From Buffalobills.com:
During the next two weeks, two Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders team up to go behind-the-scenes and provide their insight to the Jills Cheerleader audition process. In today’s third installment here on BuffaloBills.com, Lisa, a three-year Jills veteran and Natalie, the rookie, share their tryout experiences.
Jills Cheerleader first cuts
BuffaloBills.com
Mar 24, 2010
Natalie, the rookie’s blog:
Phew! I made it through the first cuts. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief, at least for the next few days.
The auditions went great . You could see how much everyone wanted to make the first cut because they really brought their A-game. When I first arrived at the convention center Saturday morning I received my number, 38, so I was pretty close to the middle of the group.
It felt like hours went by before it was finally my turn to perform and after my 45 seconds on stage the rest of the day flew by, until we were waiting for results, that is. Once the judges went in the back to calculate the scores the half hour we waited was never ending!
I have been in a large number of cheerleading/dance competitions before but nothing compared to the pressure and nerves I felt while waiting to see if my number would be shown on the big screen. When I finally did see my number I felt a huge rush of excitement that I had made it to the next step of the process. Although I was feeling so happy, it was bitter-sweet to see some of the girls I had become so close with, have their journeys end.
The next part of auditions will continue with a final dance day next week before interviews start. I can’t help but still feel extremely nervous because they have now cut it down to the best of the best. They are going to get a much closer look at your abilities as a dancer as well as who you are as a person and see if you a good fit for their program.
I will have to really stand out and show my personality and make sure they see how badly I want to be a part of their team!
One round is done, three more to go!
The first cut is always the biggest and the most stressful especially for veterans.
We love meeting the new girls and helping them through the audition process but we’re still fighting to keep our own spot on the team. Overall, it’s a very emotional day with lots of tears of joy and sadness. I hope that girls who didn’t make it this time around come back next year and try again.
I auditioned four years ago and wasn’t selected for the final team. Since then I’ve received awards for Rookie of the Year and Veteran of the Year and have had so many amazing experiences. My life wouldn’t be the same if I had decided to give up.
We continue the audition process this week. In the first round we are taught a dance and then given a week to perfect it. The second round is much more difficult. We are taught another dance along with a cheer then asked to perform them that night.
More cuts will be made next week, then again following rookie interviews.
The new season is almost here!
The Tri-County Titans are a franchise in the Labelle Community Football League (LCFL). This professional minor league, which and gets its name from legendary entertainer and philanthropist Patti Labelle, includes over 30 teams and continues to grow. Numerous NFL greats as well as some of the best known companies in the country have been involved in supporting the league’s development.
Based in Placentia, CA, the Tri-County Titans, boast some of the best players in the league. This year, for the first time, they’re looking to add the best dancers! Auditions are just around the corner:
Tri-County Titan Starlets Dance Team Audition:
Wed. April 7, 2010
The Dance Factory School of Performing Arts
28901 South Western Ave, Suite 113
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Registration and Warm-up 8:00 pm
Audition begins at 8:30 pm
Click here to visit their facebook page for details.
You can also visit the Tri-County Titans site right here
At long last, it’s time to find out who made the team. Here’s the 6th and final episode of “Making the Cut – Inside the Auditions for the 2010 ChivaGirls Dance Team.” Congratulations to all my little Chivitas. I know you’ll tear it up at tomorrow’s home opener!
[Click here for photos from finals]
In case you missed the first five episodes:
(Patriots.com): Congratulations to the following 25 talented and beautiful ladies who have made the 2010 Patriots Cheerleading Squad!
Jessica Aiello*
Ashley Baldwin
Brittany Bonchuk*
Sara Caldeira*
Kelsey Fournier*
Patricia Fox
Jennifer Grossi
Stacy Hopkins*
Angela Lavoie*
Athena Lazo
Crissy Lynn*
Lauren Marchetti
Michelle Nigro
Siobhan O’Keefe
Jillian O’Neil*
Stephanie Petronelli
Randi Pittman*
Amanda Riddle*
Stephanie Sanchez
Heather Santoro
Alexandra Sova
Brittney-Lynn Stanley
Kirsten Thresher*
Alyssa Tosoni*
Kayla Vernaglia*
*returning veteran
Brooke Griffin had an ambitious goal: She wanted to raise thousands of dollars for a local homeless shelter. Inspired by philanthropist Malaak Compton-Rock’s new book, If It Takes a Village, Build One, Brooke asked her aunt and a friend to help. Soon their entire Northern Kentucky community was participating in a charity cocktail gala that raised nearly $40,000 for needy women and children.
