Bandette of The Week Cheri

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Cheri as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. Dancing on LB's line on gamedays, Cheri shattered any ideas people may have had about her going in. For one thing, she was thought of as pretty quiet in high school and I honestly didn't see that in her last season. Often, girls in their 1st season in the big leagues will be quiet at first and take it all in, growing in confidence as the season goes along. Cheri came across as a seasoned vet, though and has been an energetic and beautiful part of the squad.pretty much from the start. This BBQ lover (who may have even been first in line when Dinosaur BBQ opened in Buffalo) is fiercely independent as well as a big fan of the camera, being almost as much of a camera ham her rookie year as Stephanie, Chelsea, or Kirsten. That, combined with her incredible smile, makes her a photographer's dream. You can see all of Cheri's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/23142 Cheri's secondary photo comes from the Swarm game. Prior to the game, LB's line was signing the new posters in the concourse. Shown smiling for a photo are LB, Cheri, and Amanda.

LB, Cheri, and Amanda

Buffalo Jill of The Week Katie Ba

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Katie as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. A choreographer and a hair stylist when she's not a Jill, Katie spent her sophomore season on the squad dancing on one end of Lisa's line alongside Kelsey H and Shelby G where she's been flashing a pretty fantastic smile her whole career. That smile has been directed at the Bills since she was 6 when she met Phil Hansen at her uncle's sporting goods store. She got to meet him again last September at the Bills Alumni Golf Tournament and talked about that at http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/09/19/tbt-jill-katie-meets-hansen-again/ Since first meeting him the 1st time, she's become a bit of an encyclopedia of Buffalo Bills history. That, and the fact that her ideal date is watching a Bills game over a plate of wings makes her just about the perfect Buffalo girl! Looking back, when she first tried out for the Jills in 2012, she had a huge rooting section at 1st cuts. That speaks volumes about what kind of a friendly personality she has if she can bring along that amount of support. Of course we've been seeing that personality shining through in her photos the last two seasons. You can see all of Katie's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics/56452 Katie's secondary photo is from the end of the Panthers game. Shown coming off the field are Katie, Shelby G, and, with her pretty face covered by Shelby's pom, Kelsey.

Katie, Shelby G, and Kelsey H

Bandette of The Week Amanda

This week, we take a look at 3rd year vet Amanda as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. Dancing on L.B.'s line on gamedays, she started out her Bandettes career as an Ambassador despite graduating college with a minor in dance. Late in the season, however, we saw what a talented dancer she was at the Dance Fair and Expo when she performed alongside her squadmates before dancing with them full-time the following season.  The thing about Amanda is this....she's a very talented dancer, but she's also well-gifted in the ambassador side of things as well. I liken her to Keisha or Kelly H in that way. Like them, 2 former Jills Ambassador Squad captains, Amanda is known to go out of her way to strike up a conversation with someone she might not know that well. You can see all of Amanda's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/16957 Amanda's secondary photo comes from the 2nd game against the Toronto Rock. Shown posing for a photo late in the 1st quarter before the squad went out for their 1st intermission performance are Amanda and Chrissy.

Amanda and Chrissy

Buffalo Jill of The Week Alyssa A

This week, we take a look at rookie ambassador Alyssa A as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Working towards an eventual PhD in sociology with a minor in dance, Alyssa dreamt all her life about becoming a Jill. When you consider how much she loves to dance, I have a feeling, if her schedule will allow her to, that she could be dancing on the sidelines this fall starting in Canton at the Hall of Fame Game. Many times when someone joins the Jills, they choose the Ambassador Squad for one of many reasons. Some aren't strong enough in dance while others want to work their ways towards becoming a dancer, giving the Ambassador Squad a try before dancing on a later season. Many simply prefer to be Ambassadors due to scheduling or how much they excel at that aspect of the job. Ambassadors are just as important to the Jills as the dancers but when someone like Alyssa, who's been in several productions of The Nutcracker, comes along, you have to hope she winds up dancing before she's done. You can read more about Alyssa at http://www.buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=92

The Bandettes at the Bandits-Mammoth Game

The 2014 Buffalo Bandits season couldn't be much more different from last season with stellar play in all facets of the game, notably on defense and in goal. The Bandits' game against the Mammoth started off with the Bandits and Cosmo pitching a shut-out until late in the 2nd quarter when Colorado made a game of it.  It wasn't until late in the game last week that the Bandits grabbed the lead from Minnesota and the way the Mammoth tied the game up late in the 3rd, there were some wondering if Buffalo was looking at a repeat of the week before, but on the losing side. However, behind a hat trick from Mark Steenhuis and 6 points from local boy Joe Resetarits, the Bandits took control to pull out a 12-9 win in front of the home crowd before a 3-game road trip.

Chelsea

Danielle and Mandy

Lauren K, Chelsea, and Kirsten

Ashley and Stephanie

This week, LB's line was handling raffle ticket sales at Cobblestone before the game while Kirsten's line signed the Bandettes posters at the east end of the 100 level escalators. When I showed up, Amanda and Chelsea were greeting fans and selling souvenirs just inside the entry gates. After talking to them each for a few moments, I went up to the 100 level where I found Kirsten's line already with lots of fans in line. As much as the girls on the squad were getting lots of attention, I think the one who got the most attention was new coach Jessica, who started off the season on the squad but has since moved completely to the sidelines. Starting her Bandettes career in Toronto at the big Hinder halftime show, Jessica has built up a large fanbase who loved seeing her dance but still love seeing that gorgeous smile of hers.

