Buffalo Jills pics from the Bills-Bengals game

The Bills' lone home preseason game came on a gorgeous August day and the team gave fans a lot of reason to be excited as they took down the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 35-20 behind TDs from CJ Spiller, Roscoe Parrish, David Nelson, and Reggie Corner. Even though it was a preseason game, fans were plenty into the game for most of the night.

The weather wasn't all that was gorgeous obviously as the 2010 Buffalo Jills were in action most of the afternoon and evening...and got a lot of positive attention from the fans in attendance. Prior to the game, many of the Jills ambassadors were on Lot C in the Kid's Day Kid's Zone signing autographs and posing for pictures for the thousands of fans on hand. Laura, Ruby, and Vincenza got to sit under the tent signing autographs while Keisha, Michelle, Gina, Amanda F, Taryn, and Jessica roamed around meeting and greeting the fans. While all this was going on, the dancers and the rest of the ambassadors were working in the Fieldhouse putting the finishing touches on the Jr Jills performance. Following that, they went to the gates to greet the fans coming into the game as well as collect for the fan food drive. My gate featured Omarlla, Natalie, and Murissa...pretty great group as far as I'm concerned.

In pregame, after the lovely Laura, of Redfield Redzone fame, delivered the game ball, the Jills took the field with the Jr Jills to put on a great performance before greeting the team in Stampede Row. After the game got going, they split up into their 3 dance lines and, after taking line photos, took to the sidelines for the game with all 3 lines heading to the tunnel endzone for their 3rd intermission dance performance.

See all the pics at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2010/Bengals/

Coming up next for the Jills is the Bills Season Opener against the hated Miami Dolphins on September 12th at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Gametime is 1pm with the main lots opening at 8am. That game will also be the debut of the highly anticipated 2010-2011 Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendar, a calendar which promises to be the hottest one yet. You'll be able to pick those up from the Jills Ambassadors at the 97Rock and 103.3 The Edge Tailgate parties across Jim Kelly Blvd from the stadium and don't forget the gameday experience inside the Fieldhouse presented by Classic Hits 104.1 where you'll find another pair of Jills Ambassadors playing Family Feud.

Buffalo Pro Cheer Photos of The Week

Anna, Natalie, Gabrielle
The 8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament at the start of August is the setting for both photos from the Jills. The 1st photo was taken at the little party zone near the 11th tee where Jickster was set up with the 97Rock van, music, a dunk booth, and a bake sale. Shown posing next to the van are 3rd year vet and calendar covergirl Anna, rookie and Buffalo Bills blogger Natalie, and the always-smiling 2nd year vet Gabrielle.

Morgan, Amanda F, Kelly
The 2nd photo comes from after the tournament while the golfers were having dinner and features rookie Morgan with 4th year vet Amanda F and 2nd year vet Kelly. I can't say much about Morgan as of yet other than to say she's an energetic dancer who took to the snap-and-flash routine that choreographer Kelli W designed as if she's been dancing for Kelli for years. Amanda F is the lone co-captain on the Jills 2010 squad, working with Keisha to run an outstanding Ambassador squad. Kelly is known for, in addition to her obvious beauty, her writing skills as well as the fact she was the 2009 dance rookie of the year.

Alexis, Lauren S, Ashley
This week's Bandettes photo comes from the Bandits Open Practice held last December at HSBC Arena. Shown posing for a photo are 2nd year vets Alexis and Lauren S with rookie Ashley V. Alexis and Lauren have had a habit of getting pics together quite frequently over the course of their Bandettes careers but sadly, that practice won't continue in 2011 as Alexis won't be returning to the squad, despite my protests...lol. Lauren definitely plans to return though and her big smile is always a treat for the fans and the cameras. Bandettes tryouts are coming up in 5 weeks, taking place October 2nd and 3rd at Gold's Gym in Depew.

More pics from the 8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tourney and a podcast from Laura!