By Lindsey Palmer
Redbook Magazine
March 19, 2010
In a crowded ballroom decorated with red and white flowers, heart-shaped Mylar balloons, and crisp white linens, Brooke Griffin looks around at the dozens of tables of friends, relatives, and neighbors, her heart racing with nerves and excitement. The 27-year-old lets it sink in that she is the reason these people have gathered on a bitterly cold Saturday night, to raise money for the women and children of Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, a local homeless shelter. The evening’s emcee, WCPO-TV chief meteorologist Steve Raleigh, introduces Brooke to the room, and she smiles shyly as the crowd breaks into applause for the woman who managed to throw together a charity cocktail gala that raised almost $40,000 in a matter of just four weeks. Moments later, Steve and his wife, Julie, kick off an action-packed live auction of donated vacation packages, concert events, sports tickets, and more, and Brooke sits down next to her husband, Chris, allowing herself to drink in the fun spectacle. “This is truly one of the proudest moments of my life,” she says. “I feel a huge sense of accomplishment and togetherness with all the people from my community who helped me make it all happen.”
“I had many ideas of how to help, but I didn’t know how to start.”
When Fort Mitchell, KY, resident Brooke Griffin wrote to REDBOOK about her desire to support Welcome House and the comprehensive services it provides to help homeless families get back on their feet, her passion shone through even as she admitted she didn’t exactly know where to begin. 
As the former captain of the Cincinnati Bengals cheerleaders, Brooke had volunteered at Welcome House events through the team’s service work. “I’ll be honest: I always imagined homeless people as the stereotypical men panhandling on the street,” she wrote. “But when I toured the Welcome House and met the residents, it opened my eyes to see that the homeless include women my age who live in my area and who are very similar to me. But through different life circumstances, they’ve ended up in a tough spot.” Especially in this weak economy, when donations have dropped off just as need is rising, Brooke knew she had to do more. “I felt overwhelmed by the women’s need for things like tampons and diapers, items we all take for granted,” she wrote.
Brooke’s enthusiasm and drive to help dovetailed perfectly with the message in humanitarian Malaak Compton-Rock’s new book, If It Takes a Village, Build One: How I Found Meaning Through a Life of Service and 100+ Ways You Can Too. Malaak has spent a lifetime bringing together communities to help others, and her powerful book aims to inspire readers to embark on their own journeys for change. The message: that giving back in meaningful ways is easier than you think, and that it makes you feel amazing. REDBOOK connected the two women so Malaak could advise Brooke on how to build an inspirational fund-raiser for Welcome House.
“Malaak wrote about how she’s inspired others to make a difference, and I thought, Well, she’s a famous person, but she’s still just a person, and look what she could do,” Brooke says. (Malaak starred in Oprah’s Big Give and is married to comedian Chris Rock.) “The book outlined how I could use my passion to get people on board and make something happen. It gave me the confidence to turn to my husband and say, ‘Okay, I can do this.'”
“On a cold winter night, we knew people would love an excuse to get dressed up and go dancing.”
Brooke passed her copy of Malaak’s book to the two women she knew would step up as her main supporters: her aunt Juanita Griffin, who’s been a Welcome House Outreach volunteer for 20 years, and Ashley Anderson, Welcome House’s development coordinator. After getting advice on first steps from Malaak, Brooke gathered her team in a coffee shop, and together they devised a plan: They would throw a fund-raiser gala with live and silent auctions and plenty of food and dancing. “We bounced around different ideas for themes, and Malaak helped us settle on ‘Home Is Where the Heart Is,'” Brooke says. “It felt perfect because the event would fall near Valentine’s Day, and Welcome House’s mission is all about providing shelter.” Then Brooke’s team set an ambitious goal: to raise $90,000, the total donations Welcome House needs in operate its women and children’s shelter for one year. The race was on to make it all happen.
