'The NFL's Cheerleader Problem' and the Buffalo Jills: What happened?

NEW YORK – Maria Pinzone stepped onto a red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival and posed for a smattering of photographers. Frame it a certain way and this seems glamorous, which can also be said of her former job: NFL cheerleader.
Pinzone was a Buffalo Jill for one year. She spent the 2012 Buffalo Bills season dancing on the sidelines just yards away from muscled, multimillion-dollar, head-smashing football players. Much like a paparazzi-lined red carpet, that can seem glamorous, too.
Read the rest at https://buffalonews.com/2019/06/12/the-nfls-cheerleader-problem-and-the-buffalo-jills-what-happened/

Updates in the NFL Cheerleading world

The last few weeks, the heat has been turned up in the fight to ensure that NFL Cheerleaders are given the respect they deserve. A Saints cheerleader was kicked off the Saintsations for posting a lingerie photo on Instagram and members of the Washington Redskins cheerleaders allege that they were subject to very disturbing treatment on an unpaid week-long trip to Costa Rica including the temporary confiscation of their passports while they were there, acting as escorts for male sponsors at nightclub events, and topless photo shoots to name a few.
Regarding what happened with the Saintsations, there are certain rules in place to protect the cheerleaders but at the same time, as someone who used to work closely with 2 professional cheerleading squads, sometimes the rules can seem a bit heavy-handed. This young lady's account was a personal private account not accessible by non-followers and unless she was identifying herself as a professional cheerleader on that account, this might be a case of heavy-handedness. One of the rules that some feel may be excessive is about posting photos in team gear, identifying themselves publicly as professional cheerleaders. There is a very solid reason for that in the form of stalkers. This is a very real danger and it's not like pro cheerleaders generally have the resources to hire security firms to protect them. NFL players do, however. Even before I worked closely with the Jills, I was keeping an eye out to ensure last names weren't getting published online and corresponding regularly with the Jills director in the case of any issues in that regard.
The anti-fraternization policy that exists across the NFL seems a bit one-sided in my opinion. Cheerleaders aren't to have personal relationships of any type with players but players aren't penalized for pursuing cheerleaders at all. That's something that needs to change, IMO. There are sexual harassment guidelines in every workplace and there should be those same guidelines applied to professional athletes as well. In the majority of workplaces, sexual harassment complaints can cause suspensions and terminations. While it's doubtful that an NFL team will cut a player for hitting on a cheerleader, suspensions and fines would be reasonable for a player who doesn't take it to extremes. Obviously if anyone, even a player, gets carried away, criminal charges could and should be filed.
In regards to what has happened in Washington, and Costa Rica, other Redskins cheerleaders have claimed none of that ever happened. Here's the problem with their claim...in no way, shape, or form do all cheerleaders go through all the same experiences as everyone else on their squad, whether they cheered together or not. Much was made of the "jiggle test" that was brought up in the Buffalo Jills lawsuit and a Jills cheerleader who had been on the squad from 2007-2009 said that they never went through that type of test. Rules change and what may have been the norm in 2009 might not have been in 2012. I recall when I first started working closely with the Jills and remarked about how much turnover there had been since the year before. To that, the director mentioned that the nice thing about having a lot of turnover is the lack of an uproar over rules changes.
Regarding the actual claims from the Redskins cheerleaders, they are disturbing to say the least. Confiscating their passports seems to serve no purpose other than to exert extra control over them and the toplessness serves no purpose at all. If there are photos to be taken for the calendar that will be topless, but showing nothing, the security should be strict around the shoot and obviously it has to be something that the cheerleader is completely at ease with. That means no one should be getting access to the shoot who isn't integral to the shoot. I don't care how much a sponsor is donating. In regards to being forced to escort men to nightclubs, I have to say I'm disgusted by the very idea.
With the Jills, the only escorting type stuff I'm aware of was on the golf course and while there were complaints brought up in the lawsuit, I personally never saw any issues. Groups that had gotten a Jill to join them on the course frequently had an extra golf cart with their group so there weren't issues about sitting on laps. The closest I ever saw to that was when we got a bit of a rainburst in 2011 and 2 of the Jills rode back to the clubhouse with me, with me behind the wheel and the 2 of them close together in the passenger seat.
Were there any issues when I was working with the Jills? To be honest, there were a few dance routines I was uncomfortable with because while I always treated everyone in a professional manner, I was also protective of them like family. Beyond that, I can't really say. I won't claim to know everything that everyone went through. Some girls voluntarily shared more with me about their experiences than others did but no two went through everything the same way.
In response to these and other issues, some NFL cheerleaders are looking to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to have an open discussion on addressing these and other issues in regards to treatment of NFL Cheerleaders. Reportedly, the NFL is open to these discussions but whether or not Goodell will be involved is unclear at this time.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23412045/nfl-open-discussions-cheerleaders-improving-their-working-conditions
What does this mean for the Jills? Maybe nothing, maybe a lot. It's hard to say. With 4 separate defendants in the lawsuit and also the matter of an outside company under contract to run the Jills, we could still be waiting a while longer to see the case resolved and a return to the sidelines.

