Buffalo Jill of The Week Danielle

This week, we take a look at an early departure from the 2009 Buffalo Jills. Danielle spent a little over 3 years as a Jills Ambassador and was officially the co-captain for the squad in 2008 but was acting captain for gamedays and events for most of the season as well. This season, she was to be the captain for the Ambassador Squad but unfortunately departed the squad early leaving us with just memories. She actually showed her leadership abilities and devotion to her squadmates in her rookie season so the fact that she was named co-captain in her 3rd season is only a surprise that she waited that long to take the role. Through her time on the squad, she got to meet thousands of people, visited the troops, and made many friends among many other things. Presumably, the Jills' loss is the dental profession's gain as she's a licensed orthodontic assistant, making boys actually want to get braces...just so they can see her on a regular basis. You can read more about Danielle at http://buffalojills.net/roster/danielle.php

Buffalo Jills Captains for 2009-2010 announced!

Every spring, while we anticipate Jills tryouts and get ready to see a lot of new beautiful faces on the squad, we also have to come to the realization that not everyone from the previous year will be returning. Thankfully, last year's departures were all by choice and we can only hope that holds true again this year as well. On that note though, there are a few new faces in among the captains for the upcoming season. Two of the Jills' longtime captains, both with the squad since 2002, will be moving on. For the last several years, no captain has been better at getting group photos for her line than Jamie, a Pro Bowler following the 2004 season. She won't be a stranger though as she already assured me she'll still be showing up to events for a long time to come. The Ambassador Squad has thrived under Kelly's leadership, who's been their captain since 2004. She was such a strong leader, she was running the group without a co-captain for the latter half of 2006 and all of 2007. Both of these ladies will definitely be missed.

With the departure of captains, however, the opportunity for others to rise into their places presents itself and the Jills now have 2 new captains and 2 new co-captains. Katie K has been with the Jills since 2005, the last remaining member of that rookie class and is entering her 3rd year as a co-captain. She's shifted around on lines each of her years in the role. She started out as Aimee's co-captain in 2007 before moving to Nicole's line this past season. This year, she moves over to Omarlla's line, who's been with the Jills since 2000 and hopefully sticking around for several more years. Katie's move to Omarlla's line slides last year's newest co-captain over to Nicole's line. Christina has been with the squad since 2006 and has had a promising career on the squad almost from the start. In 2006, the Jills events featured dance routines performed by a select group, and Christina was the only rookie from that group. Nicole enters her 2nd season as a captain after spending the previous year as a co-captain. In 2006, she landed the cover of the Jills swimsuit calendar and then was named to the Pro Bowl the following year.

The big changes are really happening on the other lines. After serving as Jamie's co-captain this past year after 2 years with Omarlla, 10th year vet and 2005-06 Pro Bowler Eileen gets her own line. Like Omarlla, Eileen just keeps geeting better every season and we can only hope she continues on like her rookie squadmate for many years to come. Eileen's promotion opens up a spot for a co-captain and chosen for that role will be Jill D. Going into her 3rd season on the squad, Jill's warm and loving personality makes her a great fit with Eileen and we should expect great things for years to come.

The Ambassador Squad's new captain should come as no surprise. 2006 rookie Danielle proved her mettle this season as a co-captain in a big way as she ran things on gamedays while Kelly did her part at practices and meetings. Danielle is one of the biggest reasons the 2008 Buffalo Jills squad has been so close-knit and we expect that to continue in 2009. Another 2007 rookie will be getting the call as Danielle's co-captain as Keisha has been named to the position.  Keisha has been outgoing in an extraordinary way in supporting her squadmates. When Omarlla was on her own at a Rhino's appearance this past season, Keisha came along to keep her company and she even made sure that Jessica wasn't alone in Hawaii earlier this month. With that kind of dedication to her squadmates, Keisha should be an excellent fit as co-captain. 

Obviously, as captains and co-captains, these 8 young women will be leading the 2009-2010 Jills through their paces all season long but it goes beyond that. They also have proven themselves enough that they don't need to go through the regular tryout process themselves. During the Open Workshop (closed to the public), they'll be on hand to answer questions and help demonstrate routines to prospective Buffalo Jills. During the tryouts themselves, they'll be helping out with answering questions and giving moral support to veterans and rookies alike. The tryouts as well will be closed to the public with one exception. 1st cuts for the dance squad and 2nd cuts for the Ambassador Squad will be held at the Town Ballroom on Sunday, April 5th from 1pm until about 4pm. Admission is $5 and this will be the public's chance to get a first hand look at what goes into the making of the Buffalo Jills Squad. Obviously, whether you're attending to support a friend or family member or just going to see tryouts, we ask that you show all the participants proper respect as their performances require a lot of concentration on the dancers' parts.

Stay tuned to http://www.buffalojills.net/audition.html 97Rock, 103.3 The Edge, Mix 104.1, CW23 and the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog for further news on Jills tryouts.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Danielle

This week, we take a look at one of the co-captains on the Jills this year. This is Danielle's 1st year in the position, helping run the Ambassador Squad, and has taken the job and really run with it. She didn't wait long to put her mark on the rookies as while half the squad was on the swimsuit calendar shoot trip this past May, Danielle and fellow 3rd year vet Valerie took the opportunity to organize a "girl's night out" with some of the rookie squad members who didn't make the calendar trip. She didn't stop with just the one though as this orthodontist's assistant regularly organizes get-togethers for nights out as well as away game watching parties with not only rookies but vets as well, helping build camaraderie within the squad. You can read more about Danielle at http://buffalojills.net/bios/danielle.html

Buffalo Jills and Bandettes Photos of The Week

Once again we take a look at a photo from the Jills Congratulatory Party as our first photo. This one was taken after 97Rock's DJ Jickster brought all the rookies out in front of the stage and had a few of the rookies answer some Bills trivia questions. Here we see Lonna, Lynn, and Murissa waiting for a question while Alison, seen twirling her hair in an effort to fluster poor Jickster, is about to answer the question posed to her. Not seen in this photo are the other 2 rookies were were chosen for this trivia questiona-and-answer session, Stephanie Br and Kristin B.