Malaak provided Brooke with a four-week planning timeline and suggested she immediately focus her energies on the key components that would make her event a success: an attractive, popular venue and a dynamic emcee who could really sell the live auction. Says Brooke, “I honestly wasn’t sure if we could pull the event off in just a month. It was totally overwhelming.” With such a tight schedule, Brooke would need to recruit a large team of volunteers. “I knew I’d have great help because I live in a close-knit community with lots of loving people who chat after church and gather for Sunday football games,” she says.
“At our weekly meetings, we discussed fun ways to help out — whether it was to sell tables or to tap a friend to bring next time.”
Malaak and Brooke hooked up frequently for conference calls. When Brooke admitted she was nervous about the many aspects of planning — invitations, donations, food and drinks, entertainment, and more — Malaak stressed the importance of regular meetings to keep everyone organized and on task, and to motivate the team. So Brooke asked Juanita to involve the Welcome House Outreach, a group of 20 women who had been volunteering for years, and they began meeting on Tuesday nights. “Elizabeth Gray agreed to format event e-vites, Allison Kennedy stepped up to organize the silent auction, and the others then went out to restaurants and spas to solicit items,” Brooke says. “It was so encouraging to get so much help from women who were total strangers to me just weeks earlier.”
“I had no idea how generous people would be in giving their time and services and talents.”
Brooke was new to soliciting donations and pro-bono services, and she was pretty nervous about it. “Malaak gave me a script for how to approach a vendor with ‘the ask,’ which I practiced ahead of time to build up my confidence,” Brooke says. “I tried to motivate myself by thinking that the worst that could happen is that I’d hear ‘no’ — and I knew it would feel amazing if I got a ‘yes.'” Malaak advised her to start by asking friends and acquaintances, who would be eager to help someone they knew. While planning her wedding last year, Brooke had grown close with her designer, Kevin Ford: “So I approached Kevin to donate flowers, linens, and decorations and to handle setup for the fund-raiser, and he agreed immediately,” Brooke says. “He also connected me with a local restaurateur whose wedding he’d designed, and she signed on as our first donated food station.” Next, the bakery that had created Brooke’s wedding cake volunteered to provide cupcakes.
Not every vendor Brooke approached was willing to help. “I visited four downtown Cincinnati hotels, and all four turned me down,” she says. “I was getting discouraged. One local former sports star told me there was no way I’d pull off the event, especially in January, which is the worst month for fund-raising. But I just tried to keep a positive attitude, and soon after, Ashley contacted her friend at the Madison catering hall, and they agreed not only to donate the space on a Saturday night, but also to contribute hors d’oeuvres!”
Brooke faced other setbacks as well. When Ashley told Welcome House’s executive director, Linda Young, about the plans for the fund-raiser, Linda wasn’t convinced it was a good idea. “She was reluctant to plan something so quickly, ” says Brooke. “But then she saw how dedicated we were and how hard we were working — and when I met with her two weeks before the event, she was excited for what she had nicknamed the ‘Welcome House Prom’!”
“I quickly learned to match the volunteers’ personalities with the tasks that were right for them.”
As a former NFL cheerleader, Brooke knows plenty of high-energy, outgoing women — and she knew exactly what jobs would suit them best. She asked former Bengals cheerleader and longtime philanthropist Julie Raleigh to run the live auction along with her husband, Steve, a local television meteorologist. Steve also agreed to publicize the gala on-air during his broadcast — a huge coup. “I put volunteers with good people skills in charge of greeting guests and taking tickets, and I assigned the less outgoing ones to handle behind-the-scenes tasks,” Brooke says. “I called on a few people I knew were super-reliable to oversee the big details of the evening.” Six cheerleaders agreed to wear their uniforms and sell heart-shaped balloons at the door the night of the gala to raise additional funds. “I also called upon Bengals defensive end Frostee Rucker and safety Kyries Hebert to lend their local celebrity status — and we’d have had even more Bengals players at the party if it hadn’t been the same weekend as the Pro Bowl!” Brooke says with a laugh. Frostee and Kyries not only attended the event, but they also donated autographed team jerseys to the live auction.
