Buffalo Jill of The Week Anna

This week's Jill of The Week was actually an early departure from the 2009 squad, spending her time anchoring one end of Eileen's line next to Valerie. Anna was the 2008 Jills rookie of the year and was loved not only by her squadmates and the fans, but the FOX cameras as well with all the exposure she got at the Bills Home Opener on TV. Thankfully, she's back in 2010 to grace the sidelines of Ralph Wilson Stadium cheering on the Bills. This future Canadian avocat (French for lawyer) has some Hawaiian blood in her background, which helps explain her exotic looks. Besides making her a target for the cameras, her distinctive looks also helped her line get some extra exposure in Canton. You see, they opened the gates for entry to the Hall of Fame Game just as the Jills were heading back to their locker room after some pregame practice. Since I missed getting any close-up photos of that, I was wandering around the stadium a bit and was on the other end of the field when I spotted Anna as she came back out of the locker room with the rest of Eileen's line for a bit of extra practice time. Outgoing and gregarious, Anna from Canada grew up as a Steelers fan but, while she still holds a soft spot for the Pittsburgh team, she's grown to love the Bills the last few years and will be cheering as hard for the Bills as any other Buffalo Jill Thanksgiving weekend when the Steelers invade Orchard Park to face off against the Bills. You can read more about Anna in the webgroup's files section where a copy of her 2008 bio will be posted for the week. Also, take a look below at a practice routine from before the Hall of Fame Game featuring Anna and the rest of Eileen's line.

Training Camp schedule released

The Buffalo Bills announced the dates for training camp for the 2010 season today. For the 11th year in a row, practices will take place at St John Fisher College in Pittsford, NY, a suburb of Rochester.

You can find the dates at http://www.buffalobills.com/team/training-camp/practice-schedule.html by scrolling to July and August. The night practices, 8 in all, scheduled from 7-9pm, do require tickets but those will be available for free at a later date. Interestingly, there are no double sessions planned (at least open to the public) and all day practices will take place from 3-5:30pm on the days they're scheduled. Parking for practices has yet to be announced as there is no public parking allowed on campus for the practices. Two years ago, the Bills actually forgot to invite the Jills to appear at camp so in 2009, the Jills took the initiative themselves to appear at all night practices as well as at many other practices as well. Presumably, under the new regime, the Bills won't make a slip-up like 2008 again and we'll see the Jills at most, if not all, the Bills practice sessions at St John Fisher this summer.

Also, DJ Jickster of 97Rock, the #1 1/2 Jills fan, is in Jamaica with the Jills and took a few pics on his iPhone that are up at 97Rock's website. Check out a few pics with Gina, Katie, Courteney, Keisha, Lisa, Valerie, Eileen, and Sara J at http://www.97rock.com/Article.asp?id=1818697&spid=21993

Jills Open Practice in 1 week!

Right now, many of the 2010 Buffalo Jills are on the north coast of Jamaica enjoying the ocean breeze and shooting the 2010-2011 Buffalo Jills Calendar. They come home Saturday and don't have a whole lot of time to rest as next Tuesday night is their Open Practice for the public. Cost is $5 for participants and $3 for spectators and is a great opportunity to learn from the pros. Last year's event was a huge success with a much larger turnout than expected. Check out the details at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=1797907&spid=34534

Last year's event went like this:

• after check-in, the Jills brought all the participants out into the middle of the Fieldhouse for some stretching exercises
• participants were then split up into several groups, each group led by a group of 2-4 Jills dancers
• each group was taught a routine by their Jills leaders
• after all the teaching was done, each group performed for the entire crowd of participants and spectators
• the Jills then put on their own performance for the crowd on hand
• finally, a photo session was held as all the groups went back to the locations they trained in to take group photos with the Jills that trained them

I would imagine this year's event will be pretty similar to last year's, which everyone, spectators, participants, and Jills alike, seemed to really enjoy.
The write-up with photos and videos from last year can be found at http://buffaloprocheer.blogspot.com/2009/09/photos-and-videos-from-jills-open.html

If you can't make it to Orchard Park next Tuesday, you'll still have a chance to see the Jills perform at next Saturday's Buffalo Bills Open Practice. In something they haven't done since 2004, the Buffalo Bills are allowing the public into Ralph Wilson Stadium for a free practice session. Free parking in lots A, B, C, D, and E will be available at 12:30 with the gates opening at 2 for the 3pm practice. Just prior to practice, the 2010 Buffalo Jills will perform for the crowd. Get all the details at http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Bills-announce-open-practice-date-for-all-fans-/f7b9a819-2946-4464-9daa-ebbe83fe9ea6

