Photos and videos from the Jills' Open Practice

NFL Cheerleaders didn't just start out in the pro ranks. Most pro cheerleaders don't even wait until high school to start cheering and start out in grade school. To reach out to the young cheerleaders in Western NY, the Jills staged their 1st Open Practice on Tuesday night and the event was a bigger success than most expected. Well over 100 young girls came to the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse to learn from the pros along with their parents and, in some cases, their coaches as one squad even sent a busload of their cheerleaders to learn from the Jills.

After check-in, the Jills led their young charges through some stretching exercises before splitting off into groups around the Fieldhouse where 2-4 members of the dance squad worked closely with groups of girls to teach them a cheer. While this was all going on, the Jills Ambassadors walked around to sell raffle tickets and talk to parents about the Jr Jills program and about what they wanted their children to get out of the experience.

After training with the Jills dancers, it was time to perform and each group performed with their squad leaders before a large cheer with all of the young cheerleaders. But that wasn't it as the Jills had a special treat for their young charges as they put on a performance to show off a lot of what they do on gamedays in pregame and at the 3rd intermission of the game. The session finished off with photographs and autographs for the kids before the Jills finished off their night with their customary closed-door practice.

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2009/Open%20Practice/

The Jills next take the field when the Bills host the Browns on October 11th but they'll be plenty busy before then. They'll be introducing a new exercise class at Gold's Gym in Williamsville Friday night and then again in Lancaster Saturday morning. And with the Bills on the road, you can meet some of the Jills at the Aud Sports Bar in Depew or at Sole Restaurant in Williamsville as you watch the Bills Squish The Fish! But if you're going to the game in Miami, don't forget to stop at Shooter's in Fort Lauderdale the night before the game for the annual Buffalo Invasion Party. This year's event even includes a large contingent of Buffalo Jills there to sign autographs and pose for photos. Get all the info on these and other Jills appearances at http://buffalojills.net/appearances/index.php and stay tuned to the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog for more coverage on the First Ladies of Buffalo!

More photos from the weekend!

There are a few more sets of photos available from this weekend's Jills activities.

First up is a set of photos on Buffalo.com from the Calendar Release Party Saturday night. You can find the whole selection at http://www.mybuffalo.com/_2009-Buffalo-Jills-Calendar-Release-Party/set/2600/85283.html

We also have a video at 97Rock's website from the event you can view at http://www.97rock.com/Article.asp?id=1522813&spid=21993

From Sunday's game, photographer Brian Garman has a set of photos from the field as well as from pregame which you can see at http://www.97rock.com/PhotoWall.asp?id=57710

Finally, CNN/SI did get one photo this weekend as well and it's of none other than our current Jill of The Week Heather

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0909/nfl.cheerleaders.week2/content.60.html

The Buffalo Jills at the Bills-Saints Game

After last week's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bills Nation was hoping to shock the NFL world by stifling the high-flying offense of the New Orleans Saints. The defense did their part for most of the game holding Drew Brees and the Saints to 10 points going into the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, the offense was shut out in the 27-7 loss with the Bills' only points coming off a fake FG pass from Brian Moorman to Ryan Denney. The Bills not only lost the game, but some players to injury as well and fans can only hope the addition of Marshawn Lynch, coming off a 3-game suspension, will help the struggling team somehow even though RB Fred Jackson has continued to impress fans and opponents alike.

Thankfully, not everyone struggled on the Buffalo side of the game as the Buffalo Jills, fresh off their Calendar Release Party the night before, put in strong performances all day long. The 97Rock Tailgate on Radio Row was the place to find Ambassador Squad Captain Keisha along with fellow ambassadors Lindsay, Courteney, Alyssa, and Kelly Ann. Just a few spots away, you could find Laura, Ruby, Nicole L, Katy, and Kristen at the 103.3 The Edge Tailgate party. At both parties, you could get your photos taken with the Jills and get your 2009-10 Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendars purchased and autographed. Inside the Fieldhouse, Amanda and Heather participated in some Family Feud with quizmaster Dennis George before heading out onto the field to escort Billy Buffalo and participate in many of the promotions the Bills held during timeouts for the fans.

But before the game could take place, they had to have a ball to play with and it was up to 10-year veteran Eileen to deliver that before the Jills took the field to perform for the fans before welcoming the Buffalo Bills. Another Buffalo Jill had a big day as well. 3rd year vet Vincenza, last year's calendar covergirl and a 2-year member of the Ambassador Squad, joined the dance squad this year and got on the sidelines for this game. While she performed at the Hall of Fame game and at the Kid's Day Preseason game, this was her first regular season dance performance and she did an outstanding job anchoring one end of Omarlla's line.

http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2009/Saints%20Game/

Buffalo Jills Calendar Release Party

Club Paradise in Blasdell, NY was the place to be Saturday night as the 2009 Buffalo Jills held their annual Calendar Release Party. As if a calendar that hot actually needed any help getting sold, the Jills pull out all the stops for this event every year. In addition to raffles and getting to mingle with Buffalo's Beauties, fans got to see a hot dance performance that featured many of the Jills dancers in a group of dances that took over 3 minutes in total. Keep in mind that most performances are generally about a minute in length so the Jills put a bunch of regular performances together into one big one. But to top that all off, the big attraction is basically seeing the calendar in 3-D as the Buffalo Jills came out on the Club Paradise dance floor to model the swimwear from the calendar.

Don't open this link if you're not prepared http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a375/buffalojills2005/2009/Calendar%20Release/

The Jills are staying busy over the next week or so.

Tuesday night, the Jills are hosting an Open Practice at the Buffalo Bills Fieldhouse where you can see what an NFL Cheerleader Practice is like, meet the squad, and learn a little. Get all the details at http://buffalojills.net/appearances/details.php?recordID=44

Gold's Gym is the official gym of the Buffalo Jills and will be the place to be Friday night or Saturday morning as they introduce the latest in exercise classes called "Body Attack!" The events include food sampling, Jills photos, and more. Get the details at http://buffalojills.net/appearances/details.php?recordID=49

Also, let's keep in mind it "Squish The Fish" week in Bills Nation and for the fans headed to Miami to see the Bills bounce back from yesterday's loss, make sure to check out the annual Buffalo Invasion Party at Shooter's Waterfront Cafe in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $10 at the door, proceeds going to Brian Moorman's PUNT Foundation and gets you the 1st drink for free, music by Buffalo's Tom Sartori, appearances by Buffalo Bills Alumni and by members of the 2009 Buffalo Jills! Check out the details at http://buffaloinvasion.com/details.htm

If you're not making the trip though, you can still watch the game with the Jills at a few different locations. The Aud Sports Bar in Depew is the location of this year's Edge Away Game parties that include an appearance by a couple of the Buffalo Jills. Check out the details at http://www.wedg.com/Article.asp?id=872591

If you prefer a different atmosphere, Sole Restaurant in The Walker Center has a pair of Jills bartending for every away game this season as well. Get the details at http://buffalojills.net/appearances/details.php?recordID=50

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.