Some updates on the Jills to report

The Jills lawsuit filed over 3 years ago has had little news to report. The complicated case with 4 separate defendants has remained bogged down in the courts and even the plaintiffs have been left with few updates. This week though, we got some updates. State Supreme Court Justice Mark A. Montour ruled that the contracts that the ladies on the Jills signed when joining the squad were unenforceable and that the plaintiffs were non-exempt employees mis-classified as independent contractors. This correlates with what one of the lawyers in the case told me 3 years ago, that the contracts were illegal so the stance that the plaintiffs had no grounds to file a suit was totally off-base.
http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/19/judge-decides-jills-lawsuit-employees-not-independent-contractors/?utm_campaign=puma&utm_medium=social&utm_source=Facebook#link_time=1495243242
I'm no legal expert so I can't begin to explain everything this means but one thing we can be assured of is that this decision is a step forward towards resolving the lawsuit. Until the suit is settled, it could be tough to get the Jills re-instated. Even when the suit is resolved, there are still hurdles to get over but every step counts.

The other news is less positive. Last November, the case was in court and many of those involved gave their depositions that were finally released on Wednesday. One, in particular, was rather jaw-dropping. Russ Brandon, the President of the Buffalo Bills said “If I spent one collective hour in 20 years thinking about the Buffalo Jills, that would be about 58 minutes more than I have.” He told one of the attorneys that he couldn't have cared less that the Jills existed. He did follow that up by saying he didn't mean to be disrespectful but in truth, his very wording was extremely insulting to the Jills and their supporters.
http://wivb.com/2017/05/19/bills-ceo-could-have-cared-less-if-the-jills-existed/
It's not surprising when a casual fan doesn't get just what pro cheerleaders add to an organization as it's not always obvious to a detached observer. Before I started working closely with the Jills in 2005, I wasn't aware of all they did. Russ Brandon, however, has been with the Bills since 1997, a high-ranking executive in 2006, and the President since 2013. If he's truly ignorant to what the Jills brought to the team, then he's not qualified to hold a high-ranking position with the team. If he's not truly that ignorant, then he should be ashamed of himself

Buffalo Jills Alumni Association to showcase Buffalo in upcoming NFL cheerleader reunion weekend

In a few short weeks, cheerleaders from 27 NFL teams will gather in Buffalo for a reunion weekend. The event is scheduled to take place Aug. 5 and 6.

“If you can imagine a sisterhood of girls coming together and feeling like they all have something in common, that’s what it is like,” said Lori Marino, president of the Buffalo Jills Alumni Association. “It’s such an exciting and rewarding event.”