Our second pic is, once again, from last year's Jills Golf Tournament (this year's is coming up on the 21st!). This pic was taken after the actual tournament while the golfers were returning to the clubhouse for dinner, entertainment, and the raffle. Seen here is the director's husband Jon posing with 4 members of the Jills Ambassador Squad. From left to right are Vincenza, Amanda F, Katherine, and Danielle. A word of advice to anyone who'll be golfing at Fox Valley on Monday in the tournament. If your golf party is just ahead of Jon's and they're catching up to you, don't waste your time asking the Jills to distract him to slow him down. As Katie K told a golfer who asked that 2 years ago, "He's immune to us being able to distract him." LOL

This week, our Bandettes photo is actually from a road game. The Buffalo-Rochester rivalry in the NLL is an intense one for a few different reasons. Some players have played for both teams, they face off in the playoffs quite frequently it seems, and obviously the proximity to one another is a big factor as well. Due in part to this proximity, some Knightingales cheerleaders come to Buffalo when the teams face off and likewise, our Buffalo Bandettes have a group going to Rochester quite regularly. In this April's matchup in Rochester, the stands boasted 3 of the Buffalo Bandettes. While the quantity was small, the quality was large as the 3 that went were fan favorite Sarah and co-captains Meghan and Melissa.

Buffalo Jills Photos of The Week

This week, we have a couple different sources for pictures. The first pic comes from this year's Jills Congratulatory Party held at Club Paradise the night of the NFL Draft. It features the formerly shy Vincenza, a 2nd year member of the Ambassador Squad with rookie Rita, who showed off her dance moves at the Open Workshop this year. You can see her in this video for example. http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2008/Open%20Workshop/?action=view&current=70.flv That's her directly behind Lisa in the white pants and red and white striped shirt.


Our second pic comes from last year's Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament and features Ambassador Squad members Danielle, Katherine, Laura, and Amanda F getting set to head out on the course with their golf parties. Danielle, Katherine, and Amanda were each bid on by golfers to join their groups for the day. So in addition to seeing the Jills at lunch and dinner as well as at various holes around the course, 3 lucky foursomes each had a member of the Buffalo Jills accompanying them all 18 holes as well. This year's Golf Tournament will also be held at Fox Valley Country Club in Lancaster, NY and takes place on July 21st so don't hesitate to make sure you have the day off for this event!

In addition to the Golf Tournament, we'll see numerous rookie Jills at the Taste of Buffalo on July 11 and 12th in Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo. Just look for the Bills booth as well as booths for 97Rock and 103.3 The Edge to meet some of these beautiful young rookie Jills.

Buffalo Jills Photos of The Week

This week's pictures come from this year's Buffalo Jills Congratulatory Party. This was an event, started a few years ago, meant to introduce the new Jills to the public, and allow the public to not only meet the new squad members, but see the returning vets as well. It usually takes place at the end of April or beginning of May so don't be afraid to set aside a few Saturday nights for next spring. But before we think about next year, let's take a look at a few pics from this year's event.
The 1st pic features rookies Kristin M and Brandi. All I can say about Kristin so far is that she's kind of a quiet and reserved girl, at least at first. Brandi should be no stranger to anyone who's been to Jills events, or at least looking at pictures from them, the last few years. She's had some friends on the squad, like Omarlla, and even gave it a shot trying out a few years back. Thankfully, she never gave up and made the squad this year.

The 2nd pic features Liz, Kelly, Alison, Danielle, and Sarah. Kelly and Danielle need no introduction as they're the captains of the Jills Ambassador Squad. Kelly's been with the squad since 2002 and Danielle is in her first season as Kelly's co-captain and her 3rd year with the Jills. Rookie Liz is a psych major and Alison is one of her closest friends. Rookie Sarah is one of our two Canadians on the squad and the two Toronto games are basically going to be in her backyard.

Of course, you won't have to wait until football season to meet these, and other, rookies. July 12th and 13th is the Annual Taste of Buffalo festival in Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo and you'll find mostly rookies at the 97Rock, Bills, and 103.3 The Edge booths at the event both days. And July 21st at Fox Valley Country Club is a time you can meet not only the entire group of rookies, but all the vets as well at the 6th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament. So if you're a golfer, or just trying to be, that's the date to take a vacation day.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Danielle

After a few weeks looking at some Jills who decided not to return in 2008, it's time to go to someone who is not only back, but got a promotion as well. Danielle is going into 2008 as the co-captain on the Ambassador Squad in her 3rd season on the squad. When she's not performing her duties as a Jill, she can be found quickening pulses in other ways. She's a reason why a lot of teenage boys (and probably quite a few beyond their teens) actually want braces on their teeth as she continues a tradition of orthodontists having beautiful assistants. One thing that she still wants to learn to do is golf, though. She got a taste of it last year at the Jills Annual Golf Tournament (this year's is July 21st) when she accompanied one foursome around the course for the day. It's a special feature of the Jills Golf Tournament where the golfers bid on a few Jills to accompany them on the course. Last year, Danielle, Katherine, and Amanda F were the trio chosen for this part of the Tournament. You can read more about Danielle at http://buffalojills.net/bios/danielle.html