Some updates from around the NFL-GCC, TopCats, and Falcons Cheerleaders

Just like anyone else, NFL Cheerleaders sometimes move to other areas on the country and some even take up pom-poms for new teams. In the case of the Jills, there are 3 such young ladies who've served on the sidelines at the Ralph over the past few years.
First up is Natalie (2010-11) who served on the Gotham City Cheerleaders Ref Squad for a part of the 2013 season and landed the January 2014 spot in their annual calendar. This season, that squad is having their calendar release party next Saturday, September 6th at Bar Anticipation 703 16th Ave Lake Como, NJ from 4-7pm. The Gotham City Cheerleaders are one of 3 unofficial cheerleading squads in the NFL and focus their efforts on cheering on the NY Giants with appearances around the NYC area and dance performances outside Met Life Stadium.
You can get tickets at http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-2015-gotham-city-cheerleaders-calendar-premiere-party-tickets-12603161395 and learn more about the Gotham City Cheerleaders at https://www.facebook.com/gothamcitycheerleaders

Ashley in action

Ashley W spent the 2008 season and a portion of 2009 with the Jills and moved down to North Carolina within a few years. It wasn't long before the desire to get back on the sidelines prompted her to tryout for and make the Carolina Panthers TopCats cheerleaders. Now in her 3rd season on the squad, she's now a captain as well as an enterpreneur working to motivate and coach people towards their fitness goal. Follow the TopCats on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PanthersTopCats and support Ashley at http://bodicode.com/index.html

Lindsey on the sidelines at the Georgia Dome

Last, but not least, we come to Lindsey C. She spent the 2010-2012 seasons with the Jills, ending her career on the sidelines of the Ralph in September of 2013. She's spent a lot of time down south with family over the years and found a job down there and her time away from the sidelines was, thankfully, short-lived as she joined up with the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders this season. The Falcons Cheerleaders each have their own social media accounts for the fans to root on their favorites. You can find Lindsey at https://www.facebook.com/falconslindsey , https://twitter.com/AFC_Lindsey and at http://instagram.com/afc_lindsey

2008 Taste of Buffalo and the Erie County Fair-revisited

This week, we take a look back at 2 appearances some of the Jills were a part of over the summer of 2008. The Taste of Buffalo is an annual event taking place over the 2nd weekend of July right in downtown Buffalo. The largest food festival east of the Mississippi is always busy and, for several years, featured appearances by members of the Buffalo Jills. Normally, they'd be stationed at the 97Rock, 103.3 The Edge, and Buffalo Bills booths but when I made it there on the Saturday of the event in 2008, they were focused on the 97Rock booth in front of City Hall with a few girls walking around the festival.
I generally tried to time my visits to the Taste about midway through the shifts that the girls had but arrived a little later than normal in 2008. When I got there, rookie dancer Shana was winding down the first shift of a double-shift day for her at the Taste. I talked to her for a little bit, with her warning me off one of the food items I had planned to check out. Even though she's originally from the Oakland, CA area, she had been living in Buffalo for a while and had tried out different pizza places for her cram sessions while studying for her college exams.

Shana next to the 97Rock van

It wasn't long before we were joined by Liz and Kristin M, who had been walking around the festival a bit, greeting the fans. There was still time left before their shift was done and they posed for some pics with some fans before being relieved by Amanda F.

Liz and Kristin M by the 97Rock van

It was kind of shocking for me to see Amanda at this event only because the Taste had typically been an appearance that rookies handled. In her 2nd year on the squad, Amanda volunteered for the Taste since she knew what to expect and she needed to get some more appearances in before the season. Something that's not typically known to the public is that in addition to practices and gamedays, appearances are a big part of what's expected of a Jill and everyone does need to get a minumum number in, with the number higher for Ambassadors than for dancers.
After Amanda showed and Liz and Kristin left, they spent some time with fans by the 97Rock van, posing for pictures and handing out Bills schedules. After a while, and after I got back from sampling some food at the festival, I joined the girls on a walk-around of the festival. Typically when I've joined Jills at appearances and they've walked around the event they're appearing at, I'd walk along nearby, not so close that it prevents any fans from approaching but close enough that I'm readily available to snap a photo or to help them out if they have any issues. It's rare that there are any issues but on this day, there were definitely some photo ops on our walk around.

Amanda F and Shana with a fan

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/12448
The summer of 2008, when I went to camp, there weren't any Jills onhand as the Bills hadn't requested them. The calendar also wasn't yet available as they started  getting finished from the printers later each year starting in 2008. Before then, they were almost always available at the start of camp. For most, getting the calendar may be no big deal...they get it when they get it. For me, though, getting it before the start of September was a big deal so I could set up the Jill of The Week schedule.