The event Marino is referring to is the third National Football Cheerleaders Alumni Organization Reunion, which is held every two years. This year it coincides with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Buffalo Jills Alumni Association.
Read more at http://www.orchardparkbee.com/news/2016-07-28/Local_News/Buffalo_Jills_Alumni_Association_to_showcase_Buffa.html

“Bring back the Jills:” Cheerleaders deserve their stage

Recently, we reported that Buffalo Jills alums were coming to Rochester to meet fans and lead the cheers to “Bring Back the Jills.” And last weekend Jean Zydel and Nancy Benzinger were at the Otter Lodge, kindly making the drive from Buffalo.

The crowd was fair. Unfortunately, with the Jills off the field now for two seasons, the squad has moved somewhat off the public radar.  At the same time, everyone there who went to games this year at the Ralph felt the Jills’ absence.

Jean Zydel (left) and Kathy Benzinger (right). Jack and myself in center 1/23/16 Otter Lodge

Read the rest of David's article at http://talkerofthetown.com/2016/02/04/bring-back-the-jills-cheerleaders-deserve-their-stage/

Could the Jets Flight Crew settlement mean anything for the Jills?

As most who pay any attention to pro cheerleading are well aware, the Jets Fight Crew won their lawsuit against the New York Jets this past week. In all, there were 5 cheerleading squads across the NFL dealing with lawsuits over the past two years. The Raiderettes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders, the Ben-Gals, and now the Flight Crew can now finally move past it all and move forward with the assurances that their members can no longer be deprived of fair compensation.
What does this all mean for the Buffalo Jills, whose lawsuit is still outstanding? It could mean a lot. There are currently 25 teams in the NFL without official cheerleading squads, with unofficial squads working to fill the void with the NY Giants, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and the Buffalo Bills over the past few years. To anyone who understands the true purpose of pro cheerleaders, public relations, especially with children and the military, not having a squad is embarrassing and detrimental to the NFL's goal of the growth of the game. We also have to take into account what people want and when a film crew was in Buffalo working on a documentary about NFL Cheerleading, most of the response was in favor of bringing back the Jills.
On the other hand, it could mean very little. Unlike the Jills, each of those other squads has been run directly by the organization that runs the NFL team. The Jills were one of a few squads contracted out to outside organizations to run. After the lawsuits became such big news around the league, the San Francisco 49ers did away with that arrangement so as to ensure no outside company could abuse the Gold Rush Cheerleaders in their name like Stejon Productions has been accused of doing with the Jills. There are also a pair of other noteworthy differences between the Jills case and the cases of the other squads. For one, those other lawsuits were primarily about the lack of monetary compensation while the original 5 ladies in the Jills' lawsuit had the primary complaint of abusive treatment in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The biggest difference, however, lies in the defendants of the lawsuits. The other squads sued the teams that ran them and that was it. The Jills lawsuit names 4 separate defendants:The Buffalo Bills; the NFL itself because of Roger Goodell's signature on the contracts that the Jills signed; Citadel Communications, which ran the Jills through the 2011 season (Citadel merged with Cumulus Media in September of 2011): and Stejon Productions, which ran the squad during the 2012 and 2013 seasons and made the unilateral decision to shut down the squad, the only squad shut down during the rash of lawsuits. With 4 defendants, it's not as simple a case as the others.
It's hard to say exactly what the other lawsuits being settled means for the Jills so they only thing we can do is to remain ever-vigilant in the cause to return them to the sidelines and have faith in former Houghton College cheerleader Kim Pegula to do the right thing as owner of the Buffalo Bills and reinstate the Jills as soon as possible after the legal issues involved in the lawsuit and whatever contractual rights Stejon Productions has are resolved.

NFL cheerleaders win ruling in fight for better wages

The cheerleaders for the NFL's Buffalo Bills were given the go ahead with their class action lawsuit against the team demanding better wages.