Buffalo Jill of The Week Amanda

This week, we take a look at now-4th-year vet Ambassador Amanda as our Jill of The Week. 2010 will not only be Amanda's 4th year on the squad, but her 1st as a co-captain, although she was already doing a lot to help out Keisha last year. Amanda's known by the fans for her classic beauty, drawing reminders of Greta Garbo and Marilyn Monroe but to those of us who know her, she's a lot more than that. For one thing, she's an outstanding leader and has been showing that in some measure since her rookie year, even. That's no big surprise considering all her past experience in management roles on her regular jobs as well as her management degree. Her attention to detail and a mind full of ideas for improvements are just a few of the attributes she brings to the co-captain's role. She’s also known for how well she treats people as she's an attentive listener and when she's talking with children, she gets just as excited as they do when they get to talk to her. Interaction like that is going to make her a great mother one day after she leaves the squad, which we hope is a long time from now, obviously. She almost didn't have the opportunity to help out and become a co-captain. After 2 years on the Ambassador squad, she tried out for the dance squad, dancing alongside former calendar covergirl Jenica. Dancing since the age of 4, it's no surprise that she did make the final cut for dance, along with 3 other former Ambassadors, but after a few months switched back to Ambassador due to work commitments. You can read more about Amanda in the webgroup's files section this week where you'll find a copy of her 2008 Jills bio.

Bills practice open to fans in June

The Bills announced that they will host an Open Practice at Ralph Wilson Stadium for all fans on Sat. June 5, from 3– 5 p.m.

The open practice includes complimentary parking and admission and features the newest members of the 2010 Buffalo Bills, including first-round draft pick running back C.J. Spiller. Parking gates will open at 12:30 p.m. and the stadium gates will open beginning at 2 p.m.

Fans are invited to enjoy interactive games, photo opportunities, reduced concession pricing and new 2010 Buffalo Bills merchandise. In addition, the Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders will make their 2010 debut performance before practice.

http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2010/05/20/bills-practice-open-to-fans-in-june/

Some more from the world of Ashlee

Longtime followers are well aware of 2005 Jills alumnus Ashlee A, an accomplished singer as well as a look-alike for Penelope Cruz. After a few years with Studio 54, she's been singing with the About Face Band, which mostly performs at weddings along with the occasional appearance at Verbena Grille in Williamsville. Saturday night was one of those appearances and Ashlee and the band put in a great performance for a packed house.

However, that's not all Ashlee is into these days. While the private lives of Jills and Jills alumni are basically kept private, on occasion they do like the public to know about a few things.
In addition to her singing, Ashlee is also involved in another business. She and her fiance own and run the Pride Martial Arts Academy in Williamsville and they're having an Open House on Saturday, May 22 from 10am-2pm with free food, prizes, and other giveaways. Find out more at http://www.amherstpridemma.com/

Bandette of The Week Alexis

This week is the final installment of the 2010 Bandette of The Week series and last, but far from least, is 2nd year vet Alexis. An avid reader with a thirst for knowledge, she is fiercely independent who people are easily drawn to. Her magnetism has less to do with her considerable beauty and more to do with her personality. Even though she considers herself a homebody for the most part, when she is out, she’s genuinely fun to have around. She loves being the center of attention as well as evidenced by some of the photos she’s been in this year. But she’s not obnoxious about it by any means…although I may tease her about being a ham for the camera at times. But that’s one of the things you love about Alexis, she knows how to joke around when the time is right. She even did a little play on her name at this year’s Buffalo Auto Show in which she posed in, what else, a Lexus. You can read more about Alexis at http://www.bandits.com/profileB.asp?bandetteID=200905

