The Teasers at Buckin Buffalo

After the Jills Comedy Show Saturday night, the night was still young and, as luck would have it, a certain Jills alumnus was just about to go onstage with her band just a few blocks away. Buckin Buffalo, a bar on Franklin Street with its own mechanical bull, played host to the Teasers and 2003 Jills alumnus Aimee L Saturday night. Based in Lockport, The Teasers have been rocking Western NY for over a year and a half and cover a wide variety of singers and genres and Aimee, Tony, Brian, and Parker have been doing a phenomenal job with everything they do. If you haven't seen them play yet, they're definitely worth going out to see. Check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theteasers and see when and where they're playing next or even request them for a private party.

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/28927

Pics from the Jills Comedy Show

One of the big events in Buffalo every year is the Buffalo Jills Comedy Show. The event, which raises money to help the Jills exist, was held at the Tralf Music Hall this year and featured, for a second straight year, master hypnotist Jerry Valley, who's been a featured performer at the Eric County Fair the last 17 years. Last year, several Jills went on stage to be a part of the act but none of them went the distance as far as staying under hypnosis. This year was different as Lindsey and Jaclyn went on stage and Jaclyn was there the whole show.

Jill, Natalie, Melissa, and Myesha working on their routine

Omarlla, Sara, Courteney, and Loren

Jerry Valley gives Alyssa a kiss

Jenny and Melissa

Jills alumni Danielle (2006-09) and Jennifer (2008-09)

After I got there and spent some time talking with Nichole's husband and directing the girls on where to go, I grabbed a few photos of the dancers on stage working through the routine they were going to perform for the fans.Included in the performance was someone who hasn't performed since the Draft party last April...Jill!



















After they finished rehearsing, they joined the Jills Ambassadors in greeting the fans coming in for the show as well as engaged in selling raffle tickets and posing for plenty of photos. Included in the group of people there for the show were a few alumni, Danielle S (2006-09), Jennifer (2008-09), and Stacy (2007,10)























































































After everyone took their seats, it was time for the show to start and to lead it off, the Jills dancers took the stage in 2 groups to perform  Even with a month off, or several months in Jill's case, once the music started playing, the girls showed no signs of rust and the fans loved the performance

Jerry Valley gives a demonstration

Jerry Valley with most of the show participants

After the Jills finished their performance, it was time for the main event as Jerry Valley took the spotlight and, after a few anecdotes about some of his experiences on cruise ships and some demonstrations of his abilities, he brought up some volunteers to submit to being subjects in the show, 2nd year vets Lindsey and Jaclyn included. He ran the subjects through a series of scenarios, weeding out the ones who didn't take to the hypnosis on this try, until he ended up with 7 participants, including the back cover girl of the 2011-12 Jills Swimsuit Calendar, Jaclyn!

portraying vampires for a part in a movie

While most of what they did you just had to be there for or get the DVD, I will share one video. In one of the scenarios, Jerry had the participants convinced Jennifer Lopez was at the front of the audience auditioning backup dancers for her upcoming tour. Jerry had them each first talk to JLo and then put on a performance to the tune of "Let's Get Loud." As shown in the video, Jaclyn's dancing abilities are still fully functioning under hypnosis and drew a lot of cheers from everyone in the audience, not just her squadmates.

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/28754

Jerry with the Jills

Jerry and Jaclyn

Coming up next for the Jills, Valerie will be appearing in the Pro Bowl tonight on NBC while Omarlla and Lisa get set to take off in a few days for a troop visit in Singapore! Tryouts for the 2012 squad, slated for April, will be announced in the next few weeks! There will be several empty spots to fill even if every vet who tries out makes it back with 1 girl, Gabrielle, already gone and Murissa leaving after 4 seasons on the sidelines and in front of the camera.

The Bandettes at the Bandits-Wings game

Kirsten's line

Even Buffalo's consistent winning team, the Buffalo Bandits, can have an off night as the team dropped to 2-1 on the season with a 13-10 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Wings. Thankfully, the NLL's premier dance team, the Buffalo Bandettes never has an off night as, with the 2012 debut of 2nd year vet Noelle, put on strong performances all night long including a new routine performed during 3rd intermission.
I started off the evening visiting with Kirsten's line while they greeted fans coming into the game after visiting with Lauren's line the last game.

