The Bandettes at the Bandits-Swarm game

With Bandits superstar John Tavares out for the first half of the season, teammates have had to step up in his absence but in the first 4 games of the season, few have done so. The Bandits returned to HSBC Arena after an 0-4 start to the season, the worst in franchise history, to a crowd of 15,636 orange-clad fans determined to cheer their team on to a much-needed victory. This time, with star Mark Steenhuis under double coverage much of the game, players like Hamburg native Frank Resetarits and Mike Accursi stepped up and helped the Bandits pull off an 11-7 win over the visiting Minnesota Swarm.

Prior to the game, fans were greeted by the Buffalo Bandettes who were handing out info on their Jr Bandettes program. If you missed getting this info, you can find a registration form online at https://www.formspring.com/forms/?822830-NMAlnArOar During the game, the Bandettes performed a group of thrilling performances and, missing rookie Lonna, out of action due to illness, the squad got a more-than-capable substitute as head choreographer Erin Y stepped up in her place for the halftime performance. After the game, many of the Bandettes celebrated with the fans at Pearl Street Grill and Brewery at the official Bandits post game party and a few extra special guests were on hand in the form of Bandettes alumni Erin H, Richelle, Amanda H, and Kimberly.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/bandettes/2010/Swarm/

Next up, the Bandettes will be cheering and dancing at HSBC Arena February 6 as the Bandits host the Toronto Rock at 7:30pm.

The Buffalo Auto Show starts on February 10th at the Buffalo Convention Center. Tickets are $8 at the door and $7 in advance, available at Tops Markets locations in WNY. On February 10th, Bandits superstar Johnny Tavares makes an appearance on "Sports Stars Day" and will be joined by members of the Buffalo Bandettes, who'll be circulating thrugh the crowd meeting and greeting the fans! Make sure to stop back on Sunday, February 14th to check out the Buffalo Best Tailgate Party, an event sponsored by 103.3 The Edge and judged in part by members of the Buffalo Jills.

The Jills in Jamestown for DFT Communications

Back in September, members of the Buffalo Jills joined former Bills LS Adam Lingner at a tailgate event put on by DFT Communications in Dunkirk, NY with proceeds going to charity. This weekend, Adam and the Jills went a little further south, to DFT's new location in Jamestown, NY where fans met and posed for photos with Keisha, Amanda, Murissa, and Alyssa as well as Adam Lingner and even rolled dice for a chance at a brand new Subaru Impreza.

Check out the pics at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2009/DFT%20Tailgate/

Next up, make sure to tune into tonight's Pro Bowl to see Jills Pro Bowler Christina in action. It airs at 7:20 ET on ESPN.

Also, while the Bills won't be in the Super Bowl themselves, you can still watch the big game in the company of some of the Jills as some of them will be appearing at the Firehall Cool Bar/Hot Grill in Oakville, Ontario from 4-6pm next Sunday.

If I Can Dream

As everyone knows, reality shows are all the rage now and the most popular style seems to be the shows that fulfill dreams of stardom. When it comes to making stars, British artist manager Simon Fuller is near-legendary, having managed or launched the careers of people like Claudia Schiffer, Annie Lennox, the Spice Girls, Carrie Underwood, and many others. More than that though, he's known as the creator of So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol. His latest project, entitled If I Can Dream, features participants living in a house in Hollywood while attempting to make their dreams come true, all while being filmed for online viewing as opposed to on television.

Now what, may you ask, does this have anything to do with Buffalo's Pro Cheerleaders? Well, while a lot of the girls have dreams of becoming a teacher, broadcaster, or business executive, some crave the limelight even more after their years dancing and cheering for Buffalo's sports teams are done. The first group of participants on If I Can Dream features one such young lady who spent 3 years as a Buffalo Jill and was also one of the top vote-getters in FHM's Sexiest Cheerleader Competition in 2006 (No offense to the winner, but we demand a recount). I'm talking, of course, about 2005-07 Jills alum Amanda P, who had dreams of becoming an actress or model and is now one step closer to realizing those dreams.