Dr Amanda, Jill R, and Liz

The Eric County Fair is a pretty big deal in WNY and even had the moniker of  "America's Fair" for a few years. Myself, I'm not a huge fair fan with the huge crowds. In addition, it's more a family type destination than for single guys such as myself. However, members of the Jills occasionally put in appearances at the Fair and that was my best chance to see some of my girls and get a calendar, which finally became available just prior to the start of the fair. I knew about where the girls would be, at the 97Rock bus but I was still in for a sight when I got there. They had gone up to the roof to enjoy the hot weather the way any beautiful girl would, with some sunbathing.  The girls said hi when I got there and the guy from 97Rock taking care of things handed me a calendar while we talked for a bit while the girls got set to come back down.
Besides the calendar featuring 48 of  the area's most beautiful young women (the largest squad in many years), the calendar was hot for another reason. 2nd year vet Vincenza was the covergirl and at the risk of appearing to play favorites in any way, I thought this was the hottest Jills calendar cover of all of them.

Posing with Liz, Jill, and Amanda

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/8933
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the 2nd game hosting the Toronto Rock, the Jr Bandettes game.  Sometimes, there's a few girls who I have a hard  time getting on camera while others make it on camera frequently based on where they dance during the game. This is a case where everyone can be happy about someone getting lots of camera time because who doesn't love seeing a smile as bright as Cheri's?

Cheri smiling for the camera during the 2nd quarter

Bandits schedule released!!

As the Bills were getting set to play their final preseason game of 2014, the NLL's Buffalo Bandits recieved and released their 2015 schedule!

• Week 1 - Fri, Jan. 2 at Connecticut 7:00 p.m. 
• Week 1 - Sat, Jan. 3 vs. Edmonton 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 3 - Sat, Jan. 17 at Vancouver 7:00 p.m. 
• Week 4 - Fri, Jan. 23 at Toronto 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 5 - Fri, Jan. 30 vs. Minnesota 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 5 - Sat, Jan. 31 at Rochester 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 6 - Sat, Feb. 7 at Calgary 7:00 p.m. 
• Week 7 - Sat, Feb. 14 vs. Rochester 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 8 - Sat, Feb. 21 at Rochester 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 9 - Sat, Feb. 28 vs. Colorado 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 11 - Fri, Mar. 13 vs. Toronto 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 11 - Sat, Mar. 14 at Toronto 7:00 p.m. 
• Week 12 - Sat, Mar. 21 vs. Minnesota 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 14 - Sat, Apr. 4 vs. Connecticut 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 15 - Sat, Apr. 11 at Minnesota 7:00 p.m. 
• Week 17 - Sat, Apr. 25 vs. Vancouver 7:30 p.m. 
• Week 17 - Sun, Apr. 26 at Connecticut 6:00 p.m. 
• Week 18 - Sat, May 2 vs. Connecticut 7:30 p.m.

See the entire NLL Schedule at http://www.nll.com/news_article/show/414424?referrer_id=389128
The NLL's schedule-makers didn't do the Bandits any favors with 4 sets of back-to-back games, 4 bye weeks, and in the 3 matchups with Rochester and Toronto, only play host to their rivals once each.
That being said, the important thing is that we now know when we'll get to see the 2015 Buffalo Bandettes in action.
Speaking of the 2015 Bandettes, that squad has yet to be selected but their tryout dates were announced a few weeks ago with an optional workshop on Tuesday, September 16th and the tryouts themselves on October 4th and 5th. All of these sessions are closed to the public and will take place at Catalyst Fitness in Depew. Get all the info at http://www.bandits.com/newsX.asp?type=News&aID=432

2008 Toy Fund appearance-revisited

This week, we take a look back at an appearance from the summer of 2008, a charity appearance in which the Niagara Falls Fire Department raises funds to purchase toys for the children who might not otherwise be able to get any for Christmas. This is a drive they do every year with various events throughout the year. One event they've done over the years  is a 75-mile motorcycle run in June going from Wheatfield to the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Niagara Falls. In 2008, one of the sponsors of the motorcycle run was 97Rock and DJ Jickster was on hand as the master of ceremonies and members of the Buffalo Jills were on hand to help with the festivities.
I got there as the folks from 97Rock were just finishing getting set up, before the festivities got going and Jickster and I took that opportunity to head down to the Falls. Truth be told, a lot of Western New Yorkers take the Falls for granted because it's something we can check out anytime we want. Many of us leave it for the tourists, though and we're missing out not taking it all in on occasion. When we made it back, he started getting ready to go to work while I kept an eye out for the Jills who were going to be there. It wasn't long before I spotted Amanda F driving by in uniform, looking for a parking spot. Jickster gave a groan when he found out she was coming, only because they always had such a great working relationship, complete with light teasing back and forth, similar to the one I had with Ambassador Squad captain Kelly H. It wasn't long until Jenica and Vincenza arrived on the scene as well. They wasted little time getting to work as they spent time selling raffle tickets and posing for photos with fans, only taking a break to pose for photos on the Niagara Falls Fire Department's firetruck along with several of the firefighters.

