News from the Jills and a Bandettes update!

First up, as we all should know by now, Emily, a 4th year vet for the Buffalo Jills, spent some time in Hawaii recently as the Jills' well-deserving representative to the Pro Bowl. As usual, Pro Bowl Dan was on hand getting lots of great pictures of all the cheerleaders there, some of which can be found on UltimateCheerleaders.com
We have some of his pics of Emily here.

I have to admit, it's going to be sad not seeing her beauty on the sidelines in 2014...seems only yesterday when she was celebrating her 19th birthday at the Jills Open Practice her rookie season as seen in this pic from that day with Jacki and Jill.

Jacki, Emily, and Jill

Last year, Emily spent the Super Bowl in Japan. This year, Christina, in her 8th and final season on the Jills, jetted off to Alaska to Clear Air Force Station and Fort Wainwright as a member of the ProTour Productions All-Stars.

Christina and other NFL Cheerleaders at Clear Air Force Station

Christina with Eddie Kenison. a Falcons Cheerleader, a fan, and the Falcons mascot at Ft Wainwright

Learn more about ProTour Productions and see more pics at https://www.facebook.com/protourproductions
Lastly from the Jills, audition info for the 2014 squad is now posted with optional dance prep classes on February 23 and March 9th at Fusion Dance Studio. Both classes start at noon and cost $25.
Other important dates are as follows

• Open Workshop Tuesday, April 8th, 2014 at 8:30pm at Catalyst Fitness, 770 Wehrle Dr. Williamsville, NY
• Optional Workshop Thursday, April 10th, 8:30pm at Catalyst Fitness, 770 Wehrle Dr. Williamsville, NY
• 1st cuts Saturday, April 12th beginning at 9:00 am at Iroquois High School, 2111 Girdle Rd. Elma, NY 14059

Further dates will be posted on the Jills' website. Get full details at http://www.buffalojills.com/news_story.php?ID=24
One piece of advice if you're looking to try out for the dance squad is this: Get accustomed to the Jills' style of dance before tryouts. Jills choreographer Kelli Wagner has a unique snap-and-flash style that, if you're not used to it, can throw you off. You can get the moves right but if the proper level of energy isn't there, it'll hurt you in trying to make the squad. I've seen that happen many times myself. Your best bet is to not only take the optional dance prep classes that Kelli offers at Fusion, but watch videos of the Jills in action. There are numerous Jills videos on our YouTube page at http://www.youtube.com/user/buffaloprocheer

Finally, the Bandettes' webpage is full updated after Ashley's bio was posted yesterday. We've already started the Bandette of The Week series but here's the full schedule.

• January 11-17 Kirsten
• January 18-24 Jessica
• January 25-31 Lauren K
• February 1-7 Danielle
• February 8-14 Mandy
• February 15-21 Stephanie
• February 22-28 Brianna
• March 1-7 Ashley
• March 8-14 MaKenzie
• March 15-21 Janelle
• March 22-28 Amanda
• March 29-April 4 Cheri
• April 5-11 Kelsey
• April 12-18 Chelsea
• April 19-25 Chrissy
• April 26-May 2 LB

Comedy Show coming up and pics from Washington DC

First up, we have an announcement to make as the Jills are holding their Annual Comedy Show this January and once again will feature International Hypnotist Jerry Valley. The Show will be held on January 28th and the Tralf Music Hall on Main Street in Buffalo with the doors opening at 7pm and the show starting at 8pm. Tickets can be bought in advance through the Buffalo Jills or through Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.com/Nfl-Buffalo-Jills-Cheerleaders-Comedy-Show-tickets/artist/1667770 for $25 in advance. Tickets will also be available at the door for $30.
See all the details at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2348861







Secondly, Omarlla, Valerie and Lisa are currently in Washington DC along with representatives from several other NFL Cheer squads to join the Beach Boys in a performance for the US Troops at the Kennedy Center
They've sent back a bunch of photos of them with the other cheerleaders as well as with some of the other entertainers. See them all at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2350756

Valerie, Lisa, Mike Love of The Beach Boys, Omarlla

Troop visit, Party in the Plaza, and a call out to Jills alumni

About a month ago, when most of the Jills were appearing at the Buffalo Men's Show, Christina and Natalie were visiting the troops at Fort Bliss along the Texas-New Mexico border. They weren't alone on this visit either as a pair of Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders were there on a visit as well. See all the pics at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2005544&spid=34534