The ruling this week by a New York state judge allows "all Buffalo Bills cheerleaders and ambassadors since April 2008" to come together on the suit. Five former cheerleaders had originally brought individual suits against the team.

The cheerleaders' lawyer, Christopher Marlborough, told CNNMoney that he is pleased with the ruling and "fighting for the rights" of all Bills cheerleaders who are making claims.
Read more at http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/09/news/nfl-cheerleaders-buffalo-bills-jills/

2009 Taste of Buffalo-revisited

Western NY is known for its summer festivals and chief among those is the Taste Of Buffalo, the largest 2-day food festival in the nation. Held on the 2nd weekend of July each year, one of the features many years was the Buffalo Jills. Up through 2009, the Jills would appear during the day at the 97Rock and 103.3 The Edge stations handing out Bills schedules, posing for photos, and sometimes helping with games.

Amanda F, Lindsay, Jackie, and Angelina

I got there shortly after noon on the Saturday of the festival and found a quartet of Buffalo Jills at the 97Rock booth, with Jackie and Lindsay winding down their day. With Amanda F and Angelina headed over to the 103.3 The Edge booth, I spent some time at the 97Rock booth until Jackie and Lindsay were done for the day. Afterwards, I went for some food at a few different vendors before heading over the the 103.3 booth where Loren had shown up to take over.

Loren, Angelina, and Amanda F

After Amanda and Angelina took off for the day, Loren was on her own for a bit so I held off on taking off for more food until Anna made an appearance. I grabbed some photos of the two of them with some fans, some of the very young variety, before making one last food run for the day. While out, I actually ran into a very familiar face, former Jill and Bandette Marissa D.

Anna and Loren with a little fan

It wasn't long after I made it back to Loren and Anna that another familiar face showed up. Taking in the beautiful day at the Taste was Bandettes alum Richelle, who had retired from the Bandettes two years prior. I hadn't talked to her since the night the Bandits won the NLL title in 2008 so I got too catch up with her a little while the Jills were talking to other festival-goers. Shortly after Richelle left, it was time for Loren and Anna to head out as well. They had parked in separate directions so I walked Anna to her car as it was on my way to my own..

Anna and Loren with Bandettes alum Richelle

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/5046
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the February game against Colorado. A few times a year, the whole squad will get together for a group photo, usually completely their own idea. This was one of those times in a photo taken when the squad was waiting to head out for pregame, although catching the lovely LaToya in mid-blink was purely by accident.

2009 Strawberry Festival-revisited

In addition to Bills events, squad events and charity appearances, the Jills could frequently be seen supporting their sponsors, who generally gave the girls on the squad a few perks and paid the main sponsor of the squad a tidy sum to be named as a sponsor. In 2009, one of those sponsors was Merritt Estate Winery who even added a Buffalo Jills-wine to their inventory. Based in Forestville, NY, they hold a couple of charity events each year with live music, vendors, free wine-tasting, and more. Their June event, called the Strawberry Festival, raises money for a different charity each year, frequently helping out a local athlete's cause. In 2009, that charity was the Ruben Brown Foundation, which raises funds for youth service and enrichment programs. With Merritt sponsoring the Jills that year, girls from the squad were on hand for the Saturday portion of the event.
When I arrived, several of the Jills were already on hand selling the Jills wine, signing autographs, and posing for photos. One of the young ladies was going a little above and beyond as they had a dunk tank set up and rookie dancer Gabrielle had volunteered to be in it. Unfortunately, it wasn't a typical June day with temps in the 70s but instead in the high 50s to low 60s. No one would've blamed Gabby for backing out of the dunk tank duties but she stuck with it with a smile on her face.