Though Brooke tried to obtain a lot of the big-ticket auction items on her own, eventually she realized she needed help. She called on her father-in-law, a local businessman, and other family members to assist, and they helped secure tickets to a Taylor Swift concert and to the Masters golf tournament, plus a vacation getaway. Julie Raleigh stepped in too; because she is such a good customer of the Cincinnati Saks Fifth Avenue, the store donated a makeup party for 10.
“The coming together of my community in support of this cause is just beautiful.”
After a month of rigorous planning, Brooke’s benefit gala sold out — 300 guests had seats and 50 more took standing-room tickets. The event was slated to begin on a Saturday at 7 p.m., but by 6:30, guests in cocktail attire were lined up outside the Madison, eager to eat, drink, and dance with their community.
As guests filed in, Bengals cheerleaders offered the red Mylar heart-shaped balloons for $100 each — enough to shelter a homeless woman or child for three nights in the Welcome House shelter. On the landing of the dramatic staircase that led to the main ballroom, guests were offered a Passion’s Crush cocktail, the evening’s signature drink, offered by Maker’s Mark. Once in the ballroom, they were free to nosh on mini-burgers, chicken dumpling soup, homemade potato chips, and sushi — among other tasty offerings — while perusing the packed silent-auction table.
Soon emcee Steve Raleigh called guests to their seats and invited featured guest Malaak Compton-Rock to the stage. “Tonight, Brooke has proved that one person in a village of givers can galvanize her community in support of a cause and bring about change” she said, as the guests broke into enthusiastic applause.
Next, three giant screens showed a video featuring Welcome House executive director Linda Young and Crystal Hicks, a former Welcome House resident who now, 10 years later, is a social worker who also serves on the Welcome House board. Watching herself onscreen from her table, her husband by her side, Hicks remarked, “It’s powerful to be able to tell my story of how far I’ve come — from being a victim of domestic violence and homeless with my 18-month-old daughter to having a great job, a supportive husband, and a loving home. I’m blessed now to be able to give back.” After the video, Linda Young took the stage to thank all the partygoers — especially Brooke — for their support: “Everyone needs money, but it’s people who change other people’s lives,” she said. Her heartfelt speech was surely on everyone’s mind a little later, when the Bengals cheerleaders rallied the crowd to buy the remaining 39 heart-shaped balloons. In a matter of minutes, every balloon sold.
The day after the event, Ashley called Brooke to tell her that they’d raised $38,000 for Welcome House. “I’d been adding up the numbers in my journal throughout the process, so I had a general idea of how much we’d made,” Brooke says. “But I was so excited to hear that final amount! Even though we didn’t hit our initial goal of $90,000, this is a huge accomplishment, especially considering the short time we had to plan it.”
Through tears, Brooke reflects on her experience: “This journey of bringing so many excited and motivated people together to support something great has been so fulfilling for me. I can’t wait to do it all again next year and continue this tradition of service.”
What the money will do
“The $38,000 that Brooke and her team raised at the benefit gala will fund more than 1,200 overnights in the shelter, where our residents are always welcome to stay for as long as they need to,” says Ashley Anderson, development coordinator. “The women and their families will receive employment and case-management services, and the assistance and guidance they need to get back on their feet and become self-sufficient.”
For more information on the Welcome House organization or to donate, log on to welcomehouseky.org or call 859-431-8717. To find a shelter to support in your area, visit homelessshelterdirectory.org or womenshelters.org for women’s-only shelters.
1. SET A GOAL. “The key to planning a successful event is knowing what you want to get out of it — financially or otherwise,” Malaak says. “Ask yourself, ‘What are my objectives?’ and write them down. Deciding on your goals up front will allow you to understand what type of event will best serve those goals and how to reach out to your community to make it happen.”
2. BUILD A DIVERSE TEAM. “To bring together a strong committee of volunteers, tap in to all of your social circles — your neighbors, your coworkers, the parents at your child’s school, and any other groups you’re connected to,” Malaak says. “Focus on finding a wide variety of folks with different skills. For example, the PTA president at your child’s school might have fund-raising experience, an accountant could help you devise a budget, a graphic artist could design invitations or programs, someone in the business community could secure sponsors, and someone who just plain knows a lot of people will be an asset in terms of selling tickets and publicizing your event.”
