Vote for Stephanie!!

Last month, NLL fans voted 4th year vet Jessica H of the Bandettes the honor of NLL Girl of The Week. Last week, Bandettes captain Justina was in the running for the honor and while we wait for the results of that election, NLL.com has another poll up to elect the next NLL Girl of The Week. This week, 2nd year cutie Stephanie represents the Bandettes in the voting. This little lady, about to graduate with her accounting degree, is pretty much never seen without a smile. Go to www.nll.com and give Stephanie your support! Hopefully we'll have 2 in a row with Justina and Stephanie both winning the honor in consecutive weeks!

The Jills and Bandettes at the Buffalo Men's Show

The last few years, Citadel Radio has been a big sponsor of a fun event geared towards men called the Buffalo Men's Show. Seneca Niagara Casino is the location where they bring in various vendors with lots of big boy toys like televisions, cars, and drinks. In addition, since guys love beautiful women, a lot of models are on hand each year as well. This year, one of those models was the Martin Archery Girl...who we all know as Laura of the Buffalo Jills. She spent some time at the Men's Show signing autographs and posing for pictures with the fans right alongside other local models and beauties including Honorary Buffalo Jill Lydia Dominick of WGRZ-TV.

Laura with Russo from 97Rock
Also, this event is a big one for the Jills with several members of the squad in attendance signing autographs, selling off their calendars, and posing for lots of pics. But this year's event went a little further than previous years...joining the Jills at the show were several members of the Buffalo Bandettes dance team. Throughout the event, I did some catching up with the Jills, whom I haven't seen in 2 months and some even longer, as well as get plenty of photos of both the Jills and the Bandettes.

Lisa, Beth, Melissa, and Jaclyn

Noelle, Murissa, Jessica H, Chrissy, and Meghan

See all the photos of all the girls at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/24292

Of course no big appearance by the Jills would be complete without a dance performance by members of the squad.

We also have a bit of news to share from the Jills as captains and co-captains have been announced. With Eileen's retirement from the squad, a vacancy at captain opened up and filling that slot, joining Omarlla and Christina as a dance captain, will be 6th year vet Valerie. Also, after going through 2010 without dance co-captains, the slots have been filled for 2011 with girls with a wide range if experience. 5th year vet Lisa, 3rd year vet Loren, and last year's rookie of the year Natalie will be the co-captains for this year's dance units. On the Ambassador Squad, Keisha returns as captain and joining her as her co-captain in 2011 will be fellow 5th year vet Laura.

Also, if you have a set of golf clubs, make sure to take Monday, August 1st off from work for the 9th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament to be held at Westwood Country Club in Williamsville. Full details will be available at a later date but expect lots of raffle prizes and games to be played throughout the course of the day which will include lunch, dinner, and a great dance performance by the 2011-2012 Buffalo Jills.

Of course the 2011-2012 Buffalo Jills squad, with the exception of the aforementioned captains, has yet to be selected and tryouts start April 10th at the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse with the Open Workshop for all interested in trying out for the squad. Get all the details at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2098800

Coming up next for the Bandettes, they'll be back at HSBC Arena this Saturday night as the now playoff-bound Buffalo Bandits look to improve their seeding in the playoffs as they play host to the Washington Stealth. Joining them at halftime will be the Jr Bandettes who the Bandettes have been working with to get ready for the performance.

Bandette of The Week Ashley

This week, we take a look at outgoing redhead Ashley as our Bandette of The Week. Dancing on Melissa's line on gamenights, she is one of the girls who brings some excellent tumbling ability to the squad's on-field performances. In high school, her classmates thought she was rather funny and always getting laughs. Last year at this time, they might not have recognized her as she started off a little more quiet and almost shy. But as the season wore on and she became more comfortable with the squad and her role on it, she's back to her more comical self and has been doing her best to help this year's rookies feel more comfortable with the squad
Ashley's secondary photo comes from the game against the Swarm. Shown smiling for the camera while waiting to head out for pregame are Jessica H, Ashley, Kirsten, Krista, Danielle, and Stephanie.
You can read more about Ashley at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=AshleyX

