Rudy Reynon works with a camper at Pro Rank Camp 2011
On Monday, June 13, 2011, Team ProRank kicked off their seventh annual 3-day, instructional camp. This year’s camp was held at Georgia Elite Allstar Gym. Managed by Marcel Jones, Pro Rank brought in world champions Rudy Reynon, Kalman Csoka, Stephen Renney, and Ross Levine to work with campers. Spectators believe that the instructorship was conducive to the camp’s success. This is a rare opportunity for one to learn from these highly respected athletes all at once. At 9:30 a.m. everyday, Jones compartmentalized the camp into different sections: tricks, kamas, sword, bo, traditional forms, and sparring.
Before working on their emphasis, all campers were required to stretch and warm up with Marcel Jones before dividing among the instructors. From there on, the campers were taken through rigorous drills, lessons in showmanship, lessons in technique, and tournament preparation to gear up for the Battle of Atlanta. The campers were fed a buffet of substantial meals, but they had to let the food settle because come 3:30, the instructors led conditioning. It’s important to note that Ross Levine has one semester to complete before attaining a degree in Exercise Science and Kinesiology. Levine plans to get his doctorate in Physical Therapy.
On Wednesday the 15th, the final day of camp, the instructors gathered all campers and gave enlightening speeches embodying philosophies of the work ethic, resilience, and self-inspiration that it takes to meet their goals in competition.
After the three days of hard training, Marcel Jones took the campers and their families to Pasta Vinos for a celebratory dinner.