At the 8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament, while I was tooling around the course getting photos from my golf cart, Jills Official Photographer Brian Garman was doing the same on another cart and 97Rock, the main sponsors of the Buffalo Jills, has them up at their site now. http://www.97rock.com/Article.asp?id=1927673&spid=21993

Taryn
Set 1 can be found at http://97rock.com/PhotoWall.asp?id=64365

Jessica W, Anna, Keisha
Set 2 at http://97rock.com/PhotoWall.asp?id=64367

Jaclyn, Jen
and set 3 at http://97rock.com/PhotoWall.asp?id=64368

Also, Redfield Redzone star and hunter extraordinaire Laura was on Norton in the Morning this morning and they made sure to podcast the show for everyone not able to listen live. Check out the podcast and some photos at http://www.97rock.com/Article.asp?id=1374487&spid=21996

Don't forget!! The Jills make their first home game appearance this Saturday at the Ralph with Kid's Zone festivities from 3-6pm and kickoff at 6:30!

The Jills in Toronto for the Colts-Bills game

The Bills in Toronto series was the setting as the Bills faced off against the Colts in a preseason contest last Thursday night. Some big TDs from CJ Spiller, Lee Evans, Terence McGee, and Joique Bell helped propel the Bills past the reigning AFC Champions by a score of 34-21.

The 2010 Buffalo Jills made their gameday debut at the Rogers Centre and added an extra twist. Last year, their first gameday appearance was at the Hall of Fame game which also included the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders and the two squads put together two of their own performances that merged into one. This year, the Jills were joined by the Toronto Argos Cheerleaders for their halftime performance.

I myself wasn't able to make it to this game and wasn't able to get my own photos of the Jills. However, never let it be said that I don't have other ways. A friend of mine, Michael Thomas, who does camp reports and takes game photos for BillsZone.com was in the stands for the game and was able to get fans of the Jills some pics. You can see the Jills pics at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2010/Toronto-Colts-Michael%20Thomas/ You can check out his entire album from the game at http://s159.photobucket.com/albums/t138/Mikey82_photos/Buffalo%20Bills%20Season%202010/8-19-10%20Buffalo%20Bills%20vs%20Indianapolis%20Colts/

The Jills make their home debut this Saturday night as the Bills host Terrel Owens, Chad Ochocinco, and the Cincinnati Bengals in the annual Kid's Day game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Kickoff is at 6:30 with the lots open at 1:30. Make sure to show up early for the Kid's Day activities in the Kid's Zone in front of the stadium with games, clowns, face painting, Billy Buffalo, and the Buffalo Jills ambassador squad. The Kid's Zone will be going on from 3-6pm.

Blondes Vs Brunettes Kickoff Party

Last year, a powderpuff football game was organized by an organization called Blondes Vs Brunettes. The game obviously featured blondes and brunettes facing off against each other and the purpose was more than just about having fun playing football, although plenty of that happened as well. The big goal behind the Blondes Vs Brunettes games, which happen all over the United States, is to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association and last year's events raised a total of $25,000 for the Alzheimer's Association of Western NY. The game itself was a 12-12 tie with dozens of beautiful players. Obviously we're focused on the Jills here and while several Jills were in attendance to perform and sell raffle tickets, there were a few Jills alumni suited up to play as well in Jills director Stephanie M and Jills alumnus Danielle H (1998-2002). Danielle even took the brunette MVP award for the game.
That was last year, though and bigger things are projected for this year's game, which will feature 6 Jills alumni in all. Friday night, SoHo on Chippewa hosted the Blondes Vs Brunettes kickoff party, which had a outstanding turnout to say the least. Four of the Jills alumni who will be playing in the game were in attendance with many of their teammates as well as a trio of current Jills who were on hand to help with raffles. In addition to selling raffle tickets, Lindsay, Christina, and Taryn spent time talking to and posing for pictures with fans and players. Photos from the event, with a heavy Jills focus, can be found at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2010/BVB%20Kickoff/
The game is being played on September 18th at Sweet Home High School with kickoff at 2pm with an after party at Shenanigans on Niagara Falls Blvd in Amherst. Get all the details and donate $10 or more for a ticket to the game at http://www.bvbbuffalo.com/index.html

Also, check back there and at http://www.fishercreativeimage.com/ for more photos from last night. Jeff and Snjezana Fisher, who spent several years as the Jills' official photographers, are the official photographers for the Buffalo chapter of Blondes Vs Brunettes and took a lot of great photos last night.

