Buffalo Jill of The Week Jacki

This week, we look at 3rd year dancer Jacki as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Val's line between Kelsey H and Maria, Jacki had a pretty remarkable career as a Buffalo Jills cheerleader. Her rookie season was partially spent injured with a bad wrist, causing her to miss a few games in the middle of the season before getting to travel to the Middle East for a troop visit, watching Super Bowl XLV in Saudi Arabia with 7 of her squadmates and the troops.
In her 2nd season, she got even more notice as she landed the back cover of the Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendar in a blue bikini that showed off a fantastic figure to go along with her incredible smile. She went above and beyond the call of duty that season as, at the Jills Comedy Show, she consented to be hypnotized and made a lot of memories for all those in attendance, even though she didn't know what she did afterwards until she got to see the videos I made for her. The best part of the show was when she was told she was auditioning to become one of J Lo's backup dancers with a performance that drew a lot of cheers and applause. In 2012, she didn't do anything grand like she did her 2nd season but she did do something even more significant. As a 3rd year vet, rookies looked up to her on how to carry themselves as Jills, even though she wasn't a captain or co-captain. From my vantage point, she set a very strong example of how to treat people and how to act with class, a lesson not lost on a few of her rookie linemates. You can read more about Jacki at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=91 Jacki's secondary photo comes from last April's Buffalo Bills Season Ticket Holder Draft Party. Shown posing for the camera that Friday evening are Emily, Jacki, and Lisa.

Emily, Jacki, and Lisa

At last year's 1st cuts, Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner read a little intro to each of the girls as they came out on stage in their swimsuits. They were written by the girls themselves and and besides being beautiful and classy, Jacki is comical as well she shows in the comments that Kelli reads in her intro.

As if all that isn't enough, as seen in this video from last year's 1st cuts, Jacki is also an extraordinary dancer...J Lo would be lucky to have her.

From the Bandettes comes a photo at last December's Open Practice. Shown posing for the camera while the players were getting set to come up for an autograph session are the owners of two of the prettiest smiles on camera this spring...Stephanie and Chrissy.

Stephanie and Chrissy

Buffalo Jill of The Week Rita

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Rita as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Omarlla's line on gamedays between Jami and Gina, Rita's career with the Jills wasn't your most typical. Her rookie season was in 2008 and, after taking 3 years off, she came back in 2012 in the best shape of her life. During those three years away, she worked extra hard on physical fitness, not only in herself but in others. Working as a personal trainer, fitness is a huge deal for her. Her longtime boyfriend is a devoted weightlifter and has even worked for the Bills in their strength and conditioning. But there's a lot more to Rita than her fitness or even what she reveals in her Jills bio. Besides her dedication and motivation, she's also incredibly zany and spontaneous. She wasn't even sure about whether or not she wanted to return for 2012 or not until a few days before the workshop. She thought about it for weeks beforehand and realized she missed it too much not to return for another season. She didn't make a big deal about it to her boyfriend or family before trying out just in case she didn't make it so I was actually her biggest supporter at tryouts. As far as the zany, if there's something weird and strange to try, odds are she'll give it a look if she hasn't already. Her little sister probably still has nightmares about all the pranks Rita used to torment her with when they were kids. You can read more about Rita at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=62 Rita's secondary photo is from the Bills' Home Opener against the Chiefs. Shown coming off the field at the end of the game are Jami, Rita, Gina, and Chaundra.

Jami, Rita, Gina, and Chaundra

Meet Rita in this short video shot at 1st cuts last April.

Three years away didn't hurt Rita's dancing as seen in this video from 1st cuts.

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the January game against the Philadelphia Wings. Prior to the game, LB's line greeted fans as they came up to the 100 level for the game. Shown posing for the camera are LB, MaKenzie, and Alicia.

LB, MaKenzie, and Alicia

A few Jills updates

First up, Jr Jills registration for 2013 is now open with performance set for Friday, August 16th at the Bills' Kids Day game.
Program fee 1 child: $250 | Program fee 2 Children: $450
Registration & Fee are Due by: Friday, July 12th.
Mandatory dance-cheer workshop dates (rain or shine):

• Saturday & Sunday, August 10th & 11th, 9am-12noon 
• Tuesday, August 13th, 6:30pm-9:30pm 
• Thursday, August 15th, 6:00pm-9:30pm, Full dress rehearsal & photos! 
• Friday, August 16th, Game Day performance (Kids Day Game) Attendance time TBA.

See all the details at  http://buffalojills.com/buffalo_jr_jills.php

Also, a few weeks ago, several of the Jills were in Siesta Keys, Florida to shoot the 2013-14 Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendar and while the calendar won't be available for a couple more months, there are a few group photos up on the Jills' site and on their Facebook page.

