Summer format change

The last few years, the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog has followed the Jill of The Week series with a Photo of The Week series that features rookies from the upcoming Jills season, allowing fans to get a look at the new squad and allowing rookies some nice extra exposure so that if they have friends and family who don't yet know they've joined the squad, the series makes it easier to show off a little bit with proof they're on the squad...lol.
Unfortunately, some issues are preventing that from happening this year. I know this is a disappointment to the fans as well as to the Jills rookies but it's due to something I can neither avoid nor do I understand myself. Hopefully whatever these issues are are resolved quickly so that this site can continue to benefit the fans and the Jills.
I've run the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog first through just the webgroup and now through the Blog itself for almost 11 years to positively promote Buffalo's pro cheerleaders and have striven to improve on the finished product every year, especially the last 7, and through those years, there are a number of Jills who have stood out in some ways with the way they've carried themselves and the way they represent the squad and Buffalo. This summer, we'll be taking a look back at some of the most noteworthy of those Jills in addition to continuing to look back at the 2012 Buffalo Bandettes and promote the 2012 Blondes Vs Brunettes game.

Buffalo Jill of The Week Christina

Finishing up the 2011-12 Buffalo Jill of The Week series, we look at the covergirl of the most recent Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendar with now 7th year veteran Christina. Made a captain midway through the 2009 season after getting made a co-captain the year before, Christina is perhaps the most vocal voice of the Buffalo Jills these days. With her communications degree, she's been the one the Bills have gone to the last few years when it came to putting together video features on Jills tryouts and she's also put together end-of-season DVDs for her squadmates filled with videos and photos of their experiences together as Jills that season. Following her 2009 season, Christina represented the Jills in the Pro Bowl. In that season, the Pro Bowl was held in Miami, where Christina finished up her rookie season in a Beauties On The Beach competition in which she and several of her squadmates competed against other NFL Cheerleaders and did pretty well, especially in beach volleyball. She and Valerie are the longest-tenured vets on the squad except for Omarlla and I'd be surprised to see either of them retire anytime soon. Christina's great status with the squad, beyond the fact that she's a captain, is something that I saw would happen even in her rookie season. In 2006, there was a small unit of dancers that performed at each Jills event and Christina was the lone rookie in that unit. You can read more about Christina at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=9 Christina's secondary photo is a line shot taken at the Lions preseason game last September. Shown posing just before heading out for the game are Beth, Amanda V, Jenny, Natalie, Gina, Christina, Jami, and Nicole.

Beth, Amanda V, Jenny, Natalie, Gina, Christina, Jami, and Nicole

Congratulations to our NLL Girl of The Year!

Meghan F and Stephanie O

After 4 rounds of competition, ILIndoor finally has a champion in their NLL Girl of The Year competition. In week 2 of the competition, a fresh face from the Bandettes entered the competition as rookie Stephanie O was put up against a member of the Toronto Rock Cheerleaders. At the time, Stephanie was already making her mark as a true camera ham on the Bandettes, smiling extra big whenever she spotted the camera on her. Truth be told, she made her mark even before making the squad. I've spent several years photographing at Jills workshops and on occasion, a girl will stand out just a little that I'll think to myself is pretty much a lock to make the squad. In all those times of making that guess, I've only been wrong once...and Lydia, then of CW23, wasn't trying out...it had been the 1st time I had met her and she looks better in person than she does on TV and in photos. This past year, I got invited to come photograph the Bandettes workshop and Stephanie was the one who stood out. She spent some of her earlier years dancing for Bandettes alumnus Meghan F and then started cheering...with Bandettes and Jills alumnus Beth as her coach.

Beth and Stephanie O

Read all about her win at http://www.ilindoor.com/2012/05/22/nll-girl-of-the-year-stephanie/

Buffalo Bandettes to Lead Pet Connection’s Tails on the Trails Dog Walk Event

Three members of the Buffalo Bandettes dance team will lead two- and four-legged walkers participating in the 7th annual Tails on the Trails dog walk to benefit Pet Connection Programs Inc. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at the Como Lake Park casino in Lancaster.
Immediately following the walk, the Bandettes will be available to sign autographs and pose for photos for a donation to Pet Connection. Other highlights of the event include dog agility and Good Citizen demonstrations, canvas dog paintings created by your dog, dog contests, a wide variety of vendors and even a pet psychic! Additionally, there will be a caricature artist, air brush and face painting, artistic balloons and a pet blessing at 10:30 a.m.
Read the rest at http://williamsville.wgrz.com/news/events/66060-buffalo-bandettes-lead-pet-connections-tails-trails-dog-walk-event

Buffalo Jill of The Week Jacki

This week, we take a look at now-3rd year vet Jaclyn as our Buffalo Jill of The Week. Dancing on one end of Omarlla's line next to Emily, Jacki, as she's going by these days, has had a pretty eventful career so far as a Jill. Her rookie season had a mishap as she broke her wrist and had to miss a few games healing. She finished up her rookie season with a major troop visit along with 7 of her squadmates in Saudi Arabia. This past season, she got placed on the back cover of the Buffalo Jills Swimsuit Calendar and then got to finish up the season in a big way. The last few years, the Buffalo Jills Comedy Show has featured master hypnotist Jerry Valley and this past January, Jacki was onstage for the entire show and, among other things, auditioned to be one of the backup dancers for a Jennifer Lopez tour...or so she thought. This year, she's already off to a good start as she was probably more focused than anyone else for 1st cuts after vacationing the week between the Workshop and 1st cuts. Doing that, she was able to clear her mind from all the rest of her stress and focus on relaxation and perfecting her routine. You can read more about Jacki at http://buffalojills.com/profile.php?PID=15  Jacki's secondary photo comes from the 9th Annual Buffalo Jills Golf Tournament held at Williamsville's Westwood Country Club last August. Shown posing for a photo while the golfers were arriving for dinner are Loren, Amanda V, Jacki, and Reena.

Loren, Amanda V, Jacki, and Reena

Normally, I'd put up a video from last year's 1st cuts but in Jacki's case, she's getting something special only because of her memorable performance at the Jills Comedy Show this past January. She actually didn't remember doing this after she was released from the hypnotist's control.