The Jills at the Bills-Ravens Game

After a loss in New Jersey at the hands of the Jets, the Bills returned home Sunday to face off against against the reigning Super Bowl Champions, the Baltimore Ravens. The last time the Bills faced and beat a reigning champ was in 1996 when they beat the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 10-7. On this sunny September day though, the Bills ended that 17-year drought behind solid running, some explosive plays, and a stifling defense that limited Ray Rice to 17 yards and intercepted Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco 5 times, including 2 apiece by S Aaron Williams, filling in at CB, and rookie LB Kiko Alonso, now the league leader in interceptions.

Stampede Row

Melissa, Hannah, and Christina

On promotions for the day, Jills ambassadors Janis and Gabrielle

Emmy and Allysha

Of course the fans played a part in the win as well with a lot of crowd noise, led by the Buffalo Jills. Even down a few girls, including a captain and her co-captain, they performed strong all game long. Emmy, Kelsey, and Katie managed things on their line pretty well with rookie Allysha probably having the smile of the game. As a photographer, girls who smile for the camera are a major plus as they make the job more rewarding and they present a positive image to the multitudes of fans viewing the photos. A number of girls have done a great job with that this season so far like Katrina, Katie, and Alyssa K but Allysha seemed to be the standout at yesterday's game. For proof of how positive this is...Jills alumni Valerie (2006-12) and Murissa (2008-11) were always among the most popular with the fans and the Bandettes' biggest camera ham, Stephanie O, has an NLL Girl of the Year award. So it's definitely appreciated by more than just me.
See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/33823

Hayley, Jenny, and Kayla

Shelby G, Kelsey, and Allysha

Omarlla getting Alyssa, Kayla, and Jenny in for costume change

Melissa, Kelsey, and Jayanti coming in for a costume change after 3rd quarter break

Alyssa K and Kayla

The Jills also did a little extra for the fans this week as, like they did 2 weeks ago, they did a Bandettes-esque costume change for their 3rd quarter break performance that they performed in the scoreboard endzone. It's definitely been a popular look with the fans and I know that the Bandettes have enjoyed doing many costume changes so one would think that the girls on the Jills are enjoying it as well.

Next up, the Jills will be back at home on October 13th when the Bills return to face the Cincinnati Bengals after this week's Thursday night matchup in Cleveland.

NFL Cheerleader Playoffs-revisited

In the summer of 2006, Six Flags New England was the site of a special competition put together by the NFL Network. Each NFL cheer-leading squad sent a pair of girls for a series of contests involving athletic ability, football knowledge, and dance ability. From the Jills, Omarlla and Aimee were the contestants and they were under a strict oath of secrecy as far as the results were concerned...which drove everyone crazy for months. The competition was a made-for-tv event put together for NFL Network by IMG and hosted by Matt Gallant with Ian Eagle, Carrie Milbank, and Cincinnati Bengals WR Chad Johnson as reporters. The 1st 2 events of each round were athletic competitions with the 3rd event a "Know Your NFL" segment testing the knowledge of the girls. The final event was a dance competition judged by Chad Johnson, choreographer Cris Judd, and former NFL Cheerleader Bonnie Jill-Laflin.

Aimee and Omarlla at Slick Willie's

The Jills with the NFL Network Cheerleaders

In mid-September, NFL Cheerleader Playoffs came to TV and, to celebrate the event, the Jills took a night off from practice and invaded Slick Willie's Billiard Hall and Sports Bar in Tonawanda for a viewing party with the fans. Prior to the show, some of the Jills put on a dance performance and Aimee and Omarlla conducted a trivia game using questions from the show with correct answers awarded prizes by the NFL Network Cheerleaders who were on hand for the event. The show itself wasn't that memorable as far as we were concerned in Buffalo. Tampa Bay's and Denver's cheerleaders took their matchup in the 1st round, sending the reps from the Jacksonville Roar and the DCC home. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/10339

Group pic before the show

In 3 weeks, it was time for another viewing party as Omarlla and Aimee were featured in week 4 and for that, the Jills took over Bada Bing on Chippewa on a Thursday night for the party. The party itself was a little more subdued with no dance performances but still a lot of fun was had in watching Omarlla and Aimee on tv. Jills alum (and future Jill as well) Kelly Ann (2003-04, 09) put in an appearance to support her former squadmates and rookie Ambassador Tamara showed off her design abilities with a Bills-themed top she made.

