The Jills at the Bills-Lions preseason game

For the last 11 years, the Bills and the Lions have met in the preseason and this year was no different as they once again faced off in their final game of the 2013 preseason, this year at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The added bonus of having the game in Buffalo is that the fans who attended the game got to see NFL cheerleaders performing, the only teams performing like it's regular season thus far. In Detroit, the Pride are still working towards getting to be named the Lions' official cheerleaders. Hopefully, that will be coming soon as cheerleaders can add a lot to an NFL team.

Kristina flashes her fantastic smile at the camera

After I made it into the stadium, with my older camera because the new one isn't working out as well just yet, I was able to take my seat and get into position for some photos of the Jills coming out through the tunnel. Announced as the Buffalo Jill of The Game was 3rd year vet Melissa, who's in her 1st season as a co-captain, assisting Christina on her line.

Megan finishes off the pregame with some tumbling

Lindsey, Myesha, and Alyssa K dancing in Stampede Row

Gabrielle and Katie pose with a fan

Hannah, Melissa M, and Kristina

One new thing this year, or at least for this game, is an extra big performance, with a 1st quarter break in addition to the 3rd quarter break.

Lisa, Natalie, Lindsey, and Emmy

Mel B, Jenny, and Alyssa K

Check out the rest of the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/32889

The Jills are next in action at their Calendar Release Party in Verona, NY Saturday night. For the Buffalo area. though, they'll be cheering on the Bills against the Patriots* on September 8th!

The 2006 Buffalo Jills Softball Game-revisited

Autumn, Rachael, Valerie, and Kaitlin B before everyone else arrived

The city of Lockport, NY holds an annual festival featuring, among other things, restaurants from the area and, for a time, held the event at Outwater Memorial Park, also home to a baseball diamond. Not wanting to let it go to waste, the organizers put together an annual softball game as part of the festival. A normal softball game may not be a big draw to get outside interest so the games featured the Buffalo Jills in the games and pitted them against Durf's Dollies. The Dollies were the volunteer fire department dressed in drag who lacked athleticism but made up for it in humor. When I arrived, I started looking around but was soon joined by Autumn and Rachael. We took a small tour of the Taste together on our way back to the ballpark, pausing to pick up a bag of kettle corn for Autumn's boyfriend. Shortly after making it to the baseball diamond, rookie Valerie showed up to join us. Several years later, it's hard to think of Val as a rookie but she was that year but I digress. Before long, more of the Jills showed up and they began a little practice while waiting for the opposition to show up. As they practiced, it was evident that the girls were serious ball players. Rachael was showing herself to be quite the pitcher and Danielle seemed to be about as good a fielder as many Buffalo Bisons players. Shortly after the last Jills players showed up, Jessica Z , Jennifer, and Megan, Durf's Dollies showed up in their fire truck.

Rachael the pitcher

JZ, Keiyonna, Jennifer, Autumn, Kaitlin B, Rachael, Danielle, and Megan

The Dollies catcher grabbing Keiyonna's bat

After some intros were done between the Dollies and the Jills, the game got going pretty quickly. It started off pretty relaxed and normal but before long, the Jills started grabbing a lead and the Dollies started their pranks. One prank they played, when Autumn was up to bat, was to switch the ball with a water balloon. She got quite the surprise when she hit what she thought would be a home run. The next few batters were a little leary about hitting the ball after that. Even with the pranks, the Jills still held a commanding lead late in the game so the Dollies pulled their biggest prank as, with runners on base, they got a good hit and proceeded to run around the bases...not just the runners on base and the batter, though. The entire team ran the bases, piling up 9 runs on that one hit. It obviously wasn't a legit game but it was all in fun and after the game, the girls posed for photos with the Dollies and the fire truck. See all the pics at  https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4744

Danielle coming off the field

Team photo at the firetruck

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the Bandits game against the Colorado Mammoth played in March. Prior to the game, the Bandettes were selling autographed lacrosse balls to raise money for their program. Bandettes were stationed just inside the gates as well as up on the 100 level at the top of the escalators. Shown posing for the camera are Amanda C and Lauren K. In a few weeks, we'll find out for sure if these young ladies will be returning and who will be joining them as tryouts take place on September 14th and 15th at Catalyst Fitness in Depew!

