Buffalo Jill of The Week Valerie

Valerie is going into her 3rd season with the Jills. She spent last season dancing on Aimee's line between Jill D and Ayeshia. She hasn't stuck to cheering herself as she also spent 3 years as a cheerleading coach, coaching her squad all the way to a grand championship. Beyond cheering and coaching though, she's been dancing since the age of 4 and even spent some time dancing at Darien Lake resort. So far as a Jill, she's traveled to places like Puerto Rico and Germany, and even spent some time on stage with the Beach Boys on that trip to Germany. Her most recent trip, however, was to the prom. No, it wasn't her prom as she's been in college the past few years but 97Rock recently ran a contest with the prize being a prom date with Valerie. You can read more about Valerie at

http://buffalojills.net/bios/valerie.html

New squad coming to Buffalo?

From 1999-2003, the Buffalo Destroyers played in the Arena Football League at HSBC Arena. The team's onfield accomplishments were few, to say the least. They made the playoffs and were eliminated in the first round 2 of their 5 seasons in Buffalo before leaving for Columbus.
While the accomplishments of the team were forgettable, the accomplishments of their dance team weren't. The influence of the Buffalo Bombshells is still felt as many former Bombshells have only recently retired from the dance team ranks. There are also some very notable Bombshells alumni still at it. Korinne, Erin Y, and Casey are going strong for the Bandettes after having spent some time cheering on the Destroyers. And Jaclyn, who helps out with the Bandettes on gamedays after giving up dancing, also suited up as a Bombshell for a few years. Add in names like Richelle (Bandettes), Melissa (Jills), Lori (Jills), Keiyonna (Jills) as a few girls who only left the sidelines recently, and it's obvious to see the Bombshells are still going strong.
Just recently, a report came out that Buffalo is about to land an af2 franchise, a minor league for the Arena Football League. They're looking to start play in 2009 and they still have to work out a lease agreement with HSBC Arena, though.

Rochester businessman Bob Bartosiewicz will be the majority owner while former
Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas and possibly former Bills quarterback
Jim Kelly will serve as minority owners.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/354801.html
While the team will be a minor league version of the AFL team that we once had in Buffalo, I think we can be assured of one thing. Whatever they put together as a dance team, they'll be anything but minor league.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Jessica D

We're sticking with the Ambassador Squad this week with a look at 2nd year vet Jessica D. While it's true she spent her time on the Ambassador Squad, it was due to time commitment more than anything else why she didn't choose the dance squad. She spent three years cheering in high school and probably broke a lot of hearts there as well. Speaking of which, unfortunately, she chose not to return this fall and leaves us with just memories. She hasn't totally vanished from sight, however. Like the Jills director and Ambassador Squad Captain Kelly, she's become a sought-after face for advertisers and she's been seen of late at the end of commercials for Smokin' Joe's Trading Post here in Western NY. You can read more about Jessica at
http://buffalojills.net/bios/jessicad.html

Championship Rally Scheduled

The Buffalo Bandits will be honored as the 2008 Edge NLL Champions next Thursday, May 29, during the Thursday at the Square concert event.
There will be a 15-minute presentation between opening act, The New Deal and headliner, Galactic. During the ceremony the Bandits players and coaches will be recognized for their achievements. The Bandettes will also be making an appearance on stage accompanied by Rax who will be throwing T-shirts to fans in the crowd.
http://www.bandits.com/newsarchive.cfm?id=710
This may be your last chance to see the full 2008 Buffalo Bandettes Squad together

A Championship Comes to Buffalo

Two years ago, the Buffalo Bandits hosted the Colorado Mammoth in the NLL Championship Game and everything that they did to get that far was promptly forgotten as they fell apart to their opposition. Last year, they couldn't even get that far as they lost to the Knighthawks in the NLL East Finals. The Bandits had a rough start to the 2008 season as injuries sidelined numerous productive players from last year's squad as well as a pair of offseason acquisitions that were expected to improve the Bandits' offensive firepower. Things looked rough for the team to even make the playoffs as the team struggled mightily early in the season.

