More ladies needed for the Red Zone Cheer/Dance Team

The Red Zone cheerleaders at the Bills-Texans game

While the Bills' season is winding down, the need for the Red Zone cheerleaders and dancers isn't. Like the Jills and Bandettes, they're constantly needed out in the community for charity appearances and events and could still use more talented young ladies to appear at those events. The RZBL Cheerleaders will operate year round in order to appear at the many amazing community and charity events throughout our area.
Team auditions are ongoing. Cheer and Dance experience are a plus! To schedule an interview and audition please email buffaloredzone@gmail.com

Meet the Lady 716ers-part 1

Earlier this week, it was announced that the Lady 716ers Dance Team had been shut down for the season. However, we thought you might like to meet the ladies who made up this team. Hopefully we'll be seeing them again, whether it be on a new incarnation of the Lady 716ers, or on the Bandettes, Red Zone Cheerleaders, or Jills when they return to the sidelines at the Ralph.

Alyssa, Tia, and Dolly

Alyssa is 24 years old and from Dunkirk NY. She has been dancing and cheering for 16 years including at College Performing Arts Center for 8 years. There, she competed nationally with the NY Majestic Dance Team and Hot Shot Cheerleading Team. She also attended Broadway Dance Center in New York City.

Tia has been dancing since the age of 4. She attended Performing Arts High School as a dance major.  Tia has participated in many performances in the community! She was also on Buffalo's Queen City Classic Dance team. She loves learning new things and is very outgoing.


Dolly recently graduated from the University at Buffalo with a degree in Health and Human Services and a minor in Anthropology. She's danced at Steppin' Out Dance Academy and has also choreographed for a local theatre group. Outside of dancing she enjoys spending time with family and friends.


From the Bandettes comes a photo from the Bandits Open Practice a few weeks ago. Mandy's line was stationed near the top of the east bank of escalators greeting fans as they came in and took a moment to pose for this photo. Shown posing for the camera are Amanda, Angela, Megan, Janelle, Mandy, Rachel, and Syidah.

Mandy's line

From the Jills comes a photo from 2010 and the Bills' Christmas game against New England. Several Jills dancers were out in Lot C performing for the fans and posing for photos. Shown posing for this photo is a pair of real stunners, Murissa and Reena.

Murissa and Reena

Lady 716ers shut down for the season

I got some unfortunate news today from the ladies running the Lady 716ers. Effective immediately, the Lady 716ers Dance Team is shut down for the remainder of the 2015-16 PBL Season.
While I can't go too into detail on the reasoning behind the move, I can say the following. There are several reasons for the move but chief among those is the fact that the 716ers Organization has little experience with dance teams and little knowledge about how they are run. Unfortunately, sometimes those in power don't always take the advice of the experts. Rather than compromise their standards and not produce a product they could be proud of, Loren, LaToya, and the ladies on the dance team chose not to go forward with the team for this season.
While it's clearly disappointing that the dance team has been shut down, it truly is for the best at this time. I met LaToya a year ago and I've known Loren for 6 1/2 years and I know that they wouldn't get behind a decision this big if they didn't have to be. When they signed on to run the squad, they had a specific goal in mind...to run the best dance squad in the league. Without the support of the parent organization though, they are unable to achieve that goal and felt they would've been ashamed of the finished product.
It's our stance here that pro cheerleaders should not only be recognized and appreciated for their hard work, but proud of what they've accomplished. Hopefully in the future, the Lady 716ers can be reformed and run in an appropriate way for the fans, the organization, and the dancers involved.

2010 visit to Bills training camp-revisited

Even before the Jills were shut down by their director, the squad began appearing less over the past few years at training camp. In 2009, they were there pretty often but in 2010, their appearances were cut down somewhat, a definite PR negative. However, Bills PR did ensure they'd be there for Jr Bills Backers Day at St John Fisher and so that was the day I chose to go. When I got there, the Jills were already visiting with the next generation of Bills and Jills. I spent some time with Christina and Jill until Gina and Sara joined us but shortly after practice itself got going, it was time for them to depart. While Gina and Sara left for the day, Christina and Jill stuck around. Christina, as was her habit when she made a training camp appearance, switched into civvies to watch practice in the stands while Jill watched in uniform, accompanied by her proud father, who I got to meet before I took in some of the practice session myself.

