The Jills at the Bills finale and the end of an era

Sunday's game against the Jets was about a lot more than the 28-9 win, the first win over the Jets after 6 straight losses to the AFC East rivals. It was also the end of an era for the Jills. After a career that lasted longer than any other has in NFL Cheerleader history, 13-year vet Omarlla B is hanging up her pom-poms. She joined the Jills in 2000 alongside longtime squadmate Eileen, who only retired 2 years ago, and current Jills coordinator Nichole and has grown a lot as a person, as a woman, and as a cheerleader in those 13 years with literally hundreds of experiences under her belt. She's made friends with squadmates, won respect and made friends with cheerleaders around the league, including during the 2006 NFL Cheerleader Playoffs, and appreciated the fans, including a shout out to the loyal readers on the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog 3 years ago on her 10th anniversary. But the biggest thing she's done is set a strong example to everyone she meets on how to treat people with professionalism, class, and sincerity.

Omarlla

Shown with Nichole, Omarlla even received a customized jersey

Omarlla isn't the only retiree as some other girls will be moving on from the Jills, although the only one I know of who has made it known publicly is another captain. Jills Ambassador Squad Captain Laura, also known as the Martin Archery Girl, a former host on CW23, star of her own show on ESPN2, and quite a fantastic chef as well is calling it a career after 6 seasons.

Lindsey V, Ashley, and Laura before the game

Omarlla's line coming out with Emily flashing a pretty smile for the camera

Kristina and Maria

Jill and Jayanti

Amanda V and Lindsey C

Jenny, Katrina, and Nicole L

Valerie and Christina, 7th year vets coming off field together

You can see all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/32179
Next up for the Jills is tryouts in a few months so, other than some more photos from the 2012 season coming in the next few weeks, the Blog's focus will be primarily on the Buffalo Bandettes. However, don't forget to tune into NBC-TV on the evening of January 27, 2013 to watch to see 6th year vet Lisa representing the Buffalo Jills in the Pro Bowl.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Katie B

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Katie B as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Christina's line between Loren and Lindsey C, Katie had the biggest cheering section at tryouts last spring out of all the rookies. The question about that is who they were. Besides being generally a popular girl, she teaches hip-hop dance classes and undoubtedly had several of her students in the audience. She's also a hairstylist with hopes of opening her own salon one day and a big Bills fan after meeting Phil Hansen when she was a little girl. You can read more about Katie at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=50 Katie's secondary photo is a shot taken at the Bills' Home Opener against the Chiefs. Shown in the photo taken at the end of the 1st quarter when Christina's line was changing sections are Loren, Katie B and Lindsey C.

Loren, Katie B, and Lindsey C

Meet Katie in this video shot at 1st cuts with introduction done by Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner.

As it turned out at 1st cuts, Katie got to dance alongside the 2011 dance rookie of the year, Jenny, as seen in this video of the two of them performing.

Lauren K, Alicia, Brianna V, and Brianna A

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the recent Bandits Open Practice. Shown posing for a photo between performances are 2nd year vets Lauren K and Alicia with rookies Brianna V and Brianna A. See all 4 of these young ladies performing when the Bandettes open up the Bandits home schedule at First Niagara Center on January 12th!

The Jills in Toronto courtesy Pro Bowl Dan

Unfortunately, a number of issues prevented me from going to the Toronto game to cover the Jills this year the way I did in 2010 but I'm not without my resources. Pro Bowl Dan, who is known for getting Pro Bowl Cheerleader Photos for Ultimate Cheerleaders.com as well as photos for the Ben-Gals and other squads made the trek to Toronto and was kind enough to share some of the photos he took with the Blog, the Jills fans, and the Jills.

Omarlla's line at the Bud Light Tailgate Party

Dan started off at the Bud Light Tailgate Party getting photos of Omarlla's line in action as they performed a dance routine for the NFL fans in attendance.

Jills in Stampede Row

Afterwards it was into the Rogers Centre where he had a seat up close along the sidelines with a great vantage point to get some fantastic shots of the Jills in action.