Jenica, Amanda F, and Vincenza with Jickster

posing up on the firetruck

Anna and Murissa with the lady helping run things for the event

Murissa with some of her biggest fans

After their shift was done, it was time for the rookies to take over as Anna and Murissa took their spots for the rest of the day and Murissa didn't come alone as much of her family was there in support. However, their shift officially lasted past the end of the event and when their contact didn't have anything else for them to help with, the two of them took a walk with me down by the Falls, greeting fans along the way. After a short photo-shoot, we went back to see the girls' contact, who gave them permission to head out a little early.

A beautiful sight...Anna and Murissa with the Falls in the background

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/7476
From the Bandettes comes a photo from 1st intermission of the 2nd home game against the Toronto Rock. Prior to heading out for their performance, some of the girls wanted photos taken. Shown posing for a photo are Amanda and Chrissy.

Amanda and Chrissy

Important updates-BvB, 716er Girl and Bandettes tryouts

First up, we have a pair of events upcoming from the BvB Buffalo organization. Next Friday night is their annual Kickoff Party and Bachelorette Auction. This year's event takes place at the Adam's Mark Hotel on Church Street in downtown Buffalo and starts at 6pm. Featured at the event are music, cocktails, hors d' ouerves, chinese auction, and their highly anticipated Bachelorette Auction. Each year, a number of the BvB members put together date packages filled with prizes donated by numerous organizations and businesses from around the area. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door.
The BvB's 6th annual Powderpuff football game takes place on Saturday September 20th at Sweet Home High School in Amherst with kickoff set at 2pm. The ticket price is a mere $10 so there's no reason the stands shouldn't be packed that day. The coin toss will once again be handled by Andre Reed, recently (and FINALLY) inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the game will feature several dozen beautiful women pitting their football skills against one another in a game in which the true winner will be the Alzheimer's Association of Western NY. A Victory Party will follow the game with details on location still to be determined.
Donations to the organization are being accepted at http://act.alz.org/site/TR?pg=pfind&fr_id=5983 but, in keeping with our Buffalo Pro Cheer, we suggest donations go to Jills alumnae like Jenn C, who spent 8 years on the Jills and is now one of the co-chairs for the BvB
http://act.alz.org/site/TR/BvB/NY-WesternNewYork?px=6261862&pg=personal&fr_id=5983
The 716ers Girls are holding  tryouts on September 21st at 6pm at Tapestry Charter School on Great Arrow Avenue in Buffalo. The official dance team for the Buffalo 716ers Pro Basketball Team, they perform at all the games which are held Friday and Saturday nights from December-April. Email 716ersgirls@buffalo716ers.net for registration information or click on http://www.eventbrite.com/e/716ers-girls-dance-tryouts-tickets-12672976213 Also, the attached form should be filled out and emailed as well. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwjdYmpIUSzwWHM2TU5OS2Q2SzNUOVBSZ3NhNFJ3bm5RMUVZ/edit?usp=sharing
The Buffalo Bandettes will be holding their annual clinic from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 16 at Catalyst Fitness at the corner of French and Transit Roads in Lancaster. This dance clinic is a great preparation for tryouts! For those trying out this year, the dance taught at clinic will be your first dance of the 2014-15 season. The cost for clinic is $15 per person.
TRY OUTS for the 2014-15 season will take place from 12-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 and 12-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5 at Catalyst Fitness, corner of French and Transit Roads, Lancaster. If you want to be on the team you must attend both days of the try out.
The first practice for the Buffalo Bandettes 2014-15 team will take place the Tuesday after tryouts, Oct. 7 while games take place Saturday nights, with an occasional Friday night, from late December-May

2008 Buffalo Men's Show-revisited

In 2008, Citadel Radio teamed up with the US Army to put together what would become an annual event dedicated to men with big boy "toys," celebs, and beautiful women. To help with that last part, the 2008 Buffalo Jills were recruited to appear and perform at the Agri-Center at the Hamburg Fairgrounds where this 1st Men's Show took place. Included at the show in addition to the Jills were appearances by players from the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres, Playboy Playmate Shannon James, and CW23's Lydia Dominick among others.
I got there a few hours into the event and, unfortunately missed a few of the Jills, including Katie K. I know this because shortly after I  got there, I ran into her boyfriend and hung out with him for a bit after grabbing a few photos of the girls that were there greeting fans and posing for photos in a photo booth that was set up. After  he left, I spent some time with rookie dancer Shana, who was getting set to leave herself after her friends were done checking out a few things. As it turns out, Shana had never been to an NFL game before. Shana moved to Buffalo on her own to attend UB after having  grown up in Oakland, California. As sher told me, her daddy wasn't going to let his little girl anywhere near the kind of rowdiness known to exist at Raiders games.