You can read more about the show, its future, and how you can interact with the show to help make Amanda's dream a reality at http://www.hulu.com/if-i-can-dream

Obviously, If I Can Dream has no affiliation with the Buffalo Jills  and we're not suggesting that becoming a Jill will land you in Hollywood, but even big dreams like Amanda's were helped along by her experiences as a Buffalo Jill.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Courteney

This week, we take a look at one of our fantastic rookies as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. A few weeks ago we looked at Kristen, another rookie on the squad whose strongest quality is her positivity. Courteney is one lady who tops her in that, though. Where does all that positivity come from, though? Well, a part of it may come from the fact that she's a newlywed and her husband still buys her lots of jewelry without getting in trouble beforehand...lol. Odds are it goes a lot deeper than that, though. She's 1 of 2 married Buffalo Jills this year and, like fellow ambassador Laura, gets lots of support from her husband in everything she does and they even work together, running their own business. But beyond the positivity, there's a lot more to this young lady that we haven't even touched on. She enjoys helping others, and even gave me a little bit of assistance on some past Jill of The Week entries for some fellow rookies. She enjoys music, lots of movies, and bubble hockey. She and fellow rookie Kelly made an appearance at an Edge Away Game party at the Aud Sports Bar, a place with its own bubble hockey machine, this past December and she probably almost wished she wasn't on duty so she could play because she's supposedly pretty good at it.

Buffalo Jr Bandette Camp announced

The Buffalo Bandettes are proud to announce the annual Buffalo Junior Bandette Cheerleading camp. This year’s clinic will run on March 6, 2010 from 11-3 PM, with registration starting at 10:30 AM at HSBC Arena. Girls aged 7 to 17 are invited to register to learn a routine from the 2010 season. Lunch will be provided.

Cost for this camp will $45 per girl. To register, please fill out the form at https://www.formspring.com/forms/?822830-NMAlnArOar

A pair of appearances and some more coming up

Even with the football season over for the Bills, the Buffalo Jills are staying plenty busy with appearances all the way up til just before tryouts. On Saturday, the Jills had a pair of appearances in Williamsville, NY that we have some photos from. 

First up was an appearance at the Eastern Hills Mall as a part of the Here's To Your Health Expo. The Expo is an annual event and is designed to give area families important health information from local businesses and organizations. Several healthy living activities being presented included blood pressure screening, flu shots, martial arts and workout demonstrations. The Jills' part of this event was more than the usual posing for photos and signing autographs, although they did that as well. Besides being a model of what healthy and fit women generally aspire to look like, they worked with the Coca-Cola bottling company of Buffalo, NY handing out samples of Fuze Orange Blossom White Tea to mall shoppers from 10-4. A pair of our favorite beauties was there for each 2-hour shift starting with 2nd year vet Jackie and rookie Alyssa giving way to 3rd year vets Amanda and Lisa.

After some time spent with and photographing these beauties, it was on to Stereo Advantage where some more of the Jills were on hand to help promote their Football Theater systems. As part of the event, the Jills signed people up to win an autographed Paul Posluszny jersey at an event that included free food for shoppers and the chance to buy Buffalo football-themed t-shirts with proceeds from the sales going to the American Red Cross for the Haitian Relief Effort. On hand for the event when I arrived were 3rd year vet Angelina, 2nd year vet Murissa, and rookie Nicole. Also, after finishing her shift at the Health Expo, Alyssa put in a couple of hours here as well. In addition to what I previously said, the girls got to explore the store and check out the comfy theater that Stereo Advantage has on display with a large HD TV and big comfy seating. As seen here, Angelina and Murissa did just that, taking a moment to check it out for themselves, just so they could tell store patrons how luxurious it really was.

When 2pm arrived, it was sadly, the end of Murissa and Angelina's shift but on hand taking over was rookie ambassador Courteney, who just happens to be the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog's very next Jill of The Week. With Alyssa, Nicole, and Courteney, we had the 3 rookie ambassadors who the Blog missed out on meeting at the Bills Season Ticket Holder Draft Day Party but all have become huge fans of the Blog since then, with Alyssa's family checking us out on a daily basis watching out for any mention of the pretty Alyssa. I think with her involved in 2 appearances on this day, they'll enjoy this write-up and likely enjoyed Nicole's Jill of The Week appearance last week almost as much considering how close the 2 are. We're sure Courteney and her husband are going to enjoy her Jill of The Week feature as well...she even asked to make sure I had plenty to write about her and rest assured, it'll be a full write-up.