Noelle, Kirsten, and Chelsea

Kirsten, Carissa, Noelle, Jessica, and Danielle

Stephanie O, Danielle, Melissa, and Krista in action during pregame

Chelsea and Stephanie O, the 2 most active seekers of the camera on the squad

Stephanie O and Jaclyn

Stephanie G, Jessica, Lauren B, Noelle, and Krista

Carissa handing a ball over to Chrissy to be autographed

Amanda, Ashley, and Ria calling out the winning number in the 50-50 drawing

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/4510

Coming up next, the Bandettes will be at Buffalo Wild Wings on Niagara Falls Blvd in Tonawanda tonight for a viewing party with the fans when the Bandits are facing off against the Minnesota Swarm. Bandettes will be there at 7:30 with the game to start at 8pm. The Bandits return home with the Bandettes in full support on February 4th as the Washington Stealth, with newly acquired former Bandit Brett Bucktooth ready to face off against his old team.

Bandette of The Week Carissa

This week, we take a look at our first rookie as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. Carissa spends her gamedays on Lauren B's line and the rest of her time working on becoming a French teacher. News like that makes me wish I were born a lot later than I was. I would've taken more than 2 years of French with Carissa as my teacher, I'm sure. Besides her obvious beauty, she is very driven and has a positive mindset. Even at tryouts, when everyone was learning a routine to perform the next day, she was still wearing her smile as seen in some of the photos I took that day. Apparently she just knew she could do the routine and make the squad and obviously, she was right!You can read more about Carissa at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=CarissaS  Carissa's secondary photo comes from the Bandettes Meet and Greet the evening after the Open Practice. Shown posing for the camera are Chelsea, Chrissy, Stephanie C, Carissa, and Erin Y.

Chelsea, Chrissy, Stephanie C, Carissa, and Erin Y

Buffalo Jill of The Week Myesha

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Myesha as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Spending her gamedays on Omarlla's line between Lisa and Lindsey, Myesha was one of the most advanced dancers among the rookies on the Jills as she and Jenny were the only rookies who performed at the Jills' 9th Annual Golf Tournament. Myesha topped that off by contributing her tumbling abilities to performances on the field this past season. Away from the field, Myesha spends her time shopping when she's not working towards her nursing degree. With her, Jami, and Rebecca representing the Jills and Noelle representing the Bandettes, Buffalo could end up having the sexiest nurses in the country when all is said and done.You can read more about Myesha at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=2348088 Myesha's secondary photo comes from an appearance some of the Jills had in Jamestown for the Bills' Opener in Kansas City. Shown posing for a photo outside The Q are Melissa, Jenny, Myesha, and Murissa.

Melissa, Jenny, Myesha, and Murissa

As seen in her tryout video, where's she's shown on the left, Myesha brings more than just stunning beauty to the Jills in the form of some exceptional dancing ability.

Jills cheerleader heads to Pro Bowl

It’s a trip that every cheerleader in the NFL hopes for. Each season one representative from the cheer squad of each NFL club is chosen to participate as a member of the Pro Bowl cheering team at the NFL’s all-star game in late January. This year Valerie will be representing the Buffalo Jills.

Q: How did you become this year’s Pro Bowl representative for the Jills?

Valerie: Every team has their own process on selecting a representative for their team. We have a team vote that creates a few finalists. We then perform a short dance routine and answer an interview type question from our Director in front of the whole team. The team votes again and a winner is selected. I am so honored that my teammates felt I would be good representative for the Jills. Other than going to the Super Bowl, it is the ultimate dream of any NFL cheerleader!

Read the rest at http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Jills-cheerleader-heads-to-Pro-Bowl/37d223de-e96f-4b25-8bb0-8a2135b52c57

Bandette of The Week Danielle

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Danielle as our Bandette of The Week. Spending gamedays dancing on Kirsten's line, Danielle has a degree in education and is now working to get another degree, in public relations, this time. Danielle is a perfect fit on the Bandettes because of how close-knit the squad has always been. She loves spending time with the girls on the squad both at and away from the games. That includes the post-game parties at Cobblestone as well as get-togethers in the offseason. You can read more about Danielle at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=Danielle Danielle's secondary photo comes from the Opener vs Toronto and was taken early in the 1st quarter. Shown posing for the camera are 2nd year vets Danielle and Krista.

