The Houston Texans Cheerleaders voted to send their teammate HTC Shakiia to Las Vegas to represent the Houston Texans organization at the 2022 Pro Bowl. HTC Shakiia shares her experience as a Houston Texans Cheerleader at the 2022 Pro Bowl.

Never in a million years did I think that I would become a Pro Bowl Cheerleader! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to represent the Houston Texans at the 2022 Pro Bowl in Las Vegas. The memories I made with the other Pro Bowl Cheerleaders are ones I will cherish forever. It was such an incredible journey that I am so blessed to have been a part of.

Upon arrival at the hotel, I was ecstatic to find some of my Pro Bowl sisters in the hotel lobby. We ran up to one another and gave each other hugs! Seeing them all in person for the first time was so exciting. Suddenly, it all felt real. I felt like I've known these women my entire life. My heart was filled with so much joy.

That next morning, we made our way down for breakfast together. It was so great to see all the girls dressed in their uniforms ready for our Pro Bowl Cheerleader photoshoot. After our photoshoot we had orientation, where our PBC coaches went through our game plan for the whole week leading up to game day. We changed and went straight to our first rehearsal of the day. We practiced all the dances we learned before arriving in Las Vegas. Then we were put into our performance groups for the week. I was put into AFC 1 with the Raiders, Bengals, Ravens, Colts, and Broncos cheerleaders. We took a short lunch break and went into our second rehearsal of the day. We then were put into our pregame formation for our individual announcements for gameday. We had so much fun dancing together and getting ready for all our performances to come! We then took a dinner break and went into our third and final rehearsal of the night. We were all exhausted, but still so excited to bond and dance with each other.

The days leading up to the game were filled with fun performances and many rehearsals. We were presented with an amazing opportunity to perform with the Jabbawockeez for the 2022 Pro Bowl halftime performance. We spent many nights rehearsing with them to make sure our halftime show would be perfect for gameday.

Throughout the week we performed at the Pro Bowl skills showdown, all the team practices, Fan Fest, and had the opportunity to go to the Wells Park Boys and Girls Club of Henderson. We were paired with young boys and girls and participated in many different activities such as mural painting, planting trees and packing backpacks with goodies for children in need.

Throughout all our performances, appearances, and long practice hours, I was so thankful to spend each moment with my Pro Bowl sisters and bond with them every day. One of my favorite nights was our team sleepover. We dressed in onesies and exchanged secret sister gifts. We were also gifted two matching outfits from two amazing companies, and our PBC coaches surprised us with some Pro Bowl Cheerleader gear that we could wear as a team.

The day before the game, we had our last few rehearsals to prepare us, and I got to spend the rest of the day with my family. I was so excited and thankful to spend some time with my family. They have always been my biggest supporters. It meant so much to me that they traveled all the way to Las Vegas to support me.

Finally, it was time for gameday! Everything before the game was incredible! From soundcheck to getting dolled up in the locker room, to our red carpet performances, everything was perfect. I felt so many emotions walking out to the sideline before our pregame performance. We worked so hard the entire week, and we were finally about to show thousands of fans all our of hard work. I had goosebumps as we danced onto the field and nailed our pregame performance.

My favorite moment on gameday is the national anthem. During the national anthem, I looked at all the fans and realized just how blessed I was to be on the field representing the most amazing organization. We rotated around the field getting the fans excited and dancing to music. During the two-minute warning, we performed a fun dance in the end zone. Then finally, it was time for our halftime performance with the Jabbawockeez. It was such an honor to dance with such an incredible group of dancers! As we hit our ending pose and ran off the field the crowd went wild. All our hard work and long nights of practice paid off. We performed one last dance during the fourth quarter! In a blink of an eye, the game was over.

At the end of the game, all the PBC's took the field and celebrated! I soaked in every moment. We took lots of photos and all danced around because we were all winners that day! It was such a fun way to end the game.

That night we went to dinner, and we laughed and talked all night. It was a bittersweet moment because we knew that this would be our last night together. I was very sad we were all leaving but knew this sisterhood would last forever, and we would see each other again soon! I was so thankful and blessed for all the time we spent together! It was truly the best week of my life!

I cannot find the words to express just how incredible this experience was, and how proud I was to represent the Houston Texans at the 2022 Pro Bowl. I will cherish these memories in my heart forever. I am so grateful that I was given this opportunity. I want to thank my coach, teammates, friends, family, and the entire Texans organization for loving and supporting me throughout this journey. I am forever grateful!

HTC Shakiia, Pro Bowl Cheerleader '22