However, the team pulled together as injured players like Brett "The Threat" Bucktooth and Kevin Dostie came back from injury and Mark Steenhuis picked up his game. But the final piece to the puzzle came when the Bandits shipped out assistant captain Dan Teat and received former Bandit Mike Accursi in a trade with Calgary. Sporting a Championship ring from last year's Knighthawks title run, Accursi solidified the Bandits attack and helped propel them to the NLL Eastern Division Title.

As hot as the Bandits were in their push to the playoffs, they stepped it up even hotter during the actual playoffs in wins over Philadelphia and New York to reach their 3rd NLL Title Game in 5 years. Unlike the game against Colorado two seasons ago, the Bandits didn't forget how they got to this point as players left it all on the field in front of goaltender Mike Thompson, even moving sophomore forward Brett Bucktooth back to defense when NLL All-Star defender Chris White went down with a broken ankle. Mark Steenhuis capped off a terrific season with an MVP effort, notching 5 goals and an assist. Even with all that, Portland's giant team (4 players 6'5" and above) kept it close all game and had a chance to force overtime in the final minute of play. In front of the sold-out crowd, however, the Bandits delivered what Banditland has been waiting for for 12 years as they pulled out the 14-13 win and came away with the 2008 NLL Champions Cup.

Obviously, this site is less about the games and more about the ladies on the sidelines and that's why this post has saved the best for last. There are two types of cheer/dance teams around. There are those who cheer for competitions primarily and for sports teams as an afterthought. Their victories come in the form of titles at state and national championships. The other type are the girls who are clearly talented enough to win competitions but cheer on the sports teams with little thought of getting their own titles. Pro Cheerleaders, like the Bandettes and the Jills, fit that latter description. A lot of these girls started dancing at an early age and move on to cheer at the professional level after years of hard work. They don't do it for titles and they certainly don't do it for money as most pro cheerleaders get paid very little if at all. They do it because they love to dance, because they love to broaden their horizons by giving back to the community, and because they love the team they're rooting for. The Bandettes fit all three of those descriptions but even though they're getting to dance and do what they love, it's a shame when all the hard work they put in isn't rewarded by a championship in their sport. That's the ultimate reward for this type of cheer/dance team.

Out of the 4 squads we've covered here, Jills, Bandettes, Bombshells, and Rush, only the Bandettes have ever gotten the reward for their efforts that they deserved. The Bills' 2 AFL titles came before the Jills Organization came into being, the Bombshells left town as the AFL's Buffalo Destroyers moved to Columbus and the Rush squad was dissolved midway through their inaugural season due to league mismanagement. While the Bandettes as a squad has enjoyed getting to cheer on Championship teams before, those times came 12 years ago and more and do little to reward the efforts of the current squad. Of the current squad, Beth, Erin H, Erin Y, Kimberly, Meghan, Melissa, and Sarah were part of that squad that cheered on the Bandits 2 seasons ago. It was the ultimate in letdowns for these young ladies as they cheered their hearts out and worked their tails off all season long and during that title game hoping to see their Bandits hoist the Champions Cup only to see them fail right in front of them. This season, those 7 girls came back along with Amanda H and Ashley from last year's squad as well as Casey, Karla, and Korinne who had each been off the squad for at least 2 seasons. They added on rookies Amanda Z, Jessica, and Justina to round out a 15-girl squad and behind the coaching of a former Buffalo Jills Pro Bowler at coach in Erin J as well as the assistance of former Bandette Jaclyn, they worked hard all season long and got the reward they so richly deserved in a Champions Cup-winning Bandits team.