Christina and Jill with a young fan

Jill, Sara, Christina, and Gina with a future Jill

Jill stayed in uniform because she had another appearance that day that she signed up for. After practice, the practice field was the setting for a huge autograph session for the next generation to meet the Bills and Jill headed right down to help out. Shortly after she went down to the field, Stefanie, Jaclyn, and Danielle showed up and I pointed them in Jill's direction. As the autograph session wound down, the Jills came up to the seating area for some photo ops before it was time for everyone to leave for the day. As for myself, I went downtown after practice to meet up with a friend. Over the years working with the Jills and Bandettes, I made some good friendships and one of those was with 2008 Jills alum Amelina. I hadn't seen her since she left the squad but we met up at at the Park Avenue Fest where I got to hang out with her and some of her friends after I first ran into Alecia, another 2008 Jills alum.

Jaclyn, Stefanie, and Jill with a young fan

Jaclyn, Stefanie, Jill, and Danielle

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the recent Open Practice. Posing for a photo at the bottom of the west bank of escalators is Stephanie's line. Shown in the photo are Stephanie, Karley, MaKenzie, Deanna, Jennifer, Jessica, and Sarah.

Stephanie, Karley, MaKenzie, Deanna, Jennifer, Jessica, and Sarah

Meet Brandi of the Buffalo Red Zone Cheer and Dance Team

We'd like to introduce the Ladies of the Red Zone/Blue Line Cheerleading Team.
Meet Our Red Zone Cheerleader Brandi. We've asked Brandi for some of her likes,dislikes and how she feels about being a part of the RZBL Team.
Check out Brandi's info!
LIKES: Traveling, Yoga, British tea and Buffalo chicken wings!
DISLIKES: Being rushed, loose threads on new clothes, bad hair days!
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT RZBL: Being a part of the beginning of a new tradition for Buffalo, being able to watch it evolve from the start. Meeting amazing girls that I'll build friendships with. Dancing again! And meeting fans that appreciate us and treat us like celebrities!
LOVE Buffalo Fans, The BILLS and SABRES ‪#‎OneBuffalo‬

Photos and videos from the Teasers reunion show

As our long-time readers probably remember, Jills alum Aimee L (2003) was the lead singer for a very popular cover band called The Teasers based out of Lockport, NY for a few years. Sadly, they called it quits about 2 years ago but their fanbase has been clamoring for a reunion for a good chunk of that time. Happily, they worked something out and put together a reunion show this past Saturday night at the Lockport Pub. Carrie G and The Runaways opened for them with drummer Brian Zapp pulling double duty drumming for his new band and his old band.
I got there a little after 10 myself after finishing up at the 716ers game and saw the Teasers guitarist, Parker Greenman, out front and caught up with him a little bit as the Runaways played. It wasn't long before we were joined by my friend Ashley, former lead singer of several groups, and Aimee. We all did some catching up until the Runaways finished their set upon which Aimee, Parker, and bassist Tony Truscio joined Brian on stage to set up. By the time I got a drink, they were just about to get started and I worked my way through the crowd a few rows from the stage. They mixed in some of the songs they'd been doing for most of their time together with a few newer songs. They even brought up Ashley to help out on "Heartbreaker" and then got Carrie G up for a song as well.

Parker, Aimee, and Brian

Aimee and Tony rocking it just like old times

Carrie G joins the Teasers for a song

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/34924
Overall, the reunion was a huge success for everyone involved. The Teasers showed they still had the magic that won them awards as WNY's Best Pop-Rock Band and Carrie G and the Runaways picked up a lot of new fans. The Lockport Pub also cashed in bigtime on the night as, despite long waits for drinks by many fans, they actually ran out of a lot of their well drinks.
While it's doubtful that we'll get the Teasers to re-form again for good (and I heard several people wanting them to), hopefully they'll find the time to put together some more reunions from time to time.