Amanda C and Lauren K

Make sure to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog and donate to Jenn, Tammy, Julie, Kim, or Maria. All 5 of these Buffalo Jills alumni are raising money for the Alzheimer's Association and getting set to play in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes game on September 14th.

Pics from the 2013 BvB Buffalo Kickoff Party and Bachelorette Auction

Desiree and Event coordinator Ali Barone, the 2 leading money-getters in the Auction

BvB Co-chairs Deanna and Jenn on-stage

The BvB Organization is closing in on their 5th annual game and their last big event before the big game is the annual Kickoff Party and Bachelorette Auction, held at Rendezvous The Nightclub at the beautiful Statler building in downtown Buffalo. As beautiful as the Statler normally is, it was far more beautiful with all the lovely ladies on hand for this event, many of them playing in the 5th Annual game in September. The whole purpose of the BvB is to raise funds to help combat Alzheimer's Disease and to help raise some large amounts of money, a Bachelorette Auction was introduced as a part of the Kickoff Party 2 years ago. This year, the 3rd Bachelorette Auction, the ladies involved put together a lot of impressive date packages to be auctioned off with retail values reaching over $3000.

Danielle and her friend Christina. This is Danielle's 1st year not playing and she still looks like she should be on a calendar cover like she was in 2002

Bachelorette Sarah comes onstage

Desiree waves to the camera

Bachelorette Lauren on stage with Bills alum Jeff Nixon looking on

This year's Bachelorette Auction had a special feature as the Bachelorettes were escorted to the stage by Buffalo Bills alumni. Jeff Nixon, Lou Piccone, Mark Brammer, and Hilton Crawford were on hand to escort the ladies onto the stage and seemed to be enjoying the event as much as anyone. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/32826
Next up, after several more practices, is the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes football game on September 14th at Sweet Home High School in Amherst. The game starts at 2pm and your $25 ticket also gets you into the Victory Party following the game. Learn more about the BvB at http://bvbbuffalo.com/

The Jills at the 2006 Buffalo Jills Congratulatory Party-revisited

Aimee, Natale, Lori, Diana, Kaitlin B, and Nicole P

This was a cool event that the Jills used to have that gave the fans a chance to meet the new squad and vice versa. It was generally held a few weeks after tryouts and included raffles to help raise money for the girls and some dance performances as well.

Jessica K, Brianne, and Jenica

In 2006, the Jills Congrats Party happened to be held the same night as a Bandits home game against the Rochester Knighthawks. In the 4th quarter, with the game well in hand, I jetted out and made my way up to Chippewa where the Jills were just starting their Congratulatory Party at the Crocodile Bar, where Noir Ultra Lounge now stands. I made it there at about a quarter to 10, when the event was to open to the public, with VIP access only before 10. I was only out front a minute or so when Nichole saw me and brought me inside where rookies and vets mingled with each other and with Bills LB Josh Stamer and CB Terrence McGee. When I made my way in, the Jills director was on stage just about to make a special announcement. The previous year, FHM Magazine's US edition featured a Jill as part of their NFL Preview issue alongside some girls from other squads. For a second straight year, a Jills 2nd year vet got featured in the magazine as Amanda P was announced as landing in the magazine for the 2006 NFL Preview issue.

Jessica D, Josh Stamer, and Jasmine

Also on hand for the event were Jills alumni Melissa and Danielle H as well as Tiffany, a former Buffalo Bombshells cheerleader who cheered alongside Lori with the Buffalo Rush. Besides bringing along Tiffany, Lori brought something else...a Buffalo Rush Swimsuit Calendar that she gave me to share with the fans. I scanned the calendar pics in and uploaded them to http://s73.photobucket.com/albums/i237/bjg1/Rush%20swimsuit%20pics/

Terrence McGee with Tiffany and Lori

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4687

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the March game against the Philadelphia Wings. One of the biggest sports fans to have been a Bandette was Ashley V, who's a huge Bills fan as well as a big Bandits fan. Here she is posing for a photo with some of the 2013 squad, including 2 former squadmates. Shown posing for the camera are Danielle, Brianna A, Ashley, Chelsea, and Lauren K.

Danielle, Brianna A, Ashley, Chelsea, and Lauren K

Tryouts for the 2014 Buffalo Bandettes are going on September 14th and 15th at Catalyst Fitness.
Make sure to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog and donate to Jenn, Tammy, Julie, Kim, or Maria. All 5 of these ladies are raising money for the Alzheimer's Association and getting set to play in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes game on September 14th.

