Photos and video from the Jills and Alumni practice

Several Jills alumni warming up

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and around the NFL, players use pink cleats, gloves, and other items during a few special games each season. NFL Cheerleaders also do something special each year with pink pom-poms and sometimes even special uniforms. This year, the Buffalo Jills are going all out. As everyone who's been paying any attention to the Jills the past year knows, the squad put on the largest halftime show in the NFL outside of the Super Bowl with the aid of several dancers from Fusion Dance Studio, the Buffalo Bandettes, and several Buffalo Jills Alumni. For the next home game, against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 9th, the Buffalo Jills will welcome over 100 Buffalo Jills alumni to the field for a very special pregame performance. For that game last year, all the alumni involved cheered within the past decade or so. For this performance, Jills alumni of all ages have come in for this big performance. There are plenty of girls from recent years, including Katie K and Angelina who were with the squad only last season. But there are also plenty of ladies from before as well and I was told one Jills alumnus performing is in her 70s! Also, like last year's halftime performance, several Buffalo Jills Ambassadors will also be on the field performing as well. Sara and Courteney were no surprise at all nor were Miranda and Shannon. But also joining the dancers for this performance are Rebecca as well as Keisha and Laura, the captain and co-captain of the Buffalo Jills Ambassador Squad! That's not all, though. Stephanie Mateczun, who cheered on the Jills herself before becoming the director, is also part of this performance. They've been practicing for a couple of weeks so far and to show off what they've learned to friends and family, the Jills invited family and close friends to see the first hour of Thursday night's practice. Husbands, children, and perhaps even some grandchildren got to see what their loved ones did before and will be doing in just over a week. It was a major thrill for me as well. Besides the girls I know from very recently, there were several girls there from back when I first launched the Buffalo Jills Fan Club on Yahoo before they switched to a groups format and long before I launched the more professional-looking Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog.

Kristin B and Lynn (2008-09) 

Julie P (1997-2002) with her son...Julie is perhaps the biggest reason I first launched the site

Kristina at the merchandise table while everyone was still checking in

Several Jills Alumni including Jena (2005) and Megan (2006) on the left

Julie P (1997-2002), Korinne (2004-06) and Nicole P (2004-09)

Keisha and Krystin among several alumni

Melissa, Allison (2002-05), Steph, Tina (2000-02), and Danielle (2002-03) among the alumni

Tina (2000-02) and Jodi (2000) with their kids

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/27377

Buffalo Jill of The Week Murissa

This week, we take a look at our first dancer as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Murissa is in her 4th season and can be found anchoring one end of Valerie's line next to Krystin. This self-admitted princess says this will be her final season on the squad but I am one of many who hope that won't be the case. That extends to more than just the fans that see her on gamedays. Last season, she took not one, but two trips to the Middle East to visit with and perform for the troops stationed there. Obviously the soldiers fell in love with her because of not only her beauty, but her fun and loving personality. The feeling was definitely mutual as I'm sure those trips will be among the highlights of Murissa's Jills career. It's going to be hard imagining her leaving though, just as it was for the Jill who served as her veteran buddy in her rookie season, longtime Ambassador captain Kelly H. They each have these incredible personalities that not only make them great to know, but shine through in their photos. And Murissa is someone who just loves having her photo taken and will strike a pose for the camera in virtually any situation it seems...lol.You can read more about Murissa at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961256 Murissa's secondary photo comes from the 9th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tourney and features Murissa, Lisa, and Natalie posing for the camera. Just prior to taking this pic, Murissa gave Lisa a big hug...just to soak up some of the water from Lisa's time in the dunk tank on a pretty hot day...lol.

Murissa, Lisa, and Natalie

Finally, take a look back at Murissa's routine from 1st cuts held at the Healthy Zone Fieldhouse where she performed alongside Reena.

The Jills at the Bills-Pats game

So far this season, both home Bills games have had rain in the forecast but thankfully, they've both had exceptional weather instead, which made things great for the fans both tailgating and in the stands as well as for the players. It also made things great for the Jills, who didn't have to cover up with ponchos like was expected and could perform all their routines and performances.

Jessica and Keisha with a member of the 1974 Buffalo Jills

After breaking away from my tailgate party, I wandered over to the 97Rock Tailgate Party where Jessica and Keisha were selling and signing calendars as well as posing for pictures. Jessica told me that she had dreamed the night before that the Bills would win and, even though her dream was off on the final score, she had to be happy about the final result anyway. Nearby, Amanda F was working with DJ Jickster, known as the Jills #2 fan, with other promotions for 97Rock, one of the main sponsors of the Buffalo Jills.