The Lady 716ers at the 716ers season opener

Pro basketball has been back in Buffalo for a few years now but this year, they've got a fully-fledged dance team to cheer them on. Led by Jills alum Loren K (2009-12) and Bandettes alum LaToya (2015), they make community appearances and perform at all home Buffalo 716ers games at the Flickinger Center.

LaToya

Katrina, Tia, Loren, and Shannon

Saturday was the regular season opener for the 716ers and featured a tribute to the Buffalo Braves teams that represented Buffalo in the NBA  in the 1970s. Former Braves Ernie DiGregorio, Emmette Bryant and Gus Gerrard were on hand for festivities all weekend. I got there about a half an hour before tipoff and shortly after getting my ticket, some of the Lady 716ers came by, accompanied by Loren. After catching up with her for a few minutes, it was off to work getting photos, after catching up with LaToya for a few minutes. After getting photos of everyone, I went in to get a good seat for the game. Shortly before tipoff, I had a pair of beauties take seats nearby in the forms of Jennifer and Syidah of the Bandettes.

The Lady 716ers in action

The 716ers took an early lead in the game and never looked back, with the Lady 716ers performing at 1st intermission and a few minutes into the 2nd half. Halftime was filled with performances from the 716ers Street Crew and the 716ers Kids dance team as well as a guest performance by dancers from the King Center Charter School.
See all the pics at https://lady716ers.shutterfly.com/pictures/8
Coming up next for the Lady 716ers, the 716ers are back in action on January 9th at 7pm when the Jamestown Jackals invade the Flickinger Center.
A few notes of interest.

• There have been some schedule changes since it was first released. It's updated on the Blog's schedule and you can find the full schedule  at http://www.buffalo716ers.net/#!schedule/cfvg
• The Lady 716ers have a bio page up so we'll be working on features on the ladies similar to our Bandette of The Week and Jill of the Week features.

8th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament-revisited

In 2010, the Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament found a new home in Amherst's beautiful Westwood Country Club after several years at Fox Valley in Lancaster. Unlike most events, there was little extra setting up to do as the Country Club had a lot of stuff covered but I still showed up early enough so as to help ensure things ran smoothly from the start. That being said, many of the Jills were there already so it wasn't  long before I was hard at work taking photos.

As in past years, golfers started off the day, after registration, with lunch and the opportunity to sign up for some games, buy raffle tickets, and bid on Jills to be their caddies for the day. The group that won Brianne's services got an added bonus as she was a very accomplished golfer on her own. There were a few added aspects to this golf tournament as when the girls arrived at the country club for the day, they each came with baked goods, The family of one of the girls had their home severely damaged in a fire and to help raise money to pay for items that were lost in the fire, the Jills added a bake sale to the event.

Danielle, Lindsay, and Vincenza

The 3 Musketeers Kristen, Alyssa, and Nicole

After the golfers finished registering and eating, it was time to head out to the course and one thing that Westwood had that Fox Valley didn't was extra golf carts enough that they even issued one to me. It allowed me to take girls to and from the clubhouse as well as get from one place to another much quicker, allowing me to spend more time taking photos and less time traveling. Once out on the course, I made various stops, getting photos of the Jills with the golfers but the area that got the most attention was near the 9th hole where there was a lot going on. Ruby was there running the bake sale and nearby, music was playing courtesy 97Rock's DJ Jickster. Also included was a dunk tank, where 5th year vets Valerie and Stefanie both volunteered to spend this hot day.

Val and Stefanie by the dunk tank

Michelle, Nicole, Jill, and Jackie

A new money-making idea at this tournament took advantage of the gymnastic abilities of a couple of the girls by having them "flip for tips." Michelle and Jill went around the course asking for donations upon which Jill would show off her amazing abilities. As luck would have it, they and I were all around the 10th hole during a bit of a lull as there were no golfers in the vicinity and they took the opportunity to have some fun in front of the camera. I couldn't hang at the 10th hole all day long though as there were plenty more photos to take and while several Jills were only there for the 1st part of the day, many more were there later, some of whom I ran into around the course. Some of them even were given the opportunity to try their hand at golf if a foursome wasn't rushing to the next hole. Murissa and Rena were among those who got that chance just as the day was winding down. As the golfers headed back to the clubhouse, having a cart paid off as I was able to take the girls back as well where several more Jills were waiting, some who had also recently gotten to the clubhouse from the course, while a few more were only there for the after tournament events of the day.