Brianne and Amanda P

During the show, you would've thought it was a gameday at the Ralph considering all the cheering everytime Aimee and Omarlla finished an event. Their 1st event was a 100-yard dash relay and after edging out their competition in the 1st heat, they smoked by the Texans cheerleaders to win the event and 50 points. The 2nd event was an aquatic relay which proved tricky. Prior to heading to New England for the competition over the summer, Omarlla couldn't swim. Knowing that swimming was a possibility in the competition, Aimee took Omarlla to her parents' backyard pool and taught her to swim before the competition. In the relay, Omarlla took the 1st leg and was in 3rd place when she handed off to Aimee, who then showed her swimming abilities in epic fashion. Despite starting in 3rd place, she was in the lead by the halfway mark and cruised to an easy victory in the event, garnering the pair another 50 points.

The 3 Musketeers of 2006-07, Jessica Z, Kaitlin B, and Valerie

The 3rd round event was more knowledge than anything. The object was to match all 32 team logos with the team names. 1 pair of girls got them all right with 3 seconds to spare. Aimee and Omarlla topped that by getting it done with 13 seconds to spare, garnering them another 100 points. At this point, they were already guaranteed a finish of at least 2nd place and a spot in the 1st round. The 4th and final round was a dance competition. After 2 squads tied for 1st with scores of 262, the Jills contingent once again topped everyone by taking a score of 264, even earning extra props from NFL WR Chad Johnson, one of the judges for the event. After the cheering died down at Bada Bing, I asked Omarlla "you were even giving the other squads a chance, were you?" Her response, accented by a cute smile, was "We just had to represent, yo." See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/10486
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the February game against the Rochester Knighthawks. In 2014, the Bandits host the reigning NLL Champs on January 25th and on April 26th. This photo was snapped during the 3rd quarter while Kirsten's line was performing a hot routine. Seen in this photo are Kirsten, Brianna A, Chrissy, Lauren K, and Chelsea.

Kirsten, Brianna A, Chrissy, Lauren K, and Chelsea

The 2006 Buffalo Jills Calendar Release Party-revisited

At the start of September 2006, it was time to really promote the Buffalo Jills Calendar which, in 2006-07, featured co-captain Nicole P on the cover. To do so, the Jills held their Calendar Release Party at the Marriott in Amherst, where they had held the Preliminary Audition Event in the spring.

Kaitlin B and Valerie

Eileen, Kelly, and Jessica D

2006 rookies Stephanie W, Hilary, Hannah, and Stefanie

Group shot!

To help celebrate the event, alumni, family members, and even FHM editor Sam Barclay were on hand. As a special treat, in addition to the customary dance performance by a half dozen of the squad's best dancers, Aimee and Keiyonna repeated their singing performances from the FHM Release Party with Aimee performing just before the swimsuit fashion show and Keiyonna performing afterwards.

Lori, Aimee, and Jessica Z

Kristen, Danielle, and Stefanie

Keiyonna starting her singing performance

The funniest part of the night, for me at least, was when Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner, asked me for a special favor involving posting something on my website for her. The stunning blonde who was getting a lot of looks at the opener when she was walking the sidelines only asked in jest but I'm sure I would've gotten a lot of inquisitive emails had I done what she joked about. The sweetest moments of the night were when Jessica D's mother asked me to get a photo of the poster where Jessica was pictured and then later in the night, just before everyone was leaving, we had a special set of newlyweds show up as Bandette Danielle and her husband stopped in after their reception.

Amanda with FHM editor Sam Barclay

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/11630

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the 2nd game against the Philadelphia Wings, the same team the Bandits open the season against on December 28th at First Niagara Center. In a photo taken in the 4th quarter, Kirsten is shown getting set to get her line dancing. Shown are Stephanie O, Kirsten, Brianna A, and Brianna V

Stephanie O, Kirsten, Brianna A, and Brianna V

A few Jills updates

Alyssa K, Hayley, and Emily

First up, CNN/SI has a few photos from last Sunday's game, courtesy AP photography Bill Wippert. Thanks to Sasha at UltimateCheerleaders.com for finding these. See them all at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/cheerleaders/photos/1309/nfl-cheerleaders-week-2/19/
Also, the Bills have a few handfuls of photos from the 1st 2 games up as well.