See the rest at http://www.buffalojills.com/album.php?AID=8
Also, keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages for minor updates from time to time.
https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloProCheerBlog
https://twitter.com/buffaloprocheer

Buffalo Jill of The Week Krystin

This week, we look at 2nd year vet Krystin as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Anchoring one end of Val's line next to Alyssa U, Krystin is already a well-accomplished young lady with a Master's Degree in Physiology. When asked about her character traits for her bio, she does leave off a slightly smartass side as people can see in her bio with the answer to a later question. In her rookie season, she spent a lot of time with Murissa and there's a very strong chance Murissa rubbed off on her. One thing that Krystin definitely had going for her from the start was her poise and beauty. Over the years, there are a handful of girls who tried out for the Jills or Bandettes that I could tell, even while they were just learning, that they were too good not to make the squad. Krystin was one of them and has done a fantastic job of proving me right. You can read more about Krystin at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=83 Krystin's secondary photo is from the Titans game back in October. In a photo taken while Val's line was moving from the sideline to the endzone, we see Melissa, Alyssa U, and Krystin.

Melissa, Alyssa U, and Krystin

Meet Krystin in this short video shot at Buffalo Jills tryouts last April.

As seen in her tryout performance from last April, Krystin's got more than brains and beauty as she showed off some great dance moves.

From the Bandettes comes a photo taken prior to the February game against the Toronto Rock. In 2013, the Bandettes started taking part in a pregame party at Cobblestone, selling raffle tickets and greeting the fans. Shown posing for a photo are LB, MaKenzie, Brianna N, and Kelsey.

LB, MaKenzie, Brianna N, and Kelsey

Buffalo Jill of The Week Jami

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Jami as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Anchoring one end of Omarlla's line next to Rita, Jami is a future RN who is probably going to be well-liked for her bedside manner as she's pretty much always smiling but she's actually hoping to be able to focus on taking care of newborns after a while. A few weeks ago, the Bills held a pair of draft parties for the fans and the premium seat holders got a little bit better deal out of it with lots of room and even a free buffet. Jami's the type who would've been just as happy entertaining at a private draft party for non-season ticket holders as she does her best to treat everyone the same, regardless of how rich they are or who they are. You can read more about Jami at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=76 Jami's secondary photo comes from the Bills home opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. In a shot taken late in the 3rd quarter, we see Rita, Jami, Chaundra, and Gina getting the crowd revved up.

Rita, Jami, Chaundra, and Gina

 Meet Jami in this short video shot at Jills 1st cuts last spring.

Wearing a huge smile, like she pretty much always does, Jami put on a spirited performance at last year's tryouts.

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the 1st home game against the Rochester Knighthawks held back in February. Shown posing for the camera at the Cobblestone pregame party are Stephanie, Kirsten, Brianna V, and Chelsea. By the way, don't forget to put in plenty of votes for Brianna V in the NLL Girl of The Week Semi-finals competition.

Stephanie, Kirsten, Brianna V, and Chelsea

Vote for Brianna in the semi-finals and photos coming in from the Jills Calendar Shoot!

First of all, it's that time again. A week ago, rookie Bandette Brianna V won her quarterfinal matchup in the NLL Girl of The Week series and now she's in the semi-finals. Matched up against Allie of the Colorado Wild Bunch, Brianna is hoping to keep the NLL Girl of The Year crown in Buffalo. She took down one of Allie's squadmates last week so the pressure is on to keep it going. You can help her by voting for her at http://www.ilindoor.com/2013/05/07/nll-girl-of-the-week-its-buffalos-brianna-against-colorados-allie-in-second-semifinal/ You can vote as often as you like all the way through next Monday night.

From the Jills, for the last couple of years, the calendar has been shot completely in Western NY. This week, about half the squad is down in Siesta Key, Florida with Jeff and Snjezana Fisher of FCI Photography working on this year's calendar. Bills reporter Hannah Buehler is there as well and is sending back photos through her Instagram Account which can be found on the web at http://instagram.com/hannahbills1/ or you can follow her at hannahbills1 if you have your own account.

Melissa on camera

Amazing Race comes to the finish

For the 1st time, the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog followed a reality show pretty closely thanks to the fact that Buffalo Jills alum Katherine (2007-08) was one of the contestants along with her new husband. After a rough start to the race, Max and Katie had 1st place finishes the last two weeks going into last night's 2-hour finale. The 1st part of the finale, which took place in Scotland and Ireland, was promising as Max and Katie again finished 1st, setting themselves up nicely for their trip back to the States.

Had they finished the race in Europe, Max and Katie would be $1,000,000 richer but luck wasn't with them in the challenge at the Tidal Basin. After receiving a briefcase with their clue upon arrival, Max had to exchange the briefcase for another containing the next set of instructions. Unfortunately, he had to almost circle the entire Tidal Basin to find the man with their next instructions. Whereas most of the challenges along the entire race were dependent on skills, this one seemed to be all luck. The rest of the leg was spent trying to catch up and had they had another challenge or two, they likely would've won as they did seem to gain on the leaders and eventual winners, the Hockey brothers Bates and Anthony Battaglia.