3. PLAN WELL. “To stay organized and on track, create a detailed timeline leading up to the event,” Malaak suggests. “Make sure to give yourself enough time in advance to book the key components that will make your event a success, such as the right venue and a locally known personality to emcee.” Check out Malaak’s planning timeline at redbookmag.com/timeline.
4. DIVIDE AND CONQUER. “Break your team into committees, then assign a leader to head each one,” Malaak says. “Each committee should schedule its own weekly meetings to discuss their progress and figure out upcoming goals, and then the committee heads should convene on their own to exchange ideas, update people on their planning, and coordinate logistics.”
5. JUST ASK! “Most people want to give back to society, but they just don’t know how,” Malaak says. “So to get people and businesses to come on board in support of your fund-raiser is often as simple as asking.” Malaak offers the following tips for making “the ask”: “If you’re approaching a retailer you often frequent, just walk in and talk to the owner about your event and then explain how her flower arrangements or printing services will help the event and the community. Because you already provide her with business, you can feel confident in asking her to do her part. If you don’t know the vendor, draft a letter with the same information, then follow up with a call or in-person visit. And be sure to let prospective supporters and sponsors know about all the promotion they’ll receive if they pitch in — whether in your event program or in local news coverage.”
6. PROMOTE YOURSELF. “Engage your local media to cover your event in as many ways as possible,” Malaak says. “Draft a press release and send it to your local TV news stations, radio stations, and newspapers. Ask a local deejay to promote your event during his show or request that your paper run a story on the cause you’re raising funds for. And of course, get the buzz going through word-of-mouth, too, so your event can get all the attention it deserves.” Check out Brooke’s press release at redbookmag.com/pressrelease.
As James posted below, he was on-site for the first round of the 2010 Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader auditions. He has some great photos coming. In the meantime, you can check out some other photos from the day on the Eagles website. Click here.
By Jimmy Tomlin
The High Point Enterprise
Tiffany Jackson, who recently moved from High Point to Miami, readily admits she loves the heat of southern Florida.
Actually, she loves the Heat – as in the Miami Heat, the NBA team that boasts the league’s hottest dance team, of which Jackson is now a member.
“It’s pretty exciting,” the 25-year-old High Point native says during a telephone interview. “We’ve been voted the number-one dance team in the NBA four years in a row.”
Jackson, a 2002 graduate of High Point Central High School, made the squad after auditioning against 250 other young women who were competing for the dance team’s 25 available slots.
“It was a little overwhelming at first,” Jackson says of the highly competitive auditions. “But once the music started and I learned the choreography, it just came natural to me.”
Once she qualified for the final round of auditions, Jackson and the other finalists spent nearly a week at what’s known as “boot camp,” where she learned new choreography in preparation for a final performance before the judges. Then the judges made their picks.
“Honestly, I didn’t even hear my name or number called,” Jackson recalls, “but my friend was like, ‘That’s you! That’s you!’ I couldn’t believe it.”
As a member of the Miami Heat Dancers, Jackson performs at most of the team’s home basketball games, makes public appearances at charity functions and other events, and makes promotional appearances for the team when called upon to do so.
At games, dance team members perform an opening routine during the player and dance team introductions, and perform between quarters and during timeouts. They also toss T-shirts to the crowd during giveaways, pose for photographs with fans and sign autographs.
Jackson is no stranger to dance performances, but she still gets goosebumps thinking about her first performance at a Miami Heat game.
“The lights went down for us to perform our opening number, and there wasn’t an empty seat in the whole arena,” she says. “It was really exciting.”
Jackson, who also works as a waitress in Miami, says there’s no down side to being a Miami Heat dancer.
“The practices are long,” she says, “but you’re always learning.”
Jackson entered the dance world as a 21⁄2-year-old, when she began studying tap and ballet at Dancers Headquarters. She eventually moved to High Point Dance Academy, where she studied jazz, lyrical and modern dance.