This Saturday, the Buffalo Bandits host the Boston Blazers in a 1st rd playoff matchup and prior to the game, they're holding a Party In The Plaza with live music from local band The Filter Kings. The party runs from 5-7pm with faceoff for the game scheduled at 7:30pm. In addition to the band playing, you can generally expect a dance performance or two by members of the Buffalo Bandettes as well. Check out the details at http://www.bandits.com/newsX.asp?type=News&aID=260

Finally, as everyone knows, the Jills had a big halftime performance in Toronto last year and in addition to themselves, the Bandettes, and dancers from Fusion Dance Studio, they called in some Buffalo Jills alumni as well. Also, a few weeks ago, the Bandettes called in several of their alumni for some dance performances at the April 16th Bandits game in celebration of the squad's 10th anniversary. Now we have another shout out to alumni as the Jills will be putting together a special pregame performance at the Bills "Billieve" game this fall, with the specific game to be announced. In addition to the current squad, they're calling out to all former Jills interested in joining the performance.

• ATTN ALL Former Jills- we will be putting together an alumni pregame dance performance along side the current Jills at the Bills "Billieve" game TBA. There will be a small invest. to cover attire & exp. If you are interested in receiving the details, email the years you cheered to: Stephanie.mateczun@citcomm.com ~Spread the word!

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.

Troop visit in Seattle and more info on tryouts

Over Super Bowl weekend, there were a few troop visits going on involving the Buffalo Jills. In addition to the 8-girl group that spent a week and a half visiting bases in the Middle East, a pair of Jills rookie ambassadors were in Seattle visiting the troops at Fort Lewis. In addition to signing autographs and taking photos, Meghan and Taryn got to try their hand with some fire-fighting equipment as well as the M-16. See all the pics at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2005544&spid=34534

All the dates and locations are set for 2011 Buffalo Jills tryouts with the Open Workshop kicking things off on Sunday April 10th at 1pm at The Tralf Music Hall in downtown Buffalo. The workshop, closed to the public, is an event where ladies trying out for the squad, can learn the dance routine they'll be expected to know for 1st cuts, and find out what is expected of a Buffalo Jills cheerleader for 2011 whether it be dance or ambassador.

First cuts will also be held at The Tralf and, like the last few years, will be open to the public with a $10 cover. Tryouts start at 1pm on April 17th and it's advised to show up at least a half hour to an hour early to register and get warmed up.

Prior to auditions, there will be two optional prep classes meant to give you an edge with hair and make-up tips, stage presence, and basic dance skills to help you at tryouts. Both take place at Fusion Dance Studio from noon to 1:30 with a $20 fee per workshop. March 20th and April 3rd are the dates for these.

Get all the detailed info as well as cut dates beyond 1st cuts at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2098800&spid=34534

Some video from Iraq with the Jills!

From the US Defense Department comes a video with some stories from Iraq...including some highlights of the Jills' visit there recently. Check it out at http://www.dvidshub.net/video/103080/danger-edition-dec-15

Jills tour troops in Basra

More from Kelly's blog on the Jills' trip to Iraq last week

We were warned that Basra is one the most active bases, located in the southern end of Iraq. I think each of us had our own reservations about what to expect when we got in.

When we boarded the C130 for our flight into Basra, the crew asked teammate Lisa and I to sit in front with them in the cockpit!

We were each given a headset to listen and talk throughout the duration of our flight. We had a blast asking them questions about where they were stationed, their idea of a perfect date and why there were only seven parachutes and 25 passengers on the plane…That is when they agreed to save us first if we ever went down!

Read the full entry at http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Jills-tour-troops-in-Basra/b5ac7b07-72e5-43d3-8783-27fee6e35a11

Jills touring Iraq in Blackhawks and C-130's

Hello Everyone Back in the U.S.!

We were up bright and early this morning at 6:00 a.m. After a long day of touring and traveling, we got in at around 10:00 p.m. last night - after not having slept for nearly 48 hours.