After spending some time at Stereo Advantage these 5 beautiful ladies, I wanted to make sure the last shift of Jills at the Health Expo got some attention as well so it was back on the road to the Eastern Hills Mall where 3rd year vet Jessica and rookie ambassador Ruby were on hand, having taken over from Lisa and Amanda a little while earlier. In addition to handing out Fuze and posing for pictures, Jess and Ruby took a crack at Channel 2's prize wheel. WGRZ Channel 2's booth was set up to educate people about breast cancer. Check out all the photos at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2009/012310/

There are plenty more appearances coming up soon and the 1st one is one you can check out from the comfort of your own home. Back in November, ABC's Extreme Makeover Homes Edition, with the aid of the City of Good Neighbors, put up a home for the Powell Family on the West Side. However, the people of Buffalo impressed the show's producers with their devotion to helping so much that they did more than just the home. They also made the entire neighborhood look better with various projects and the results will be seen tonight at 8pm ET on ABC. Throughout the entire process, members of the Buffalo Jills were on hand to lend their support for the project and players from the Buffalo Bills pitched in as well. Also, if you're in the Buffalo area, WKBW Channel 7 will be airing a special on the project starting at 7pm until the show airs at 8 so make sure to tune in or set your DVRs from 7-10 pm ET to ABC to see the whole event.

The next appearance, unfortunately, isn't the result of a feel-good story. Merge restaurant, which offers a large variety of menu choices to vegetarians, was the scene a little over a week ago for workplace violence that ended in tragedy. When the bullets from a dishwasher stopped flying, the restaurant's general manager, Rick Costner, was shot and his son Ricky Jr, a chef at the restaurant, lay mortally wounded. To help the Costner family in the wake of this tragedy, a fundraiser is being held at the Towne Ballroom on Main Street in Buffalo (same location as the 1st rd of Jills cuts last year) on Monday, January 25, at 6pm. The event will feature a silent auction, dart gift board, free food, great music, and a cash bar as well as appearances by several members of the Buffalo Jills.

There are a few more appearances coming up soon as well, starting with an appearance at the Tim Hortons at 3515 Seneca St. in West Seneca, NY celebrating the 25th anniversary of the restaurant chain founded by the former NHL star who spent his last 2 seasons as a member of the Buffalo Sabres.

Also, as many may recall, DFT Communications held a tailgate party outside of their Dunkirk location back in September a couple of days before the Bills season kicked off featuring members of the Buffalo Jills in attendance. DFT recently opened a new location in Jamestown, NY and will have some of the Jills on hand there as well on Saturday, January 30 from 1-4 at their Fluvanna Avenue location. For Southern Tier Jills fans who don't get to meet the Jills in Buffalo all that much, this is a great chance to meet 4 of the squad's beautiful ladies.

Also, don't forget to tune into the Pro Bowl next Sunday on ESPN. That will be the finish of a week for Jills Pro Bowler Christina as she'll be spending this next week in the Miami area getting ready for the game as well as participating in various events including a Battle of The Beauties Event on Friday, January 29th, at the Ocean Manor Resort Hotel in Fort Lauderdale from 2-6pm ET. Make sure to give Christina all your support if you're in the area. Details can be found at http://www.battleofthebeauties.net/

Buffalo Jill of The Week Katie

This week, our Jill of The Week is the only 5th year vet on the squad. At the start of her Jills career, Katie was kind of on the quiet side to an extent but over the years she's been with the Jills, she's become a lot more confident and outspoken. But even as a rookie, she was showing her dedication to the squad even making an appearance at an Animal Attraction Tailgate event as the only Jill without a dog. Her confidence and dedication are big reasons why she's currently in her 3rd season as a co-captain, serving this past season on Omarlla's line dancing between Stephanie B and Michelle. But even as a co-captain, Katie still has her goofy side as well, whether it be by not having faith in someone she should at times or even thinking she got skipped as Jill of The Week here (Oh, Katie...here you are...not getting skipped still...lol). Like we could actually skip over Katie. But beyond all that, one of the things Katie loves most about serving with the Jills is the visits with the US Military. She was a part of the 8-girl group that went to Iraq in the spring of 2007 and even spent Thanksgiving of 2008 in the Balkans visiting with and entertaining the troops there. Read an article about that trip at http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Jills-return-from-Balkans/a64fc66f-834b-4745-a0e3-8c443b43d99f You can read more about Katie at http://buffalojills.net/roster/katiek.php

The Bandettes at the 2010 Home Opener

The Buffalo Bandits' NLL Season is getting off to a rough start this year with a 2nd straight loss to their Thruway rivals from Rochester. The lack of the NLL's greatest player was once again too much for the Bandits to overcome as the near-legendary Johnny Tavares sat out his 2nd straight game with a calf injury. Unlike last week's game down the Thruway, the Bandits were in it until the end and led for much of the game but without Tavares to take the pressure off other playmakers, the Bandits faltered in the end giving up 8 goals in the 2nd half while only putting up 5 of their own.