So to the Bandits, thanks for getting this win not only for yourselves and the fans of Buffalo, but for the Bandettes who really deserved this Championship as much as anyone.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/bandettes/2008/NLL%20Championship/

Program in league of its own

Jutting out her hip in time with the Buffalo Jills and returning serves in a game of tennis, Amalia Sutton ran around the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse like it was her personal playground.
But the 8-year-old’s favorite part of her Saturday morning was when she got her wrists wrapped like Bills players do before a game.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/349560.html

Jills video up on BuffaloBills.com!

There's a new video up in the multimedia section of buffalobills.com that gives another look at the tryout process. Included in this video are interviews with 3rd year vet Jenica, 2nd year vet Lisa, rookie Jennifer, as well as Lisa's friend Amanda who we met at the Jills Open Workshop. As it turns out, Lisa and Amanda wore matching outfits to the 1st day of cuts, bringing back memories of the 2006 1st day of cuts when Autumn and Rachael sported matching outfits as well. Unfortunately, Amanda won't be on the sidelines this fall as she dropped out due to time contstraints but hopefully she'll be one of those trying out again next year.
http://www.buffalobills.com/multimedia/index.jsp?file_300=

Bandette of The Week Ashley

We finish up this season's run of the Bandette of The Week with the covergirl of sorts of the Bandettes. While it's true the Bandettes don't have a calendar, they do have a poster and this year's is different than past years. In the past, it's been a group photo. This year, it's a group of individual pics with a bit of a background of Ashley. This is her 2nd season on the Bandettes but her 3rd as a pro cheerleader. Prior to the Bandettes, she also spent the 2002 season as a Buffalo Jill. But Ashley is more than about dance, she's also a certified personal trainer and is also noted for her efforts in community service, winning the Martin Luther King Keeping the Dream Alive award. You can read more about Ashley at http://www.bandits.com/bandette-08_ashley.cfm

Buffalo Jill of The Week Danielle

After a few weeks looking at some Jills who decided not to return in 2008, it's time to go to someone who is not only back, but got a promotion as well. Danielle is going into 2008 as the co-captain on the Ambassador Squad in her 3rd season on the squad. When she's not performing her duties as a Jill, she can be found quickening pulses in other ways. She's a reason why a lot of teenage boys (and probably quite a few beyond their teens) actually want braces on their teeth as she continues a tradition of orthodontists having beautiful assistants. One thing that she still wants to learn to do is golf, though. She got a taste of it last year at the Jills Annual Golf Tournament (this year's is July 21st) when she accompanied one foursome around the course for the day. It's a special feature of the Jills Golf Tournament where the golfers bid on a few Jills to accompany them on the course. Last year, Danielle, Katherine, and Amanda F were the trio chosen for this part of the Tournament. You can read more about Danielle at http://buffalojills.net/bios/danielle.html

Bandits Pre-Game Party

The Bandits will be hosting a pre-game party that will begin at 6:00p.m. at HSBC Arena on the 100 level east wing. There will be a live performance by "Fully Clothed Gents" (a Barenaked Ladies cover band) from 6-7:15 p.m.
The pre-game party will be hosted by Bandits MC, Bull. Bull will be talking to fans, asking trivia questions, and handing out prizes. The Bandettes will be available for autographs, pictures and a special performance. There also be special guest appearances.
http://www.bandits.com/newsarchive.cfm?id=699

Take a Jill To The Prom

97Rock is currently running a contest where the prize is getting to take the lovely Valerie of the Buffalo Jills to the prom. Get all the info at http://www.97rock.com/Article.asp?id=554372&spid=21992
Think about it. Your mortal enemy in school is taking the hottest girl in school to the prom but then you show up with someone 10X hotter in Valerie.

Pics from the NLL East Finals

For the 2nd time in 3 years, the Bandits won home field advantage throughout the playoffs and once again, they will be hosting the Champions Cup Finals. The game started out rough as the visiting New York Titans grabbed an early 4-2 lead. However, as hot as the Titans have been of late, the Bandits have been even hotter as they jumped ahead to a 9-5 lead at the half en route to a 19-12 victory. After a rough game against Philadelphia last week, fan favorite Mark "Whose house?" Steenhuis tallied a playoff record 7 goals while John Tavares, probably the greatest to ever play the game, added 2 goals and 10 assists in the rout.

