best.
P-R-O attracts the very best choreographers in professional sport. The instructors are amazing choreographers and the routines are great. As a casual observer, these routines are entertaining, fun and a little bit sassy. Even if you are not looking to bring back specific routines for your squad, you should attend P-R-O just to learn from these inspiring instructors.
Musing 3: It’s fun.
I have a great time covering the P-R-O Convention for UltimateCheerleaders.com, but it’s work. It’s fun work. And I think I can say the same for the cheerleaders. They are here to learn routines and bring them back to their squads to use during the season. And though it is all business in that sense, it’s a lot of fun too. And you can see it on their faces and how they interact with their fellow cheerleaders.
And I am sure that more than a few of them were sore the next day, after all the instructors worked them mercilessly during the course of the convention. But as we all know, it was a good kind of soreness…the kind of soreness that you get after working hard at something you love to do. And I must say that I was more than a little sore myself…photographing 300 cheerleaders for hours on end is hard work…but someone has to do it!
Musing 4: It takes a lot of work to put on P-R-O and to have it run seamlessly.
James and I got to meet many of the people who work behind the scenes to ensure that everything is in place, on time, and runs smoothly. P-R-O is a working convention and the staff’s hard work ensure that the dancers can move from session to session without delay. A whole lot of people have to hustle to make this happen. From setting up the facilities, to organizing the music, to coordinating the dance instruction, to the Sidelines Distractions magazine, to the special events that make P-R-O unique…there is a lot of effort that goes into making P-R-O the premier professional cheerleading convention. So I thought I would recognize the friends, family, and former cheerleaders who work so hard and toil in anonymity to make this event special.
Our next 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star hails from the Jacksonville Axe Maidens. Natalie is sporting a new look, short hair. She has always had long hair, but she recently decided to cut 16 inches off and donate them to Locks for Love, a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
I imagine this was quite a daunting decision to make, but I think it was a very noble thing to do. And I must say, she looks amazing with her new look. Don’t change it!
So, for this reason Natalie is a 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star!
