Bandette of The Week Lauren B

This week, we finish up the 2014 Buffalo Bandette of The Week series with Lauren B. Known as LB to her fans and some friends, Lauren is in her 5th year with the Bandettes but sadly, it's also likely her final season as she told me at the Open Scrimmage. Truthfully, she's talked like that in the past as well but she seemed more sure of it this time. Still, we'll see for sure when next season rolls around. LB has grown a lot in her time on the squad. Anyone meeting her now would be shocked at how meek she seemed her rookie season. The one example that stands out for me was how she asked "Mr Tavares" for an autograph for her boyfriend at the Buffalo Auto Show that the Bandettes were doing an appearance at. That's not to say she was all meek like that...she was loving getting to pose for a pic in the driver's seat of one of the cars on display there. There was also something else she showed her rookie season. In the NLL, like in the NHL, fighting amongst the players during the game isn't out of the norm, though it does happen less and less these days. Lauren got pretty excited during some of those fights but had to keep her excitement from showing too much because fighting isn't lady-like. She got to show off her excitement the following December as she got to challenge Bandits strongman Brandon Francis to a wrestling match at the Bandits Open Practice. He backed down, though. These days, LB is possibly the most confident and outgoing girl on the squad and a good friend to all. She's also the type to hold others to high standards as well. For the early season matchup against the Knighthawks, I ran a little late and only had time to visit with Kirsten's line briefly before they headed in. On my way to my seats, I ran into LB and her line and she was disappointed in me that I hadn't stopped to see her line as well. She's definitely a girl that keeps me on my toes when it comes to photography and she'll be hard to replace. You can see all of LB's photos at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/1503 LB's secondary photo comes from the March game against the Swarm and was taken prior to the game when some of the girls posed for photos. Shown posing for this photo are Bandettes captains LB and Kirsten.

LB and Kirsten

Bandette of The Week Lauren B

We start off the Bandette of The Week series with 4th year vet and 2nd year captain Lauren B. L.B, as she's known, is possibly the most outgoing and talkative of all the returning vets, which is quite the departure from the way she was her rookie season. Near the end of last season, she was telling her squadmates and me that she wasn't sure about returning for a 4th season what with friends like Stephanie G and Krista retiring. Thankfully, by the time tryouts came about, she had decided to return for 2013 in the hopes she'll be dancing at the arena when the Bandits win their next Championship. Of course getting to spend a lot more time with the rest of her friends on the squad is a big bonus as well. You can read more about LB at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=LaurenB LB's secondary photo comes from the recent Bandits Open Practice at First Niagara Center and was taken between performances when the Bandettes were circulating through the seats to visit with fans. Shown smiling for the camera are L.B. MaKenzie, and Lauren K.

L.B. MaKenzie, and Lauren K

Bandette of The Week Lauren B

This week, our final 2012 Bandette of The Week is 3rd year vet and 1st year captain Lauren B. LB, as she's affectionately known, is one of those girls who gets better and more confident every year. In her rookie year, I remember an appearance at the Auto Show in which she timidly asked Johnny Tavares for and autograph for her boyfriend. Last year, she challenged Bandits strongman Brandon Francis to a wrestling match at the Open Practice. This year, as a captain, she's probably the most outspoken girl on the squad. Considering she says her biggest weakness is talking too much, her outspokenness isn't surprising in the least. She claimed it was there when she first joined the squad too but I know I never saw it and she was next to me for a quarter each game that season. I heard her talk more in the 1st half of the Home Opener this year than I did her entire rookie season, I think...lol. More than anything else, her more outgoing nature has made her a joy to work with the past three seasons. When I told her at the Open Practice how I was going to do the Bandette of The Week features this year, with a captain leading off and the other captain getting the final slot, she jumped at getting the final slot since Kirsten wasn't around to argue for it...lol. She says not to take life too seriously since you'll never get out alive. That's advice she certainly lives as she's always pretty happy-go-lucky. She's unsure as to whether she'll be back for a 4th season but I'm hoping peer pressure works on her in that regard. You can read more about Lauren at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=LaurenB LB's secondary photo comes from the NLL All-Star Game held in Buffalo in February. Shown posing for a photo before their 3rd intermission routine are Stephanie O, Kirsten, LB, Krista, and Stephanie G.

Stephanie O, Kirsten, LB, Krista, and Stephanie G

Bandette of The Week Lauren B

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Lauren B as our Bandette of The Week. Last season, she spent much of the season in awe of all she was accomplishing as a member of the Bandettes. Now she's an established veteran who, in addition to dancing with the Bandettes, got more face time than anyone but Jills vet Loren on the big screen in Toronto for the big halftime show in November. When I mentioned that to Lauren, she remarked that it had to be the fact that they both had that name (albeit a different spelling) as far as why they each ranked up there. Everyone by now knows that she's excitable and talkative, as well as a bit shy at first...but only at first. What isn't widely known is how tough she is. As a Bandette, she has to be ladylike and not get too excited about the fights that happen on the turf during a Bandits game. Her captain last year, Meghan, had to remind her on occasion early on. For a quarter each game, she danced and stood next to me last season and when there was a fight going on, I could see her eyes go wide watching it but holding back from actively cheering on whichever Bandits player was involved. At this year's Open Practice, the Bandits held wrestling matches and Lauren wasn't restrained in watching the action...and when Jaclyn said that the Bandits wanted a couple of girls out there to join in, Lauren was obviously the 1st to volunteer. This season, she's still excitable about the fights but isn't quite as ready to jump in as much as she was last year...probably because of getting to get involved like she did at the Open Practice...lol.Lauren's secondary photo is from the Bandits Open Practice held in December. Shown in the pic are Lauren B and Jessica M coming off the field after challenging Bandits strongman Brandon Francis to a wrestling match...he wanted no part of the beatdown they were ready to dish out...lol.

You can read more about Lauren at http://www.bandits.com/bbio.asp?bandID=LaurenB

Bandette of The Week Lauren B

This week, we take a look at rookie cutie Lauren B as our Bandette of The Week. Dancing on Meghan's line, this little lady still seems to be in awe sometimes of what she's accomplishing. She's thought of as loud and talkative by her friends but when it comes to people she doesn't know that well, she's still kinda quiet at times and just absorbing the experiences she's having as a member of the NLL's top dance squad. One aspect she's really loving is how well the dance squad interacts with the players. Even something as simple as getting an autograph for her boyfriend gave her one of the biggest smiles you've ever seen. You can read more about Lauren at http://www.bandits.com/profileB.asp?bandetteID=201003