As far as those Jills alumni, here's the roster

Blondes

• Kimberly Z (1996-98/99)...not sure on her final year
• Amanda F (2001-03) and Bandettes (2006-07)
• Dana (2008)

Brunettes

• Danielle H (1998-2002)
• Jenn C (1998-2004)
• Francine (2000-04)

As far as the Jills, their next big appearance is their first home game. There are still tickets available at this writing for the 2010 Kid's Day game at Ralph Wilson Stadium Saturday at 6:30 in a preseason game that pits the Bills against former Bill Terrell Owens and Jills fan Chad Ochocinc0 (he was very complementary in his judging of Omarlla and Aimee at the 2006 NFL Cheerleader Playoffs). Show up early for Kid's Day festivities going on in front of the stadium from 3-6pm and meet several of the 2010 Buffalo Jills Ambassadors. The dancers will be pretty busy during tailgating time doing a last minute rehearsal with the Jr Jills cheerleaders who will be performing with them in pregame.

Buffalo Pro Cheer Photos of The Week

Laura, Murissa

Our first photo from the Jills comes from the 8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament and features a pair of great vets. Laura is in her 4th year as a Jills Ambassador and has spent the summer on TV on ESPN2's Redfield Redzone. You see, she's well-known as the Martin Archery Girl but she's also become an avid hunter in recent years and this show is basically about her hunting passion. Murissa is in her 3rd season as a dancer who is best known around the squad for her sense of humor. I can tell you from experience that having her around brightens even the gloomiest of days or moods.

Jaclyn, Stefanie, Jill, Danielle

Our 2nd Jills photo comes from Jr Bills Backers Day at Training Camp two weeks ago. Pictured here after practice are 4 of the Jills dancers who were on hand to help out with the autograph session. Seen here are Jaclyn, Stefanie, Jill, and Danielle. We've introduced you to rookies Jaclyn and Jill recently and if you need any introduction to Stefanie, you're way behind the times as she's going into her 5th season on the sidelines. Danielle, on the other hand, is one of the rookies on the squad and I really can't tell you much about her yet except to say she is a Rochester-area native who's poised to be a great addition to the Jills squad this year.

Lauren B, Ashley, Stephanie

From the Bandettes, we have a photo from before the April game against Toronto featuring 3 adorable rookies. From left to right we have Lauren B, Ashley, and Stephanie. Bandettes tryouts are October 2nd and 3rd at Gold's Gym in Depew. They are closed to the public but it should be soon after that that we'll see who'll join these 3 young ladies pictured here dancing as Bandettes starting in November with the World's Largest Disco appearance November 27th.

A blog from The Line-Up and Bills day at the Zoo

The Line-Up, as some might know, is a company that designs and manufactures performance apparel for various dance, skating, cheer, and professional groups. The Buffalo Jills organization has been one of their customers for many years now and they've even added some new pieces the past couple of years. Last year they added shorts to their outfits, though they still stick with the skirts for gamedays and this year, they changed up their primary uniform top from a mid-sleeve length outfit to a crisp short-sleeve design.

Check out a few pics of 8 of the Jills' outstanding dancers modeling their uniforms at http://blog.thelineup.net/?p=1468

Also, in addition to the Blondes Vs Brunettes kickoff party Friday night at SoHo (6-9pm, $20 admission) that will feature not only some Jills alumni who will be playing but some current Jills in attendance to sign autographs and pose for pictures, you can see some more Jills at another big appearance this weekend. If you're thinking about heading to training camp on Saturday or just planning to be in Rochester that day, swing by the Seneca Park Zoo for Bills Day at The Zoo. In addition to Billy Buffalo being on hand from 10am-noon, members of the Buffalo Jills will be there to pose for photos and sign autographs from 11-2. http://spzeventsblog.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/celebrate-bills-day-at-the-zoo/

Bandettes tryouts scheduled!