Safely, we made it into Iraq yesterday but getting there was quite a fete. I was completely prepared to take the C-130 into Baghdad and tour from there but, much to our surprise, we were taxied via Blackhawks for the last half of our trip. It is a safer means of transportation here largely because of the risk of roadside bombings.

More at http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Jills-touring-Iraq-in-Blackhawks-and-C-130s/e7719c0c-dd03-4314-92d5-be7a76135947

Note:This blog entry was written by Kelly a week ago...she and her 7 squadmates have been home since yesterday getting to sleep in their own beds.

Jills on their way to Baghdad

The Jills returned home from their tour of Iraq today but BuffaloBills.com has an entry from Kelly about their trip

Kuwait is nothing like I expected and has, thus far, been an unforgettable experience. Upon landing here, we were greeted with warmth and appreciation from the troops. One soldier, in particular, even slipped Lisa a hand written note thanking us for our support as he got off the plane. She passed it around for us to read and it brought each of us to tears. I hope to share it with everyone when we get home!

read more at http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Jills-on-their-way-to-Baghdad/f83ac949-5680-435d-a792-de0e8afa0b28

Jills first day in Kuwait a hit

Kelly on the flight over:
We all were split up last minute and had to sit by ourselves in a row of people we didn't know. This worried me only because (oddly enough) I have a terrible fear of flying!

I thought I could get through the short flight to New York City, on my own, but quickly started to panic after take-off when we hit a bout of turbulence. The only thing that ever seems to settle my nerves is talking to the person next to me to distract me from the flight. I held out for maybe five minutes before turning to the woman seated next to the window. I tapped her shoulder and asked if she wouldn't mind talking to me for a little while so I could get through the flight.

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Jills-first-day-in-Kuwait-a-hit/1b835c37-4b64-4e29-a759-12b419fff26c

Jills visit troops in Kuwait

Eight Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders are currently in Kuwait visiting the United States troops for the ninth time since the Iraq war began. Another group of Jills will be visiting the troops in Saudi Arabia at the end of January.

The Jills traveling to Kuwait are Katie, Lisa, Kelly, Loren, Murissa, Gabrielle, Kristen and Jill and the young ladies are there to help build morale for the American troops.

The response from the troops is always overwhelming and life changing for the cheerleaders. We, of course, just want to say “Thank you” to them for all they do for our country, but they continually say “thank you” to the cheerleaders for their time and effort in coming to see them.

More at http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Jills-visit-troops-in-Kuwait/6b703c23-312a-4eb1-a450-802b51421e11

Photos from Iraq courtesy the US Army

As we already told you, 8 of the 2010 Buffalo Jills are currently visiting the troops in Iraq. The girls are enjoying their experiences so far, including flying in a Blackhawk helicopter and performing for the troops. But more than that, the members of the US Military are enjoying having them there. Staff Sergeant Ricardo Branch of the United States Army took a bunch of photos of their visit to Forward Operating Base Warhorse in Iraq and was gracious enough to send them to us and the Jills.

Putting on a show

signing autographs for the troops

The girls with Staff Sergeant Branch

Enjoy all the photos at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2010/Iraq/ and thanks again to Staff Sergeant Ricardo Branch of the United States Army for sharing. Stay safe and return home soon!

The Jills at the Bills-Steelers game

Jessica and Courteney next to the Jills display in the Fieldhouse
Thanksgiving weekend in Buffalo saw a sold-out crowd at the Ralph for a matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the crowd wasn't your typical Buffalo crowd with a large contingent of Steelers faithful who were able to help spur their team on to victory in overtime, there was one thing the Bills had going for them in this matchup against what was regarded as a far superior team. The Buffalo Jills welcomed back 4 of their girls to full active duty. Jaclyn and Danielle haven't been on the sidelines for the last month and a half outside of Danielle's appearance in the halftime show in Toronto. Jaclyn's return was a special one as she's been recovering from a broken wrist suffered in practice and, considering she went to college in Pittsburgh, had a lot of extra friends there to watch her return. Lindsey, on the other hand, hasn't missed any time on the sidelines, but a hamstring pull has kept her out of the bigger performances until now. Morgan and Reena have also missed a significant amount of time in pregame performances as well. For this fan, seeing the return of these five wonderful rookies to full active duty made up for the loss of the game in a small way.