Heather and Kelly with Ruben Brown

Gabrielle in the dunk tank

She even kept smiling while her squadmate Jennifer was giving it her all to dunk her herself...though maybe the reason she kept smiling through that is because Jennifer missed each time. She did get dunked a few times however and when she came out, she had goosebumps on her goosebumps! But through it all, she never stopped smiling

Jennifer anxiously trying to dunk Gabrielle

Kelly, Jennifer, Ayeshia, Gabrielle, Heather, Joya, and Murissa

After a few hours, the Jills that were there left to be replaced by Lynn and Katie who were replaced later by Jill and Kelly Ann to finish up the day. One of the things brought up in the Jills lawsuit that was filed last year was how the girls aren't supposed to express opinions on hot topics. The reason for that is so that they can appear as friendly to everyone and a big topic can get pretty heated easily. The hot topic that year was the eventual reinstatement to the NFL of convicted felon Michael Vick. A young man tried to get Jill's and Kelly Ann's opinions on bringing Vick to the Bills and thankfully I was there to steer the debate away from the ladies.

Lynn, Katie K, Murissa, Jennifer, and Ayeshia

Lynn and Katie with a bottle of Jills wine

Jill and Kelly Ann with Ruben Brown

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/5010
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the January game against the Minnesota Swarm. Taken just after halftime, Mandy grabbed her co-captain Chrissy for a photo together after their line came out to perform during the 3rd quarter. It's fitting that these two were paired as captains in 2015 not only to balance out their experience with Mandy in her 2nd season and Chrissy in her 5th. They each started off their careers as pretty quiet, although Mandy shed that quiet label by midseason.

Mandy and Chrissy

2009 Jills Bike Wash for Mercy Flight-revisited

The Jills have done a lot more than what is seen on the sidelines over the year, including helping out at charity events. One of those events was a Bike Wash raising money for Mercy Flight, an independent, not-for-profit provider of emergency air-medical transport and supporting services, ensuring rapid, safe and cost effective delivery of expert emergency response teams. In late May 2009, Buck's Motorsports in Akron hosted a fundraiser where motorcyclists could get their bikes washed in return for a donation to Mercy Flight and volunteering to help out with that were members of the Buffalo Jills.

Courteney, Katy, Jess, and Amanda with a freshly-washed bike and its owner

When I got there, Jess, Amanda F, Katy, and Courteney were already hard at work with several bikes. It was a little chilly for the end of May so if anyone had been hoping it'd be a bikini bike wash, they were let down....just a bit...though Jess was definitely ready for bikini weather wearing one under her shirt and shorts. After the girls washed the bikes, they posed with them and their owners for the cameras, with photos available from the Buck's photographer.
After a while, Alyssa B showed up and Amanda and Courteney took off for the day. One of the great things with the Jills is how much their families supported them but it was rare that we saw many of them outside of events. Alyssa's family even came to support her at this event,

Jess flashing a smile as she washes a bike

After we had been there for a bit, Nicole L showed up to help out and Katy took off soon afterwards. The girls got a bit of a break as they were all caught up and got to pose for photos both outside with Mercy Flight pilots and inside with some of the bikes for sale at Buck's. After getting a few more bikes washed after that, Alyssa took her leave for the day and Jess and Nicole got to check out more of the bikes inside the store.

Nicole L, Jess, and Alyssa B with one of the Mercy Flight pilots

Nicole L and Jess checking out the bikes in the store

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4952
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the January game against Minnesota. As the squad was getting ready to head out to perform at 1st intermission, Mandy posed for a quick photo and then grabbed some of her squadmates for a group photo. Shown posing for the camera are Chrissy, Mandy, MaKenzie, and Janelle.

Chrissy, Mandy, MaKenzie, and Janelle

2009 Buffalo Jills Congratulatory Party-revisited

In mid-May 2009, the Jills invaded Club Paradise for their annual Congratulatory Party, an event designed primarily to introduce their fans to the new squad. With the later date, it didn't coincide with any Bandits games and I was actually one of the 1st to arrive, helping Jills management with setting up before some of the Jills started arriving to pitch in, led by one of the rookies I hadn't met at the Draft Party, Alyssa B. By the time we had everything set up, the rest of the squad had arrived and the fans started showing up soon afterwards.