This night wasn't only about the game however as the 2010 Buffalo Bandettes got some game action of their own for the 1st time this season. When fans made their way up the escalators to the 100 level concourse, they were greeted by Justina's line on one side and Meghan's line on the other. Unfortunately, the Bandits had a band in the Bandettes' usual dance area during the game so they weren't able to perform during play but they did put on 4 outstanding performances in pregame and during intermissions as seen in the linked video. After the game, some of the squad participated in the Pearl Street post game party where fans could meet them and the players and get autographs and photos taken with them.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/bandettes/2010/Knighthawks/

Coming up next, the Bandits are on the West Coast for a pair of games next weekend before returning home to HSBC Arena on January 30 as they play host to the Minnesota Swarm. Show up early for your chance to meet some of the Buffalo Bandettes before the game. The game starts at 7:30 with the gates opening at 6.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Nicole L

This week, we take a look at one of the rookie members of the Ambassador Squad as our Jill of The Week. This ravishing redhead is a part of a trio of rookie ambassadors who tried out together after becoming friends their freshman year of college. Besides the fact that they're extremely close, Nicole, Kristen, and Alyssa even got interviewed for the CW23 Making The Squad Series as they were waiting for the final announcement on who made the squad. Being a member of the Jills, especially the ambassador squad, is kind of a PR job for the Buffalo Bills with community service and meeting with Bills fans. Besides the fact her pretty smile and easy going demeanor make Nicole good at the job, she has another thing going for her as well as she's working towards degrees in marketing, business management, and public relations. Odds are she's doing pretty well in her studies as one of her favorite places seems to be the library. With the recent winter break ending, she still found plenty to keep her busy with snowboarding and, of course, shopping. You can read more about Nicole in the webgroup's files section where her bio will be for the next week while she is featured.
   

Bandettes bios are up! And some Jills appearances to look out for

First up, the 2010 Buffalo Bandettes bios are up now at http://www.bandits.com/bandettes.asp The Bandits website was recently redesigned and you no longer need to register to see the Bandettes page. Take a look and learn a little bit about rookies Stephanie, Chelsea, Ashley, and Lauren B and reacquaint yourselves with returning alumnus Beth and Jills alumnus Lonna as well as the squad's 8 returning vets. Don't forget, the Bandettes are in regular season action for the 1st time this year this Saturday night at HSBC Arena as the Bandits look to avenge their 10-5 opening loss to their Thruway rivals from Rochester.

With the Jills, we have a pair of new appearances scheduled for January 23. Eastern Hills Mall is putting on their annual Here's To Your Health Expo from 10-4. Area families will receive important health information from local businesses and organizations. Several healthy living activities being presented include blood pressure screenings, flu shots, martial arts and workout demonstrations. Each person in attendance will receive a FREE gift bag. Meet the Jills and learn about your health all day.

Stereo Advantage is another place to find some of the Jills that day as well as some of the girls will be on hand at 5145 Main St. in Williamsville from noon-4 to support Stereo Advantage for their Football Theater Promotion and signing autographs and posing for photos.

Finally, Club Paradise is the place to be on February 27 as the Jills are holding their annual Adult Comedy Show featuring Marc Saldana from Last Comic Standing. Tickets $20 in advance by contacting Jills Director, Stephanie Mateczun, 716-888-9798 or stephanie.mateczun@citcomm.com.

$25 at the door. Food & drinks available.
Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm.
This is a 21+ show.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Valerie