The Bandettes kept things going all evening long themselves as they started out the gameday with a mini-rally in their usual autograph spot with a dance performance as well as crowd giveaways and a dance competition with some of the younger Bandits fans in attendance. Erin H emceed the event as over a dozen youngsters displayed their dance skills to the assembled throng. When the game hit, the squad, minus Casey but with Korinne and Jessica back, put on solid and exciting dance performances during intermissions on the field and in section 113 during the action. With a 4th quarter that took over 50 minutes to play thanks to 19 penalties (compared to 8 in all of last week's game) and the fact that the Bandits were on the verge of another trip to the Finals, Erin H and Melissa's squad joined Erin Y and Meghan's squad in the tunnel in the 4th quarter of this big game. Following the game, the Bandettes went on the field for one last time to help the fans celebrate the Bandits convincing win.

A little added note: Erin J and Jaclyn showed they not only still have the looks, but the moves as well as they couldn't help but get into the spirit of the game, joining the Bandettes in some routines.

Next up is the 2008 Edge NLL Championship Game on Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 PM ET at HSBC Arena. Stay tuned for any info on pregame activities for the game.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/bandettes/2008/East%20Finals/

Bandette of The Week Beth

3rd year Bandette Beth is someone who's learned to balance a lot the last few years. When she joined up with the squad, she was balancing a few jobs, the Bandettes, coaching cheerleading and college classes. Now she's a married woman who's just about finished with her bachelor's degree in Elementary education. Don't think that getting her bachelor's degree is gonna make things any less hectic for this blonde cutie. She's talked about continuing on for her master's degree. When she isn't swamped with all of her responsibilities, she loves to travel to new places and has already taken two trips to China and one to Hawaii. You can read more about Beth at http://www.bandits.com/bandette-08_beth.cfm

Buffalo Jill of The Week Jessica Z

Jessica, or JZ as she was sometimes called, spent 2 seasons dancing with the Jills, first on Omarlla's line in 2006 and then on Jamie's line between Nicole and Stefanie. Through her time on the squad, she became the closest with Kaitlin B and Valerie. The three were rarely far apart at events and such. Unfortunately, like Kaitlin B, Jessica Z decided against returning for a 3rd season so the memories she made for us over 2 seasons, as fans, will have to suffice. And whether it be carrying 2nd base around the outfield in the Jills Softball game 2 years ago or her work in the dance routines the squad has performed the last few years, she's made plenty. You can read more about JZ at http://buffalojills.net/bios/jessicaz.html

Pics from the Buffalo Men's Show

In a celebration of manhood, the US Army and Citadel Radio took over the Agri-Center at the Hamburg Fairgrounds to put on the 1st Buffalo Men's Show. This event featured such things as an Army demonstration, games to play, replicas of KITT and the General Lee, and plenty of booths with various big boy "toys" to buy like motorcycles and HD TVs. It was also an opportunity for the thousands of event-goers to meet and get autographs from various celebrities. On hand were Sabres like Rob Ray and Patrick Kaleta and Bills like Trent Edwards, Terence McGee and Gibran Hamden. There were plenty of non-athletes as well when you factor in the radio personalities of 97Rock and 103.3 The Edge, Chris "Shooter McGavin" McDonald, and Shannon James, Playboy's Playmate of the Month for May 2007.

Obviously, an event like this wouldn't be complete without hot women and in addition to Shannon James, they brought in Lydia from the CW23 (an honorary Buffalo Jill for all her work in promoting tryouts) and a large group of the Buffalo Jills. The Jills spent some time posing with fans for a donation to Hunter's Hope and sold some calendars for the majority of the day but a lot of these girls made the squad not just because of their beauty, but their ability to dance as well and took to the stage to put on a hot dance performance for their fans.