“By the age of 6, I was competing in national dance competitions up and down the East Coast,” she says. “And at age 10, I got a lifetime scholarship to Broadway Dance Center in New York.”
She was an All-American cheerleader in high school, she says, and taught dance at the Pointe Studio in Greensboro and at High Point Dance Academy.
With the Miami Heat Dancers, Jackson gets to combine her traditional dance background with hip-hop.
“All of the girls have technical skills – they have ballet and lyrical – but they do hip-hop, too, which is really hard to find in a dance team,” she says.
Whatever they’re doing, it seems to be working. For four straight years, the squad has been voted the NBA’s most popular dance team in an online competition.
The team also has a few famous alumna, including ABC’s original “Bachelorette,” Trista Rehn;
Pussycat Dolls vocalist Jessica Sutta; and “Deal or No Deal” suitcase model Brooke Long.
Jackson hopes to be a member of the squad for several years to come.
“I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon,” she says. “This is something I really enjoy doing.”
From Buffalobills.com:
During the next two weeks, a couple of Buffalo Jills Cheerleaders will team up with their Director, a former Jill herself, to go behind-the-scenes and provide their insight to the Jills Cheerleader audition process. In today’s first installment here on BuffaloBills.com, Lisa, a three-year Jills veteran, Natalie, the rookie, and Stephanie Mateczun, Director of the Jills Cheerleaders, share their experiences, thoughts and expectations during the Jills tryout process.
Jills audition blog #1
BuffaloBills.com
Mar 17, 2010
Lisa, the veteran’s blog:Most Bills fans aren’t thinking about football season yet but for the Buffalo Jills and other cheerleaders around the league, this is when our season begins. My name is Lisa and I just finished my third season with the Jills.
Yesterday kicked off the start of the two week long audition process for all Buffalo Jills hopefuls. This is always a bittersweet time for me. It’s hard to see girls you’ve become so close with during the season not return the next year, but on the other hand, I’m so excited to meet the newcomers! After many years of auditioning and performing in front of 70,000 fans, you would think the audition process would be easy – but it only becomes more difficult. Every year the standards are higher and more beautiful, talented girls are fighting for a spot on the team.
The open workshop was held at the Conference Center of Niagara Falls which will also be the location for the 1st cuts on Saturday, March 20th. For the second year in a row, the 1st round will be open to the public. This is a great way to see if the girls will be able to perform for a crowd, and our fans get a first look at the 2010 team. There will be a series of cuts over the next couple of weeks and I’ll be blogging my experience as a returning veteran throughout the audition process. Hope to see you all on the 20th!
Natalie, the rookie’s blog:
Hello All! My name is Natalie and I am a Buffalo Jills hopeful! This is my first year trying out for the team and I couldn’t be more excited about it.
Today, 3/14/10, was the first day of auditions. I had been preparing for this for several months and couldn’t believe it was finally here. When I first arrived I had so many butterflies in my stomach, because walking into a room full of all the beautiful girls trying out can be very intimidating. After sitting down and talking with some of the ladies at my table the nerves seemed to melt away. The girls auditioning for the dance team got right to work learning the routine.
Because I have been a dancer my whole life I was feeling a little more in my comfort zone at this point, but still extremely nervous! We learned a routine that is about 45 seconds long and can be performed to three different songs. It was a lot of material to be given all at once, but that is how they will set the good performers apart from the great performers. After learning the dance, we sat down with the director and coordinator while they explained what would be expected of us as Jills on and off the field.
The Jills are all about being classy young women and they have high expectations of their girls and that is what makes their program so respectable. Being that this is my first time auditioning for the team, I was shocked to learn how much is expected of you as well as how much time and effort went into being an NFL cheerleader. The information session was the most overwhelming part of the day for me, but I think that as this process continues it won’t seem like so much.
All the girls at tryouts today were incredibly nice and supportive of each other. I have already met some amazing ladies and we are planning on getting together to practice the routine this week before the first cuts on 3/20.
It is going to be a pretty hectic few weeks for me balancing school, work, and trying to prepare for auditions, but I am so thrilled to be starting this process and will hopefully be able to be a part of this amazing team of women in the end!
