A few updates with the Jills and the BvB

Lisa, Emmy, Emily, Dana, Megan, and Kelsey H

First up is the 50 yard run for the Jills. The Bills put together a marathon to be finished up at the 50 yard line inside the stadium with runs of varying lengths. In addition to some of the Jills being on hand to cheer on the people finishing the marathon, six of the girls will also be running. The marathon is going on this morning and includes Lisa, Emily, Emmy, Dana, Kelsey H, and Megan of the Buffalo Jills.

In Medina, NY, the Medina Theatre company will be putting on a country-western theme night with a Coyote Ugly flavor including the show starting off with a band member singing on the bar like Piper Perabo did in the movie of the same name. Some of the Jills will be performing at 8:45pm at tonight's event that includes a dance competition that will be judged by, among others, Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner.
See more at http://journal-register.com/local/x1696413070/Jills-coming-to-Medina-to-get-Coyote-Ugly The Medina Theatre Company is located at 601-611 Main Street in Medina, NY and the cost for attendance is $5.

From the BvB, on Friday, July 12th they will be hosting "A Night To Remember...A Black Tie Affair" at Bottoms Up Night Club on Chippewa in Buffalo. Jills alum and BvB FUNraiser Desiree (2005 Jills) is putting together the event with BvB committee member Ali Barone.

The last couple of months, FCI Photography has been hard at work photographing and putting together the 2013-2014 Buffalo Jills swimsuit calendar and Bills reporter Hannah Beuhler has been shadowing them along the way shooting photos and videos of the process. The week of July 15-21, BuffaloBills.com will be showing off those photos and videos as well as some interviews with some of the squad and the 5 cover finalists. In past years, the cover has been announced to the public at the Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournamant with the Jills themselves finding out at a private party the day before the tournament. Sadly, there is no golf tournament this year but as part of "Jills week" on BuffaloBills.com, the big cover reveal will come on July 21st.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Valerie

This week, we take a look at now-retired 7th year vet Valerie as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. In her 2nd year as a captain, Val had, along with Christina, talked previously about an even longer career in the past. Late in 2009, she had told me that she and Christina were planning on sticking it out as long as another pair of rookie squadmates had. Omarlla and Eileen started out together in 2000 and put in 11 seasons as squadmates before Eileen called it quits. Val had told me she and Christina were going to be the next Omarlla and Eileen. Val called it quits a few years earlier but had a pretty full career, ending it with the back cover of the 2012-13 Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendar. Val was one of those girls a photographer loves getting to work with. She's obviously gorgeous and escorted 3 different guys to prom via 97Rock contests over the years because of that. She's also very fun in front of the camera and was one of the most outgoing camera hams I ever photographed while she was cheering. But there's a lot more to her than that as anyone who's gotten to know her can attest. She's immensely lovable and with her sing-song  melodic voice, she likely has customers lined up all the time in her job as a beautician. But besides her looks and her voice, there's also her personality. Val's generally the type who cares about her friends and, in fact, made a point to visit last spring while I was photographing the Bandettes during a game she and her father attended. You can read more about Valerie at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=57 Val's secondary photo comes from last year's Buffalo Bills Season Ticket Holder Draft Party. A few of the Jills and I were walking around and ran into a familiar face. Shown posing for the camera are 2009 Jills alum Caity with Valerie.

Caity (2009) and Valerie

From the Bandettes comes a photo from last December's Open Practice. After the Bandettes performed and introduced themselves to the fans in attendence, they went around through the stands and the concourse visiting the fans and posing for photos. Shown posing for this photo are three of the Bandettes rookies...Amanda C, Brianna A, and Brianna N.

Amanda C, Brianna A, and Brianna N

Don't forget to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog to donate to one of the Jills alumni participating in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes football game!

Some photos from Atlanta

This weekend was the 10th Anniversary P-R-O convention in Atlanta hosted by All-Pro3 Inc, bringing pro level cheerleaders and dancers in from around the country, exchanging ideas and dance moves for the upcoming season. Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner led the Jills dance captains and several other Jills down to Atlanta for the convention.