Ruby, Shannon, and Courteney

After that, it was off to the Shredd and Ragan Tailgate Party in Lot C where Ruby and Courteney were posing for lots of photos and Shannon was helping out The Edge with some promotions while Laura and Alyssa were at a private party there at the Tailgate.

Christina's line

Natalie and Christina

Dance captains Christina, Omarlla, and Valerie posing for the camera

Before long, Christina's line arrived on the scene for their performance in Lot C. One thing introduced at the Shredd and Ragan Tailgate Party last year was this performance by several dancers on the Jills and it was very well-received by the fans. This season, they added on another performance at 10am and instead of taking volunteers among the dancers to perform, one line is chosen each week. After posing as a line for several photos, the girls put on a high energy performance before posing in small groups with the fans for photos. After they performed and posed for a lot of photos, I headed back to my tailgate party to get things put away and then head into the stadium for the game.

Kelly, Valerie, and Gabrielle

Jills Choreographer Kelli makes a rare gameday appearance with Steph

Jaclyn and Emily about to come out for 2nd half

Lindsey, Bri, Jaclyn, Gabrielle, and Amanda V cheering at the end of the game

The game itself was one that Bills fans will remember for many years. For one, the Bills came back from an 18-point deficit 2 weeks in a row, something that has never happened before in the NFL with any team. For another, the win came after 15 straight losses to New England, and that was despite some seriously biased officiating early on. The last time the Bills won over the Pats*, Omarlla was the only current Jill on the team and Steph and Kelli were in their 2nd years running the squad. 

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/27115

Next up, the Jills will be continuing to work with over 100 Buffalo Jills alumni on getting ready for a huge pregame performance before the Eagles game on October 9th for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Alyssa

This week, we take a look at 3rd year vet Alyssa as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Alyssa is an award-winning Ambassador on the squad having won rookie of the year in 2009 and Outstanding Ambassador in 2010. A recent college graduate, she wasn't even sure she'd be able to return to the squad this year depending on her job situation. Thankfully, she's one of Western NY's college grads staying home after landing a job at a local company. Part of a group of 3 close friends who tried out together in 2009 dubbed the 3 Musketeers, Alyssa is the only one remaining on the Ambassador Squad with Nicole dancing and Kristen retiring after last season. Alyssa describes herself as a people person and loves getting to interact with the fans on gamedays and at events and appearances. Those aren't just words, either. I've noticed her repeatedly going out of her way to talk to fans the past couple of years that I've known her. She's obviously someone no guy would avoid talking to with her beauty but when you get to know her, you easily see why squadmates and other friends know her more for her warm and fun personality than anything else. There's one example of her warmth that comes to mind in which she did something for a friend that meant a lot...I can't say anything specific about that on here but trust me when I say what Alyssa did spoke a lot about what kind of a person she is. As far as her fun personality, one thing her squadmates think of is some of the silly things she says. In her rookie year, she had so many Alyssa-isms that Amanda F even made a list!! You can read more about Alyssa at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961012 Alyssa's secondary photo is from the 9th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament and was taken while the golfers were coming in from the course for dinner. Shown posing for a photo are the last two remaining members of the 3 Musketeers, Nicole and Alyssa.

Nicole and Alyssa

Jills on NFL.com

Loren, Murissa, and Krystin

Melissa

Omarlla's line

Amanda F, Keisha, Miranda, and Alyssa

Thanks to Sasha at http://ultimatecheerleaders.com/ for the heads up....see all the pics at http://www.nfl.com/photos/09000d5d82253bc0#id:09000d5d822639f1

The Jills at the Bills Home Opener!

It was a very warm day in Orchard Park as the Bills played host to the Oakland Raiders after both teams started off the season 1-0. After some tailgating, it was time to go to work and I started off in the Healthy Zone Fieldhouse where Courteney and Sara were posing for photos and signing autographs for the fans.

Courteney and Sara

After the Fieldhouse, I went off towards the 97Rock Tailgate party but before I had gone that far, I ran into another NFL Cheerleader...from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, in town to root on her boyfriend.

Kelsi's mother, Kelsi Reich of the DCC, David Nelson's mother, David's brother

After talking with Kelsi for a little bit, it was off to the 97Rock Tailgate party where Laura, Rebecca, and Reena were selling and signing plenty of swimsuit calendars as well as posing for photos. While there, we even had a special guest in 2010 Jills alumnus Jessica W who does currently plan to return in 2012.