Alyssa U and Nicole S

Melissa, Val, and Lisa

Kelsey H and Maria

Jenny shows off one of the prettiest smiles in the NFL

Val's line in the endzone

Gabrielle and Chelsea smiling for a nearby camera

Rita and Chaundra in action

The always-stunning Gina

The sweet and petite Jill of the Jills

Amanda and Loren in action

Christina's line poses for a line shot

The phrase "super-cute" fits Lindsey C as well as anyone

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/32016 We've also got the official video of the halftime performance featuring Psy, the Jills, and over 100 contest winners.
Next up for the Jills is the season finale in Orchard Park vs the Jets on December 30th.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Megan

This week, we take a look at rookie dancer Megan as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on Valerie's line between Val and Lisa, her 1st exposure to the Jills came as a member of the Jr Jills. Since her first exposure with the Jr Jills, she became an outstanding gymnast and tumbler, which Bills fans got to see earlier this season when she was tumbling all over during routines on the sidelines and on the field. After her time on the Jills is done, hopefully not for several more years, she'll be working as a high school history teacher which makes me envy future generations. I generally did well in history classes but with a beauty like Megan teaching the class, I have to think she'd keep any guy's attention enough to inspire straight "A's!"You can read more about Megan at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=47 Megan's secondary photo comes from the game against New England. In this sideline shot, we have Megan, Lisa, Nicole S, and Valerie in the 3rd quarter.

Megan, Lisa, Nicole S, and Valerie

At tryouts this spring, Kelli made sure to point out that Megan was a Jr Jills cheerleader growing up as seen in Megan's intro video.

Obviously Megan's dance skills were in full force at 1st cuts as seen in her tryout video.

Stephanie O and Danielle

From the Bandettes comes a photo from the recent Bandits Open Practice. Shown posing for a photo between performances are 2nd year vet Stephanie O and rookie Danielle. See the two of them and the rest of the squad performing in front of the Bandits faithful when the Bandits face off against the Minnesota Swarm on January 12th!

The 2013 Bandettes at the Bandits Open Practice

After a quick exit from the playoffs last spring, the Buffalo Bandits are re-tooling for another run at the Champions Cup and to showcase the team, their new players, and their new uniforms, the Bandits held an Open Practice for the fans to come in and see the new team. The Bandits aren't the only ones who re-tooled as there are a lot of new faces joining the NLL's Premier Dance Team, the Buffalo Bandettes! Yes, there are still plenty of familiar faces returning under Jaclyn and Erin's direction including last year's captains, L.B. and Kirsten and of course the reigning NLL Girl of The Year, Stephanie O, but this squad seems to have as many new faces as I've seen
I got there just as the Bandettes were just about to perform for the 1st time, showing off some impressive flips at the start of the routine. After their performance, Swenney introduced the girls to the crowd as they performed a little extra.

Alicia (A-LEE-see-ya) and Amanda T are introduced to the crowd

The 2013 Buffalo Bandettes minus Kirsten and Chelsea

L.B., MaKenzie, and Lauren K

After their performance, the Bandettes circulated through the arena meeting fans, signing autographs, and posing for photos while the Buffalo Bandits worked through the 1st portion of practice. The Bandettes then put on a 2nd performance at the halfway mark of practice before heading back out to meet and greet more fans.

L.B. Cheri, Makenzie, Jessica, Amanda, Kelsey, and Alicia

Stephanie O, Brianna, Amanda C, Danielle, rookie (still learning names...my apologies). Chrissy, and Lauren K

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/5643


Next up for the Bandettes, they'll be back at First Niagara Center in 4 weeks when the 2013 Buffalo Bandits host the Minnesota Swarm on January 12, 2013, hopefully coming off a win in Philadelphia the night before.

Note:To the rookie Bandettes...you will have your own individual albums set up for you at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics so you'll be able to find all of the photos taken of you by the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog without having to hunt through each game album.

NFL cheerleaders get psyched for Psy’s “Gangnam Style”!

Everybody knows Psy and his “Gangnam Style” dance. What if you actually had the chance to perform it with him, inside a massive stadium in a huge city like Toronto?
And what if you could do all that live?
This is the reality for the Buffalo Jills. They are the cheerleaders for the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills, who are playing a game this Sunday, Dec. 16 inside the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Read the rest at http://livestarringyou.com/2012/12/13/nfl-cheerleaders-get-psyched-for-psys-gangnam-style/

Buffalo Jill of The Week Loren

This week, we take a look at 4th year vet Loren as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. In her 2nd year as a co-captain, this year assisting Christina from her spot  between Katie B and Alyssa K, Loren is one of the most talented of all the Jills. Sure she's a great dancer, but she's also a gifted choreographer and, on her own as well as with the assistance of former squadmate Natalie, has put together a handful of artistic dance routines the past few years. Personally, I'd kind of like to see what kind of collaboration Loren could do with Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner, mixing Kelli's "snap-and-flash" style with Loren's more fluid styles. It wouldn't be the 1st time she helped choreograph something for the Jills as she, Alyssa B, and former squadmate Kelly L put together an impromptu routine for 2009's Tailgate Warriors Show. But there's a lot more to her than dancing as she's also a gifted photographer and an outstanding leader, not only with her squadmates, even before getting named co-captain, but with her two younger siblings. You can read more about Loren at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=72 Loren's secondary photo is from the Jills' Optional Workshop held at Catalyst Fitness in Depew before 1st cuts. Shown posing for a photo in their matching outfits before all the potential Jills started arriving are Valerie, Lisa, and Loren.