Shana, Danielle, Dana, Jill R, and Toi

Stephanie Br, Lonna, Val, and  Amelina with Jickster

Shana with a couple of her friends

Before too long, the Jills took the stage for a rousing dance performance with Stephanie Br, Val, Amelina, Omarlla, and Ayeshia taking the stage for a 3-pack of dance remixes and the rookies, despite being on the squad for only a few weeks, meshed extraordinarily well with the vets.

After the performance, Omarlla, Val, and Ayeshia went around the show for a little while mingling with the fans while Stephanie and Amelina were joined by Lisa and Lonna, first at the photo booth, and then, while Playmate Shannon James and Lydia Dominick were at the photo booth, out on the floor of the show. I  joined the girls out on the floor, as the stage was taken over by a bikini fashion show with some models from 97Rock. One of the booths the girls stopped at was that of former Bills G Ruben Brown, who was there promoting his annual motorcycle run, which helps raise money for youth service and enrichment programs. He brought along one of his bikes which the girls posed with.

Stephanie Br, Lisa, Lonna, and Amelina with Ruben Brown and one of his bikes

Afterwards, they decided to check out some of the games that were set up, with Lisa and Amelina showing off their QB skills before Lonna showed off her skills on the guitar with the Guitar Hero game set up.

Lisa showing off her throwing arm

Lonna on Guitar Hero

Eventually, the show started winding down and I spent a little bit of time with Lydia as she checked out Ruben's bike and posed with a few fans at his bile, including a little boy who had been at the Bandits game the night before with his father seated near me. He was even still rocking the Mohawk-esque hairstyle.

Ruben and honorary Jill Lydia Dominick posing on his bike

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/7438
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the 2nd home game against the Toronto Rock. I grabbed this shot during the 1st quarter when members of Kirsten's line were performing to the music. Shown here are Chrissy and Lauren  K.

Chrissy and Lauren K

2008 Buffalo Jills Congratulatory Party-revisited

In 2008, the Buffalo Jills moved their event schedule almost exclusively to Club Paradise, a nightclub in Blasdell, NY. On NFL Draft Weekend, when the Buffalo Bandits were finishing up their regular season schedule, the Buffalo Jills were setting up their annual Congratulatory Party, to introduce the new squad to the fans. With the Bandits game going on, I showed up later than normal, staying at the game until after 3rd intermission and making it to the party just as it was starting.

Vincenza and Brandi

Amanda F and Sarah

In some ways, it was a typical Jills event in the form of raffles and 50-50 drawings but there was also an added feature. Early in the evening, 97Rock's DJ Jickster brought all the rookies out in front of the stage area and then selected some of the girls to answer Bills trivia questions. One of the requirements of being a Jill is the ability to talk about the Bills and this was just a little test to see how much they had to learn. Some of the questions were pretty basic but some were a bit trickier. Ali, for one, tried to get one of the easier ones but to no avail.

Ali tries flashing her incredible smile to get an easier question as Lonna, Lynn, and Murissa look on

The squad posing with the owner of Club Paradise

Val, Lynn, Kelly, and Kristin B

rookies Stephanie Br, Amelina, Jackie, and Anna

Lonna and Kelly

Jess and her dancing buddy

After the Q & A session, the entire squad, minus the few that had other appearances, came out in front of the stage to pose for photos both for and with the fans before taking a break to mingle with fans, friends, and family. I spent some of my time talking to Lonna. Lonna was a rookie dancer on the squad who really seemed to have it together and when I saw her at tryouts, I figured she was a good choice to make the squad. Of course no, Jills event would be complete without a dance performance and for the 1st time, instead of just having a small select group performing, they added a special twist. They had a small select group of vets perform before bringing on some of the rookies to perform the tryout routine. After they finished, the vets joined them for a performance to a remix of JLo's "Do It Well."