Danielle and Krista

Buffalo Jill of The Week Keisha

This week, we take a look at Ambassador Squad captain Keisha as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. In her 5th season on the squad and her 2nd full season as captain, Keisha is the gold standard on being a Jills Ambassador. She not only can carry on a conversation with most anyone on most topics, she frequently starts said conversations, making her very easy to get along with. To show her football knowledge last season, she even engaged in a picks contest with an Albany DJ and kept the lead until the end of the season when she narrowly lost to Q103's Mrozek and got to eat a dozen atomic wings at Buffalo Wild Wings back in January. Her mouth has healed now but I doubt very much if she wants to go through that again...lol. Beyond that, she's also the type to go above and beyond for her squadmates and has made trips to NYC and Hawaii to support some of them. A few years ago, when the Jills were part of the Edge Away Game parties at Rhino's in Orchard Park, Omarlla was slated to do the appearance on her own when Keisha stopped in to support her and watch the game with the fans. You can read more about Keisha at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961195 Keisha's secondary photo is from the Home Opener when the Jills had a special visitor. Shown posing for the camera are Alyssa, Amanda F, 2010 Jills alumnus Jessica W, and Keisha.

Alyssa, Amanda F, Jessica W, and Keisha

The Bandettes at the Bandits Opener!

When the Bills and Sabres pretty consistently let the sports fans of Buffalo down, it's great to have a team in town that doesn't. With 4 league titles in 20 seasons, the Buffalo Bandits are consistently one of the top teams in the NLL every season. Likewise, going into their 12th season as the dance squad of the Bandits, the Buffalo Bandettes have long been known as the best in the league and as evidenced last night, they aren't going to give up that ranking easily.

Lauren B's line

When I made it down to the newly renamed First Niagara Center, the Bandettes dancers were greeting fans coming up the escalators to the 100 level. For this game, I spent some time visiting with Lauren B's line while they posed for photos with the fans.  It's interesting to see how the girls change over the years. In her rookie season, Lauren was very timid and quiet. She came out of her shell a lot last year and is looking like she's growing even more in that way this year. One of her linemates, Chrissy, was pretty quiet in her rookie season last year and has already shown signs of coming out of her shell this year the way Lauren did last year.

Chelsea, Stephanie O, Stephanie C, and Lauren K

Another thing I find interesting in working with the Jills and the Bandettes is seeing what rookies are going to actively seek out the camera the most. 2 years ago on the Bandettes, it was Chelsea and after only 1 game, I can see Stephanie O will be the rookie who does that the most this season, though I wouldn't be surprised to see a few other rookies give her a run for her money by the time the season really gets underway, either...lol

Captains Kirsten and Lauren B

Danielle and Krista

Group shot at 1st intermission

Carissa, Lauren B, and Chrissy in action

Ashley, Ria, and Amanda...the Bandettes promo squad

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/4369

Next up for the Bandettes, they'll be back in action at First Niagara Center on Friday, January 27th, when the Bandits play host to the Philadelphia Wings. Then they'll be topping that off the next night, on the 28th, with an away game viewing party at the Buffalo Wild Wings at 1620 Niagara Falls Blvd in Tonawanda.  Stop by for some dinner and stay to watch the Bandits take on the Minnesota Swarm with the Bandettes!

Bandette Of The Week Kirsten

This week, we start off the 2012 Buffalo Bandette of The Week series with the longest tenured vet on the roster in captain Kirsten. This will be her 1st season as a full-fledged captain after spending the bulk of last year serving as a co-captain before taking the captain's role late in the season. Besides being the longest-tenured vet, Kirsten also has another big distinction. She's actually not from Buffalo as she grew up on Long Island but came to Buffalo for college, and earned her bachelor's degree in physical therapy in three years. She says her biggest strength is her willingness to help others and that fits both with her chosen career and with her role as a Bandettes captain. You can read more about Kirsten at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=Kirsten
Kirsten's secondary photo comes from last fall's Blondes Vs Brunettes game held at Sweet Home High School. Members of the Buffalo Bandettes were on hand for the game to help with raffles and dance and cheer on the players. Shown posing for the photo are Kirsten, Ashley, Chelsea, Noelle, Lauren S, and Danielle.

Kirsten, Ashley, Chelsea, Noelle, Lauren S, and Danielle

Buffalo Jill of The Week Kristina

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Kristina as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Found on gamedays on Omarlla's line between Omarlla and Emily, being physically fit isn't just her goal, it's a part of her chosen career. She already has a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and is currently working on her Master's in Nutrition. As far as her actual goals though, beyond her career goals, she wants to see the world. and she's already started with a trip to Paris, France. Given that goal, I would be pretty surprised if she doesn't jump at the chance for a troop visit overseas the next time the Jills are sent on one. You can read more about Kristina at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=2348011 Kristina's secondary photo comes from the Jills' 9th Annual Golf Tournament held at Westwood Country Club in Williamsville. Shown posing for the camera are Kristina, Gabrielle, Sara, and Kelly.