They called into Winging It! Monday morning after the finale aired and the audio of the call is up online.

Max and Katie's "amazing" journey

Max and Katie learned a lot about themselves and each other through this. Katie said during the Race that if they got through it without killing each other, they could get through anything. Even though they didn't win the million dollars, they won a lot more. These days, more than 50% of all marriages end in divorce. With everything this race put them through, I'd say they'll be one of the long-lasting marriages that won't end that way. That's probably worth more than any amount of money.

Don't miss the season finale of The Amazing Race!

On a personal note, I don't generally care much for reality TV...I hate when the whole world sees something that's supremely personal. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Making The Team series is one of those that's guilty of it. It's one thing when you see someone upset on a scripted TV show because it's just acting but when it's real, it's a whole other thing. Many people enjoy it, real or not, but when it's you that's on tv seeing it later, or it's someone you know, it's not generally anything enjoyable to watch. When Lydia Dominick was with CW23 and doing in-depth looks at Buffalo Jills tryouts, she put class and humanity above cheap thrills and kept it looking positive, not showing girls getting upset when missing the cut. Quite frankly, I think shows like the DCC show should take a cue from the way Lydia handled things, and she had only been on the job a few months at that point.

One reality show that's grown quite popular is The Amazing Race, now in its 22nd season. In Season 14, a pair of former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders were part of the competition and wound up finishing in 2nd place. A pair of Jills had contemplated doing the show after that as well but eventually decided against it. However, another girl who had worn the Jills uniform recently got the idea as well along with her new husband. After being married for about a month, Max and Katie (2007-2008 Buffalo Jills Ambassador) started off on The Amazing Race.

Their contest started off rough with some troubles in SouthEast Asia and Africa, including a last place finish in Botswana that had fans fearful that Max and Katie would be eliminated. Thankfully, that was a non-elimination leg and then, after making it to Europe, they really hit their stride with a 3rd place finish and 2 1st place finishes in Germany(winning a pair of new cars) and Scotland. That's where we stand right now as the season ends Sunday night at 8pm ET on CBS with a 2-hour finale as Max and Katie go up against 3 other pairs of racers in an attempt to win $1 million to really get their lives together started off in a great way. The filming was all done in November and December of last year and, of course, Max and Katie are sworn to secrecy on how things ended up. After Sunday night, they won't have to be silent anymore.
Check them out on their Facebook fan page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Max-Katie-Amazing-Race-Season-22/118709101632161?fref=ts and check out the videos, one as an intro and the other that was just filmed on Buffalo's CW23 Winging It Show this past Thursday!

WNY couple on their best "Race" moments

Bandette of The Week Kirsten

This week, we finish up the 2013 Bandette of The Week series with 5th year vet and 2nd year captain Kirsten in the spotlight. Like the reigning Jill of The Week, Kirsten isn't originally from Buffalo. Kirsten grew up on Long Island and came to Buffalo for college, and has even talked about her college experience on tv on occasion. Kirsten loves helping others and in addition to her responsibilities as a Bandettes captain, she's working towards becoming a physical therapist, helping people get back in shape after injuries. Right now the question is whether Kirsten plans to return to the squad next spring. One of the first photos I took of her as a Bandette was with the NLL Champions Cup following the Bandits' last title in 2008. Missing the playoffs had to have left a bad taste in her mouth and I'm sure she wants to be there for a Bandits title while she's on the squad. It was a surreal experience for the fans and as for the 2008 Bandettes, it was the most thrilling moment of their careers. You can read more about Kirsten at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=Kirsten Kirsten's secondary photo comes from the Mammoth game where the squad was greeting fans and selling autographed lacrosse balls inside the arena. Shown posing for a photo are Brianna V and Kirsten.

Brianna V and Kirsten

Buffalo Jill of The Week Nicole S

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Nicole S as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Val's line between Lisa and Melissa, Nicole is working on becoming a dietician and if she can, she'll recommend her mother's cooking as much as possible. Since moving to Buffalo, one has to wonder how much her mother's cooking has changed to reflect the new tastes that can only really be found in Western NY. Anyone originally from Western NY but living elsewhere can attest to that. You can read more about Nicole at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=68 Nicole's secondary photo comes from the Titans game. Shown as Val's line moves from the sideline to the endzone are Megan, Lisa, and Nicole.

Megan, Lisa, and Nicole S

Meet Nicole in this short video shot at Jills 1st cuts last spring.

As seen in her audition from last year's first cuts, Nicole, besides being very cute, is quite the talented dancer as well.