Emily is the Pro Bowl Buffalo Jill

From Phil’s excellent Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog:

At Buffalo Jills practice tonight, a vote was held to select the squad’s representative to the 2014 Pro Bowl. In January, 4th year vet Emily will be trading the snow and cold of Western NY for the sand, palm trees, and warmth of Hawaii. Who she’ll be rooting on is hard to say as the Pro Bowl has a new format this season. No longer and AFC-NFC matchup, the teams will be chosen like in a schoolyard, with the top 2 vote-getters named as captains. Regardless, it’s unlikely that Emily will be alone over there with several Bills having strong seasons. However, they have to wait more than a month to find out while Emily can start making plans now. Lisa and Christina will be helping her out with what to expect but I’m sure Omarlla will be one of many former Jills Pro Bowlers also more than happy to help Emily out as well.
An honor well-deserved for this 1st year captain!

[Emily at Buffalo Jills.com]

SI.com: NFL Cheerleaders, Week 2

Click here for the latest gallery from Sports Illustrated. This one includes teams from the Falcons, Ravens, Bills, Texans, Colts, Chiefs, Patriots, Ravens, Eagles, Bucs, and Cardinals.

And speaking of the AZC, looks like they’ve revamped their Cardinal Red uniforms for 2013. That’s the new one on the left and last year’s version on the right.

2013-14 Buffalo Bills Cheerleaders

I’m not sure how late I am on this news. I’ve been checking the Jills website, and realized a couple of days ago that they had updated roster. I’m not sure when they did it, but the page looks very similar to the way it looked last year, so I didn’t notice. Forgive me Jills, if I’m horribly late to the game. As for the rest of you click here to get to know the 2013 Jills!

Lisa, Kayla, and Olivia

Buffalo Jill Ashley excited for calendar cover opportunity

Hannah Buehler
Buffalo Bills

For Buffalo Jill Ashley, becoming a calendar cover girl has always been a dream she hoped to achieve.

“It’s a goal I never imagined would come true,” said Ashley, this year’s 2013-2014 Jills Cheerleader Swimsuit Calendar Cover girl. “With the guidance and support from Stephanie, the Director of the Jills, Fisher Creative Image photography and my fellow teammates coaching me along the way, they really know how to make you feel beautiful.”

Ashley has been a Bills fan her entire life. Growing up just minutes away from Ralph Wilson Stadium helped her bleed red white and blue from an early age.

“Orchard Park is my hometown, and having the Buffalo Bills here is such a privilege,” said Ashley. “I drive by the stadium every day and it’s an honor to be a part of the organization.”

Ashley is Co-Captain of the Buffalo Jills ambassador squad. Ambassadors are the Jills that fans meet right before games in the Bills Healthy Zone Fieldhouse and outside the stadium. Throughout the games, these Jills venture around the stadium, visiting fans in the suites, taking pictures with fans and cheering on the team. Ambassadors also have a strong presence in the Buffalo community- volunteering for charities and helping improve the city of Buffalo.

“It is such an honor to be a Co-Captain because I have the chance to help Rookies and returning Jills ‘learn the ropes’ of being an NFL Cheerleader,” Ashley told buffalobills.com. “The Buffalo Jills organization is a big family that keeps growing each year with the addition of new Rookies. Captains and management provide continuous love and support throughout the season.”

She found out that she was in the running for the cover during Jills Week on buffalobills.com. She had a hard time containing her excitement during the week leading up to the big reveal.

“I could not sleep at all,” Ashley said. “Each night I was so excited to wake up and see the gorgeous pictures in the morning. We were so lucky to get a sneak peek of our photographs because we usually have to wait until the release of the calendar to see them. This year, with the amazing opportunity on buffalobills.com, we were able to see several of the pictures from each of the different locations that we were photographed. The week was full of suspense but it was all worth it in the end!”

Ashley found out she was the cover during the Jills annual “Victory Party” on Lake Erie. After some rookie initiation games, it was time for the big reveal.

“Steph told us by lining up all five photographs of the finalists on a table,” said Ashley. “The pictures were all covered with towels. Our photographers, Fisher Creative Image Photography, hair stylist Charlene Fadel, former Jill Omarlla, Nichole and Stephanie, were each holding a photograph. They started at the opposite end and worked their way down the line of the photographs until they reached the last two held by Nichole and Stephanie. These last pictures were the back and front cover. At this time, Gabby and I were holding hands. Nichole raised the towel and Gabby’s picture was revealed as the back cover. Then, Stephanie unveiled the last picture which was mine! I was in complete shock, and couldn’t stop crying!”