Later on, while a lot of the event-goers had their attention focused on the stage for a bikini fashion show, the Jills circulated through the crowd handing out Bills schedules, meeting fans and posing for pictures, and checking out a few of the displays and games. Lisa and Stephanie B tried their hand at bowling using a Wii before meeting former Bills All-Pro G Ruben Brown at his Ruben's Run booth. After that, Lisa and Amelina tried out the QB challenge and both girls nailed their 2nd attempts to the delight of several fans who were watching. Then, Lonna Kay showed off her musical skills at Guitar Hero and earned a number of groupies as she played.

Here are some pics and videos from the event.

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2008/Mens%20Show/

If you missed it but were in Western NY, what were you thinking? But considering how successful the event was, don't be surprised to see it made an annual event so hopefully you can check it out next year.

Stay tuned for more events and appearances from the Jills over the next couple of months including, but not limited to, appearances at the Taste of Buffalo on July 12th and 13th, and the 6th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament to be held on July 21st at Lancaster's Fox Valley Country Club.

Pics from Rd 1 of the NLL Playoffs

While the Bills are in a long playoff drought and the Sabres just missed the playoffs after a pair of great seasons, it's nice to see that Buffalo has one team that consistently makes the playoffs. The Buffalo Bandits, for the second time in three seasons, earned homefield throughout the playoffs and they are looking for a better ending than the Champions Cup loss 2 seasons ago.

They started off their playoff run with a matchup against their division rivals, the Philadelphia Wings. An OT loss in Philly early in the season was followed up by a blowout win in midseason at HSBC Arena for the Bandits. Their round 1 matchup started off poorly with a 4-1 deficit midway through the first quarter. The game was back and forth with the Bandits coming out on top in the end thanks to Mike Accursi's 4 goals in a 14-12 victory.

Also in playoff form were the NLL's premier dance team, the Buffalo Bandettes. They started off the gameday with a hectic autograph session and were lucky enough to escape the crowds in time to get ready for the game. Short a pair of girls, the remaining squad members stepped things up and kept the crowd going with rousing performances on the field during intermissions as well as during the game in section 113.

Here are some pics of the beautiful Bandettes from gameday. http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/bandettes/2008/Rd1/

Next up for the Bandits and Bandettes is the Divisional Finals at HSBC Arena Saturday, March 10th. Faceoff is at 7:30 pm against the winner of the Titans-Swarm matchup and be sure to get there early as the Bandettes will be signing autographs between 6-7 pm at the top of the east bank of escalators.

Bandette of The Week Amanda H

She's been dancing since the age of 2 and has even spent some time passing on her love of dance to younger dancers through ballet classes as well as through the Jr. Bandettes. This is Amanda H's 2nd season on the squad and like many of her squadmates, has helped with the choreography for the squad's onfield routines. Amanda's at her best when performing under pressure, even though most of the pressure she is under is self-imposed. While she is definitely enjoying dancing at Bandits games, one has to think she'll love when the weather finally clears up in Western New York so she can relax at the beach. You can read more about Amanda at http://www.bandits.com/bandette-08_amandah.cfm

Buffalo Jill of The Week Kaitlin M

There are some girls whose smile will light up a room and some whose personality leads the way. Kaitlin's a cutie, no doubt...but the part of her that really stands out is her personality. Always quick with a smile and ready to make sure everyone around her is smiling as well, Kaitlin spent just over 2 years with the Jills prior to leaving just before preseason last year. If you're already in a good mood, she'll make you laugh and if you're in a bad mood, she'll cheer you up. Before leaving, she was one of the girls backflipping across the field in pregame routines every Sunday. If we're lucky, she'll be back in 2009 doing that again. Funny anecdote: In tryouts every year, dancers are given the chance to perform backflips after demonstrating the routine in the first round of tryouts. In 2006, Kaitlin flipped from one end of the room all the way to the other, catching herself just before reaching the opposite wall...80 feet away. You can read more about Kaitlin at http://buffalojills.net/bios/katiem.html