Buffalo Jill of The Week Kelly

This week, we take a look at the 2009 dance rookie of the year as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Kelly spent both of her seasons dancing on Omarlla's line but is moving on for 2011 after getting a big job opportunity outside of Western NY. While we’re obviously happy for Kelly’s career, we have to be disappointed that WNY lost another great young lady when it comes to cheerleading as well as the professional world. She's a girl who loves to travel and has even used her education as an excuse for travel as she's studied in Mexico and has even spent a year teaching the English language in Spain as a result of winning a scholarship from the Spanish Embassy! She also used her time with the Jills to travel as well. In addition to calendar shoots in the Bahamas and Jamaica, she spent the week after Thanksgiving in Iraq performing for the troops with 7 of her squadmates. To top that off, she even finished off her Jills career with another big troop visit...to Saudi Arabia. I feel pretty safe in assuming the troops in those locations feel lucky and/or blessed to have met her before she left the squad. I know I do. The funny thing about her love of travel is that she's actually got a fear of flying that her time in Iraq flying in helicopters helped her with. In addition to her dance abilities, Kelly is also an accomplished writer having written for Buffalo Rising while she was on the squad and even submitted some blog entries to BuffaloBills.com on the trip to Iraq. While her new job isn't in journalism, I know her experience with that field will help her be a valued employee with her new company. Kelly's secondary photo was taken prior to the Steelers game Thanksgiving weekend in Lot C where the Jills put on a pregame performance. Shown smiling for the camera are Valerie, Kelly, and Lisa.

For tryouts in 2010, Kelly paired up with Angelina in matching outfits and both showed off their fantastic fitness and dancing abilities for the judges and spectators in attendance.

You can read more about Kelly at http://buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961196

Jills 2011-2012 calendar already in the works!

While the Buffalo Jills will be holding tryouts for the 2011 squad starting April 10, work has already begun on the Jills 2011-2012 Calendar. With Jills official photographers FCI, Jills director Stephanie M took dance captains Omarlla and Christina to Kissing Bridge Ski Resort in Western NY to get some photos taken for the calendar. In addition to the photos, this video was taken as well.

Next Sunday, March 27th, see members of the Buffalo Jills at the Buffalo Men's Show taking place at Seneca Niagara Casino as they'll be there taking photos, signing autographs, and putting on a spectacular dance performance. See all the info on tickets as well as who all will be in appearance including Ruben Brown, Jay McKee, and Joe Ferguson at http://www.97rock.com/Article.asp?id=2085661

Jills tryouts start on April 10th at the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse at 1pm with the Open Workshop for all interested dancers and ambassadors. This event is closed to the public and all attendees are asked to arrive early for registration.

1st cuts, which will be open to the public, will take place at the Fieldhouse on April 17th at 1pm. Get all the details on Jills tryouts at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2098800

Seeing ‘Burlesque’ inspires Greece woman to form dance troupe

On a recent Monday night, Julie Giarrantano stands inside the Little Red Dancing School in Gates, directing an onslaught of hip swivels, gyrations and booty shakes with the focus of a conductor leading an orchestra.

“One, two, three, four …” Giarrantano counts out as she leads her team of Roc City Diamonds, the burlesque group she started last year.

As the group’s director, Giarrantano doesn’t dance. She’s too busy organizing, promoting and choreographing the centerpiece of the Roc City Diamonds’ Emerald Party, which took place Friday, March 18, at The Club at Water Street.

The routine, choreographed to the soundtrack of the recent film Burlesque (starring Christina Aguilera and Cher), starts with a seduction. Dancer Danielle Barone, 24, of Rochester, struts out in high heels with a flirtatious vibe that’s sure to melt a man’s heart. Then, like a sudden sea of hotness, the rest of the Diamonds flip and spin their way across the stage.

Read more at http://rochester.metromix.com/events/article/roc-city-diamonds/2509210/content

Bandette of The Week Chrissy

This week, we take a look at another of our beautiful rookies as our Bandette of The Week. Dancing on Melissa's line, Chrissy doesn't seem that much changed from high school when her classmates thought of her as quiet. So far she still seems to be the quietest of the Bandettes but like other Bandettes and Jills who have started out as quiet, I have a lot of faith that the experiences she's had and will continue to have as a Bandette will bring her out of her shell in a big way. One way she's been far from quiet is through her dancing as so far, the biggest smiles I've seen in her are when she's performing, whether it be out on the turf with over 18 thousand fans watching her or when she's performing in section 113 with her linemates. Chrissy's secondary photo comes from early in the game against the Philadelphia Wings. Waiting to head out for pregame, we see Chrissy, Ashley, Lauren B, Krista, and Stephanie posing for the camera.

You can read more about Chrissy at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=Chrissy

Buffalo Jill of The Week Lindsey

This week, we take a look at one of our fantastic rookies as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Frequently, veteran Buffalo Jills bring friends along to tryout for the squad. With all the enjoyable experiences that the Jills have, it's only natural that they want to expose their best friends to it. In the case of blonde cutie Lindsey, we have 4th year vet Lisa to thank. 2010 tryouts wasn't the first time we met her either as she's been in attendance for some of the Jills events over the past few years since Lisa joined the squad so she saw first hand some of the fun Lisa has been having. Lindsey spent the season dancing on Omarlla's line next to Omarlla and Valerie and is looking for an even better year in 2011 after cheering through an injury most of the season. Cute and tough! Unlike a lot of rookies and even a number of vets, Lindsey's college days are behind her and she's an established professional using her degree in business and accounting although she'd love to become a personal trainer one day. For now though, she's loving the freedom of being done with her education and spends much of her spare time travelling and being involved with charities. This involvement is completely separate from what she does with the Jills too, so her becoming a Buffalo Jill was only a matter of time considering her interests as well as her best friend. Lindsey's secondary photo comes from the Bills' opener against the Fish. Shown smiling for the camera as their line changes sections at the end of the 1st quarter are Lindsey and Kelly.