Jills site updated!

The Buffalo Jills website now is updated with bios and photos of the now 31-girl squad. You can check it out at http://buffalojills.com/roster.php There are a lot of brand new faces...only 8 girls returning from the 2011 squad with 4 returning from 2010. 16 rookies and 7 2nd year vets make for a lot of change.
There are more updates to do...I know there's at least one rookie whose bio page isn't posted.

Also, there is a Calendar Release Party scheduled for Saturday, August 31 at Lava Nightclub at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, NY. See the squad model the swimwear they wore in the 2013-14 Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendar. The calendar should be out about that time and while you can get them at the Bills store, it's highly recommended you buy direct from one of your favorite Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders. It's not a well-known fact but the Jills don't get paid for practices or gamedays. They make some money on some appearances they do and get a commission on every calendar they sell so these young ladies would definitely appreciate you buying from them directly.

The Jills at the 2013 Kid's Day Game

Emily's line coming out for the game

It's once again football season and in Buffalo, that means the Buffalo Jills are finally in action on the sidelines of Ralph Wilson Stadium and there are a lot of changes this season with the squad. Omarlla has retired after a record-setting career and the squad is significantly smaller this year after a small turnout at tryouts this past spring. Christina, in her 8th season, is the longest tenured vet with Lisa, at 7 seasons, the only other girl with more than 4 seasons. As a matter of fact, there are a total of only 8 girls with even 3 seasons on the roster. Out of those 8, 6 make up the captain and co-captains of dance with Christina and Melissa, Lisa and Lindsey, and Emily and Jenny each leading dance lines.
This preseason started out with a win in Indy and the Bills returned home to face off against the Minnesota Vikings in the annual Kid's Day game which featured a big festival in Lot C before the game and the Jr Jills cheerleaders joining the Jills for a pregame routine. Included in the Jr Jills was a young lady who was featured on WKBW-TV the other day by the name of Emily Klima. The Celebrity Child for the Variety Club, Emily's main goal is to be able to walk independently one day and seemed to have a blast as she was part of the Jr Jills at last night's game. See her story at http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/Friday-night-Emily-Klima-will-join-the--the-Jr-Buffalo-Jills-219857601.html

One of the Jills (Jenny or Alyssa K?) carrying Emily to dance

Forming Stampede Row

Mel B, Alyssa K, Kayla, and Jenny

Melissa, Hannah D, and Christina

Christina's line

Lisa's line late in the game

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/32726

My apologies on the lower number of photos than in past years. The new NFL rules make it more difficult to bring in a full-size camera safely and I'm still getting used to the new camera I bought which is higher-powered but compact. Rest assured, a lot of high quality photos will be taken of the 2013 Buffalo Jills all season long. Also, check out http://fciphotography.smugmug.com/Buffalo-Junior-Jills-2010/Game-day-2013 where my friends at FCI Photography have a lot of outstanding field level photos of the Jills and Jr Jills from pregame and the 1st half of the game.

The Jills will be next in action on August 29th as the Bills host the Detroit Lions in the final game of the preseason before the season starts the following week! Be sure to check https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics for pics of all your favorite Jills at the games. Rookies will be getting their own albums as they are identified. With the calendar still in production and the official Jills website still woefully in need of updating, it may be some time before all the rookies get the proper credit they deserve.

The 2006 Buffalo Jills tryouts-revisited

Aimee and Omarlla  suited up to help teach

Starting off our look at the 2006 Buffalo Jills, we come to tryouts. This was my 1st time attending tryouts and truthfully wasn't sure what to expect. I started off with the workshop which has never been open to the public. At the Open Workshop, young ladies interested in trying out for the Jills will come and learn about the requirements and, if trying out for dance, learn a routine to perform at 1st cuts. There were some big changes in store for 2006 as Nichole transitioned from captain to a new coordinator role in management. To fill her slot as captain, her co-captain from 2005, Aimee, stepped up and started off at the workshop by helping demonstrate the tryout routine with Omarlla and Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner to a remix of Rihanna's "SOS." Tryout season is both exciting and saddening, On one hand, you have several dozen young ladies who could be new rookies on the squad showing off what they got by learning at tryouts. On the other, you've got the realization that some girls won't be returning, most by choice but some not. One of those who chose to retire was 2-year vet Melissa, who instead helped out with check-ins at the workshop.

