Bandette of The Week Ashley

This week, we take a look at 4th year vet Ashley as our Bandette of The Week. Handling promotional duties on gamedays,  a role she led at the start when it began in 2012, Ashley's back after a season away from the squad. Technically, she was only away from the squad on an official basis as, even though she retired following the 2012 season, she was still in attendance for most every game. She's one of the easiest girls to get along with that I know. Even though the stereotype of cheerleaders being stuck up has been dis-proven hundreds of times, Ashley's probably about as far from that stereotype as anyone else could be. She's great at cheering people up and the type of person people just naturally gravitate toward. Besides being a pretty redhead who's easy to get along with, Ashley is a huge Buffalo sports fan and is a regular at Bills games as well as Bandits games. I even ran into her in Cleveland last October for the Bills game there. She even wound up on the Jumbotron at a Bills game once a few years back when she won a seat upgrade! You can see all of Ashley's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/890 Ashley's secondary pic comes from the 2nd game against the Wings. I grabbed this photo prior to the 3rd intermission performance. Posing for the shot are LB, Stephanie, Ashley, and Chelsea...with Kirsten photo-bombing the shot in the back there...lol.

L.B., Stephanie, Ashley, and Chelsea with Kirsten in the back

Buffalo Jill of The Week Allysha

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Allysha as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Performing on one end of Lisa's line next to Kelsey, Allysha was probably the most camera-friendly of the rookies on the squad this past fall, flashing her pretty smile on a regular basis for the fans. The most important job an NFL cheerleader does is PR and by being outgoing for the fans the way Allysha was in 2013, she does the job exceptionally well. Currently, she's working to become a nurse practitioner and looking to join other beauties from the Jills and the Bandettes in the nursing field. With Allysha, Myesha, and several girls who have retired from the spotlight within the last few years in nursing or going into nursing, Buffalo is definitely the best place to spend time in the hospital. A few girls over the years have made a name for themselves with their tumbling ability and apparently Allysha and her sister Shelby can even do a double cartwheel together. Back  in 2010, tumblers Jill E and Michelle did a "Flips For Tips" thing at the Jills Golf Tournament and it got a lot of positive feedback. Something tells me that Allysha and Shelby performing together would get a lot of similar response. See all of Allysha's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics/65467 Allysha's secondary photo comes from the Ravens game and was taken while the squad was coming out for the second half. Shown coming out of the tunnel are Shelby G, Kelsey, and Allysha.

Shelby G, Kelsey, and Allysha

 

More from the Bandettes

I haven't been the only one getting pics of the Bandettes this season as AP photographer Bill Wippert gets some shots each game of the girls as they perform at midfield. They get uploaded to the Bandits Flickr account and shared on Bandits.com

LB and Chrissy at the Opener

See more from the Opener vs Philly at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/sets/72157639138681524/

Stephanie, Danielle, and Janelle at the 1/10 Rock game

See more from the January 10 game vs the Rock at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/sets/72157639637619745/

Cheri and Brianna at the Knighthawks game

See more from the Knighthawks game at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/sets/72157640164257393/

Kirsten, Janelle, Lauren, and Mandy at the 2/1 game vs Toronto

See his photos from the 2/1 game vs Toronto at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/sets/72157640398440856/

Stephanie, Lauren, Amanda, Chrissy, and Kirsten at the Philly game on 2/15

And last but not least, the pics from last weekend's game vs Philly can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/sets/72157641040378794/















They've been pretty good about getting them up quickly so we'll be sure to add the links to the albums along with our own photos after each game.