This week, we take a look at one of the most popular girls on the Jills roster in 4th year dancer Valerie. Dancing on Eileen's line next to Jessica, her popularity has less to do with her stunning good looks and more to do with her personality. Saying that a girl is fun can sometimes seem overdone but in Val's case, it's just so fitting. Whether it be on the field or hanging out with friends, she's a young lady who lives to have fun and always does her best to make sure everyone else is having fun as well. And when I say her best, I mean she goes above and beyond. It's not like she has to try hard, though. She's naturally bubbly and you'd have to be lacking a pulse for Valerie not to be able to lighten your mood no matter what's wrong. She's always ready to listen and is very easy to talk to. Also, as a photographer, you couldn't ask for a better subject. Besides the fact that she loves to pose for the camera, she has a habit of coming up with sexy, fun, and sometimes silly poses. Thankfully, for the fans as well as the photographers, she has no plans to quit anytime soon as she and Christina liken themselves as the next Omarlla and Eileen, referring to the pair of Jills captains who've just finished their 10th seasons. Valerie and Christina, along with squadmate Stefanie are the only remaining members of the 2006 rookie class. Another 6 seasons would get them caught up with Omarlla and Eileen, except that they plan on returning as well. Regardless, I think fans can breathe easy knowing that this brunette beauty should be gracing the sidelines for several more years. You can read more about Valerie at http://buffalojills.net/roster/Valerie.php

The Jills at the Bills Season Finale

The 2009 Buffalo Bills season ended in fun fashion on Sunday as the Bills enjoyed a 30-7 win over the visiting Indianapolis Colts in a scene that looked like the interior of a snow globe. A sub-zero windchill and snowy conditions may have made the game hard to attend for some fans, but an announced crowd of 69,848 diehards braved the snow and cold to watch what was felt to be a meaningless game against many Colts backups for much of the game. Lost on the media and fans writing off the Bills' win as being against a group of backups is the fact that the Bills were mostly a group of backups as well, with 21 players on IR, including 8 players who opened the season as starters.

Besides the end of the season in a snow globe, this was a momentous day for a pair of Jills-related reasons as 1st, 4th year veteran and captain Christina delivered the game ball, her last game appearance for a few weeks, when she heads down to Miami as the Jills Pro Bowl representative. But in addition to that, a pair of Jills completed a record 10th season as squadmates as Captains Omarlla and Eileen were honored prior to the game.

Also prior to the game, several Jills Ambassadors could be found at the 97Rock and 103.3 The Edge Tailgate parties, including a trio who've already decided they won't be back in the fall, unfortunately. Inside the Fieldhouse, Keisha and Nicole got to enjoy some warmth before heading out into the snow and cold to join Billy Buffalo on some of his trips around the stadium.

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2009/Colts/

Next up for the Jills, some of them will be hosting a cheerleading competition at Niagara County Community College on the 23rd, details of which can be found at  http://www.niagaracc.suny.edu/wfcd/camps.php

Christina will be spending the following week in South Florida however, as she spends the week getting ready to perform at the 2010 Pro Bowl, to be televised on ESPN at 7:30pm ET on January 31. Besides practicing the routines she'll be performing alongside the 25 other Pro Bowlers from around the NFL, she'll be making some appearances and participating in Battle of The Beauties, an event that features the ladies competing against one another as well as performing some routines for the fans and signing autographs. The competition will be very similar to the Beauties on The Beach Competition that Christina participated in following her rookie season alongside several of her squadmates. Get more info on this event at http://www.battleofthebeauties.net/   

Two Jills celebrate ten seasons

Two Buffalo Jills cheerleaders will celebrate the last game of the 2009 season just the way they started ten years ago...cheering and dancing together on the sidelines for the Bills at Sunday’s home game vs. the Colts at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Omarlla, 31, from Buffalo and originally from Syracuse, and Eileen, 28, from Cheektowaga, both started with the Jills in 2000 and have now cheered in over 100 games. The girls have had a unique perspective of attending Bills games for the past decade on the sidelines, and credit the Bills fans for their longevity.

More at  http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Two-Jills-celebrate-ten-seasons/f02bf342-f924-466c-9426-591a2b3e7368

Buffalo Jill of The Week Lisa

This week, we take a look at the 2007 Rookie of the Year as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Omarlla's line between Liz and Kelly, Lisa's magnetic personality is near-legendary. People just love being around her...and that's not just the guys who are drooling over her stunning good looks. She's genuinely fun to be around but doesn't need to be the center of attention...but she frequently is. She's been cheering non-stop since the age of 4 and we hope she continues to put in as many years as her captain has so far, and on that note, don't be surprised to see Omarlla and Eileen in for an 11th season. But back to Lisa, besides all the cheering she's been doing, including a few years on a National Champion All-Star Squad, she spent a couple of years coaching a high school squad as well and worked with her director's daughter at the Jills' Open Practice this past September. With all these credentials, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that some of her former high school protégées could be dancing alongside her this fall. You can read more about Lisa at http://buffalojills.net/roster/lisa.php