Buffalo Jill of The Week Omarlla

If anybody needs any introduction to this week’s Jill of The Week, they must've just come out of a long-term coma and in that case I say, congratulations on your recovery! Omarlla is entering an incredible 11th season on the squad with fellow captain Eileen and neither one appears to be slowing down anytime soon. If anything, they both seem to be getting better with age…I know they each seem to be getting more beautiful every year. Omarlla herself has a large list of accomplishments including the Pro Bowl following the 2003 season as well as being selected to the NFL Cheerleader Playoffs in 2006 where she and Aimee swept the first round of contests. Her squadmates think of her as a strong leader but rather than an in-your-face type, she’s like the big sister to her linemates and in some ways, to the entire squad. These are just some of the reasons she won this past season’s Captain of The Year award for the Jills. She’s the one on the squad that most everyone goes to for advice or just to be a friendly ear, and that goes all the way from the newest rookie to fellow 11th year vet Eileen and even members of Jills management. Even as a leader, she still has her fun and silly side which she knows when to show and when to hide. You’d have to wonder what would keep a cheerleader coming back so many years when the team she loves hasn’t met expectations and the answer is very simple…the fans. When Thurman Thomas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007, he regarded other players trying to say their fans as the best as hogwash, pointing out how devoted Bills fans are to their team and if there is ever an NFL Cheerleader Hall of Fame, Omarlla would be a 1st ballot inductee and odds are, she’d echo Thurman’s sentiments in her acceptance speech. The fact the fans fill the stadium no matter the record and no matter the weather isn’t lost on Omarlla and it keeps her cheering harder than anyone would expect. She puts her all into every performance whether it be an event, a preseason game, or if we dare hope this year, a playoff game. But besides the fans, she enjoys the friendships she’s built with squadmates over the years and is looking forward to getting to know the rookies in 2010 over the next few months as well. You can read more about Omarlla in the webgroup’s files section where you can see a copy of her 2008 bio for the week.

 

Some big news from If I Can Dream

It appears If I Can Dream's house rules have been too confining and restrictive for Amanda to handle and she'll be leaving the house tonight. Former Buffalo Jill Amanda P (2005-07) has been out in Hollywood as a part of a Simon Fuller-Hulu joint venture working on becoming an actress. While she's not giving up her dreams of stardom and plans to return to Hollywood after some time back home, she obviously won't have the resources of Simon Fuller to help her out. That being said, she will still be getting some help from the If I Can Dream production team and her housemates when she gets back out there and will be keeping her Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace fan pages as well.

While she leaves tonight, she does have one last Twitter session scheduled at 4pm PT/7 ET a few hours before her flight home. So be sure to tune in at http://www.ificandream.com/#/justwatch and tweet your support in to @amanda_phill making sure to put #iicdhouse in your tweets during the Twitter session.

http://twitter.com/amanda_phill

Bandette of The Week Stephanie

This week, we take a look at Stephanie as our Bandette of The Week. 2010 was Stephanie's rookie year with the squad, dancing on Justina’s line all season. Constantly smiling, this sweet and petite young lady definitely fits in with her squadmates in one respect, at least. The one place she wants to travel to most is Disney World, where a number of her squadmates seem to love going to. The Bandettes head choreographer, Erin Y, has even missed the last two open practices because she was there each time! But much like Jill of The Week Kaitlin, one word used to describe her is sweetheart. She’s a genuine caring person who admits to being self-conscious about what others think of her. Well, for the record, we hope she comes back to the squad in 2011 so we can get to know her better. You can read more about Stephanie at http://www.bandits.com/profileB.asp?bandetteID=201005

Buffalo Jill of The Week Kaitlin

This week, we take a look at dancer Kaitlin as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. 2009 was Kaitlin’s 2nd with the squad after spending 2007 on the Ambassador Squad and then taking 2008 off. In 2009, Kaitlin moved over to the dance squad, spending her gamedays on Nicole and Christina’s line next to Jennifer and Nicole (and Loren when Nicole departed). After 12 years of cheering, including 2 on an all-star squad, it only made sense for her to become a dancer. If I could find one word to describe Kaitlin it would be sweetheart. That’s the biggest thing I can take from knowing her the last few years…she’s like the kid sister that doesn’t annoy you and everyone loves. Family is a very big deal to Kaitlin and every member of her family couldn’t be more proud of her. Unfortunately, after making the 2010 final squad, she recently retired from the squad due to work, disappointing fans and squadmates alike. That’s just the way things work out sometimes, though. We obviously will miss her sweet smile and demeanor but wish her the best in all her future endeavors just the same. You can read more about Kaitlin in the webgroup’s files section where a copy of her 2007 bio will be while she’s the Buffalo Jill of The Week.