Bandette of The Week Brianna

This week, we look at beautiful brunette Brianna as our Bandette of The Week. Dancing on Kirsten's line on gamedays, Brianna is a future businesswoman who loves helping others. One look at Brianna and you wouldn't and couldn't guess that people thought she was a nerd in high school who's had a penchant for tardiness. Both of those seem to be disappearing, though. She's definitely no nerd. She may still be just as intelligent as she was in high school if not more so but how anyone could say that anyone with the beauty of Lea Michelle and the athleticism and talent it takes to be a 2nd year Bandette is anything but well-rounded is beyond me. As far as the tardiness, with all the requirements as a Bandette, punctuality is a pretty big deal and seeing as she's in her 2nd season on the squad, she can't be late as much as she thinks! She still has hopes of becoming a California girl, and while she definitely would fit in with David Lee Roth's iconic song, we're still hopeful that dancing on the Bandettes and getting to have Mighty Taco keeps her here at least a few more years.! You can see all of Brianna's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/23175 Brianna's secondary pic comes from the opener against the Philadelphia Wings and was taken at halftime just before the squad went out to perform. Shown posing for a photo are Jessica and Brianna.

Jessica and Brianna

Buffalo Jill of The Week Janis

This week, we take a look at rookie Ambassador Janis as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. A chaplain's assistant at the Niagara Falls Air Base, Janis already spent time traveling around the world before she joined the Jills, including Africa. She also has family in the Philippines where her parents are from and has plans to visit there in the future to help build an orphanage, a school, and a church one day. She has a degree in nursing that she earned in San Diego and one in business administration from a college in Missouri but it's her job in the USAF that drives her most of all. Part of being a Jill means supporting charities and many of the girls wind up having a favorite or two when all is said and done. Janis already had hers before joining the squad and that's to aid, support, and visit ministries all over the world but especially http://www.missiontothefatherless.org/  in Kenya You can see all of Janis's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics/67458 Janis's secondary photo comes from the Bills-Ravens game and was taken at the end of the game. Shown coming off the field are Janis and Gabrielle.

Janis and Gabrielle

The Bandettes at the Bandits-Wings Game

After a loss in Rochester last week, the Bandits returned home to First Niagara Center to face off against the only team to have beaten them at home this season, the Philadelphia Wings who pulled off a 17-13 win in the season opener. The Bandits did get a measure of revenge in beating Philly in THEIR home opener a couple of weeks later but this was the chance to take the season series in the 3rd and final game of the regular season. Not wanting there to be any doubt who the better team was, the Bandits took an early lead and never looked back, led by the stellar goaltending of Anthony Cosmo, they pulled out a 13-7 win that wasn't as close as that score indicated. The strong play on both ends of the floor by the Bandits showed there was no hangover from last week's loss. The only issue to worry about now is the schedule. With the next two weeks off, the next game not taking place until March 8, Buffalo just has to hope the downtime doesn't break the momentum of the strong 6-2 season so far.

L.B.'s line posing for a Valentine's Day card

Kirsten's line and Erin posing for a photo in their matching shirts

I got to the arena in plenty of time to see the girls before they headed in to get ready for the game, visiting with Ashley and Lauren briefly downstairs before checking in with L.B.'s line and with Kirsten's line, grabbing a few photos before heading down to the game. With Ashley coming up as Bandette of The Week in a couple of weeks, I had to make a special request to get her to pose for a pic during the game, and I got her pal Chelsea to help with that. With Kirsten's line, I made sure to check in with Mandy and with Stephanie because of their Bandette of the Week write-ups..since there was a lot of great feedback on each of them.

Kelsey, LB, Cheri, Brianna, Mandy, and Lauren

performing during pregame

After my buddy and I got to our seats, we got some time to relax and see some of the shoot-around before the Bandettes came out to first, pose for pics as Kelsey got the ball rolling in getting some shots taken, and to perform for the fans.

Mandy and Chrissy

Stephanie and Kirsten

Mandy, Chrissy, and MaKenzie

Amanda and Kelsey

Kirsten photobombing a pic of LB, Stephanie, Ashley, and Chelsea

Chrissy cheering on a goal

Mandy, Chrissy, and Stephanie

What isn't widely known is that, when video is shot of the Bandettes performing, it's not a random selection. Besides grabbing a few photos, when I visit with the lines before the game, the captains let me know which dances are new or otherwise important. Usually they're on the same page on them but while they agreed on one of the dances last night, there was a disagreement on the other. To make sure everyone was happy, I filled both requests. When you consider how much joy the Bandettes bring to fans of all ages, they deserve some in return. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/7102

Next up, the Bandits and Bandettes have a couple weeks off from game action before returning to action March 8 when the Minnesota Swarm comes to Buffalo for the 1st of 3 games this season.