It's like Amanda has a 6th sense about the camera sometimes

MaKenzie cheering on a goal

Brianna's beautiful smile

Mandy, Kirsten, Chrissy, and Brianna

Kirsten and Kelsey pose together while Chelsea poses behind them

Kirsten smiling for the camera

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/7467

The Bandettes at the end of their 3rd intermission performance

See all the Bandettes pics from the Bandits at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/sets/72157642411845794/
Next up, the Bandettes have a few weeks away from performing as the Bandits have 2 games on the road next weekend and 1 the following weekend. The Bandits and Bandettes are next at home on April 5th as the Calgary Roughnecks come to town. The game starts at 7pm, not 7:30 like usual so fans should make a note of that.

Bandette of The Week Janelle

This week, we take a look at the 2nd of the 2 rookies on the squad, Janelle, as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. Dancing on LB's line on gamedays, the 1st thing people generally notice about Janelle is those incredible eyes of hers. There's a lot more to her than her incredible looks however. For one, this future radiologic technician is a pretty low-maintenance kind of girl. A steak-and-potatoes gal, Janelle isn't averse to hard work, something that assisted her in making the Bandettes. The vet on the squad she's probably bonded the most with is last week's Bandette of The Week, MaKenzie. It seems they have so much in common besides the fact that they dance so close together on gamedays. They're both going into the medical field, share favorite foods, favorite colors, impatience, and even both hope to travel to Italy. You almost have to wonder if they copied off each other when they did their bios...lol. You can see all of Janelle's photos at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/26044 Janelle's secondary photo comes from the January 25 game vs Rochester. In a photo taken at halftime just prior to the squad heading out to perform are Lauren K and Janelle.

Lauren K and Janelle

Buffalo Jill of The Week Kayla

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Kayla as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Emily's line between Jenny and Alyssa K, Kayla is finishing up her degree in social work and psychology with the intent to get her PhD one day. Even though she's working hard towards becoming a psychologist, she'd also love to go into sports broadcasting and be the next Bonnie Bernstein or Suzy Kolber. She'd have to be careful with that though in case she did an interview with Joe Namath like Kolber did back in 2003.When it comes to Jills practices and appearances, a lot of emphasis is put into punctuality and girls are encouraged to try to show up early for these things just so that in case of any issues, they can still most likely show up on time. This is something Kayla was focused on even before the Jills, thanks to her mother. She'd rather be a couple of hours early than even a minute late.You can see all of Kayla's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics/56312  Kayla's secondary pic is from the Chiefs game. In a photo taken as Emily's line was leaving the field just prior to halftime we see Katrina, Emily, Hayley, Jenny, Kayla, and Alyssa K.

Katrina, Emily, Hayley, Jenny, Kayla, and Alyssa K

Teasers calling it quits

The Teasers from their January 10, 2014 at The Vault

As all our readers know, we support the girls on the Jills and Bandettes in their other public endeavors even after they leave the squad as well. One of those cases involves 2003 Jills alum Aimee L. For a few years she was the lead singer for Disco Duck, a WNY band that's still entertaining disco and dance fans several years running. 2005 Jills alum Ashlee A even spent some time with them as well. For the last 4 years, Aimee has been the lead for the Teasers, a band based out of Lockport that has built quite a following. Today, the Teasers announced they were calling it quits but not without a final gig. Their final show will be Saturday night from 8-midnight at Terry's Corners Volunteer Fire Department in Gasport. If you show up earlier, they're having a cash raffle, open bar, and dinner for you and a guest for $50 to raise money for the fire department. Cash bar and the Teasers start at 8. http://www.terryscorners.com/
https://www.facebook.com/theteasers

Congrats to Kelsey O!

Kelsey won her 1st round matchup in the NLL Girl of The Week series against the representative from Philly with a final tally of 9929 to 6950! Thanks to all those who voted but it's not done yet. In a few weeks, she'll be facing off against a dancer from another squad and we'll need the voters to step up again. For now though, we can celebrate her 1st round win!

The Bandettes at the Bandits-Swarm Game

After not playing the last 2 weekends, there was a worry of the Bandits looking a little rusty when they returned to action against the visiting Minnesota Swarm. As it turned out, those worries were well-founded as the rust definitely showed early in the game as the Swarm jumped out to a 6-2 lead before the Bandits tied it up before halftime. The teams traded goals throughout the 3rd quarter until the Bandits grabbed their 1st lead of the game with less than 4 minutes remaining in the game. They never relinquished that lead and put in 2 more goals for insurance as they maintained their division lead with a 7-2 record, dropping the Swarm to 2-8.

Danielle

Lauren K

The Bandettes showed no rust from the time off, though a pair of the girls haven't been feeling well and we're hopeful that they'll both return to full health very soon. When I got to the arena, Danielle and Lauren K were on hand greeting fans coming in with programs and souvenirs for sale while the rest of their line was over at Cobblestone selling raffle tickets.