Reena, Jessica W, Rebecca, and Laura at the 97Rock Tailgate

After spending some time with the current Buffalo Jill of The Week and the rest of the girls, I went over to the Shredd and Ragan tailgate party on Lot C where Keisha, Amanda F, Alyssa, and Miranda were posing for pics and signing and selling calendars while Shannon was helping with the games being played at the tailgate party. While there, we had another pair of special guests who were in town for the game and were on Lot C to see the Jills perform at 11:30....the twins Jenica and Jessica!

Jessica K, Alyssa, and Jenica in Lot C

Before long, Omarlla's line joined the tailgate party and posed for some photos before performing for the crowd.

Lisa, Omarlla, Briana, Jaclyn, Kristina, Lindsey, Myesha, Emily

Jaclyn and her proud parents

After the performance, I went back to pack up my tailgate and head into the game and, while the Jills were waiting to come onto the field for their pregame performance, they posed for a few photos in the tunnel including one with soon-to-be HOF WR Andre Reed.

Andre Reed with the 2011 Buffalo Jills!

After pregame, they welcomed the team onto the field before regrouping to head back out to perform on the sidelines during the game.

Welcoming Marcell Dareus onto the field

Jenny, Christina, Gina, Nicole, and Jami

Halftime was a special event as Phil Hansen, a solid DE who was a steady force for the Bills throughout the 90s, was added to the Wall of Fame.

Jills on the field for the Hansen Wall of Fame induction

Krystin, Murissa, Melissa, and Loren on the sidelines

Myesha, Lindsey, and Briana in the 4th quarter

After the game, a thrilling comeback which had the Bills down 21-3 at the half but come back to win it 38-35, I ran into Kelsi again as well as 2009 Jills Calendar Covergirl Katy R but I didn't think to snap any photos...I hadn't seen Katy in over a year and was just happy to see her again. See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/26821

Next up, the Jills will be back in action as the Bills play host to the New England Patriots next Sunday at 1pm and don't forget to swing by Lot C at 11:30 to see a Jills dance line perform at the Shredd and Ragan tailgate party.
But before that, they'll be starting to prepare this week for a huge pregame performance with over 100 Buffalo Jills alumni that will take place before the Eagles game on October 9th.

Buffalo Jill Of The Week Laura

This season's 1st Jill of The Week is 5th year vet Laura. This season she's the co-captain of the Jills Ambassador Squad, a role that requires her to be a great people person and able to carry on conversations with fans of all ages. Laura's very qualified at that and can talk with guys about things other than football. A lot of that stems from what she does a lot of the time when she's not acting as a Jill. She's the spokesmodel for Martin Archery and not only advertises the equipment, but uses it as well. In fact, last summer, ESPN2 aired a series of mini-episodes of Laura doing some hunting, and we're not talking about hunting for shopping bargains either. The show was called Redfield Redzone and focused on her learning and teaching about hunting, archery, and fishing. This is not to say she's totally tomboyish as she's still very feminine in many ways as well. For one thing, when she's actually home, which is rare considering how much time she seems to spend on the road, she's an ace in the kitchen with an award for her Ultimate Peanut Butter Pie as well as requests from her squadmates to bring some of her cookies or other concoctions to practices or to games. Laura's secondary photo comes from the Kid's Day game where several of the Jills Ambassadors were posing for photos and signing autographs in Lot C. Shown in the photo are Jessica, Laura, and Sara.

Jessica, Laura, Sara

You can read more about Laura at http://www.buffalojills.net/article.asp?id=1961209

2012 Buffalo Bandettes tryouts announced

Think you have what it takes to join a professional sports dance team and perform for fans at the First Niagara Center? The Buffalo Bandettes Dance Team is now looking for applicants to fill out their 2012 roster. The Bandettes are the hottest dance team in the National Lacrosse League as they dance for the perennial championship contenders, the Buffalo Bandits.

Auditions will take place over two days; Saturday Oct. 22 and Sunday Oct. 23 from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m., with registration at 1:00 p.m., at Gold's Gym located at 1402 French Road in Depew. Registration forms and waivers will be provided on site at Gold’s Gym.

On Oct. 22, you will learn the dance routine from the Bandettes choreographers, and perform on the Oct. 23 as well as interview with the judges. The 2012 team will be announced that Sunday evening.

When attending on Saturday, please remember the $25.00 Non-Refundable Application Fee as well as a current photo (photo will not be returned). Candidates must be at least 18 years old and have at least a high school diploma or its equivalent.

For questions, contact beabandette@yahoo.com.