Jenny at the Home Opener

You can see the photos from the Opener at http://www.buffalobills.com/photos/photo-gallery/Jills-at-the-Home-Opener/c102df6b-92c0-4088-ba34-4cf6e29540c7#dd0e36ea-31ed-448f-ae23-381d975e2581

Emily and Melissa at the Panthers game

The photos from the Panthers game can be found at http://www.buffalobills.com/photos/photo-gallery/Jills-Week-2-Bills-vs-Panthers/fadf1bfc-90c2-4234-a64c-d6b2b668d656

Finally, as we found out at Jills tryouts last spring, dancer Katie B met Phil Hansen when she was a little girl and has been a diehard Bills fan ever since. Last weekend's special Wall of Fame ceremony gave her the chance to reconnect. See the story at http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/09/19/tbt-jill-katie-meets-hansen-again/ and see her video where she tells us about meeting Hansen at http://s73.photobucket.com/user/bjg1/media/2012%20Jills/KatieB.mp4.html

The Jills at the Bills-Panthers game

After an opening day loss to the Patriots, Bills fans still showed up to fill the lots and the stadium when the Bills played host to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. With Bills greats from several generations in town for alumni weekend and a special Wall of Fame ceremony scheduled at halftime, a lot of positive energy was in the stadium for the home team. Despite big plays all game long by Mario Williams, a shoo-in for NFL Defensive Player of the Week with 4 1/2 sacks, a franchise record, the Bills faced a 23-17 deficit with 98 seconds remaining. In previous years, the Bills may have fallen short, but rookie QB E.J. Manuel led the Bills down the field with a veteran-like presence. Heads up plays by captain Fred Jackson kept the drive going long enough for Manuel to connect with Stevie Johnson with the game-winning TD with 2 seconds remaining. That, combined with rookie LB's Kiko Alonso's sack on a delayed blitz on Carolina's final play, sent Bills fans home happy with a hard-fought win.

Emily, Alyssa K, Lisa, and Christina waiting to head out

The Bills have been playing short-handed for the last month and the Jills found out what that was like as well with some noteworthy absences from the sidelines. Lisa's line even went without captains at all with Lisa on limited duty and Lindsey out of action. Between 2nd year vets Emmy, Katie, and Kelsey though, they kept things running smoothly on that line all game long. After Emily was announced as the Jill of the Game, the day for the Jills went much the same as it usually did despite the absences.

Welcoming the Bills onto the field

Hayley and Katrina all smiles on the sideline

Katrina in action

Jenny

Hannah and Lisa coming out for halftime ceremony

Myesha leading the way out for the 2nd half

Megan, Hannah, and Melissa in action

Jenny, Kayla, and Alyssa K heading in for a costume change

Ashley C and Amber coming up the tunnel

There was one very notable change that happened during the game however. With 2 Bandettes alumnae on the squad, one would think that there would be some influences and that came about with the 3rd quarter break performance the Jills always put on. Through the years, except the Christmas game, the Jills stick with one outfit all game long, the only changes they'll make is adding or subtracting some gear based on the weather. Late in the 3rd quarter, the Jills went back to the locker room and came out in cutoffs and flannel shirts, an outfit seen on the Bandettes a few games a year. Needless to say, the fans loved it and were hopeful they'll get to see stuff like that more often.

Coming off the field after the 3rd quarter break in their cut-offs and flannels

Allysha flashes a pretty smile as she and Emmy exit the field

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/33620

Next up for the Jills, they'll be back at home on the 29th as the Bills play host to the reigning Super Bowl Champs in a sold-out matchup at the Ralph!

Jill of The Week schedule announced!

