From Hometown Student to NFL Swimsuit Cover Model

On the surface, Katie Riznyk may appear to be your average free-spirited “hippie chick” as friends may call her, with piercings and bright colored hair, but what many people fail to see is exactly what makes her tick. From her event-filled year as an NFL Cheerleader/ Swimsuit Calendar cover model to her unexpected battle with cancer and everything that happened in between, this 20-year-old “Buffalonian” has quite the story to tell.

Riznyk grew up in Orchard Park, NY about five minutes away from the Bills’ football stadium. She has a 25-year-old sister who is currently attending medical school in Chicago, the same school her father attended. When she graduates she will be a partner at the medical practice her father opened up in Orchard Park, and Riznyk’s mother is the property manager of a medical park. When Katie speaks about her family she can’t help but gleam:

Read the rest of Heather's story on her squadmate at http://proplayerinsiders.com/from-hometown-student-to-nfl-swimsuit-cover-model/

From The Sidelines To The Frontlines

A big part of being an NFL cheerleader means not only performing on game day but also participating in the community at various events and charities. Each year, the NFL provides a lot of support to our United States Troops whether it is on or off the field. Players, Coaches and Cheerleaders hold various celebratory events in honor of the men and women serving our country.

In 2006, two former NFL Cheerleaders, Bari Yonkers and Tonya Helman founded an organization called Sweethearts For Soldiers. SFS is a non-profit public charity that provides troop entertainment and support both stateside and overseas. The mission of the Sweethearts’ is to raise morale and bring a touch of home to the brave men and women who are fighting for our freedoms. During their time in the NFL, Yonkers and Helman were given the opportunity to participate in several tours to support our military and both felt it was the most rewarding aspect of their job.

Read the rest of Heather's article at http://proplayerinsiders.com/from-the-sidelines-to-the-frontlines/

The Sweethearts For Soldiers website is at http://www.sweetheartsforsoldiers.com/

The 2011 squad features 2004 Jills alumnus Sarita among its members.

Making the Cut

A Look Inside NFL Cheerleader Tryouts

by Heather Cartonia

It’s that time of year again, when girls across the country put all of their hard work and preparation to the test in hopes of becoming a part of the 2011-2012 football season. April marks the month when most of the NFL teams have either announced their 2011-2012 squads or are in the process of their auditions. I wanted to cover this topic this week because one of the most common questions I have been asked is, “What does the audition process consist of?”

Of course every team varies a little, but for the most part many follow a very similar structure. It is a lot more intensive and complex than people sometimes may think. There has been some public exposure from reality shows in the past that featured different NFL teams “making the final cut.” Each year, thousands of girls try out but only a small percentage will make it to the final round.

Read the rest of Heather's column at http://proplayerinsiders.com/making-the-cut/

Jills tryouts start this weekend at the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse in Orchard Park with the Open Workshop. Get all the details at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2098800

A few big news items to share

First off, from the world of Jills alumni, 2009 Jills Ambassador Heather is working with a new website called Pro Player Insiders dedicated to NFL players and their fans. Heather's focus will be cheerleading and she'll have articles up on a weekly basis on the subject as well as interviews with girls from around the league. Check out her column called Leading The Cheer at http://proplayerinsiders.com/category/column/cheerleader/

The current Jills are, of course, getting set for tryouts as young women ages 18 and up are invited to try out for the 2011 squad starting April 10th at the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse. Get all the details on how to join captains Omarlla, Christina, Valerie, Keisha, Lisa, Laura, Loren, and Natalie on this year's squad at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2098800

From the world of the Bandettes, we have 2 special performances coming up with the next two home games. This Saturday, April 2nd, the Bandettes will be joined at halftime by the Jr Bandettes. The Bandettes are working all the way through Saturday afternoon to get them ready for the performance.

The special performance gets big at halftime of the April 16th game as several Buffalo Bandettes alumni will be dancing with the current squad in a performance being put together by former Bandettes coach/former Jills Pro Bowler Erin J. Included among the alumni are 2006-07 Alumnus Amanda F and many members of the Bandettes' original 2000-2001 squad. Back then, both the Bandettes and the Jills were run together and the Bandettes squad was made up primarily of Jills members...so anyone with a 2000-01 Buffalo Jills swimsuit calendar will recognize many of the Bandettes alumni out there with the current squad

Buffalo Jill of The Week Heather

This week, we take a look at one of the rookies on the squad as our Jill of The Week and we start off with blonde beauty Heather. For this week's edition, I recruited one of her closest friends to tell you about her. Her friend, CW23's host Lydia, had this to say. "Heather is a first year Ambassador Jill who we are awfully glad to have on our side. She among some of our other blonde bombshells certainly prove that blondes can bring on the brain power just as much as anyone else! She is a student at St John Fisher and works and lives in Rochester NY. Her work ethic is very apparent to those around her and she brings a delightful enthusiasm and optimistic outlook to our whole team. Her energy and passion for sports surely set her apart which is why she is our JILL OF THE WEEK!"

To add to that, Heather is as warm and friendly as a girl can be and shows a genuine interest in what people have to say. This is a part of what makes her intelligent, just by listening to others, anyone can learn a lot. You learn new things and find out about new experiences to try out, something which Heather is loving getting to do as a Buffalo Jill.

Buffalo Pro Cheer Photos of The Week!

Continuing our look at the beautiful rookies who will be gracing the sidelines at Ralph Wilson Stadium this fall, we have 3 photos from the Jills this week. Why? Because we have 4 girls remaining to introduce you to before next week kicks off the 2009-2010 series of the Jill of The Week series and wouldn't you know it? Only 2 of them have posed together except in the large squad shots taken at the Congratulatory Party.

First up is a photo from the Congrats Party featuring Courteney and Calendar Covergirl Katy. Courteney is an Ambassador with a college degree who may be trying out for dance next year.

Our next photo comes from Bills Training Camp on Jr Bills Backers Day, a day in which 9 of the Jills made an appearance to greet the next generation of Bills fans. Here we have a group shot of Jennifer, Nicole L, Heather, Stephanie, Loren, and Ruby. Nicole is a junior in college looking at a career in PR, which is something being an Ambassador will be a great help in. Heather is more than your typical blonde bombshell, this rookie Ambassador is as warm and friendly as they come and loves hanging out with little kids just as much as with her adult friends.

Our final Jills photo comes from the 7th Annual Jills Golf Tournament held at Fox Valley Club in Lancaster and features, in a shot taken while golfers were just arriving, Lynn and Michelle. Michelle is the final of our three alumni featured who is returning to the squad after some time away. Michelle was with the Jills for just a few months of the 2007 season and besides the fact that she's got much darker hair now, she's shown us something else we didn't see as well. Dancing on Omarlla's line on gamedays, Michelle is the one you see doing all the flips during Shout! and some other routines.

From the Bandettes comes a photo taken in the 4th quarter loss against the New York Titans and features Karla, Justina, and Alexis cheering on a goal by Bandits defender Billy Dee Smith. Bandettes tryouts are coming up and, while we don't have an exact date just yet, we can tell you that there's a clinic coming up on Sept 13th in which young ladies 16 and up can learn about being a Bandette for a day. Obviously you have to be 18 to join the squad itself, but the extra preparation can only help in high school cheerleading and give you a little idea what to expect when you do turn 18 and try out for the squad.