Jill and Danielle performing in the 1st quarter

Kelly, Jaclyn, Lindsey, and Omarlla cheering in the 3rd quarter

See all the pics at http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2010/Steelers/

Coming up next, the Jills will have 8 of their dancers in Iraq for the next week and a half as Katie, Lisa, Murissa, Kelly, Loren, Kristen, Gabrielle, and Jill visit and entertain the troops where everyone there will fall in love with these young ladies the way we have here in Western NY. And just like us, they'll be amazed with Jill's gymnastic abilities.
This Saturday, while their squadmates are in Iraq, the rest of the Jills will be holding their 4th Annual Fundraiser at SoHo from 7-9:30pm. The $20 ticket gets you all-you-can-eat on pizza, beer, and wine-tasting and also includes plenty of raffles to get in on and entertainment by the Buffalo Jills.
The Jills next take the field on December 12th as the Bills host their rivals from across Lake Erie, the Cleveland Browns. Make sure to stop by Lot C at 11:30 to see the Jills dancers perform.

The Jills Visit Our Troops and what to expect this week in Toronto

On Saturday October 30th, the Joint Base Lewis-McChord hosted a free meet
and greet with two members of the Buffalo Bills Cheerleading team.


They started off their tour here by going to the Navel hospital in Bremerton. The hospital had a costume contest going on that day and the girls had their picture taken with the winners, which consisted of sailors dressed up as members of the Wizard of Oz. The girls both received a coin by the Master Chief Petty Officer of the hospital, and both felt very honored to receive such an unexpected gift.

Read more about Ruby and Gabrielle's visit and see the pics at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=2005544&spid=34534

This week, the Bills and Jills head to Toronto to "host" the Chicago Bears up at the Rogers Centre and there's 4 big things the Jills are involved in.

• First up is a VIP kickoff party being held at MUZIK Nightclub Thursday night at 9pm featuring NFL Alumni, rock group Hinder, and members of the Buffalo Jills. Get all the info on that at http://www.billsintoronto.com/fanzone/vip-kick-off-party
• On gameday, as everyone should know, you can't tailgate in Toronto but the Bills know that tailgating is a vital part of the gameday experience and they have a sponsored tailgate party set up right under the CN Tower going on from 10am-12:30pm with live music, Bills alumni, food, drink, and the Buffalo Jills on hand. The info on that can be found at http://www.billsintoronto.com/game-coverage/budweiser-tailgate
• For their pregame performance, the Jills have a special treat. Everyone knows what a big thing the Jr Jills program has become in Buffalo and for the next few years, until this Toronto series ends in 2012, the Jills are bringing a Jr Jills program to Toronto as well. You can check out the finished product in pregame of Sunday's game and maybe you'll want to get your children involved next year.
• Halftime will be a must-see performance as rock group Hinder takes the field for a 2-song set. They won't be alone as the Jills will be performing right along with them...along with a large number of other dancers. These won't be random dancers, either. The Jills are bringing along the 2011 Buffalo Bandettes for this as well as numerous Buffalo Jills alumni as well as members of the Jills' own Ambassador Squad.

Finally, after the Bills' home game on Nov 14th against the Detroit Lions, the Jills are inviting everyone to join them in the Fieldhouse for an Open Practice on Nov 16th from 6:30-8:30. It's a great event in which the Jills teach girls to cheer like a pro. The event last year was a huge success and everyone, participant and spectator alike, had a great time. The event costs $5 per participant and $3 for spectators and gives children a taste of what the Jr Jills program is about. Get all the details at http://buffalojills.net/Article.asp?id=1971677&spid=34534

Jills in Iraq

As many know, the Jills are frequently involved in troop visits that take them all over the world. Recently, 8 of the Jills went over to Iraq to visit and perform for the troops and they'll be back within the next few days. Julie Dermansky, a photographer based out of New York, was also recently in Iraq and stayed just across the hall from the Jills. If anyone knows these girls, you know they love the camera and posed for some photos for Julie. Katie K, Valerie, Stefanie, Jill, Ayeshia, Stephanie Bu, Kristin B, and Lynn are featured in some of the photos on her blog and in her Flickr photo album. Check everything out at http://juliedermansky.blogspot.com/2009/02/jvb-hotel-luxury-left-over-in-baghdad.html

Jills Blog: Visiting the Troops in Afghanistan

Buffalo Jills Alison and Laura check in on their amazing journey to visit our Troops..