Murissa tries her hand at golf

Reena, Jessica, Gabrielle, and Amanda V

Once back at the clubhouse, golfers got drinks, talked with the other tournament participants, and bought more raffle tickets for the 50-50 prize as well as for all the Chinese auction prizes that were donated by various companies around WNY, several by the Buffalo Bills organization. Before long, dinner was served and after all the golfers had gotten their food, it was time for the big reveal of the night. The day before, the Jills had all met before for a private Jills-only party, at which they found out who was gracing the cover of the annual Buffalo Jills swimsuit calendar. I found out myself earlier in the day but at dinner, they revealed the cover of the calendar, featuring Anna and Meghan, to the assembled golfers. After dinner wound down, it was time for the grand finale of the day's events. I'm speaking, of course, about the big dance performance that several Jills dancers put on for their supporters followed by the awarding of the raffle and Chinese auction prizes.

Get the full audio to the video on our Facebook page. See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/2254
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the recent Open Practice. Before the squad split up to greet fans coming into the practice, they posed for a few photos. Shown posing for the camera are Syidah, MaKenzie, Janelle, Amanda, Angela, Karley, Mandy, Jennifer, Deanna, Megan, Rachel, Sarah, Jessica, and Stephanie.

The 2016 Buffalo Bandettes

The debut of the Buffalo Red Zone Cheerleaders!

After Jills operations were shut down last year, there has been a noticeable void in Western NY and to try to help fill that for the time being, the Buffalo Red Zone Cheer and Dance Team was formed. Assembled by Diane Ringer and coached by Jennifer Newell, the Red Zone has already made appearances in the community including a cheerleading competition in Niagara Falls on Saturday. On Sunday, the Red Zone made its 1st gameday appearance making stops along Abbott Road visiting with the fans. In some spots, like in the famed Hammer Lot, they even put on a few dance performances as well.
Outside of emails back and forth, I had yet to meet anyone working with this squad until Sunday, save one. When they arrived in the Hammer Lot, I was greeted by a familiar face...Brianna A of the 2013 Buffalo Bandettes, one of the members of the Cheer and Dance team.
After a few poses with fans, they went right to work performing a pair of dance routines before some more photo ops until it was time to move to the next location. You can learn more about the Buffalo Red Zone and see more photos on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloProGals/

The Buffalo Red Zone Cheer and Dance Team performing in the Hammer Lot

The Red Zone Team posing with the owner of the Hammer Lot

See all of our pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/buffaloredzonecheeranddancetea/4
Next up for the Red Zone, the Bills will be back at the Ralph on December 27th playing host to the Dallas Cowboys and you can see the Red Zone team all along Abbott Road from 10-12.

The Bandettes at the 2015-16 Buffalo Bandits Open Practice

It's been several months since we've  been able to share new pics and videos but I'd like to think these were worth the wait. Early December annually marks the start of the NLL season with training camp and a part of that training camp in Buffalo is the annual Open Practice which takes place at First Niagara Center. A big part of the Open Practice is the 1st full appearance of the new Buffalo Bandettes squad. 

Your 2016 Buffalo Bandettes!

This year, the Bandits held their autograph session for the fans before the practice session and near the end of the session, the Bandettes squad made their 1st appearance. I was making my way around the concourse when they came along and joined them walking towards the front of the 100 level, talking with captains Mandy and Stephanie as we went along. Joining the squad to help run things today was Kirsten, in only her 2nd year retired from the squad. As we got up front, we took a few group photos, 1st of just the squad and then with several fans that came by as we stopped.

Shortly thereafter, the girls split up, with Mandy taking her line to the top of the east bank of escalators and Stephanie taking hers to the bottom of the west bank. I joined Stephanie, now the longest-tenured girl on the squad and her line at 1st before heading back up to see Mandy's line before they all had to head in to get ready to perform. 