Val, Lisa, and Loren

Candace of the Toronto Rock Cheerleaders with Stephanie O

From the Bandettes is a photo from the second home game against the Toronto Rock. Shown posing for a photo at halftime are Candace of the Toronto Rock Cheerleaders with Stephanie O of the Buffalo Bandettes. Stephanie won the NLL Girl of The Year award this past spring and Candace was her competition in the first round of voting.

Bandits Open Practice coming this Saturday!

The Buffalo Bandits today announced that the team will hold an open practice event at First Niagara Center on Saturday, Dec. 15 to offer fans their first chance to catch the Bandits in action before the start of the 2013 National Lacrosse League season. 
The open practice will take place from 10 a.m. until noon, with doors opening at 9:30 a.m. Following the practice portion of the event, an hour-long autograph session featuring Bandits players will begin at 12:30 p.m. on the 100 level concourse. http://www.bandits.com/newsX.asp?type=News&aID=346

This is also your first chance to see the full 2013 Buffalo Bandettes Dance Squad in action with Kirsten and LB back as captains. If you go, don't forget to personally congratulate reigning NLL Girl of The Year Stephanie O on her title, won back in May!

The Jills at the Bills-Rams Game

The Bills' playoff chances are on life support and they did nothing to improve their chances on Sunday in Orchard Park, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in a game in which they outplayed the visiting St Louis Rams for most of the game.

rookies Megan, Kayla, and Jayanti wait to head out onto the field

Prior to the game, 6th year vet Lisa, a co-captain on the Buffalo Jills, was introduced to the crowd as the Jills' Pro Bowl representative.

Lisa's excited for Hawaii next month

After Lisa was introduced and the Jills performed, the squad formed Stampede Row to welcome the Buffalo Bills onto the field.

13th year vet (believe it or not) Omarlla in Stampede Row

Jami, Rita, and Gina lead the way

Jenny, Katrina, and Omarlla

Gabrielle on the big screen helping with a promotion

Kristina, Amanda, and Lindsey C

Alyssa U, Melissa, and Nicole S

Jami and Val

See all the pics at http://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/31817 and let's not forget video of the 3rd quarter break as the Jills had a new routine put together for this game.

Next up for the Jills is a trip to Toronto this coming Sunday as the Bills play "host" to the Seattle Seahawks at the Rogers Centre. At halftime, the Jills will be joined onfield by 160 more dancers and South Korean rapper Psy for a big performance.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Maria

This week, we look at rookie dancer Maria as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on one end of Valerie's line between Jacki and Kristina, this college grad is already a home-owner, like fellow rookie Chelsea. Also like Chelsea, she's proof that perseverance can pay off after not making it in her 1st try. Thankfully, she gave it a go again this year and made the squad, allowing the fans to see her fantastic dance abilities and incredible and friendly smile. In her bio, she mentions shopping as a hobby and in her intro, it's a sport. Either way, one would have to imagine she has a good-sized house with huge closets  if she thinks of shopping that much. With aspirations of her own cooking show in addition to her business degree and a talent for interior decorating, it's hard to imagine her having issues paying her bills...unless she's THAT extreme a shopper, of course...lol. You can read more about Maria at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=66 Maria's secondary photo comes from halftime of the preseason game against the Steelers. While coming out after the half, Jacki and Maria slowed up and smiled for the camera.

Jacki, Maria, and Kristina

Meet Maria in this short video taken at 1st cuts with intro by Jills Choreographer Kelli Wagner

See Maria's performance (on the right) in this video from 1st cuts showing off her dancing skills to the fans in attendance.

Kirsten and Lauren B

From the Bandettes comes a photo taken at halftime of the 2012 NLL All-Star Game, held in Buffalo finally. Shown posing for the camera are the 2 captains of the Bandettes, Kirsten and Lauren B.