See further details at http://www.bandits.com/newsX.asp?type=News&aID=274

NLL Schedule released!

The Bandettes in action at the 2011 East Finals

It's that time of year again. Yeah, the NFL Season is now underway but that's not what we're talking about. Today, the National Lacrosse League released their 2012 schedule and we can now see when we'll get to see the 2012 Buffalo Bandettes in action. In addition to the normal Saturday night home games, they have one Friday home game at the end of January against the Philadelphia Wings

• Saturday, January 14
• Toronto at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Saturday, January 21
• Buffalo at Rochester, 7:30pm
• Friday, January 27
• Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Saturday, January 28
• Buffalo at Minnesota, 8pm
• Saturday, February 4
• Washington at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Sunday, February 12
• Buffalo at Philadelphia, 4pm
• Saturday, March 3
• Colorado at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Saturday, March 10
• Buffalo at Rochester, 1:05pm
• Friday, March 16
• Buffalo at Toronto, 7:30pm
• Saturday, March 17
• Minnesota at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Saturday, March 24
• Buffalo at Calgary, 9pm
• Saturday, March 31
• Toronto at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Saturday, April 7
• Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Saturday, April 14
• Buffalo at Edmonton, 9pm
• Saturday, April 21
• Rochester at Buffalo, 7:30pm
• Saturday, April 28
• Buffalo at Washington, 10:30pm

See the entire NLL Schedule at http://www.nll.com/article.php?id=5162

The Jills at the Q for the Season Opener

The Jills working through their routine before the appearance

Obviously the Jills are pretty much occupied with their responsibilities at the Ralph for home games but for away games, they're able to make appearances at places like sports bars and the like to watch the games with the fans. The Q, a sports bar/night club in Jamestown, NY put on a big tailgate and Red, White, and Blue (in remembrance of 9/11) party for the Bills' opening win against the Chiefs and the fans that showed up for the event had a blast. For the game, Murissa, Melissa, Jenny, and Myesha mingled and posed with the fans, signed autographs, and sold calendars as well as helped with selling 50-50 raffle tickets.

Myesha, Murissa, Jenny, and Melissa with a diehard fan

But that was all just the icing on the cake. When you have 4 talented and beautiful dancers on hand, you just have to expect a performance and if you heard the cheers when the Jills finished their performance, you'd think the Q was far more packed than it was. It's not surprising in the least, either. We all know Murissa and Melissa have been excellent dancers in the Buffalo Pro Cheer community for several years. As far as Jenny and Myesha, well, there were only 2 rookies who performed at dinner at the 9th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament and these were those girls. These 4 girls really brought their "A" game when it came to their performing and with how well they dealt with the fans...I overheard several people still commenting positively about them after they left. I gotta say that the people who bought tickets and didn't show up should really be kicking themselves right now...for several reasons.
See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/26780

Coming up next for the Jills, they'll be back performing at the Ralph next Sunday as the Bills open their home schedule. Be sure to stop in the Healthy Zone Fieldhouse as well as the 97Rock and Shredd and Ragan tailgate parties to meet the Jills Ambassador Squad as well as get your 2011-2012 Buffalo Jills Calendars. Also, don't forget that the Lot C pregame performances are on again for 2011. See several of the Buffalo Jills dancers performing in front of the Shredd and Ragan tailgate party before each and every home game this season!

Pictures from the 3rd Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes game with the Bandettes!

This year was the 3rd Annual meeting for the Blondes Vs Brunettes series in Buffalo and the fundraising for this event, which is focused on fighting Alzheimer's Disease, not only exceeded what had been raised in previous years, but far surpassed the goals that the organization set for this year. This year, as in years past, several Buffalo Jills alumni played in the game with 3 ladies taking the field for the Brunettes and 2 suiting up for the Blondes. Unfortunately, several alumni that had hoped to play this year couldn't make the practice requirements but their thoughts were with their teammates and they hope to suit up next year if at all possible.

Two injured blondes, including Jills and Bandettes alumnus Amanda F

Also, while she was suited up, Blondes co-captain Amanda F was unable to play due to injury but was there with her team the entire way and finished as the 2nd leading fundraiser among the Blondes. Like last year's game, the Brunettes prevailed with a 15-7 victory and following the game, both sides retired to the Ellicott Creek Fire Hall for a victory party where fans and players alike celebrated another hard-fought game.

Jenn and Tammy

Danielle coming down with a catch

Awards were handed out at the Victory Party and some Jills alumni took home a few including a few less than serious ones.

