Bandette of The Week Cheri

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Cheri as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. Dancing on LB's line on gamedays, Cheri shattered any ideas people may have had about her going in. For one thing, she was thought of as pretty quiet in high school and I honestly didn't see that in her last season. Often, girls in their 1st season in the big leagues will be quiet at first and take it all in, growing in confidence as the season goes along. Cheri came across as a seasoned vet, though and has been an energetic and beautiful part of the squad.pretty much from the start. This BBQ lover (who may have even been first in line when Dinosaur BBQ opened in Buffalo) is fiercely independent as well as a big fan of the camera, being almost as much of a camera ham her rookie year as Stephanie, Chelsea, or Kirsten. That, combined with her incredible smile, makes her a photographer's dream. You can see all of Cheri's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/23142 Cheri's secondary photo comes from the Swarm game. Prior to the game, LB's line was signing the new posters in the concourse. Shown smiling for a photo are LB, Cheri, and Amanda.

LB, Cheri, and Amanda

Buffalo Jill of The Week Katie Ba

This week, we take a look at 2nd year vet Katie as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. A choreographer and a hair stylist when she's not a Jill, Katie spent her sophomore season on the squad dancing on one end of Lisa's line alongside Kelsey H and Shelby G where she's been flashing a pretty fantastic smile her whole career. That smile has been directed at the Bills since she was 6 when she met Phil Hansen at her uncle's sporting goods store. She got to meet him again last September at the Bills Alumni Golf Tournament and talked about that at http://blogs.buffalobills.com/2013/09/19/tbt-jill-katie-meets-hansen-again/ Since first meeting him the 1st time, she's become a bit of an encyclopedia of Buffalo Bills history. That, and the fact that her ideal date is watching a Bills game over a plate of wings makes her just about the perfect Buffalo girl! Looking back, when she first tried out for the Jills in 2012, she had a huge rooting section at 1st cuts. That speaks volumes about what kind of a friendly personality she has if she can bring along that amount of support. Of course we've been seeing that personality shining through in her photos the last two seasons. You can see all of Katie's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/jillsindividualpics/56452 Katie's secondary photo is from the end of the Panthers game. Shown coming off the field are Katie, Shelby G, and, with her pretty face covered by Shelby's pom, Kelsey.

Katie, Shelby G, and Kelsey H

Bandette of The Week Amanda

This week, we take a look at 3rd year vet Amanda as our Buffalo Bandette of The Week. Dancing on L.B.'s line on gamedays, she started out her Bandettes career as an Ambassador despite graduating college with a minor in dance. Late in the season, however, we saw what a talented dancer she was at the Dance Fair and Expo when she performed alongside her squadmates before dancing with them full-time the following season.  The thing about Amanda is this....she's a very talented dancer, but she's also well-gifted in the ambassador side of things as well. I liken her to Keisha or Kelly H in that way. Like them, 2 former Jills Ambassador Squad captains, Amanda is known to go out of her way to strike up a conversation with someone she might not know that well. You can see all of Amanda's pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/bandettesindividualpics/16957 Amanda's secondary photo comes from the 2nd game against the Toronto Rock. Shown posing for a photo late in the 1st quarter before the squad went out for their 1st intermission performance are Amanda and Chrissy.

Amanda and Chrissy

Buffalo Jill of The Week Alyssa A

This week, we take a look at rookie ambassador Alyssa A as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Working towards an eventual PhD in sociology with a minor in dance, Alyssa dreamt all her life about becoming a Jill. When you consider how much she loves to dance, I have a feeling, if her schedule will allow her to, that she could be dancing on the sidelines this fall starting in Canton at the Hall of Fame Game. Many times when someone joins the Jills, they choose the Ambassador Squad for one of many reasons. Some aren't strong enough in dance while others want to work their ways towards becoming a dancer, giving the Ambassador Squad a try before dancing on a later season. Many simply prefer to be Ambassadors due to scheduling or how much they excel at that aspect of the job. Ambassadors are just as important to the Jills as the dancers but when someone like Alyssa, who's been in several productions of The Nutcracker, comes along, you have to hope she winds up dancing before she's done. You can read more about Alyssa at http://www.buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=92

The Bandettes at the Bandits-Mammoth Game

The 2014 Buffalo Bandits season couldn't be much more different from last season with stellar play in all facets of the game, notably on defense and in goal. The Bandits' game against the Mammoth started off with the Bandits and Cosmo pitching a shut-out until late in the 2nd quarter when Colorado made a game of it.  It wasn't until late in the game last week that the Bandits grabbed the lead from Minnesota and the way the Mammoth tied the game up late in the 3rd, there were some wondering if Buffalo was looking at a repeat of the week before, but on the losing side. However, behind a hat trick from Mark Steenhuis and 6 points from local boy Joe Resetarits, the Bandits took control to pull out a 12-9 win in front of the home crowd before a 3-game road trip.

Chelsea

Danielle and Mandy

Lauren K, Chelsea, and Kirsten

Ashley and Stephanie

This week, LB's line was handling raffle ticket sales at Cobblestone before the game while Kirsten's line signed the Bandettes posters at the east end of the 100 level escalators. When I showed up, Amanda and Chelsea were greeting fans and selling souvenirs just inside the entry gates. After talking to them each for a few moments, I went up to the 100 level where I found Kirsten's line already with lots of fans in line. As much as the girls on the squad were getting lots of attention, I think the one who got the most attention was new coach Jessica, who started off the season on the squad but has since moved completely to the sidelines. Starting her Bandettes career in Toronto at the big Hinder halftime show, Jessica has built up a large fanbase who loved seeing her dance but still love seeing that gorgeous smile of hers.

It's like Amanda has a 6th sense about the camera sometimes

MaKenzie cheering on a goal

Brianna's beautiful smile

Mandy, Kirsten, Chrissy, and Brianna

Kirsten and Kelsey pose together while Chelsea poses behind them

Kirsten smiling for the camera

You can see all the pics at https://buffaloprocheerbuffalobandettes.shutterfly.com/pictures/7467

The Bandettes at the end of their 3rd intermission performance

See all the Bandettes pics from the Bandits at http://www.flickr.com/photos/buffalobandits/sets/72157642411845794/
Next up, the Bandettes have a few weeks away from performing as the Bandits have 2 games on the road next weekend and 1 the following weekend. The Bandits and Bandettes are next at home on April 5th as the Calgary Roughnecks come to town. The game starts at 7pm, not 7:30 like usual so fans should make a note of that.