Bandette of The Week Danielle

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Danielle as our Bandette of The Week. Spending gamedays dancing on Kirsten's line, Danielle has a degree in education and is now working to get another degree, in public relations, this time. Danielle is a perfect fit on the Bandettes because of how close-knit the squad has always been. She loves spending time with the girls on the squad both at and away from the games. That includes the post-game parties at Cobblestone as well as get-togethers in the offseason. You can read more about Danielle at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=Danielle Danielle's secondary photo comes from the Opener vs Toronto and was taken early in the 1st quarter. Shown posing for the camera are 2nd year vets Danielle and Krista.

Danielle and Krista

Buffalo Jill of The Week Keisha

This week, we take a look at Ambassador Squad captain Keisha as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. In her 5th season on the squad and her 2nd full season as captain, Keisha is the gold standard on being a Jills Ambassador. She not only can carry on a conversation with most anyone on most topics, she frequently starts said conversations, making her very easy to get along with. To show her football knowledge last season, she even engaged in a picks contest with an Albany DJ and kept the lead until the end of the season when she narrowly lost to Q103's Mrozek and got to eat a dozen atomic wings at Buffalo Wild Wings back in January. Her mouth has healed now but I doubt very much if she wants to go through that again...lol. Beyond that, she's also the type to go above and beyond for her squadmates and has made trips to NYC and Hawaii to support some of them. A few years ago, when the Jills were part of the Edge Away Game parties at Rhino's in Orchard Park, Omarlla was slated to do the appearance on her own when Keisha stopped in to support her and watch the game with the fans. You can read more about Keisha at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961195 Keisha's secondary photo is from the Home Opener when the Jills had a special visitor. Shown posing for the camera are Alyssa, Amanda F, 2010 Jills alumnus Jessica W, and Keisha.

Alyssa, Amanda F, Jessica W, and Keisha

The Bandettes at the Bandits Opener!

When the Bills and Sabres pretty consistently let the sports fans of Buffalo down, it's great to have a team in town that doesn't. With 4 league titles in 20 seasons, the Buffalo Bandits are consistently one of the top teams in the NLL every season. Likewise, going into their 12th season as the dance squad of the Bandits, the Buffalo Bandettes have long been known as the best in the league and as evidenced last night, they aren't going to give up that ranking easily.

Lauren B's line

When I made it down to the newly renamed First Niagara Center, the Bandettes dancers were greeting fans coming up the escalators to the 100 level. For this game, I spent some time visiting with Lauren B's line while they posed for photos with the fans.  It's interesting to see how the girls change over the years. In her rookie season, Lauren was very timid and quiet. She came out of her shell a lot last year and is looking like she's growing even more in that way this year. One of her linemates, Chrissy, was pretty quiet in her rookie season last year and has already shown signs of coming out of her shell this year the way Lauren did last year.

Chelsea, Stephanie O, Stephanie C, and Lauren K

Another thing I find interesting in working with the Jills and the Bandettes is seeing what rookies are going to actively seek out the camera the most. 2 years ago on the Bandettes, it was Chelsea and after only 1 game, I can see Stephanie O will be the rookie who does that the most this season, though I wouldn't be surprised to see a few other rookies give her a run for her money by the time the season really gets underway, either...lol

Captains Kirsten and Lauren B

Danielle and Krista

Group shot at 1st intermission

Carissa, Lauren B, and Chrissy in action

Ashley, Ria, and Amanda...the Bandettes promo squad

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/4369

Next up for the Bandettes, they'll be back in action at First Niagara Center on Friday, January 27th, when the Bandits play host to the Philadelphia Wings. Then they'll be topping that off the next night, on the 28th, with an away game viewing party at the Buffalo Wild Wings at 1620 Niagara Falls Blvd in Tonawanda.  Stop by for some dinner and stay to watch the Bandits take on the Minnesota Swarm with the Bandettes!

Bandette Of The Week Kirsten

This week, we start off the 2012 Buffalo Bandette of The Week series with the longest tenured vet on the roster in captain Kirsten. This will be her 1st season as a full-fledged captain after spending the bulk of last year serving as a co-captain before taking the captain's role late in the season. Besides being the longest-tenured vet, Kirsten also has another big distinction. She's actually not from Buffalo as she grew up on Long Island but came to Buffalo for college, and earned her bachelor's degree in physical therapy in three years. She says her biggest strength is her willingness to help others and that fits both with her chosen career and with her role as a Bandettes captain. You can read more about Kirsten at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=Kirsten
Kirsten's secondary photo comes from last fall's Blondes Vs Brunettes game held at Sweet Home High School. Members of the Buffalo Bandettes were on hand for the game to help with raffles and dance and cheer on the players. Shown posing for the photo are Kirsten, Ashley, Chelsea, Noelle, Lauren S, and Danielle.

Kirsten, Ashley, Chelsea, Noelle, Lauren S, and Danielle

Buffalo Jill of The Week Kristina

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Kristina as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Found on gamedays on Omarlla's line between Omarlla and Emily, being physically fit isn't just her goal, it's a part of her chosen career. She already has a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and is currently working on her Master's in Nutrition. As far as her actual goals though, beyond her career goals, she wants to see the world. and she's already started with a trip to Paris, France. Given that goal, I would be pretty surprised if she doesn't jump at the chance for a troop visit overseas the next time the Jills are sent on one. You can read more about Kristina at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=2348011 Kristina's secondary photo comes from the Jills' 9th Annual Golf Tournament held at Westwood Country Club in Williamsville. Shown posing for the camera are Kristina, Gabrielle, Sara, and Kelly.

Kristina, Gabrielle, Sara, and Kelly

As seen in her tryout video, Kristina (on the right) is more than just in great shape as she also knows how to move and put on a great performance when it comes to dancing. Maybe her dream of getting a spot as a backup dancer can be realized given this fact.