Jan 29, 2015Smooth Professionals Take the Stage
After the NATA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, over 3,000 people looked on as the YouTube sensation, “Smooth Professional” was shown on four large screens at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Designed to promote the field of athletic training, the video is the creation of James Madison University student athletic trainers, Pratik Banjade and Jared Miller.
The video features original lyrics set to the tune of Michael Jackson’s hit song, “Smooth Criminal.” With over 40,000 views in four days, and over 60,000 to date, “Smooth Professional” became an Internet sensation and Banjade and Miller were invited to show it at the NATA Convention.
If you haven’t yet seen the video, you’re going to want to check it out…
When the presentation ended, Banjade and Miller took the stage to raucous applause.
“It was a bit surreal–my rock star moment,” says Miller, who will pursue a master’s in athletic training at Michigan State University in the fall and work with the Spartan wrestling team. “We were approached by fellow athletic trainers with congratulations, questions, and even gratitude throughout the four days we were at the convention.”
Miller and Banjade, who will work as an Athletic Trainer at Lake Braddock High School in Northern Virginia, created the video while preparing for finals and studying for their ATC certification exam this spring. Miller penned the lyrics, then he and Banjade spent three weeks shooting footage around JMU’s campus before putting in another 25 hours editing the film, which won the NATA’s 2010 “Most Creative Project” award.
After the video posted in late-April, Miller says the reception from the athletic training community was eye-popping. “We received a huge number of emails during the first few weeks following its release,” he says. “Support came from everywhere–from athletic trainers who have been in the profession for 20-plus years to new students just starting out. It was refreshing to see how tight-knit the athletic training community actually is, and how athletic trainers will support the work of their peers.”