Eileen and Omarlla starting their 10th season together

Loren and Angelina

In addition to the fans who showed up, the emcee for the evening showed up in the form of Lydia Dominick. Currently on WGRZ, she was with CW23 at the time and did a series of reports on Jills tryouts for a 2nd season. After getting to know some of the Jills the previous season, her friend Heather joined the squad in 2009.

Heather, Lydia, and Katy

Jill, Jennifer, Omarlla, and Lisa

In truth, there were generally more family members and friends than fans at these events and sometimes we got to know them quite well over the years. Some of these friends decided that they loved what their friend on the squad was doing so much that they decided to try out for the squad themselves. Heather had met some of the Jills just out on the town but Lindsey C, who joined the squad in 2010, had become a regular attendee of Jills events in support of her friend Lisa.

Lisa and friends, including future Jills and Falcons cheerleader Lindsey

Kelly Ann, Michelle, and Kristen

Kaitlin, Anna, and Vincenza

The bulk of the party was spent mingling, selling raffle tickets, and, for me, taking lots and lots of photos. When there was probably about an hour left in the event, the raffle prizes were awarded and it was time for the most-highly awaited portion of the event, the dance performance, which was split up into 3 segments with vets dancing 1st, then rookies and ambassadors who switched to dance, and finishing up with more vets.

Squad photo with Lydia

Following the performances, fans got their chance to get photos taken with not 1 or 2 Jills, but the entire squad before things wound down and some of the Jills started leaving for the evening with others either still on duty or just feeling the need to dance some.

Alyssa B with some balloons

Murissa posing for the camera

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4256

Ayeshia, Vincenza, Laura, and Keisha with the owner of Club Paradise

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the January game vs Minnesota. The Bandits had a theme night every game this season and that game was their "Superhero night" where fans were encouraged to come dressed up as their favorite heroes. Shown posing with Hawkman and Ironman are members of Lauren's line before the game.

LaToya, Syidah, Hawkman, Stephanie, Iron Man, Janelle, Lauren, and Abby.

2009 Buffalo Bills Draft Party-revisited

Over the last few years, the Buffalo Bills having draft parties for their season ticket holders has become the norm but it wasn't always that way. In 2009, the last year that the draft was held completely on the weekend, the Bills held their first of these annual draft parties, holding it in the stadium for all their season ticket holders. Beforehand, the lots were open a few hours before it started, allowing fans to engage in a little bit of offseason tailgating before going inside. Even as we tailgated, other fans lined up to go in about an hour before they opened the gate. All during the tailgate, while we were parked near the stadium, the Jills dancers were practicing inside the stadium. I knew this only because the familiar tune of Kelli Wagner's remix of "Boom, Boom Pow" was playing over the stadium speakers. The Bills hadn't expected such a huge turnout apparently and only opened 1 gate that day so it was a slow-moving line once it got moving.

Ruby, Katy, Lindsay, Kristen, and Kelly Ann

Waiting in lines is far from anyone's favorite thing so my friends and I waited until the line died down to make our way in and we were greeted by 5 rookie members of the Jills ambassador squad. After we got inside the stadium, most of my group went up to check out the Jim Kelly Club while I went down on the field for a little while to take some more photos. Before I got far, I ran into Stefanie and Kaitlin, who introduced me to rookie beauty Julie. After I spent some time with them, taking some photos, I went over near the stage where several more of the Jills were posing with young fans. I took several more photos while visiting with the vets and meeting more of the rookies before I saw a few familiar faces. Justina of the Bandettes was there for the event with her sister as was 2003-06 Jills alum Lisa Y.

