Sadly, the 2014 NFL season came and went with no Jills on the sideline thanks to the decision to shut the squad down by former Jills director Stephanie Mateczun. However, the Jills did have a pair of alumnae cheering on other teams this past season and doing a great job of it as well. The first of these two young ladies is 2008-09 Jills alum Ashley W. She joined the Jills along with a great rookie class in 2008 and returned in 2009 only to have to leave the squad late in the summer. With her fiery red hair and warm personality, she was joy not only to photograph, but to get to know while she was on the Jills. A few years ago, she and her boyfriend moved to North Carolina and it wasn't long before the urge to get back on the sidelines got her to try out for the Carolina Panthers TopCats cheerleading squad. 2014 was her 3rd year on the TopCats and she spent it as a captain, imparting her wisdom on the younger girls on the squad.
First up, congratulations to rookie Bandette Brianna V, who scored a quarterfinal win in the NLL Girl of The Week series. This brunette beauty, who'd love the money that Lea Michelle, her celeb look-a-like, makes, won by over 3500 votes and landed a spot in the semi-finals. Voting opens a week from today!
On the Jills alumni front, Ashley W, who was with the Jills in 2008 and part of 2009, spent the 2012 season as a member of the Carolina TopCats. However, she wasn't just a member of the squad as she was elected Rookie of The Year by her squadmates following the season! Ashley's not leaving it at that as she made it through the tryout process that finished Monday night and is returning to the TopCats for a second season!
As we told you over the summer, Ashley W, a Buffalo Jills Cheerleader in 2008 and part of 2009, is now a Carolina TopCat. This past Saturday night, the Panthers hosted the Texans in a preseason matchup aired live on NFL Network and, as luck would have it, Miss Ashley made an appearance on TV as they went to commercial break with 12:30 left in the 2nd quarter. They re-aired the game today and I made sure to record it to share Ashley's appearance.
Also in the world of Buffalo Jills who cheered in 2008, Lonna M, who is finishing up her year-long reign as Miss Buffalo, already has a new title...that of Miss Thousand Islands, having won the crown this past Saturday night. Among other prizes, she won a $1,000 scholarship and a spot in the Miss New York 2013 Pageant next summer which, if she wins, catapults her into the Miss America pageant! Congratulations, Lonna!!
Finally, as you all may be aware, last football season, Buffalo Jills alum Heather C (2009) wrote a column called "Leading The Cheer" for Pro Player Insiders, a sports news organization that really focuses on the positives surrounding sports and the athletes involved. When you consider all the negatives that get reported, this is definitely a much-needed change of pace. Well, Heather's keeping busier these days and hasn't been able to contribute as much and Pro Player Insiders is looking to get even more in depth in their 2nd year of existence. To aid with that, I'll be contributing articles of my own on the Jills, BvB, and whatever else I can help with. The Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog's coverage will go unchanged but there will be select features, including a few Jill of The Week features, that will be expanded upon for Pro Player Insiders.
First off, regarding the Jills, FCI Photography is already hard at work on the calendar with photo shoot at Woodlawn Beach last week. Included in the 1st part of this shoot were 2nd year vets Melissa and Kelly, and rookies Maria, Alyssa V, Megan M, and Chelsea. See a behind-the-scenes look at it at http://animoto.com/play/trAhQklzUVghArHLGhjkog
The 2nd part of the Woodlawn Beach shoot features co-captain Emily and rookies Kelsey D and Gabrielle F. See the video at http://video214.com/play/xXDWWVvwVnL3hmvzYVMuoA/s/dark
In the world of Jills alumni, several of whom will be getting some extra notice this summer, we have a recent Jills alumnus joining another squad. Ashley W spent 2008 and a portion of 2009 dancing on the sidelines at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Well, after she moved away over a year ago, she settled in to her new home and now is a brand new member of the Carolina TopCats and will be cheering on the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium this fall!
While we definitely miss not only her beauty but her warm and genuine personality in Buffalo, we wish her the best in Carolina!