Hey, we just wanted to let you know what we were up to so far... Our flight from Buffalo to Philadelphia was canceled, so we flew into Boston and spent the night there. Our flight to Germany was the next day and we had about a six hour layover in Germany so we went into the City and had some breakfast.

We finally arrived in Doha, Qatar at about 11pm on Friday after about two days of traveling. We were picked up and brought to the base which was about an hours drive from the airport. Once we got on base (and made it through all the security check stops), they showed us our rooms and went right to bed, we were so tired!

more at http://www.97rock.com/Article.asp?id=1145365&spid=21993

Jills return from Balkans

The Buffalo Bills Cheerleaders, the Jills, spent the entire Thanksgiving weekend overseas in the Balkan Region volunteering their time and entertaining the U.S. Troops.

Seven Jills cheerleaders, Jamie, Kristin B, Jill, Ayeshia, Anna, Lisa and Katie gave up the holiday with their families and returned just in time to be back at the Bills game last Sunday. They performed daily variety shows, dance routines, autograph sessions, meet & greets and spent their time with the troops.
http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/jills-return-from-balkans/a64fc66f-834b-4745-a0e3-8c443b43d99f

Some more photos discovered

I was just doing a random search and came across these pics from last year's tour of Iraq and Kuwait by the Buffalo Jills. Check em out!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/navyis74/434750039/in/set-72157600027571072/

Dear Friends,

Sorry we haven't written in a while, we haven't been able to get to a computer. For the last two days, we have been stuck waiting in an airport waiting for our C130 to pick us up... when it finally did, we boarded the plane, but immediately had to evacuate because the engine was throwing flames out of the right propeller to the front of the plane! We have seen many camel spiders running wild, autumn still wants to catch one lol.. she's crazy. We did a show our show Wednesday night in front of 1,000 troops.. We pulled an air force colonel on stage for the dance contest and all the Jills helped him out a little bit. On this base there was ev en a TIM HORTON'S!!! We took a pic with some troops in front of the sign while holding our ice caps =) We've been doing a lot of tours and visiting with a lot of troops.. We are having the best time ever... oh yeah, one more thing... we went on a black water plane that can do all kinds of tricks and maneuvers.. unfortunately only one of us get air sick.. poor Jenica lol. We miss you all and are thinking about you everyday.. love you!!
The Buffalo Jills,Eileen, Autumn, Jenica, Stefanie, Emily, Melissa, Jill, Jessica, and Kaitlin.


http://buffalojills.net/troopvisits.html

Greetings from Doha, Qatar!

The plane ride over was great! It was 14 hours long but we had movies and tv shows on demand. Once we walked off the plane it was like hitting a wall of heat. It feels like you are holding a blow dryer on your face even at night. The living quarters on the base in Qatar were really nice. We had phones and tvs in our rooms as well as air conditioning! The base was an R and R site for soldiers serving in the Middle East. (Rest and Relaxation) They are actually allowed to drink here, only three beers though. There was a huge swimming pool and lounge areas that looked like night clubs. We all bought stunning swimwear, compliments of the PX, and spent two hours beating the troops at volley ball! We were able to meet the Colonel on base and take a picture with him. The picture gets put into a special book of morale visitors. We signed next to our picture and were able to flip through it. Some that signed before us include other cheerleaders, bands, and even George and Barbara Bush! We were honored to be a part of something so special to this location. We performed our first show at the airforce base. The stage that we performed on was amazing. It was also the location where General Franks announced to the media that we were going to war! The show went so well. You would all be so proud. There were about 500 troops there cheering us on! We are about to board a C-130 heading for Afghanistan, wish us luck! We will be in touch soon. If the rest of the trip goes as well as our first day we will be making such a difference here. Hope all is well at home!
Eileen is making a great fearless leader!
Love you all, Emily, Autumn, Kaitlin B, Melissa, Jill R, Stefanie J, Jenica, Jessica Z, Eileen

http://buffalojills.net/troopvisits.html