I know football season is about to get started and the Jills will be in Toronto with the Bills Thursday night before their first home game on the 28th but it's also time to look at re-stocking the Bandettes roster. Today, tryout dates were set for the 2011 Bandettes roster and there are definitely going to be some spots up for grabs as captain Meghan and veterans Amanda and Alexis already decided not to return to the squad. Add into that the fact that choreographer Erin Y suited up on occasion to fill in for a rookie who left the squad unexpectedly last year and we'll be looking at a minimum of 4 rookies on the squad. And keep in mind that veterans do still have to try out to keep their spots so the number could be higher.

Anyway, the weekend of October 2 and 3rd is the weekend to set aside for anyone looking to try out for the top dance team in the NLL. On the 2nd, prospective Bandettes will learn a routine from the choreographers from noon to 3pm at Gold's Gym on French Road in Depew. The following day, they'll perform the routine and interview with the judges also at Gold's Gym. The 2011 team will be announced that evening.

Go to http://www.bandits.com/article.asp?cType=News&artID=197 for the registration form, waiver, and all the details

Buffalo Pro Cheer Photos of The Week

Valerie, Stefanie
Our first photo from the Buffalo Jills comes from the Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament held recently and features two ladies who should need no introduction as 2010 is going to be their 5th seasons on the squad. Valerie and Stefanie are two of only 3 left from that rookie class along with dance captain Christina. Despite being out of high school for a few years, Val has been to the prom 3 times since joining the Jills…as a result of contests by 97Rock. This year, they added a twist…the contest winner had to choose from among 6 of the Jills to be his date. He still chose Valerie and while any of the other 5 girls would’ve been great choices, who can blame him for choosing Val? Stefanie’s major claims to fame are the gymnastic abilities she’s shown on the sidelines over the course of her career and her willingness to go anywhere to support the troops. This October, during the Bills bye week, she’ll join 7 other Jills in a troop visit to Iraq, her 3rd trip to the Middle East.

Reena, Jessica W, Gabrielle, Amanda V

Also from the Jills Golf Tourney, we have a photo featuring 3 rookies and 1 2nd year vet from the Jills. We’ve already introduced you to dancer Reena and ambassador Jessica W. Posing with them are Gabrielle, in her 2nd year as a dancer, and Amanda V. All I can tell you right now about Amanda is that she’s a dancer on the Jills, having joined most of the other dancers on the squad when the Jills performed at the Bills Open Practice back in June.

If you’re looking to meet some of the Jills this weekend, there’s a pair of appearances that you can find them at. Some of them will be appearing at the Grand Opening of the NAPA Auto Parts store on Southwestern Blvd in Orchard Park, an event going from 10am-2pm on Saturday and also featuring Martin Truex’s NASCAR race car. http://www.wnytire.com/thenapastore.htm

Also, the Rochester Redwings are hosting the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on Sunday for Buffalo Bills Day at Frontier Field. As part of the day, CJ Spiller, Torell Troup, and Alex Carrington will be on hand for the game along with Billy Buffalo and members of the Buffalo Jills. http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2010/08/11/bills-rooks-to-be-at-red-wings-game/

Beth, Jessica

From the Bandettes, we have a photo from before the April matchup against the Toronto Rock. Shown smiling for the camera are Beth and Jessica. Beth joined up with the Bandettes in 2006 and danced through the 2008 season, finishing up with the 4th Buffalo Bandits Championship at the end of that season. After taking the 2009 season off, she came back in 2010 as a co-captain hoping to help the Bandits to another title. Hopefully 2011 brings the Cup back to Buffalo. Jessica started her Bandettes career in 2008 so anything less than a Championship has to be a letdown for her. Considering her experiences in the Navy, including regularly handling a 50-caliber gun, disappointing this brunette beauty is the last thing anyone should do!