BEATING CANCER AND CHEERING FOR THE CAUSE – REFLECTING AT VALENTINE’S DAY

Our contributor and author of today’s special Friday feature is Alumni Cheerleaders member, Elizabeth Morgan.  (Former Buffalo Jills, CFL Hamilton Tiger Cats Cheerleader, and CFL Toronto Argonauts Cheerleader)
As February 14th draws near, we find pink and red hearts, candies and cards everywhere.  Valentine’s Day is a holiday about love and about life.  This heartfelt occasion brings to mind another well-loved event that I had the privilege to participate in with some fellow Alumni Cheerleaders north of the border last fall.  On October 24th, 2013, the CFL Toronto Argonauts Alumni Cheerleaders took the field for our annual “pink” game half-time show, in honor of breast cancer awareness.  Over 100 talented cheerleaders from five decades commit to performing their very best together on this special annual “pink” game day.
Read the whole article from AlumniCheerleaders.com at http://www.alumnicheerleaders.com/profiles/blogs/beating-cancer-and-cheering-for-the-cause-reflecting-at-valentine

Bandette of The Week Stephanie

This week, we take a look at 3rd year vet Stephanie as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. With a personality as sweet as her smile, Stephanie's had a pretty solid career thus far. In her rookie season, she made her mark in a couple of different ways. First off, she took after her squadmate Chelsea in being a serious camera ham, a definite plus for a photographer. Secondly, ILIndoor.com ran weekly polls pitting some of the top dancers in the NLL against one another and when the dust all cleared, Stephanie had won the NLL Girl of The Year Championship at the end of the year. She hasn't rested on that accomplishment however. Last season, at the Bandits Open Practice, she made a point to introduce Danielle to the fans through my camera lens, something which Danielle turned around and did for Mandy this year. The fact that she made a mark for herself on the Bandettes was probably pre-destined...when she was younger, she was coached in dance and cheer by Bandettes alumnae Meghan and Beth. They were both dancing on the Bandettes when the team last won an NLL Title, something Stephanie is hoping to get to do in just a few months. See all of Stephanie's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/16962 Stephanie's secondary pic comes from the Bandits Home Opener against the Philadelphia Wings. Some of the squad posed for photos prior to heading out for their halftime performance. Shown posing for a pic are Kirsten, Stephanie, and Lauren K.

Kirsten, Stephanie, and Lauren K

Buffalo Jill of The Week Jhonnie

This week, we take a look at rookie Jhonnie as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Originally from Atlanta, Jhonnie moved to Buffalo to finish her communications degree and loves the way she's been treated here. Despite her gorgeous figure, she loves to eat...so she must have a high metabolism in addition to working out a lot. She's not your typical "take me to dinner" girl...when it comes to dating, she prefers doing something more active like jet-skiing or horseback riding. That being said, she does enjoy reality tv, especially the Real Housewives series. With her love of adventure and reality tv, one has to wonder if she was glued to The Amazing Race last year when Jills alum Katherine was on with her husband Max like many of us were. You can read more about Jhonnie at http://www.buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=97

News from the Jills and a Bandettes update!

First up, as we all should know by now, Emily, a 4th year vet for the Buffalo Jills, spent some time in Hawaii recently as the Jills' well-deserving representative to the Pro Bowl. As usual, Pro Bowl Dan was on hand getting lots of great pictures of all the cheerleaders there, some of which can be found on UltimateCheerleaders.com
We have some of his pics of Emily here.

I have to admit, it's going to be sad not seeing her beauty on the sidelines in 2014...seems only yesterday when she was celebrating her 19th birthday at the Jills Open Practice her rookie season as seen in this pic from that day with Jacki and Jill.

Jacki, Emily, and Jill

Last year, Emily spent the Super Bowl in Japan. This year, Christina, in her 8th and final season on the Jills, jetted off to Alaska to Clear Air Force Station and Fort Wainwright as a member of the ProTour Productions All-Stars.