Kristina, Katie B, Alyssa K, Kelli, Christina, Lisa, Lindsey, and Emily

It was also a time for reunions and Lisa, fresh off her January appearance in the Pro Bowl, got to reconnect with some of the girls she met in Hawaii.

Lisa with some of her Pro Bowl friends

That wasn't the only reunion taking place in Atlanta though as another very familiar face was on hand as well.  The Gotham City Cheerleaders, founded in 2012, aim to connect the talent in the Big Apple with the sports teams in the NYC area.  Last year, Jills alum Ashley W (2008-09) joined up with the Carolina TopCats and subsequently won their rookie of the year award and will be back on the sidelines at Bank of American Stadium to cheer on the Panthers. This year, it's Jills alum Natalie (2010-11), whose career lasted but 2 seasons, but possibly the strongest 2 seasons a Jill could have. After 1st blogging for the Bills website about her tryout experiences, she won the dance rookie of the year award and then followed that up by being named co-captain in her 2nd season. Now she's been working with the Gotham City Cheerleaders and got to reconnect with some of her Jills squadmates there.

Katie, Alyssa K, Lisa, Emily, Natalie, Christina, Lindsey, and Kristina

Buffalo Jill of The Week Jenny

This week, we take a look at now-3rd year vet Jenny as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Spending the football games dancing on Omarlla's line between Kayla and Katrina, Jenny heads into the 2013 season as a new co-captain, a promotion that was almost a certainty even if there weren't as much turnover on the squad this year. The reason for that is the fact that she, even among some fantastic rookie squadmates including a pair with several years on the pro level already, won the 2011 dance rookie of the year award. Besides the increased competition in her rookie year, she also had another major obstacle in the distance she traveled for practices, appearances, and games. She drove 2 1/2 hours each way for every game and practice from the Syracuse area her rookie season despite having family in the Buffalo area she could've stayed with. There've been other girls who've traveled long distances before but only one ever topped that since this site has been running and that girl quit the squad early even with fewer practices as an Ambassador. Thankfully, for those who know and care about Jenny, she moved to the Buffalo area late last summer so those late night drives to Syracuse became a thing of the past. No matter where she lives though, I know she'll be circling a date in 2015 to be in the movie theater as she's perhaps the biggest Ghostbusters buff I know and I know she's hoping the rumors of Ghostbusters 3 being on its way are true. You can read more about Jenny at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=74 Jenny's secondary photo comes from last year's 1st cuts. While lined up waiting to get head shots taken, 3 girls looking to head into their 2nd years on the squad posed for the camera together. Shown posing are Krystin, Jenny, and Myesha.

Krystin, Jenny, and Myesha

Meet Jenny in this short video from last year's 1st cuts with commentary delivered by Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner.

See Jenny perform alongside eventual squadmate Katie in this video from 1st cuts last April.

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the game vs the Colorado Mammoth in March. Prior to the game, the Bandettes were selling autographed lacrosse balls to the fans coming into the game. Posing for a photo in the 100 level are Chrissy, Danielle, and Chelsea.

Chrissy, Danielle, and Chelsea

Don't forget to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog to donate to one of the Jills alumni participating in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes football game!

Buffalo Jill of The Week Emmy

This week, we take a look at blonde bombshell Emmy as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Omarlla's line between Omarlla and Emily her rookie year, Emmy is a Canadian by birth and has only been in Buffalo for a couple of years now. When first looking at her bio, I almost did a double take as she shares a few notable similarities with her co-captain Emily. She's currently going to college majoring in dance like Emily did and also considers her little sister the best gift she's ever received. There's a lot more to her than that as seen in the way her high school thought of her. While most high school classes, at graduation, have a notable community member like a local politician give the commencement address, Emmy handled that for her own class. Obviously she had a more noteworthy high school career than even the valedictorian to garner such a responsibility. You can read more about Emmy at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=64 Emmy's secondary photo comes from last September's 4th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes Game. Shown posing for a photo with the balloons to be released are Emmy and Ashley.