Jills Ambassador captain Kelly with Melissa

Incidentally, Melissa only took the 2006 season off and returned in 2007. She wound up spending the 2006 season touring the US with a Disney On Ice tour.  See all the workshop pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/1605

Natale and Lori with Brandi, who didn't make it in 06 but came back in 08 and became a valued Ambassador

1st cuts the following week was an interesting time. Judging the tryouts were, in addition to Jills management, Sam Barclay of FHM Magazine and JP Losman and Coy Wire of the Buffalo Bills along with Coy's girlfriend, a working model. When I arrived, I saw faces from the week before as well as a pair of familiar faces that I hadn't seen...Natale and Lori, who had been with the squad in 2004 but had taken 2005 off. I had met Natale a few times in her earlier stint on the squad, which lasted from 2002-2004, and Lori had spent the 2005 season as a member of the Buffalo Rush Cheerleaders, cheering on the Buffalo Rapids basketball team alongside several other former Buffalo Bombshells cheerleaders. While waiting for tryouts to start, I got a special treat and got to see something I'd start seeing several times over the next few years. I had mentioned in the past that Autumn and Rachael were pretty close friends and when they decided to try out together in 2006, they got matching outfits.

Rachael and Autumn in their matching outfits

When tryouts actually got going, I shut off the camera and took a spot behind the judges to watch the auditions. The girls came out into the room in pairs to show off their mastery of the routine. After they performed, they were invited to demonstrate any tumbling ability they might have. Kaitlin M, trying to become a 2nd year vet, was one of those who did some tumbling. Actually, she showed off some incredible tumbling ability as she did backflips from one side of the room to the other. A few of us held our breaths as she got close to the wall, hoping she'd stop in time. She did.

About halfway through the dance auditions, we took a break and the captains, who had been in the other room with all the hopefuls, came and joined JP, Coy, his gf, and myself in a break area that was set up with food and drink to relax for a bit before we all went back to work. The biggest things to note for the rest of dance tryouts was a double-take that many of us did when a certain pair of aspiring rookies came in to perform....identical twins Jenica and Jessica...and 1 Jills vet performing 3 separate times. 1 girl had left tryouts after signing in and Keiyonna accompanied the girl she was slated to accompany. Also, there were an uneven number of girls registered and Keiyonna again performed, accompanying the final girl.

Kristen, who had left the 2005 squad early before returning in 2006, and Lisa

After dance tryouts were done and all the dancers left, the ambassador hopefuls came in and were ushered into the main room 5 at a time where they introduced themselves and showed off their physique to the judges, which no longer included JP, Coy, and Coy's girlfriend. Nichole and I did a double-take as 1 of the last girls to introduce herself was a rookie squadmate of hers, who had done some modeling and colored her hair since her last time on the squad. After introductions were done and some eliminations were made, the girls were interviewed one at a time. I only observed the 1st interview before joining the captains, an alum who was assisting with tryouts that day, and the rest of the prospective ambassadors. Over the years since then, there have been a few girls at tryouts who stood out enough to me that I could tell they just had to make the squad because of their beauty, poise, and personality. When I went back to the waiting room to join the others, one aspiring rookie was having a conversation with the alum that was helping out and that aspiring rookie was Jessica D. Obviously she made the squad and was an exceptional Jill during her time on the squad. After she left a couple years later, she had several modeling jobs and even landed the cover of the 2010-2011 Bikini USA Swimsuit Calendar.
See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4665

From the Bandettes comes this photo from the January game against the Philadelphia Wings. Shown posing for a photo just before heading out for the halftime performance are LB and MaKenzie. Tryouts for the 2014 Buffalo Bandettes are going on September 14th and 15th at Catalyst Fitness.

LB and MaKenzie

Make sure to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog and donate to Jenn, Tammy, Julie, Kim, or Maria. All 5 of these ladies are raising money for the Alzheimer's Association and getting set to play in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes game on September 14th. Don't forget that the BvB Kickoff Party is August 23rd and the Bachelorette Auction includes one package put together by Jills alum Desiree (2005).

Interview with Buffalo Jills cheerleader, Lisa

Jennifer Mobilia, a news anchor in Providence, RI, is a huge Bills fan and a writer for BillsMafia.com. Originally from Western NY, she did an interview with 7th year vet Lisa.

Lisa, who’s in her seventh season with the Jills, was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule to chat with us.