Christina and other NFL Cheerleaders at Clear Air Force Station

Christina with Eddie Kenison. a Falcons Cheerleader, a fan, and the Falcons mascot at Ft Wainwright

Learn more about ProTour Productions and see more pics at https://www.facebook.com/protourproductions
Lastly from the Jills, audition info for the 2014 squad is now posted with optional dance prep classes on February 23 and March 9th at Fusion Dance Studio. Both classes start at noon and cost $25.
Other important dates are as follows

• Open Workshop Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 at 8:30pm at Catalyst Fitness, 770 Wehrle Dr. Williamsville, NY
• Optional Workshop Thursday, April 10th, 8:30pm at Catalyst Fitness, 770 Wehrle Dr. Williamsville, NY
• 1st cuts Saturday, April 12th beginning at 9:00 am at Iroquois High School, 2111 Girdle Rd. Elma, NY 14059

Further dates will be posted on the Jills' website. Get full details at http://www.buffalojills.com/news_story.php?ID=24
One piece of advice if you're looking to try out for the dance squad is this: Get accustomed to the Jills' style of dance before tryouts. Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner has a unique snap-and-flash style that, if you're not used to it, can throw you off. You can get the moves right but if the proper level of energy isn't there, it'll hurt you in trying to make the squad. I've seen that happen many times myself. Your best bet is to not only take the optional dance prep classes that Kelli offers at Fusion, but watch videos of the Jills in action. There are numerous Jills videos on our YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/user/buffaloprocheer

Finally, the Bandettes' webpage is full updated after Ashley's bio was posted yesterday. We've already started the Bandette of The Week series but here's the full schedule.

• January 11-17 Kirsten
• January 18-24 Jessica
• January 25-31 Lauren K
• February 1-7 Danielle
• February 8-14 Mandy
• February 15-21 Stephanie
• February 22-28 Brianna
• March 1-7 Ashley
• March 8-14 MaKenzie
• March 15-21 Janelle
• March 22-28 Amanda
• March 29-April 4 Cheri
• April 5-11 Kelsey
• April 12-18 Chelsea
• April 19-25 Chrissy
• April 26-May 2 LB

Bandette of The Week Mandy

This week, we take a look at the 1st of our 2 rookies on the squad as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week, Mandy. Already an accomplished young lady, we met her when Danielle introduced her at the Open Scrimmage. If it's up to her, we'll see her performing for quite a while as her degree, already completed, is in dance. That degree is to go along with her degree in communications which she's using to help in her career as a dance teacher and as a fitness instructor. When she was in school, people thought of her as peppy partly from her personality and partly from her cheering and dancing. Now, alongside the rest of the Bandettes, she fits in quite well. As a matter of fact, compared to some squadmates like Stephanie and LB, she's probably pretty relaxed and less "peppy." The one thing I can say against her is that I'm disappointed she dances on the other side of her line from me. Considering she says she doesn't know any real song lyrics, it might be amusing to hear if she ever sings along to some of the songs that play at the games. You can see all of Mandy's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/26041 Mandy's secondary photo comes from the 1st game against the Toronto Rock. She was eyeing the camera in the 1st quarter in this pic with Stephanie, Kirsten, her, Chrissy, and Brianna.

Stephanie, Kirsten, Mandy, Chrissy, and Brianna

Buffalo Jill of The Week Alyssa K

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Alyssa K as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Anchoring one end of Emily's line alongside Kayla on gamedays, Alyssa has had a pretty big year since last season. The obvious is that she went from blonde to brunette and I have to admit it's a fantastic look on her. Sometimes, when someone changes hair color, it kind of hurts their looks to some extent. It definitely wasn't the case with Alyssa, though. She's also moved to retail management after previously going after a law degree. She's planning on working her way up to becoming a corporate rep but still is looking to move back to the Big Apple one of these days. When it comes to the Jills though, she got a nice honor a couple of months ago when she was the lone 2nd year vet nominated for a Pro Bowl visit. While she wasn't the final one chosen, it was still an honor and I have a pretty strong hunch that, if she chooses to return in 2014, she could be named captain. With captains Christina, Lisa, and Emily all retiring and Lindsey having left the squad early in the season, the only dance captains who might still be returning are Melissa and Jenny, who served as co-captains in 2013. That leaves 4 spots to fill and I think Alyssa would be an excellent choice to take the one open captain's spot. You can see all of Alyssa's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics/56323 Alyssa's secondary pic comes from the Chiefs game. In a photo taken at the start of the 2nd quarter when Emily's line was changing sections, we see Kayla and Alyssa K.