Emmy and Ashley

Meet Emmy in this short video from last year's 1st cuts with commentary delivered by Kelli Wagner, the choreographer of the Buffalo Jills.

Also, check out Emmy's dance moves at last year's 1st cuts.

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the Wings game in March. Prior to heading out for their pregame performance, some of the Bandettes posed for photos. Shown posing in this shot are Jessica, Lauren K, and Kirsten.

Jessica, Lauren K, and Kirsten

Don't forget to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog to donate to one of the Jills alumni participating in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes football game!

Buffalo Jill of The Week Alyssa K

This week, we take a look at blonde beauty Alyssa K as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Spending her rookie season dancing between Christina and Loren on Christina's line, Alyssa is originally from Long Island and is working towards becoming a lawyer. Unlike the last future lawyer on the Jills, Alyssa does plan to stay in the country after she finishes her schooling but she is still leaning towards moving back towards home to NYC. Nothing is set in stone on that though and as she's still got some time to go in law school. there's plenty of time to change her mind. Between the cost of living, the people, the memories, and the fact that pizza, her favorite food, from Buffalo is the best around, she has plenty to get her thinking about staying. Plus when you consider how much she enjoys the excitement of football games, Buffalo far surpasses what you'll find in NYC. You can read more about Alyssa in the files section of the webgroup (registration required). Alyssa's secondary photo comes from the Bills' preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a photo taken while the Jills were forming Stampede Row. In front, we see Lindsey C, Alyssa K, and Kayla while Kelsey H, Nicole S, and Myesha are behind them.

Lindsey C, Kelsey H, Alyssa K, Nicole S, Kayla, and Myesha

Meet Alyssa in this short video with commentary from Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner.

Check out Alyssa's dance moves in this video from last year's 1st cuts.

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the 2nd home game against the Philadelphia Wings held at the start of March. Kirsten's line was greeting fans as they came up the escalators to the 100 level. In this picture, one of the fans is posing with some of the girls. Of course this isn't a regular fan but 3-year Bandettes alum Jessica H. Shown posing are Danielle, Brianna A, Jessica H, Chelsea, and Lauren K.

Danielle, Brianna A, Jessica H, Chelsea, and Lauren K

Don't forget to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog to donate to one of the Jills alumni participating in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes football game!

Pics from the 5th Annual BvB Buffalo Draft Party

The entire BvB team...that was on hand. There are several who couldn't make it

We've been covering the BvB chapter in Buffalo from the start here at the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog so I won't repeat a lot of stuff that's been said a lot already. The basics are that the BvB organization, a nationwide group put together to help raise funds to help fight Alzheimers, puts together powderpuff football games in close to 30 cities across the nation. Across the nation, over $1 Million has been raised with about $190K coming from Buffalo alone! This year, a goal of $90K has been set and as daunting a task as that may seem, it's far from unrealistic. The original founders and co-chairs of BvB Buffalo have stepped down after building up something great to allow two new ladies to take the lead. Deanna Bednarz and Jenn Chodora are the new ladies in the spotlight after several years of playing and contributing as committee members of the organization. Jenn is an 8-year Jills alum with also a year on the Bandettes who I know will be an excellent leader after her years as a Jills captain. I don't know Deanna personally, but I am certain she will be an equally excellent co-chair for BvB because she's been working so hard for BvB and wouldn't have been made co-chair without everyone's faith and support.

Jills alumni Jenn, Tammy, Kim, Francine, and Maria

This year, there are currently 4 Jills alumni registered to play this year with 2 more registering in the next few days. All 6 have played in the past and while we support donating to any BvB member, you'll be able to donate directly to our Jills alumni by clicking their photos at the top of the page on http://buffaloprocheer.blogspot.com/
The Draft Party, held at the Forvm in Amherst, was put together to get the teams together to learn a little about what's expected and to introduce new recruits to the organization. In addition to a lot of proven veterans, there are going to be several brand new recruits playing this year as well.
You can see all the photos at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/32692 and you can learn more about the BvB at http://bvbbuffalo.com/
Also, stay tuned as more event dates are posted including a Kickoff Party/Bachelorette Auction which is usually held in August.