As seen in her tryout video from last season, Lindsey brings more than a pretty face and a lovable personality to the squad. She's also quite the dancer as well!

You can read more about Lindsey at http://buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1968615

Vote for Justina!!

A few weeks ago, NLL.com featured 4th year vet Jessica as their NLL Girl of The Week after the fans voted her that honor. The Bandettes boast 2 4th year vets on their roster this year...2 Bandettes who finished off their rookie seasons dancing and cheering as the Bandits won their 4th Championship. Of course I'm referring to captain Justina and she's up for election as the NLL Girl of The Week on http://www.nll.com/ Why vote for her? Simple...besides the fact she's a knockout who keeps getting better every season, she was named captain in her 2nd season on the squad...she's now in her 3rd season as a captain with only 4 years as a Bandette! If anyone is deserving of the NLL Girl of The Week honor, it's Justina.

The Bandettes at the Bandits-Blazers game

Coming off a 9-8 win in Boston, the Bandits returned home Saturday night to host those same Boston Blazers who were anxious to avenge the loss from last week. However, with 16,347 Bandits fans in attendance who really put forth a solid effort to support their team, even a few questionable calls in favor of Boston weren't enough to defeat the Bandits as they pulled out a 12-10 win at HSBC Arena.

Melissa's line at the west end of the pavilion
In addition to seeing Buffalo beat Boston (always a good thing for Buffalonians), the fans got treated to performances by the premier dance team in the NLL, the Buffalo Bandettes!

pregame performance

Noelle, Lauren S, and Kirsten at the post-game party at Cobblestone
For all the photos, go to http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/bandettes/2011/Blazers/

Coming up next for the Bandettes, they'll be working with the Jr Bandettes On March 26th and April 2nd so that they can join them on the turf for the April 2nd game against the Washington Stealth...the Bandits' next home game.

Bandette of The Week Danielle

This week, we take a look at rookie Danielle as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. When she's not dancing on Justina's line for practices and games, Danielle is working on her degree with the goal of becoming an elementary school teacher. When you consider all the Buffalo Jills and Bandettes that have become teachers over the past few years, I have to think that today's children have it a lot better than most of the rest of us did growing up when it comes to beautiful teachers. I think I might've had one teacher who could be considered very attractive...but nowhere near the level that these girls are at. Beyond her classy looks though, Danielle seems to be really enjoying getting involved with the Bandettes this year and loves spending time with the girls, including the post-game parties at Cobblestone. That comes as no real surprise as she says she's happiest with family and friends and the Bandettes have been a close-knit group of friends for as long as I've been working with them. Danielle's secondary photo comes from the game against the Minnesota Swarm. Shown posing for the camera while waiting to head out for pregame are Jessica H, Ashley, Kirsten, Krista, Danielle, and Stephanie.

You can read more about Danielle at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=Danielle

Buffalo Jill of The Week Katie

This week, we take a look at the reigning Pro Bowl member of the Buffalo Jills, Katie, as our Jill of The Week. In her 6th season with the Jills, Katie was selected by her squadmates to represent them in Hawaii and the selection came as no surprise to anyone who's seen her contributions to the squad over the course of her career. Dancing on Eileen's line between Nicole and Reena, she's grown a lot since her rookie year, transforming from a shy young lady to a young lady who's anything but. 2005, her rookie season, was the 1st year I started working closely with the squad, and the biggest difference I've seen in her between then and now is her confidence level. If there's something she needs to accomplish, I have a lot of faith that she'll find a way to do so and she knows she'll get it done as well. Back in her rookie year, I think she was still learning who she was and learning her strengths and limitations. Now she knows she doesn't have many limitations that a lot of girls her age do. During her time on the squad, one of her favorite parts of the job has been the troop visits she's been on. She's been to Iraq twice now, with trips in the spring of 2007 and this past December and also visited the Balkans for Thanksgiving in 2008. Katie's secondary photo is from the 8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament taken while the golfers were still arriving at Williamsville's Westwood Country Club. Shown posing for the camera are Vincenza, Katie, and Lindsay.

Due to the fact the Jills didn't carry co-captains on the dance squad through tryouts, Katie went through the full tryout process and, as seen in her 1st rd tryout video, left everyone knowing that there was no way she wouldn't continue being a valuable member of the Buffalo Jills.

You can read more about Katie at http://buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961191

Venue change for Jills tryouts and another prep class

Just a couple changes to tell everyone about involving Jills tryouts this year.