Kristina, Gabrielle, Sara, and Kelly

As seen in her tryout video, Kristina (on the right) is more than just in great shape as she also knows how to move and put on a great performance when it comes to dancing. Maybe her dream of getting a spot as a backup dancer can be realized given this fact.

Jr Bandettes announced

The Buffalo Bandettes are proud to announce the annual Buffalo Junior Bandette Cheerleading camp. This year’s clinic will be on March 17, 2012 from 12:30-3:30 PM. Girls aged 6 to 16 are invited to register to learn a routine from the 2012 season and will perform during halftime of the March 31 game against the Toronto Rock.


Cost for this camp will $80 per girl and the uniform will be provided. To register, please fill out the form at https://www.formstack.com/forms/?1155962-NMAlnArOar

Buffalo Jill of The Week Briana

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Briana as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Bri was found dancing on Omarlla's line between Lindsey and Lisa this past season and decided to join the Jills when her sister Jessica, who spent the season on the Ambassador Squad, told her she was going to try out. They actually kept their plans secret from their parents til after they made the squad, which couldn't have been easy. Speaking of not easy, she's also an accomplished marathon runner but not just a half-marathon. She finished the whole thing. No wonder she's in such great shape! She also likes to spend time with photography and painting and has even had her work on display in an art gallery and purchased. You can read more about Bri at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=2346922 Bri's secondary photo comes from the Jets game back in November. The dance lines were on their way out to the sidelines after halftime and some of the girls stopped for some quick photos. Seen in the pic are Lindsey, Briana, Lisa, Myesha, and Omarlla.

Lindsey, Briana, Lisa, Myesha, and Omarlla

In addition to everything we've already seen or learned, Briana is also a pretty polished dancer as seen in her tryout video from 1st cuts where she's shown on the left.

Jills are #1!!

Members of the 2011 Buffalo Jills at the 9th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament

Yeah, we already knew that but now the rest of the world can take notice. The last few weeks, New England Sports Network has been holding online polls on their site to determine the most popular cheerleading squad in the NFL. First the Jills took the AFC East with 71.58% of the vote. The New England Patriots, who get the most coverage on that site, only finished with less than 15% of the vote in that poll. Next the Jills faced off against the best from each division in the AFC. The Broncos, Ravens, and Texans cheerleaders didn't stand a chance as the Jills took that poll with a 71.63% portion of the vote. Seemed pretty similar to the AFC dominance of the Bills over the AFC in the early 90s when they won 4 straight AFC Championships. However, like the Bills, the Jills had to face off against the best the NFC had to offer and representing the NFC were the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, probably the most well-known squad in any league in the world. The Bills failed twice against Dallas in the big game and even fell apart against them in the regular season in 2011 in a game where a DCC member took center stage when Bills WR David Nelson scored a TD and ran the ball to the other end of the field to give the ball and a hug to his girlfriend, 4th year vet Kelsi Reich of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The Jills fared significantly better than the Bills in this matchup and much better than they had in their other matchups. Finishing with a score of 82.35%, the Buffalo Jills defeated the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in this online battle of the most popular cheerleaders in the NFL!! http://www.nesn.com/2012/01/nfl-cheerleader-showdown-buffalo-jills-edge-dallas-cowboys-cheerleaders.html

2012 Bandettes bios are up and Bandette of The Week schedule!

With the Bandits Opener coming up on January 14th at First Niagara Center, it has to be remembered that the Bandettes squad has undergone some major changes since last year. The 18-girl squad was first introduced to the public at the Bandits Open Practice on December 17th as well as at the Meet and Greet that evening. Now you can get to know them a little better as the Bandettes webpage is now up-to-date at http://www.bandits.com/bandettes.asp
Also, with the Bandettes bios up, I was able to put together the Bandette of The Week schedule. Like with the Jill of The Week series, each girl on the squad gets her own feature. While the Jills' features are based on the calendar, the Bandettes' features are being determined totally randomly with the exception of the captains.

• 1/14-1/20 Kirsten (captain)
• 1/21-1/27 Danielle
• 1/28-2/3 Carissa
• 2/4-2/10 Lauren K
• 2/11-2/17 Noelle
• 2/18-2/24 Krista
• 2/25-3/2 Ria
• 3/3-3/9 Ashley
• 3/10-3/16 Alicia
• 3/17-3/23 Stephanie O
• 3/24-3/30 Jessica
• 3/31-4/6 Amanda
• 4/7-4/13 Melissa
• 4/14-4/20 Stephanie G
• 4/21-4/27 Chelsea
• 4/28-5/5 Chrissy
• 5/6-5/12 Stephanie C
• 5/13-5/19 Lauren B (captain)