The Jills at Jr Bills Backers Day at Training Camp

When it comes to training camp, the Bills PR department has fallen behind the rest of the league where their cheerleaders are concerned the last few years. Whereas the Jills were requested at every practice in the past, they've only been at a few practices each year more recently, which deprives the fans of getting to meet the beautiful young ladies who they'll see on the sidelines of Ralph Wilson Stadium this fall. Saturday, however, was one of the days the Jills were in full force. One day for training camp, the Bills host a Jr Bills Backers day, giving the next generation of Bills fans a bit of a VIP treatment at training camp complete with special autograph sessions and appearances by the Buffalo Jills.

Jill, Sara J, Christina, Gina

On hand to greet the next generation of fans at the start of camp were Christina, Jill, Gina, and Sara J. While a lot of little boys and girls got photos and autographs from the girls, a lot more were pretty shy. 10 years from now, those shy little boys will be kicking themselves for not getting a hug from a Pro Bowl cheerleader like Christina or an outstanding gymnast like Jill.

Jaclyn, Stefanie, Jill, Danielle

The Bills cut practice short after some live hitting action to get ready for the Bills' 1st preseason game in Washington. On the field to help with the special autograph session were Jill, who took in a bit of practice with her proud father, Stefanie, Jaclyn, and Danielle. With the shortened practice, the autograph session didn't seem to last that long after Stefanie, Jaclyn, and Danielle got there, so they came up into the seating area at St John Fisher's Growney Stadium to pose for more photos and sign some more autographs.

Check out the pics of our 7 beauties at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2010/Camp/

Amelina (2008)

My day didn't end with camp itself though. Rochester is not only the home for many of the Jills, but a number of Jills alumni as well. Running this site for many years, I've developed friendships with many of the girls I've covered and they usually extend past their careers on the sidelines. In 2008, the Buffalo Jills fans were introduced by a little dancing dynamo by the name of Amelina, the only girl that's actually been shorter on the Jills than 4th year vet Angelina. But they say big things come in small packages and Amelina's dance ability and personality are testaments to that statement. Since she departed the squad, she's become a certified personal fitness trainer and is currently working on starting up her own dance company, recruiting dancers from across Western NY to perform across the region. She'll be launching a website for the dance company soon so stay tuned for news on that.

Next up for the Jills, other than an occasional appearance at Bills camp in Pittsford the next few weeks, some will be appearing at the Napa Auto Parts Grand Opening on Southwestern Blvd in Orchard Park on Saturday. Go to http://www.wnytire.com/thenapastore.htm for details

Also, the Bills start their preseason schedule with a game in Landover, MD at FedEx Field to face off against the Washington Redskins. Their first home game isn't until August 28th but the Jills will join the Bills in Toronto for a game hosting Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on August 19th. The Toronto Jr Jills program didn't get enough registered to run it but the Jills still have something special cooked up for the game. Think back to last year's Hall of Fame game when the Jills and Titans cheerleaders performed together.

August 20th, some of the Jills will be on hand for the Blondes Vs Brunettes Kickoff party at SoHo on Chippewa Street in Buffalo. Admission is $20 and there will be food, drinks, and raffles as well as appearances by some of the Jills and you can also meet the players for the Sept 18th game. Four of the players also happen to be Jills alumni as well. Check out the info at http://www.bvbbuffalo.com/mission.html

Buffalo Pro Cheer Photos of The Week

This week's photos from the Jills come from the 8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament held recently at Williamsville's Westwood Country Club.

Brianne, DJ Jickster
Our first photo was taken while the golfers were just starting to check in and features 4th year vet Brianne with 97Rock's DJ Jickster. Longtime Jills fans should remember Brianne well as she spent the 2005-07 seasons with the Jills dancing on Omarlla's line and, no surprised, she'll be dancing there again. She actually almost came back for the 2008 season but wasn't feeling well at tryouts and took that as a sign to take a year off at least. Thankfully, she missed it too much to stay away for good and, as you can see in the photo, I wasn't the only one happy to see her back. Jickster, as everyone should know, is a DJ at 97Rock, one of the primary sponsors of the Jills, and is the Jills' 2nd biggest fan. He's even joked that he won't do an appearance without some Jills there as well.