In full disclosure, I personally know Lisa so I’m a little biased… but I think you’ll agree with me she’s just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside and out on the field.

Jennifer: What made you want to try out for the team?

Lisa: I’ve been a Bills fan since the day I was born. I was a season ticket holder for a couple years before auditioning and always looked forward to watching the Jills perform.
Read the rest of the interview at http://billsmafia.com/2013/08/14/interview-with-buffalo-jills-cheerleader-lisa/

The Jills at the 2006 Preliminary Audition Event-revisited

This look-back feature focuses on a trial event held prior to 2006 tryouts that was meant to spark some extra interest in tryouts. To accomplish this, the Jills invaded the Marriott in Amherst for an evening of dancing and a little contest. A few weeks prior, the Bandettes helped run the Cheer For A Cure competition at the Flickinger Center downtown. One of the squads in that competition happened to be coached by one of the Jills. During a break in the action at the competition, I got a chance to talk to her, Amanda W, who was pretty excited to know I'd be at tryouts and also told me she was just about to celebrate her 21st birthday. At the event, she hadn't seen me at first so I tapped her on the shoulder and asked her if she was old enough to be there, which of course brought out the biggest smile.

Amanda W, Elizabeth, and Kelly

For most of the event, it was like a typical night out. The girls danced, mingled, and partied like any night out. If not for the name tags, you wouldn't have known they were Jills. It wasn't just a regular night out however and the new events dance squad of Jamie R, Amanda P, Omarlla, Kaitlin M, Eileen, and Aimee performed in uniform to "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'."

Jamie R, Amanda P, Omarlla, Kaitlin M, Eileen, and Aimee

Before their performance however, it was time for a contest and what this contest entailed was to get some girls who were thinking about trying out for the Jills to dance on stage and be judged. They took 6 girls for the contest and in addition to having them perform, interviewed them in front of everyone with Rich "Bull" Gaenzler doing the honors. When all was said and done, two girls each named Jen made the cut, which meant they'd get extra consideration at 1st cuts in tryouts.

Danielle giving the contestants some support

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4590

2005 Moulds Show and Toy Town-revisited

This look-back post features 2 appearances, with Autumn at the Eric Moulds Show and with Kelly and Kaitlin at the Toy Town opening of the Jills exhibit.

Autumn with Eric Moulds

In 2005, Bills WR Eric Moulds had a tv show talking about the previous game as well as looking forward to the upcoming game. He and co-host Jim Brinson taped it at various locations around Western NY on Monday nights and the public was invited to come and watch. As a part of the show, a Buffalo Jill or two were on hand to help with the fans and the promotions. For me, making it to one of those tapings was usually difficult with my work schedule but the final taping worked out for me and a friend to attend. For this showing, rookie redhead Autumn was on hand on her own. After she showed up, we talked a bit and she told me that when she got asked to do the show, she had asked Rachael to join her but Rachael had left her uniform locked up at school over winter break. Brinson then visited with fans for a few minutes before the show began. After the taping, which included an appearance by Buffalo heavyweight boxer Baby Joe Mesi, Eric and Baby Joe signed autographs and took pictures with the fans. Both were more than happy to pose for photos with Autumn. Brinson was ecstatic himself. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/11623

Baby Joe Mesi with Autumn

Kaitlin and Kelly with some of the Jills display

The second part of this post looks back at the opening of the temporary Buffalo Jills exhibit at the Toy Town museum in East Aurora. Fisher-Price, one of the largest toy makers in the world, is based in East Aurora, NY and up until a few years ago, had a museum dedicated to celebrating Western NY's toy-making heritage. (The museum is currently closed and seeking a new home). In the fall of 2005, they opened a temporary exhibit dedicated to the Buffalo Bills. To add to it, on January 14, 2006, they opened a temporary Buffalo Jills exhibit. For the exhibit, Buffalo Jills and Buffalo Bills cheerleaders (they weren't known as the Jills until 1967) from throughout the years offered up some of their own memorabilia to display in the form of uniforms, pom-poms, photographs, calendars, and several other items. As part of the opening of the exhibit, then current-Jills Kaitlin M and Kelly were on hand to help out and pose for photos.