Stefanie, Julie, and Kaitlin

Stephanie B, Katie K, Omarlla, Lisa, Ayeshia, Jill, and Murissa

Jess, Jackie, Amanda F, and Nicole P

Eileen, Anna, Liz, and Angelina

After spending some time with various groups of Jills taking photos and meeting a few more rookies, it was time for the Jills dancers to do what they do best as they took the stage about a half hour into the actual draft for 4 dance performances.

After performing, the Jills went back to mingling with the fans until the Bills went on the clock for their 1st round pick, upon which most everyone in the became focused on the pick being made. Afterwards, they went back onstage for another pair of performances before the dancers were done for the day.

Joya, Kelly, Jenica, Caity, Ashley, and Gabrielle

The dancers may have been done for the day but the Ambassadors were still on hand as fans toured the Bills' gameday locker room. At the end of the tour, fans got to take a photo in the Bills Press Briefing room with a pair of the Jills Ambassadors. You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/4185

Lindsay, Danielle, and Kelly Ann

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the Bandits Home Opener against Edmonton. The 2015 squad featured 2 new captains, including 2nd year vet Mandy. Here she is posing with members of her line in a photo taken while they were greeting fans coming up to the 100 level for the game. Shown posing from left to right are Jennifer, MaKenzie, Mandy, Brittany, Melanie, and Chrissy.

Jennifer, MaKenzie, Mandy, Brittany, Melanie, and Chrissy

2009 Jills Open Workshop-revisited

With the Bandits and Bandettes regular season winding down, we're kicking off our summer series with a look back at the 2009 Buffalo Jills, starting with the Jills Open Workshop. For the 2nd season in a row, we held it at Fusion Dance Studio, owned and operated by Jills Choreographer Kelli Wagner. When I arrived, Kelli and the captains were already hard at work getting things set up with gift bags for all the prospective Jills so I joined in to help the work go faster. There were some new faces among the captains as 3rd year vet Jill became a co-captain while Nicole P got promoted to captain. The previous season, Kelly H was the sole ambassador captain until she took ill and with her retirement, 4th year vet Danielle took over in 2009 with 3rd year vet Keisha as co-captain.
It wasn't long before the vets and prospective rookies started showing up, and Anna and Liz even introduced me to a friend of theirs, who not only made the squad but spent 4 seasons as a Jill, Alyssa B.

Anna, incoming rookie Alyssa B, and Liz

As it turned out, several ambassadors were trying out to make the switch to dance, including Liz, Amanda F, Vincenza, and returning alum Kaitlin V. Before things got started, while girls were still checking in, one potential rookie said hi like she knew me and I wished her luck but for the life of me, I didn't think I knew her. It didn't click until a few days later that it was former 97Rock intern Katy who wound up not only making the squad but landed the cover of the swimsuit calendar! Also on-hand for the workshop was CW23's Lydia Dominick. She was looking for someone to talk to whose story would really be worth telling so I directed her to Kaitlin.

Jill taking photos

Vincenza, Dr Amanda, returning alum Kaitlin V, and Jess

The captains and recently-retired Kelly H worked on helping everyone check in while everyone was getting re-acquainted. Jills alum Lisa Y (2003-06) was also on hand to help out Val and Lisa even showed up in matching outfits. Girls trying out in matching outfits was hardly new after Rachael and Autumn had done so in 2006 but Val and Lisa wanted to get a jump on things and start matching even at the workshop.

Val and Lydia

some of the girls working through the dance moves

listening to what Kelli has to say

Stephanie B, fresh from the Pro Bowl Jess, and Stefanie

Ambassador Squad captain Danielle with her predecessor Kelly H

See all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/3829


From the Bandettes comes a photo from last December's Open Practice. After 5 memorable seasons on the squad, LB stepped down but still made the occasional appearance this season, including the alumnae game and helping out at the Open Practice. Stephanie learned a lot from LB during their time together on the squad and had to get a pic with her and so, posing for this photo during the 1st half of the practice before the Bandettes went out to perform are LB and Stephanie.

LB and Stephanie