Natalie, Emily, Jill, Jaclyn
The 2nd photo features 4 of our beautiful rookie dancers on the Jills. We've already introduced you to Natalie and Emily and joining them in this pic are Jill and Jaclyn. With Michelle's move to the Ambassador squad this year, the dance squad was in need of someone with some great gymnastic abilities and as she showed everyone at the Golf Tourney, Jill fits that need extremely well. In fact, based on what I saw on Monday, Jill seems to have more natural gymnastic ability than anyone since Kaitlin M (2005-07) who backflipped from one side of the room to the other at Jills tryouts in 2006. Jaclyn is not your typical blonde bombshell. She comes across as pretty mature for her age and didn't stay close to home for college like a lot of girls, choosing instead to get away for a few years to Pittsburgh where she still got the small city feel but obviously she'd have to come home to be able to cheerlead since the Steelers don't have a squad even though they were one of the first NFL teams with cheerleaders.

Alexis, Amanda Z
From the Bandettes, our Photo of The Week actually comes with a bit of sadness involved. In a photo taken before the April game against Toronto, we have Alexis and Amanda smiling for the camera. The sadness comes from the fact that the camera-loving Alexis and the gymnastically talented Amanda have each told me they won't be returning for the 2011 season, having moved away. Thankfully we still have plenty of memories of these two and Amanda has a championship she can look back fondly on from her rookie season. These two will definitely be missed but their departure will give a few more rookie hopefuls a better shot at winning a spot on the 2011 Bandettes squad at tryouts in early October. Stay tuned for details on that.

Pics from the 8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament

Sara J, Morgan, Valerie, Anna

After several years in Lancaster, the Jills moved their 8th Annual Golf Tournament to the Westwood Country Club in beautiful Williamsville, NY. Like in past years, it started off with some lunch while golfers registered and received their golf carts and bought some raffle tickets before heading out to the course for a round of golf on a beautiful day in Western NY. 5 groups had an extra benefit to their days as Amanda F, Meghan, Sara S, Taryn, and Brianne were auctioned off to be caddies for the day. Out on the course there were games like in past years including a poker run but there were also a few added treats on the course. 97Rock's DJ Jickster was out on the course playing music near the 11th tee with not only music, but a dunking booth. No, you couldn't dunk Jickster, but then again, he wouldn't look nearly as good in a bikini as Stefanie and Valerie did when they got dunked. Michelle and Jill, two of the most gymnastically gifted members of the squad also went around the course in their own golf cart performing "Flips For Tips," showing off their gymnastic skills for tips.

Michelle, Nicole, Jill, Jackie
Another feature this year was something more personal to one of the Jills. You see, one of the girls dealt with a housefire recently and rather then let her go through it on her own, her squadmates spent their Sunday evenings in front of hot ovens baking up brownies, cupcakes, and cookies to sell at the golf tournament for donations to help her out. The golfers came through in a pretty big way with some of them denoting some rather significant sums of money to help out one of the most beloved members of the squad, whose name I won't reveal here out of respect for her privacy.

Covergirls Meghan and Anna
At dinner, golfers got another special treat as they got to find out who was on the cover of the Jills 2010-2011 Calendar, due out later this month. This year, instead of having only 1 Buffalo Jill on the cover, the calendar will feature 2 girls, 3rd year vet and 2008 dance rookie of the year Anna and rookie dancer Meghan.

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2010/Golf%20Tourney/

Next up, some of the Jills will be at Turning Stone Resort Championship in Verona, NY as a part of the Buffalo Bills' partnership with the tournament on Wednesday.

Also, don't forget the Bills are holding training camp thru the 24th at Pittsford's St John Fisher College and the Jills will be appearing at various practices including Saturday the 7th for Jr Bills Backers Day at camp.

Finally, the Jills 1st game appearance is in Toronto on the 19th and besides tickets being available, there are still plenty of spots left for the Toronto Jr Jills program. Get the details at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=1865591&spid=34534