 |
| Amanda shows off a photo from the magazine |
We continue our look to past events with the 2006 FHM Release Party. The previous year was a brand-new experience for everyone so, except for the rookies, everyone knew what to expect. Like the previous year, the event was held at Macaroon's in Depew and once again, celebrated the inclusion of a gorgeous 2nd year vet in FHM's US edition. We had found out that Amanda P had gotten chosen for the magazine at the Congratulatory Party held back in April and the Release Party gave us a little more information. In 2006, the girls in FHM weren't merely going to appear in that one issue. Over the next two months, they'd be getting voted on to find the NFL's sexiest cheerleader with girls from 10 squads from across the league in the poll.
 |
| Omarlla, Hannah, Jenica, Keiyonna, and Kelley |
The party itself had some of the usual in the form of raffles and dance performances, with a special group of some of the strongest dancers of the Jills performing, including 1 rookie, Christina R, who is currently the longest tenured vet on the Buffalo Jills. She's come a long way since then. With her inclusion in the magazine, Amanda P was dressed up quite exceptionally and signing autographs for a good portion of the evening. There was one surprise that evening, though. In 2005, rookie Ambassador Ashlee wowed some of us with her singing with her band following an event. In 2006, a pair of Jills did some singing but as a part of the event. 5th year vet Aimee and 3rd year vet Keiyonna performed a few songs for everyone at the event and both did an exceptional job.
 |
| Aimee singing |
Regarding Amanda's contest, which closed at midnight on October 1st that season, following a win vs the Minnesota Vikings, she narrowly lost to Bibiana of the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders. In fairness, I truly believe Amanda had a few disadvantages in this contest. First and foremost, as great as FHM's photography was, they failed to capture Amanda's strongest feature...her smile. I've always had difficulty why some photographers have models pose without a smile as much as they do, especially with someone like Amanda. She truly had one of the most exceptional smiles I've ever captured on camera. Secondly, the Dolphins organization, who sponsor their squad (something that the Bills don't do for the Jills), was telling fans to vote for Bibiana during games on their jumbotron. Amanda had radio commercials and the Yahoo group supporting her campaign. This was all before the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog really took off. This is not a knock on Bibiana, but I do feel the contest would've gone much differently had Amanda had an equal amount of advertising. Since leaving the squad following the 2007 season, Amanda didn't fade from the public eye as she did a little bit of modeling and landed a spot on "If I Can Dream" in 2010.
 |
| no way could she have lost the contest had this pic been used |
You can see all the pics at
https://buffaloprocheerbuffalojills.shutterfly.com/pictures/12938
From the Bandettes comes a photo from the January game against the Philadelphia Wings. Shown in action in the 2nd half are MaKenzie, Alecia (a-LEE-see-a), Amanda T, and Kelsey. The Bandits open the 2014 against the Wings on December 28th at First Niagara Center but first, the Bandettes have to pick a squad on September 14th and 15th!
 |
| MaKenzie, Alecia, Amanda T, and Kelsey |
Make sure to visit the main page of the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog and donate to Jenn, Tammy, Julie, Kim, or Maria. All 5 of these Buffalo Jills alumni are raising money for the Alzheimer's Association and getting set to play in the 5th Annual Blondes Vs Brunettes game on September 14th.