Stephanie's line

Kirsten and Stephanie

Mandy's line

Once they headed in, I went to grab a good vantage point to see the performance and take in some of the practice. A little while after the performance, it was back up to the concourse for me for a bit where I ran into Brittany from last year's squad. I caught up with her for a bit as some of the Bandettes came by after making rounds in the stands greeting fans and sharing info about their Jr Bandettes program. Stephanie made a point of letting me know that Chrissy and Cheri, both recently retired, were in the stands and saw me so when they headed back down to get ready for their 2nd performance, I made my way back into the stands near the alums and did some catching up with them until the Bandettes' 2nd performance. After the performance and watching some more of the practice session, I excused myself and made my way out and back home to get to work.

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/8854

Next up for the Bandettes, the Bandits open their season at First Niagara Center in January 9th when they play host to the Calgary Roughnecks.

Some summer 2010 Jills appearances-revisited

Over the summer of 2010, I took the opportunity to photograph the Jills at 3 separate smaller appearances all over Western NY.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in June, the alumni of West Valley and Ellicottville Central Schools got together for a football game to raise funds for the youth football programs in both communities. To help with that effort, they called in Lindsay and Jessica of the Buffalo Jills. I got there soon after Lindsay did and it wasn't long before Jessica joined us. After we met up with the girls' contact, we walked around the area selling programs and raffle tickets. Several fans also got autographs and photos.

Lindsay and Jessica

Lindsay and Jessica with the players and some of the fans

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/2218
The following Friday, it was off to Buffalo's Cobblestone District where the Gateway-Longview family service organization put together their 2nd Annual BBQ and Blues Bash as a fundraiser for their non-profit organization. When I got there, the event was already in full swing and the street was packed with people lined up to get food and enjoy the beautiful afternoon. Rookies Meghan and Morgan were already there and veterans Alyssa and Lindsay showed up at about the same time I did. The Jills quickly went to work selling Chinese Auction tickets for prizes donated by the Bills and the Sabres while greeting fans and signing autographs. The Jills weren't the only ones signing autographs though as Keith Ellison, Lydell Sargeant, and Cary Harris of the Buffalo Bills were also on hand for the event. I talked to them for a little while as the girls circulated around the tents that were set up to protect everyone from the bright sun and the time seemed to fly by. Before long, it was time to go and the girls' contact thanked us all, myself included, for all our help. Learn more about Gateway-Longview at www.gateway-longview.org

Meghan and Morgan with Lydell Sargeant and Cary Harris of the Bills

Alyssa and Lindsay with the Bills' Keith Ellison

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/2227

The final appearance we're visiting in this post wasn't one I expected. One of the great things about Buffalo in the summer, other than the relatively mild heat (as opposed to other regions of the country...it still gets pretty hot here) is the large number of festivals that go on seemingly every weekend in the region. When I made plans to attend the Italian Heritage Festival, I had no idea that I'd be running into current members of the Jills. My reason for going actually revolved around a Jills alum, though. 2005 Jills alum Ashlee A is a gifted singer I became good friends with several years before and she was lending her angelic voice to the patio of Class Act, a bar on the edge of the Festival, a few nights during the event.

I showed up a little earlier than planned and Ashlee was scheduled to sing a little later and shortly before she arrived, Jills rookies Taryn and Jaclyn came by. They were headed to another part of the festival so I joined them, telling Ashlee and her mother I'd return in a little while. As it turned out, Taryn and Jaclyn weren't the only current Jills there as we ran into Courteney and her husband on our way to the Festival's Main Stage. We took a few photos on the way as we were assaulted by all the smells of the foods being cooked before making it to the main stage. With all the foods being cooked, Jaclyn was thankful she ate beforehand and Taryn decided she'd be coming back after she switched into street clothes. Once we made it to the main stage, they posed for photos with fans and the just-crowned Miss Italian Festival while they set about collecting donations to support the Festival.

I only stuck with Jaclyn and Taryn a little while longer so I could head back to see Ashlee and her family and listen to her angelic voice.

Taryn and Jaclyn with Courteney

Ashlee on the mic

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/2235
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the Bandits Home Finale against the New England Blackwolves. Shown posing for a photo are McKenzie and Janelle, both of whom are back for the 2016 Bandits season, 2 of the 6 returning vets who are welcoming in 9 fresh-faced rookies.

McKenzie and Janelle