Kelly and Kaitlin with some of the original Buffalo Bills Cheerleaders

While there, we met some ladies who cheered in the 1st Buffalo Bills season as Buffalo Bills Cheerleaders and heard some stories from a lady who cheered in 1977. She told us how the Jills had gotten national attention back then and were only overshadowed by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. The girls on the squad had wanted to actually compete against then in a cheering competition but their director nixed the idea. I wonder what she thought when the Jills beat the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders in an online poll to be named top squad in the NFL in 2011.

1989 calendar

I got some time with Kelly and Kaitlin and we did some searching through the memorabilia that was brought by the Jills alumni and even found a calendar from the late 80s. I also told Kaitlin that I'd be at tryouts that spring, a bit of news that excited her and she even jokingly asked me to help her out with making the squad. How, I won't say as that's privileged info but this event, though small, was one of the funner events I've had the privilege of covering. I got to hear some stories, see some great memorabilia, and spend some time with 2 of my favorite all-time Jills in Kelly and Kaitlin. Besides their obvious beauty, they were about as fun to spend time with as anyone. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/11608

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the season finale against the Rochester Knighthawks. One of the toughest things about what I do is when the end of the season comes and I don't get to snap beautiful photos of these hard-working young ladies for several more months, assuming they come back to the squad. Shown in this photo is stunning rookie redhead Danielle.

Danielle

Make sure to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog and donate to Jenn, Tammy, Julie, Kim, or Maria. All 5 of these ladies are raising money for the Alzheimer's Association and getting set to play in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes game on September 14th. Don't forget that the BvB Kickoff Party is August 23rd and the Bachelorette Auction includes one package put together by Jills alum Desiree (2005).

The Jills at the 2005 Animal Attraction Tailgate-revisited

Continuing on our look at the events of Dec 3rd, 2005, we come to the Animal Attraction Tailgate Event. At the time, AnimalAttraction.com was a fledgling dating website for pet lovers. To spur interest and attention, they hosted "tailgate parties" in various cities around the NFL complete with NFL Cheerleaders and their pets. To advertise the Buffalo event, rookies Amanda W, Krystalore, and Marissa G submitted photos with their pampered pooches.

Melissa and Autumn with Daisy and Dakota

In Buffalo, the event was held at Pearl Street Grill and Brewery and as I drove past to get a parking spot, I spotted Autumn outside trying to figure out where to go. After I got parked, I joined up with her and went ahead inside to find out that the event was taking place on the 3rd floor. As Autumn and Dakota headed in, I spotted Marissa coming over with her two rottweilers, Rocky and Beretta. I made sure to let Marissa and her mother know where to go and then caught up with Autumn. Unfortunately, Dakota was being a little difficult when it came to walking up the stairs and things only got worse once Rocky and Beretta came into view as Dakota lay down on the landing between the 2nd and 3rd floors. We tried to coax Dakota up the final flight of stairs and even Marissa pulling Rocky and Beretta into hiding did no good. Since none of that was working, I did the only thing left and lifted Dakota, a medium-sized dog, up into my arms and carried him up the final flight of stairs. After we got up there, he was fine, even after Marissa brought her two rottweilers up.

Marissa with Rocky and Beretta

Danielle and Katie

Ashlee and Frado

After we were all there, we mingled with a few fans, the director of Animal Attraction, and the dogs that the other girls brought along. Since it was a tailgate party, food was provided as well, in both people and dog varieties. I spent some time talking with Brittany's boyfriend, now-husband, over there. At first, the event didn't have a whole lot of attendance but with the Bandits Open Practice going on that morning, that was soon to change. A lot of Bandits fans, upon coming over to the post-practice party on the 2nd floor of Pearl Street, heard about what was going on upstairs and joined us. The director of the Bandettes, Erin J, even made her way up to join us, being a former Pro Bowl Buffalo Jill (1998-2002) herself and was joined by Jills alum Michelle M (1998-2000). With all the turnover on the squad since she last cheered, I was the only person Erin recognized at the event. As a matter of fact, 2nd year vet Melissa was the only vet there.

Brittany and Bentley

• Melissa brought her dog Daisy
• Autumn had Dakota
• Brittany brought along her boyfriend Dan and her dog Bentley
• Ashlee and her mother brought along Frado, dressed in a Santa outfit
• Marissa and her mother were taken there by rottweilers Rocky and Beretta
• Danielle M and Katie K were on hand without pets.

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/11488

Danielle, Katie, Melissa, Erin J, Michelle M, Autumn, Ashlee, Marissa, and Brittany