I finally got a copy of the Buffalo Jills 2013-14 calendar and, as usual, FCI did an outstanding job with the photos. With the calendar in hand, I'm finally able to put together the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog's Jill of The Week schedule because it's based completely off where the Jills appear in the calendar. Unlike the Bills' Jill of The Week series, which has only been a home game thing and only features a few of the girls, EVERY girl on the squad gets her week in the spotlight.  This brings me to a flaw I see in the calendar...there are 36 girls on the Jills squad this year, which is the smallest it's been in over a decade...but there are only 34 girls featured in the calendar. I'll leave it at that except to say that oversight won't be repeated here.
We'll be finishing up a few more look back posts to finish up the 2006 season before we start up the 2013-2014 Jill of The Week series. For those not in the loop about the series, it's a small way to give a spotlight to each individual girl on the squad because while they are part of a group, they're still individuals with different stories and every girl on the squad deserves a moment, or in this case a week, in the sun. So without further ado...

• 10/5-10/11 Christina
• 10/12-10/18 Hannah
• 10/19-10/25 Myesha
• 10/26-11/1 Amber
• 11/2-11/8 Lisa
• 11/9-11/15 Kelsey
• 11/16-11/22 Melissa B
• 11/23-11/29 Jennifer G
• 11/30-12/6 Dana
• 12/7-12/13 Emily
• 12/14-12/20 Lindsey
• 12/21-12/27 Jenny
• 12/28-1/3 Shelby H
• 1/4-1/10 Megan
• 1/11-1/17 Hayley
• 1/18-1/24 Kristina
• 1/25-1/31 Ashley P
• 2/1-2/7 Olivia
• 2/8-2/14 Alyssa K
• 2/15-2/21 Jhonnie
• 2/22-2/28 Janis
• 3/1-3/7 Allysha H
• 3/8-3/14 Katrina
• 3/15-3/21 Kayla
• 3/22-3/28 Alyssa A
• 3/29-4/4 Katie Ba
• 4/5-4/11 Jayanti
• 4/12-4/18 Taylor
• 4/19-4/25 Natalie
• 4/26-5/2 Katie B
• 5/3-5/9 Melissa M
• 5/10-5/16 Shelby G
• 5/17-5/23 Kaeleigh
• 5/24-5/30 Emmy
• 5/31-6/6 Gabrielle
• 6/7-6/13 Ashley C

Of course in regards to the calendar itself, if possible, buy from one of the girls on the squad. Being a Buffalo Jills cheerleader isn't really a high-paying job and they frequently spend more money than they take in. They do get a commission on every calendar they sell so buying direct from a Jill instead of the Bills store or the Jills site definitely helps them out.

Pics from the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes of Buffalo Game

For 5 years now, Sweet Home High School in Amherst has been home to the annual Blondes Vs Brunettes football game, a game put together by many, many beautiful women to help raise funds to fight Alzheimer's Disease. The movement started in Washington DC in 2005 and is now in over 35 cities nationwide! This year brought a big change to the BvB Buffalo chapter as founding co-chairs Kristin Crandall and Tracey Callisto stepped down to allow two new ladies to take over. Deanna Bednarz and Jenn Chodora (Buffalo Jills 1997-2004) wasted no time setting high expectations and set a goal of $90K to be raised in 2013. Before the game, BvB of Buffalo had raised over $77K, easily the highest amount it's raised in its 5-year history!

some of the Brunettes before the game

On a beautiful September day with temperatures in the high 50s (perfect football weather), the BvB organization faced off the Blondes versus the Brunettes in a battle to not only raise funds for Alzheimer's, but to prove football supremacy. So far, the series was 2-1-1 in favor of the Brunettes with the Blondes having won in 2012. This year, as it turned out, the series went to a tie with a 31-17 win by the Blondes and that was despite the Brunettes boasting Bills alumnus Gabe Northern as a coach.

Blonde TD!

Tammy taking off

Andre Reed talking with a player after signing an autograph

Julie lining up in coverage

Of course this blog is primarily about the ladies from the Pro Cheer ranks of Buffalo and, in addition to Jenn, who wore #12 while acting as a spotter in the press box, the Brunettes had Tammy (#10) (1994,95, 2002) and Julie L (#26)(1997-02) on the field for them with Tammy playing WR and Julie at CB. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/33506

Group photo!