The Bandettes and the Jr Bandettes at the Bandits-Rock Game

After last week's game in which the Bandits took sole possession of the top spot in the NLL East, Buffalo knew that they'd have a fight on their hands to keep it. When it comes to fighting with the Bandits, there's no team that does it more than the Toronto Rock, with whom the battles are near legendary....and it's fighting that goes beyond the scoresheet and frequently lands several players in the penalty box. This game was also a big scoresheet battle as it seemed that whenever the Bandits scored to take the lead, the Rock would find a way to tie it up despite a strong showing by Bandits goaltender Anthony Cosmo. In the end though, the Bandits' fresher legs (Toronto played Friday night) helped them come out on top with a 12-10 win, expanding their division lead to a game and a half over the Knighthawks, their next opponent when the Bandits travel to Rochester Saturday night.
It was a special night in a few ways besides the game itself. For one, the Bandettes were accompanied by the Jr Bandettes for their pregame performance as the Bandits faithful saw some of the girls who will eventually be suiting up for the Bandettes in the next several years. Ashley, who came back to the squad to be an Ambassador, even joined in the performance, showing she's still got the moves to go along with her beauty. To help out with the Jr Bandettes, former director Erin J (who still refuses to age as she looks as stunning, if not more so, as she did in her days with the Jills) and former captain Meghan (2006-2010) were on hand. Meghan's daughter was even one of the Jr Bandettes. In addition, Jessica spent her evening in a management role, something that she informed me she's transitioning into on a full-time basis soon.

Bull talking about Tucker Williams as he watches on via the iPad with Ashley and Stephanie onhand

The Bandettes in their "Braver than Brave" shirts

In the case of the Bandits, they also had something big going on. The 8-year old son of alternate captain Shawn Williams, was recently diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma and, in support of him, at different points throughout the day, the Bandits, Bandettes, and several members of the Bandits support staff wore special t-shirts with the quote "Braver Than Brave" on the front, and the boy's name, Tucker, on the back. The shirts will soon be available at the Sabres store and proceeds will go to the Tucker Williams foundation. Both teams even wore stickers on their helmets in honor of Tucker. Tucker is usually at all the Bandits games but was unable to make this game, which happened to be on his birthday. Tucker watched the game from afar and Face-Timed with the fans early in the game...and got a special treat in return as the fans sang Happy Birthday to him.

Jaclyn, Jessica, Erin Y, and Meghan

Janelle waves to some friends as the Jr Bandettes accompany the Bandettes

Chrissy and Lauren K

Amanda and Chrissy

Cheri loves the camera as much as the camera loves her

Amanda and Kelsey in action

Chelsea and Janelle

When I got to the arena, I got a chance to talk to Stephanie, back after a week out of town, and to Ashley, who Stephanie accompanied on promotional duties for the evening. Stephanie had a wonderful vacation and Ashley, a huge Bills fan, is hopeful but not too confident that she'll be able to get the time off from work in August for the HOF induction of the great Andre Reed, who finally got the call yesterday after 8 years of waiting. I even got a chance to say hi to Erin J and Meghan, who was excited to see her daughter as a Jr Bandette, before heading up to the 100 level. The rest of the squad was unable to do their normal meet-and-greets with the fans before the game, which was expected. The Jr Bandettes program is a pretty big deal and they were focusing their attention on their younger counterparts, making sure they were ready to perform.

Kelsey in the 3rd intermission

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/6925


Next up, the Bandits travel to Rochester next Saturday night before returning home to face off against the Philadelphia Wings on February 15th.