LB, Cheri, and Amanda

Erin, Alicia (2012-13), and Jessica

Captains LB and Kirsten

Danielle, Amanda, Kelsey, Brianna, and Chelsea

When I made it up to the 100 level, LB's line was stationed in the concourse autographing their new posters. The posters have a fresh look to them that you just have to see. Next week, Kirsten's line will be signing them while LB's line will be at Cobblestone for raffle sales.

Stephanie (2012 NLL Girl of The Year) and Kelsey (in the running for this year's award)

While the girls were signing, I got the chance to talk to Kelsey's mother, who's pretty excited that her daughter is currently winning her contest for NLL Girl of The Week. She's also hopeful that everyone will keep voting for Kelsey so she can eventually come home with the NLL Girl of The Year award!

The Bandettes in action during pregame

Cheri, Brianna, Lauren K, Amanda, Mandy, and Kelsey

Janelle, LB, and MaKenzie in the 2nd quarter

Chrissy, LB, and MaKenzie

Danielle smiles big for the camera before the squad heads out to celebrate the big win

Erin and Jessica before the game

Something that fans may have noticed is that Jessica has been on the sidelines, not in uniform, for parts of games this season. Well, the reason for this, as she told me last month, is that she's been transitioning into Jaclyn's role. Jaclyn has stepped away as the coach of the Bandettes and from here on out, Jessica and Erin will be running things. We wish Jaclyn well in her future endeavors while are excited to see what Jessica, who 1st burst onto the scene in 2011, brings to the job.
You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/7331 and don't forget to keep voting for Kelsey at http://www.ilindoor.com/2014/03/04/nll-girl-of-the-week-its-jorina-vs-kelsey/ The contest runs through Tuesday and we'll keep you updated on future rounds.

Kelsey in action

Also, don't forget to check out the photos from the Bandits at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/13022769103/ Next up, the Bandits and Bandettes are back in action next Saturday night as the Colorado Mammoth come to town!

Bandette of The Week MaKenzie

This week, we look at 2nd year vet MaKenzie as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. Dancing on LB's line on gamedays, MaKenzie seems to be one of the most soft-hearted girls on the squad, a personality trait to go along with her soft and beautiful features. A future travel nurse who is looking forward to the travel that the job requires, MaKenzie seems like she will be pretty fit for the job. Besides the health care aspect, a big thing a nurse needs is a good bedside manner to help their patients in their recoveries. MaKenzie is gifted at making others laugh and is generally fun to be around. Both of those personality traits will be valuable assets to her on the job. While she's hoping that she can do most of her work in a warm climate, the ultimate would be getting to go to Italy. For those unaware, the role of a travel nurse is basically to fill in as a substitute nurse for a family whose regular nurse is unable to fulfill their duties for a period of time. Maybe she'll luck out and land a role covering for a nurse whose employers are taking a trip to Europe and she'll need to go along! When it comes to tryouts, a lot of girls who don't make it the 1st time give up rather than try again. Since MaKenzie made it her 1st try, we didn't get shortchanged of having her on the squad. She's admittedly an impatient young lady and maybe she wouldn't have tried out again. You can see all of MaKenzie's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/23135 MaKenzie's secondary photo is from the Home Opener against Philly. Prior to the squad going out to perform at halftime, MaKenzie grabbed rookie squadmate Janelle for a quick photo.

MaKenzie and Janelle

Buffalo Jill of The Week Katrina

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Katrina as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. This blonde beauty spent her season on the squad on Emily's line dancing between Emily and Jayanti and seems to be the real All-American girl from Buffalo. She loves pizza and wings, is athletic with not only dancing but snowboarding and softball, and is pretty low-maintenance when it comes to dating. She's happy when her boyfriend (yep, she's taken from what I've heard) just takes her to dinner and a movie. Aspiring to be the next Melissa Holmes with her college focus being in broadcast journalism, she'd love to one day host her own show like Katie Couric has, starting out as a television reporter and parlaying that into her own talk show. Hopefully if Katrina goes that route, she has as successful a career as Katie has if not more so. You can see all of Katrina's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics/56330 Katrina's secondary photo comes from the Chiefs game in November. In a photo taken just before the half, we see Jayanti, Katrina, and Emily coming off the field.

Jayanti, Katrina, and  Emily

Vote for Kelsey!

It's NLL Girl of The Week time and in the 2nd matchup of the season, IL Indoor has Jorina of the Philadelphia Angels matched up against our own Kelsey of the Buffalo Bandettes!! 2 years ago, Stephanie took the year-end title but Buffalo lost out on the title last year. Kelsey, whose older sister Danielle preceded her on the squad, is the Buffalo representative who we're hoping brings home the championship this year. First though, she needs some votes to win the opening round. Voting goes through next Tuesday and you can vote as often as you like and obviously we're hoping to get plenty of help getting Kelsey moved onto the next round. Vote for Kelsey at http://www.ilindoor.com/2014/03/04/nll-girl-of-the-week-its-jorina-vs-kelsey/