This week, we take a look at our other early departure from the Jills as our Jill of The Week. Redhead beauty Ashley was to spend her 2nd season on the Jills dancing on Nicole's line between Lynn and Jennifer after spending last year on Omarlla's line between Omarlla and Lisa. She describes herself as outgoing, kind, and someone who likes to have a good time. All this is true but the most noteworthy aspect of her personality is the size of her heart. Yeah, that can be covered under "kind" but I'd say she goes above and beyond in that respect. She always does her best to make sure everyone is included in the fun of the evening and her big smile, which she's almost always sporting, is warm enough to turn any frown upside down. In these respects, she's just like her mother and grandmother who she says are very caring and go out of their way to help anyone and everyone. She's currently working on a degree in psychology and we hope, when she's getting her degree in the spring, that she comes back to the squad so she can light up the sidelines at Ralph Wilson Stadium next fall with her dance moves and smile. You can read more about Ashley at http://buffalojills.net/roster/ashley.php and check out hers and Kristina's performance at the 1st round of tryouts at Town Ballroom at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2009/1st%20cuts/?action=view¤t=152.flv
On gamedays, you'll find a stunning redhead on Omarlla's line between Omarlla and Lisa dancing up a storm, something she's been doing for the last 18 years. Ashley is in her rookie season with the Jills and her outgoing and friendly nature has made her a perfect fit on the squad, like she was made for the Jills. You can almost never find Ashley without a smile and she finds a way to make the best of any situation or, in the case of Buffalo, any weather. If it's summer, she'll spend her free time in the water swimming and tanning on the beach. If it's winter, she'll spend her time on the slopes snowboarding. Also, don't let her small size fool you...she's no pushover as she's spent some time working to master the art of judo. You can read more about Ashley at http://buffalojills.net/bios/ashley.html
This week, both of our Jills photos come from the recent Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament where 44 of the 48 2008-09 Buffalo Jills were in attendance. The first pic, taken before the golfers started showing up, features a pair of our beautiful new rookies. As Buffalo Jills, the girls need to be smiling as much as possible while on the sidelines and Ashley, on the left, is constantly smiling as it is. Dana was showing us her smile before any of the rookies as she was one of the prospective Jills who we were introduced to at the Jills Open Workshop when she showed up with veterans Jess L and Stephanie Bu. Our second shot, taken shortly before everyone went out on the course, features rookie Lynn and 2nd year vet Jill R. Lynn will be flashing us her smile all season long from Jamie and Eileen's line and anyone paying close attention to the pictures the last few years knows that Jamie has her line getting group shots quite frequently. Jill R spends her gamedays as a part of the Jills Ambassador Squad and we'll see her at tailgate parties with 97Rock and 103.3 The Edge as well as in the Fieldhouse before games as well as with Billy Buffalo during a game on occasion. Our Bandettes photo this week is another one from the post-game party at Pearl Street Grill and Brewery following the Buffalo Bandits Championship win this past May. This picture features rookie Justina and 5th year vets Kimberly and Erin H. Justina is a girl who's gonna have to stick with the Bandettes for many years to come. She made a proclamation at the post-game party that she must be a good luck charm for the Bandits. Kimberly is one of the most popular of the Bandettes going by fan reactions on the NLL Message boards. They created 2 sigs dedicated to her and another one that featured her and 2 of her squadmates. Erin H has been a captain for 3 of her 5 seasons and showed off her crowd control abilities as the Mistress of Ceremonies for the pregame festivities prior to the East Finals of the NLL Playoffs this past May.
On gamedays, you'll find a stunning redhead on Omarlla's line between Omarlla and Lisa dancing up a storm, something she's been doing for the last 18 years. Ashley is in her rookie season with the Jills and her outgoing and friendly nature has made her a perfect fit on the squad, like she was made for the Jills. You can almost never find Ashley without a smile and she finds a way to make the best of any situation or, in the case of Buffalo, any weather. If it's summer, she'll spend her free time in the water swimming and tanning on the beach. If it's winter, she'll spend her time on the slopes snowboarding. Also, don't let her small size fool you...she's no pushover as she's spent some time working to master the art of judo. You can read more about Ashley at http://buffalojills.net/bios/ashley.html