Toi, Brandi, and Keisha in the back with Jill, Kristina, and Alecia seated

Tiffany, Jenica, and Jess

Afterwards, everyone spent the rest of the evening relaxing and mingling before Club Paradise started their weekly line dancing session, when many of the girls hit the dance floor with the rest of the club's patrons. I spent my time with vets and rookies alike, including rookie Tiffany, an engaging conversationalist who spent her entire high school career as a cheerleader before deciding to give the Jills Ambassador Squad a shot.
You can see all the pics at  https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4850
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the 2nd Toronto Rock game. As part of the annual Jr Bandettes game, the Bandettes were joined by their younger counterparts on the field in pregame and as they welcomed the Bandits to the floor for the start of the game. Shown among the many Jr Bandettes in this photo are Mandy and Chrissy.

Mandy and Chrissy along the Jr Bandettes

2008 Buffalo Jills tryouts-revisited

2008 turned out to be an event-filled year for the Jills and not just in the bad way in the form of the Toronto games. Every year, some noteworthy girls join the squad and 2008 was no different with a squad of 48 girls at the close of tryouts. There was also more media coverage as the new CW23 girl was onhand to cover tryouts. On occasion, there have been some girls trying out that I could tell just had it. They had the poise, looks, and confidence that would make them outstanding pro cheerleaders. I had seen the CW23 girl on TV a few times and knew she was quite attractive but when she showed up at  the Workshop, my 1st thought was that she was a lock to make the Ambassador Squad...until her cameraman followed her in and I realized she wasn't trying out, but was CW23 girl Lydia Dominick there to cover tryouts.
A few of the girls from the 2007 squad helped out with the tryout process. Natale and Kaitlin B handled check-ins and Autumn helped the prospective Jills get head shots taken. With Aimee's retirement, Nicole P 
was named a captain alongside Omarlla and Jamie and another big change happened. In 2008, co-captains were named before tryouts, meaning they didn't have to go through the tryout process along with the rest of the squad. Eileen, Katie K, and Christina had been named dance co-captains for the season with Danielle S taking the open Ambassador Squad co-captain's role that hadn't been filled in 2007.

Katie K, Nicole P, Autumn, Christina, and Jamie

Danielle S and Kelly H

Frequently, veterans will bring friends along who are interested in trying out. Some wind up making a mark on the squad. Among those who brought friends along were Lisa, whose friend had made the squad, but bowed out at final cuts due to the work load as well as Jess and Stephanie, whose friend Dana made the squad. Also in attendance was Jills alum Elizabeth M, who was there with one of her students from Expression Dance Arts, a studio that Elizabeth founded in St Thomas, Ontario.

Jess, Dana, and Stephanie B

While the ambassador hopefuls and half the dancer hopefuls trying out at Fusion Dance Studio that day were in one room learning about the rules and requirements of being a Jill, I spent my time where Kelli, Omarlla, Eileen, Nicole, and Christina worked to teach the prospective dancers the routine they had to know for 1st cuts the following week, all to the tune of a remix of "Break The Ice" by Britney Spears. In addition to the photos I took (no flash so as not to throw anyone's concentration off), I grabbed some video as well. After 1 group was done, the ambassador hopefuls left and the dancers who had learned the routine swapped rooms to learn rules and requirements while the rest of the dancer hopefuls took their places learning the routine.
Once everyone was done learning, they opened up both rooms for everyone to practice for a little while before sending everyone home. While girls were practicing, I was shooting video in the room that girls were learning the rules in and before leaving, Lisa and her friend watched some of the video I took.

Now, I don't generally advertise here for anyone who hasn't been a Buffalo Pro Cheerleader but I've been sticking with Sony cameras ever since the spring of 2008 for a few reasons. One is the tilt-LED screen that helps out with photos under that tarp the Bills place over the tunnel and another big one is the customer service. When I got home after the workshop, I went to load my photos from the camera to my computer but they didn't show up as being on the card. I tried several times to retrieve them to no avail before I called Sony customer service. Luckily, they were able to send me a program to download that was able to recover all the lost photos and videos, a huge help and a major load off my mind since Valerie and Lisa both told me how much they were looking forward to seeing the pics and videos. Letting them down was the last thing in the world I was willing to do if I could help it.
You can see all those photos at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4808
Videos are found at http://s15.photobucket.com/user/buffalojills2005/library/2008/Open%20Workshop?sort=4&page=1
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the 2nd home game against the Toronto Rock, the game in which the Jr Bandettes performed. Prior to the Bandettes and Jr Bandettes heading out to perform in pregame, I grabbed this pic of the coaches of the Bandettes. Shown posing are Jaclyn, Jessica, head choreographer Erin Y, and, helping out for the day, Bandettes alum Meghan F.

Jaclyn, Jessica, Erin Y, and Meghan