• Most time on the turf-Brunettes-Danielle H
• Highest fundraiser-Brunettes-Danielle H
• Most time spent in front of a mirror-Brunettes-Jenn
• Dirtiest player-Desiree

Jills alumni weren't the only ones by any means who were unable to play after registering to play so to help with that, the BvB organization will be working on getting some practice dates determined before registration is open for the 2012 game. See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/3912 and give special attention to the Jills alumni playing in this game.

• Brunettes 18 Danielle H (1998-2002)
• Brunettes 55 Jenn (1997-2004)
• Brunettes 49 Tammy (1994,95,2002)
• Blondes 1 Desiree (2005)
• Blondes 35 Amanda F (2001-03)

Desiree and Amanda at the Victory Party

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

In previous years, the Buffalo Jills themselves were also involved on gameday but this year it was time for another pro squad to lend their support on the sidelines and the Buffalo Bandettes were more than up to the task. In total, 6 members of the NLL's premier dance squad were on hand cheering on the players and performing on the sidelines with captains Kirsten and Lauren S leading the way.
Of course we can't have a pro dance squad like the Bandettes there without a dance performance more than a regular sideline routine and, led off with some gymnastics courtesy of Noelle, they put on a rousing performance at halftime of the game.

They also gave me a little bit of news. There should be an official announcement coming up soon but Bandettes tryouts are expected to be held on October 22nd and 23rd so anyone interested in trying out should circle those dates on their calendars now. Also, it's official that Lauren S won't be returning to the squad, leaving Kirsten as the only Bandette still on the squad since the 2009 season.
Stay tuned as more info on Bandettes tryouts and the NLL schedule are both expected to become available in the next few weeks!

Buffalo Pro Cheer Photos of The Week

Our rookies have all been introduced but to finish up this summer's series, we'll remind you of who the Buffalo Jills captains are for the 2011-12 season. Shown in a photo taken at the Jills Open Workshop are Loren, Valerie, Omarlla, Laura, Christina, Keisha, Lisa, and Natalie. Loren will be co-captain for the Jills' newest captain, Valerie after working with her last year on Omarlla's line. They teamed up to run it when Omarlla was out of town for the final game of the season. Speaking of Omarlla, her new co-captain is 5th year vet Lisa, who's been doing a great job at making fans' hearts beat faster the last several years with her beauty. But trust me when I say her warm personality is an even stronger trait. Rounding out the dancers, 6th year vet Christina (and this year's calendar covergirl) is being joined in her 2nd full season as a captain by 2nd year vet Natalie. Natalie was chosen by the Buffalo Bills to write a blog about her experiences going through tryouts her rookie year and followed that up by winning the Jills' Dance Rookie of The Year award. At Ambassador, Keisha continues as the captain and a more qualified young lady would be hard to find. When it comes to being an ambassador Jill, I don't think any could go as far and above what is expected as Keisha has been doing for years. Her co-captain this season is fellow 5th-year vet Laura, who tops the fame of any other Buffalo Jill with her spokes-modeling for Martin Archery and having been the star of her own mini TV series last summer on ESPN2.

From the Buffalo Bandettes we take a look at a photo of the entire squad from Rd 1 of the NLL Playoffs in a photo taken at the Party In The Plaza. From left to right are Lauren B, Jessica M, Chrissy, Krista, Danielle, Stephanie, Ashley, Lauren S, Noelle, Chelsea, Kirsten, and Jessica H. Tryout dates are expected to be announced soon and after that, we'll see how many of these beauties will be back dancing at Bandits games this spring. Already Jessica H has called it quits and Lauren S is on the fence. Who else will retire and who will return? We'll have to wait and see.

Our last, but not least, featured BvB player is 2005 Buffalo Jills alumnus Desiree shown in a photo at the BvB kickoff party posing with Amanda F. Originally from Louisiana, she moved to WNY and spent 9 years as a cheerleader, including a season in which her high school varsity squad made it the the National High School Cheerleading Championship competition in Dallas. Her time as a Jill was short but memorable for her. One of her appearances was at the Taste of Buffalo that year and at that appearance, she spoke to a young girl with a disability who didn't take her eyes off her and asked her "Desiree,how can I be like you?" You can donate to the BvB through Desiree at http://bvbbuffalo2011.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=475491&lis=1&kntae475491=15730A8E3B08465EBDF98991D70C4573&supId=329565011 or any of this year's BvB players at http://bvbbuffalo2011.kintera.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=475491&lis=1&kntae475491=91AABF85A990474EB41E54ABA15FDF41