First up is an extra prep class happening on April 6 at Citadel Studios. This is a glamour prep class where you can learn hair & make-up tips, how to get the right nails, eyebrows, etc….Get a complimentary one on one consultation from the Pro’s that work with the cheerleaders all year long! Fee for this workshop is $5

The other change is the venue. The Open Workshop on April 10th and 1st cuts on April 17th will both be held at the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse in Orchard Park. 1st cuts are still open to the public and admission is free.

Go to http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2098800 for complete details on Jills tryouts.

Hornell grad reaches NFL as cheerleader

Hornell, N.Y. —

For at least one Hornell native, the 2010-2011 Buffalo Bills season was a success, even as the team floundered yet again.

Hornell high graduate “Jill” spent this past season as a cheerleader for the Bills, and will try out once again this spring for the upcoming season.
(Editor’s note: Cheerleaders aren’t allowed to provide their last names for interviews. The newspaper agreed not to use her name)

Jill, a 2006 Hornell grad, started cheering at a young age when a coach saw her tumbling after a soccer game.

“I never had an interest in it when I was younger. She saw me tumbling after a soccer game, and she said she wanted me to try. She trained me from scratch,” said Jill.

read the full story at http://www.eveningtribune.com/features/x1512121662/Hornell-grad-reaches-NFL-as-cheerleader

The Bandettes at the Bandits-Knighthawks game

The biggest rivalry in the NLL had another match-up Saturday night at HSBC Arena as the hometown Buffalo Bandits hosted their Thruway rivals, the Rochester Knighthawks in the 1st of 3 regular season meetings this year. In a defensive struggle, the Bandits pulled off the 11-8 win in front of a sold-out crowd.

Justina's line at the top of the east bank of escalators where they were greeting the fans

Pregame performance

Justina, Chrissy, and Chelsea during the 1st intermission performance

Ashley, Krista, and Beth during the 4th quarter
Prior to the game, while Melissa's line roamed the concourse greeting fans, Justina's line greeted fans as they came up the escalators to the 100 level for the game. During the 2nd quarter, the entire squad spent some time entertaining the fans by spelling out BANDITS with their pom-poms, something that never fails to elicit lots of cheers.
See all the pics at http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b87/bandettes/2011/Knighthawks/

Coming up next for the Bandettes, they'll be dancing up a storm Saturday night again as the Bandits play host to the Boston Blazers after the Blazers play host to the Bandits later today.
After that, they'll be putting in a lot of work with the Jr Bandettes on March 26th and April 2nd to get ready for the performance at halftime of the April 2nd home game against the Washington Stealth. The Jr Bandettes program is all filled up for this season so if you missed out on getting your daughters into this program this season, watch in January for details on next year's program.

Bandette of The Week Stephanie

This week's Bandette of The Week is second-year vet Stephanie. Dancing on Melissa's line this season, this sweet and petite little lady seems to be always sporting a big smile. That could be because she's about to graduate with her accounting degree or it could be the fact that she's getting to continue with the Bandettes a second season because dancing is one of her favorite pastimes. More than likely it's a combination of the two...plus there's also the fact that she's a genuine caring person who admits to being self-conscious about what others think of her. Considering no one can find a bad thing to say about her, she's obviously gotta be happy about that. Stephanie's secondary photo is from the home opener against Toronto. Shown posing for the camera before heading out for their pregame performance are Beth, Justina, Krista, and Stephanie.

You can read more about Stephanie at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=StephanieG

Buffalo Jill of The Week Amanda F

This week, we take a look at 4th year vet Amanda F as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Blonde bombshell Amanda is coming off her 1st full season as the Ambassador Squad co-captain. I say full season because she actually did a lot to help out Keisha in 2009 as she received an unexpected promotion to captain in her 1st season as co-captain. I've watched Amanda's contributions to the squad a lot over the course of her career as a Jill and she does an outstanding job in her role. The hospitality management degree she has that helps her in her job has come in handy in her role with the Jills and taking charge in some situations is something she's not only good at, but a natural at. She's also pretty good at being there for her squadmates if they need help in handling situations. One example of this was an appearance that Vincenza had to handle on her own when a pair of squadmates were both sick with the flu. The girls generally don't do appearances solo and with Ambassador squad captain Keisha out of town, Amanda was just a phone call away for Vincenza and helped her out with letting her know how to handle things.

Beyond her role as a captain, Amanda is the definition of class in how she handles herself with fans...of all ages. She's an attentive and gifted conversationalist and when talking with children, sometimes she's even more excited to talk to the children than they are with her...and that's not just the shy ones. Amanda's secondary photo is from the Saturday Draft Party that the Bills held last April. Shown posing for the camera are Amanda, Ruby, and Natalie.

You can read more about Amanda at http://buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961021