Pics from the 4th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament-revisited

Continuing our look back series with the 2006 Jills, we come to the 4th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament, This was the 1st of these I've ever attended and wasn't sure what to expect. Basically what I was being asked to do was to roam around the tournament and take photos of the girls with the golfers. Obviously not all the golfers would want their photos taken, either because they had called off work to be there or their wives may not appreciate them spending the day on the golf course with beautiful young women.

Kristen and Diana with Jon and his buddy Joel

In 2006, the Golf Tourney was held at Fox Valley Country Club in Lancaster and began with lunch in the clubhouse. While the golfers were arriving, the Jills posed for some photos and sold raffle tickets for a 50-50 drawing and for Chinese Auction items donated by the Bills and several other businesses around western NY. After lunch, I walked around the course where there were pairs of Jills stationed at several holes to greet golfers and help them with games like the Poker Run, the Closest-to-the-pin contest, and the longest drive contest. While out at a hole with rookies Jessica D and Kaitlin B, one foursome came by with one of the Jills. Lori, back with the squad after a season away, wasn't there just as a Jill. She had also signed up to golf with some work friends and spent the day on the course doing some golfing as well as hitting a few trees.

Lori about to tee off

Jon's group with Katie, Jennifer, Danielle, Jamie F, and Korinne

My next stop had me joining 5 of the Jills at a nearby hole. Katie K, armed with a camera herself, was taking pics of golfers with Danielle M, Jennifer, Korinne, and Jamie F. It wasn't long before a golfer foursome came by, accompanied by the twins, Jenica and Jessica. Shortly after they showed up, one of the golfers asked the Jills to distract the guy in the blue shirt in the group behind them because he was catching up too quickly. Moments later, we saw who he was talking about, Jon Mateczun, the director's husband. Katie then pointed out to the golfer who Jon was and how he was immune to their charms since he was around them so much. My next stop was a hole where golfers would win a car if they got a hole-in-one from Shults Auto Group with Autumn and Rachael on hand. They were jokingly trying to talk the rep from Shults into letting them have the car if no one got a hole-in-one but to no avail. I roamed around a bit after that and even saw the twins trying their hand at golf before finally meeting up with Kelly, Brianne, and Jasmine. Talking to them, I found out that the best golfer on the course wasn't a paying golfer; it was Brianne. At the time, she was going to school, working, and fulfilling her Jills responsibilities in addition to hitting the links 2-3 times a week. When you consider she lived an hour and a half from the stadium, it's quite remarkable that she found the time to do all that.

Brianne could give Natalie Gulbis a run for her money, in beauty and golfing

I made one final stop before heading back to the clubhouse, a visit with rookie Ambassadors Tamara and Megan, who were watching the closest-to-the-pin contest and, shortly after a visit from Valerie and the group she was accompanying for the day, the contest was won. The winner was actually a part of the last group to go through so they offered us a ride back to the clubhouse where everyone was unwinding before dinner. I took a few pictures before grabbing a seat with 103.3 The Edge's Bull, Rich Gaenzler. He had purchased a lot of raffle tickets and while the prizes were being awarded, he was getting a little frustrated at not having won any. However, about halfway through the prizes being awarded, he started winning and he probably took home more raffle prizes than most anyone else, save perhaps Aimee's family. Like all Jills events, a dance performance was a part of the event and the special squad filled with some of the best dancers on the Jills did an outstanding job with a single rookie, Christina R, as a part of it. These days, Christina is the longest tenured vet on the Jills and odds are, the rookies must really look up to her. But all her hard work over the years got her to this point and it started way back in 2006. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/10034

Kaitlin M, Christina, Aimee, Jamie R, Nicole P, and Eileen

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the Bandits Home Opener vs the Swarm last January. Shown posing for a photo just prior to heading out to perform in 1st intermission are Danielle, Kelsey, Alicia, and Lauren K. The Bandits open the 2014 schedule on December 28th against the Philadelphia Wings at First Niagara Center. This weekend, the new 2014 Bandettes squad is selected and we'll soon find out which of these ladies will be returning as well as who will be joining them.

Danielle, Kelsey, Alicia, and Lauren K