Stephanie, the director’s blog:
It’s audition time again and it’s always an exciting time for me. After a couple of months off from Jill’s practices, I look forward to the energy the new girls bring to tryouts.
Sunday, March 14th was one of my first looks at the young ladies that hope to be Jills. Approximately 75 young ladies attended our first workshop. Interspersed with the new faces are many familiar ones; former Jills have to audition each year as well. There are new, talented young ladies coming forward every year and this healthy competition keeps everyone on their toes. We even have a young lady that came to Buffalo from Australia JUST to audition; now that’s motivation!
While I’m looking around the room at workshop, there are some young ladies that stand out right away. They seem to have that “Jills look” down and they are very polite and nice. I’m drawn to watch others as they begin dancing while Kelli our Choreographer teaches the routine.
Although some seem like strong candidates right away, I never pass judgment too soon because there’s always young ladies that take the routine and personal feedback home for a week, practice like crazy and come back stronger than others. There will also be new girls attending our additional workshop this Thursday, so I know there are still many more girls to be seen. We usually get about 100-125 auditioning. We only have places for 45 Jills.
There is so much for the new young ladies to learn. I know it’s overwhelming to them. In workshop we discuss our basic rules, the audition process, attire and expectations at auditions. If they make the team, we want to be sure they understand what they are getting themselves into. We take being part of the NFL very seriously. Being a Jill takes a lot of time and dedication and I think sometimes in a person’s excitement to be part of it, they don’t think through the huge commitment.
Today I organized the applications and matched them up to their audition photos. I need to make sure all of their information is filled out and ID’s have all been checked. I begin creating the judges score sheets, making sure our computer program is ready for scoring, printing audition numbers and making sure my panel of judges is good to go for Saturday. I’m also in daily contact with our audition venue, the Conference Center of Niagara Falls, to make sure we have the correct set-up for Saturday. They have been wonderful to us!
1st cuts this Saturday the 20th are open to the public and we encourage the girls auditioning to bring a support group with them. It really brings up the energy of the whole process.
I’m excited to see even more new young ladies at our workshop Thursday. Back to work!
Jills audition blog #2
BuffaloBills.com
Mar 19, 2010
Lisa, the veteran’s blog:
Big day tomorrow! I had a great workout at the gym last night so I’m using today to relax and prepare. I’m meeting up with the veterans tonight for a light dinner and some team bonding before the new season begins.
We had an additional workshop last night for any last minute questions and review of the dance. I was really impressed by a lot of girls that improved so much since Sunday.
As veterans we have to privilege to select our auditions numbers and once again Valerie and I are first up! It’s nice to get it over with early and once we’re done we get to sit and enjoy the show.
I can’t wait to see everyone looking their best tomorrow. Good luck girls! It’s all about confidence!
Natalie, the rookie’s blog:
The final workshop is over and now it is time for first cuts! There were some new faces last night to learn the routine but over-all, everyone was looking strong and confident in the dance.
Last night was a great opportunity for everyone to get to perform in front of people and really get the routine memorized which will hopefully ease some of the nervous on Saturday. The next 24 hours are going to feel like a lifetime but no matter what happens at the end of the day tomorrow, this has been such an amazing experience and I have met some awesome people along the way.
I can be happy knowing I have been true to myself and done the best I could throughout this process. For now I will just have to get ready for the 45 seconds I will have tomorrow to prove myself and then wait, and wait, and wait for the results!
Stephanie, the director’s blog:
Last night was an additional practice workshop and we had so many young ladies come out for the extra practice. Lots of new faces too which is great!
Nichole (Jills Coordinator) and I had a lot of fun watching the bright eyes of the new girls. It’s also great to see the progress of the girls who learned the dance last Sunday. Some come back with it completely mastered! Many young ladies have also visited our hair stylist and make-up artist to learn the “Jills Look” and come to the open practice for us to check if they have the right look for auditions tomorrow.
Along with the excitement come a lot of nerves. The competition is looking tight and every girl, new and old (previous Jills) have to fight for their spots. I’m excited for things to get going tomorrow.
NBC Sports has added a ton of new photos to their NHL Ice Girl galleries. Click here to check ’em out!
Click here to check out the Philly Sixers Dancers on SportsIllustrated.com!