Ashley’s photograph screams “Buffalo Bills.” Anyone who looks at it from a-far knows exactly what team she’s cheering for. One of the most prominent parts of the photograph is her Bills snowboard which reads in big bold red letters the famous chant, “Let’s go Buffalo!”

“A couple of months prior to the photo shoot, after I knew I was going to pose in the snow, I was thinking about what I could use during my shoot to tie in the theme of the ski resort,” Ashley told buffalobills.com. “I finally came up with the idea to create a vinyl graphic to put on the bottom of my snowboard! I went through a bunch of different design options but ultimately decided on the “Let’s go Buffalo” across the bottom of the board. So yes, the board is real, and may or may not go in my future man cave.”

Ashley has a very busy fall ahead of her. She begins Law School at the University at Buffalo this August- with the hopes of one day becoming a Corporate Attorney. Some may wonder how she will juggle it all.

“You have to have time management skills,” Ashley said. “As a Jill, you become an expert at managing your time wisely and a date planner becomes your best friend. When I was a Rookie, I finished up my last year of my undergraduate degree with a 4.0 overall GPA. I guess being a closet nerd isn’t such a bad thing after all.”

It’s true that beauty and brains mix well together.

Although the Jills front cover girl was a much anticipated event- the squad has been making an equally significant deal out of the back cover of the calendar.

This year’s back cover is Gabrielle- who had her photo taken in Siesta Key, Florida during the team’s trip to the Sunshine State.

“I’m so excited to have been selected for the back cover this year,” said second year veteran Gabrielle. “I couldn’t believe it when I found out. I’m so happy. It’s a dream come true!”

Although the calendar isn’t officially in stores until late August, fans can pre-order their Jills cheerleader swimsuit calendar by clicking here.

Congratulations to all Buffalo Jills on a successful calendar and good luck this season!

2013 P-R-O Convention All Star: Buffalo Jills Cheerleader Kristina

UPDATE: My apologies, in my haste I misidentified our lovely representative from the Buffalo Jills as Maria.  This 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star is named Kristina.

One of the greatest aspects of the P-R-O Convention is that I am able to meet cheerleaders from squads that I will, in all likelihood, never see on their home fields.   I rarely travel to an away game because of my scheduling as a season ticket holder of the San Diego Chargers.  So for me, to be able to see squads that I would not normally get to meet, is a blessing.

And one of the new squads that came to P-R-O, at least since I’ve been coming, was the Buffalo Jills and they had the good grace to wear their game day uniforms.  The Jills were a nice addition to the roster of outstanding dance teams.  And in this featurette, we turn our attention to one particular Jill…introducing Kristina, a 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.

 

The Amazing Race Comes To The Finish

From the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog our good friend Phil recaps how former Buffalo Jill Katie and her husband Max did on the latest season of The Amazing Race:

For the 1st time, the Buffalo Pro Cheer Blog followed a reality show pretty closely thanks to the fact that Buffalo Jills alum Katherine (2007-08) was one of the contestants along with her new husband. After a rough start to the race, Max and Katie had 1st place finishes the last two weeks going into last night’s 2-hour finale. The 1st part of the finale, which took place in Scotland and Ireland, was promising as Max and Katie again finished 1st, setting themselves up nicely for their trip back to the States.

Had they finished the race in Europe, Max and Katie would be $1,000,000 richer but luck wasn’t with them in the challenge at the Tidal Basin. After receiving a briefcase with their clue upon arrival, Max had to exchange the briefcase for another containing the next set of instructions. Unfiortunately, he had to almost circle the entire Tidal Basin to find the man with their next instructions. Whereas most of the challenges along the entire race were dependent on skills, this one seemed to be all luck. The rest of the leg was spent trying to catch up and had they had another challenge or two, they likely would’ve won as they did seem to gain on the leaders and eventual winners, the Hockey brothers Bates and Anthony Battaglia.

Max and Katie’s “amazing” journey

They called into Winging It! Monday morning after the finale aired and the audio of the call is up online.

Max and Katie learned a lot about themselves and each other through this. Katie said during the Race that if they got through it without killing each other, they could get through anything. Even though they didn’t win the million dollars, they won a lot more. These days, more than 50% of all marriages end in divorce. With everything this race put them through, I’d say they’ll be one of the long-lasting marriages that won’t end that way. That’s probably worth more than any amount of money.