Archive for October, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 31st, 2011

We at the Thunder work pretty hard, so when it comes time for a holiday, we definitely have our fun.

Halloween is no exception. In fact, it’s pretty much a shining example of how unapologetically wacky we can be.

Though the holiday is today, our office celebrated on Friday with everything from a costume contest, to trick-or-treating for staffers’ kids, to cupcakes piled high with frosting. (Yes, we had fruit and veggies, too.)

We had some creative entries for our costume contest – see all the photos here – but, for our male and female winners, two definitely stood out:

That’s male winner Pete (as Bruce Jenner) and female (we think??) winner Jody (as SNL’s “Pat”). Our crew of Dave, Travis, Karlis and Matt (as the guys from “Anchorman”) – pictured here – easily took the prize for best group costume.

And before you ask, nobody dressed as Rumble. We wouldn’t dare to try to beat the real thing.

Though our office celebration is over, we still want to wish all our fans a happy – and safe – Halloween!

- Karina Henderson

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Um, congratulations?

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

Chris Sorrels and Jennifer Sorrels, Thunder employees

Chris Sorrels, our manager of season ticket retention, and his wife, Jennifer, recently had a baby.

We’re definitely excited about that, but that’s not the real reason for this post.

Chris and Jennifer were overjoyed with the arrival of their baby boy, and friends, family and coworkers of course sent them flowers and baskets to congratulate them. One of the florists they used to send these wonderful gifts is one that one of Chris’ Thunder coworkers uses frequently for business.

Here’s where it gets confusing. That coworker’s name also happens to be … Jennifer Sorrels.

The good people at the florist who have worked so much with our Jennifer (not Chris’ Jennifer) saw all these Thunder-ized congratulations headed to a Jennifer Sorrels and, well, they just assumed coworker Jennifer had had a baby.

However, that Jennifer’s baby is 18 years old and just started at Oklahoma State.

So when a big Thunder gift basket and balloon bouquet showed up at the Thunder office addressed to Jennifer Sorrels – well, it took a few minutes to figure out what had happened. It turns out the folks at the florist shop wanted to congratulate our Jennifer, and they sent her the most Thunder-y baby package they could put together.

Both coworker Jennifer and Chris (and, I’m sure, Chris’ Jennifer) took the mix-up in stride and with a good laugh. Mostly they were grateful for the florist’s incredible generosity.

And everyone understood when most of the items went home with Chris.

- Karina Henderson

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Let’s get clinical

Thursday, October 20th, 2011

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One of the first events at the newly opened Chesapeake Energy Arena is helping teams other than the Thunder perform better.

The Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association holds an annual fall clinic for coaches across the state, and for the first time, the Thunder is hosting.

About 130 coaches from all levels have gathered to learn from some of the best coaches around, including Thunder coaches, TCU Head Coach Jim Christian and Kansas Assistant Coach Joe Dooley.

Right now, Christian is using video to go over key Frogs practice drills as coaches sketch out diagrams of what he’s showing. Later, Scott Brooks will be talking about keeping a team approach to your coaching.

In a few minutes, Sam Presti will be presenting the winners of our High School Basketball Community Challenge, driving home the concept that being a coach of young men and women means more than developing their on-court skills.

Shaping up to be a very rewarding day at the arena.

- Karina Henderson

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Bison on film

Thursday, October 13th, 2011

It’s the usual thing that happens when Rumble or the Thunder Girls go anywhere. After they finished taping a shout-out for Good Morning America this morning, everyone involved with the taping pulled out their cell phones and asked to have their pictures taken with Rumble and the Thunder Girls.

It got me thinking – there are 20 Thunder Girls every year, but, year after year, there’s only one Rumble. How many people have had their pictures taken with Rumble?

I asked Rumble what he thought, and he scratched his furry head for a minute and shrugged. (Rumble kind of lives in the moment; he doesn’t worry too much about his stats.)

He did give me a few numbers, and I worked out some rough estimates. Rumble makes several hundred appearances every year in the community, plus Thunder games. He takes more pictures at some appearances than at others, depending on how much he’s running around and how much he’s able to pose. If he even poses for 20-25 pictures with people at an average appearance, that’s over 30,000 Thunder fans who have their photos with Rumble.

Thirty thousand. That’s probably a conservative estimate. But no matter the number, our bison still looks just as good as he did in the first photo.

- Karina Henderson

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Race for the Cure

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

Part of the Thunder team at the 2010 Race for the Cure. This year, more than 80 of us will be walking as "Team Jane."

Early Saturday morning, thousands of people in Oklahoma City will be gathering downtown, warming up their muscles, grabbing coffee and wearing pink.

You’ll be able to count among them more than 80 Thunder employees and family members, and the back of our shirts will read “Team Jane.”

Jane is an employee known to many of the fans who regularly attend Thunder games. She’s been a critical part of the Thunder Guest Relations team, and her sassiness and spirit are infectious.

During the off-season, Jane has gone from being a picture of health, to being diagnosed with breast cancer, to being a breast cancer survivor. We’ve all been keeping a careful eye on her progress and we’ve rejoiced to see her cancer-free and back in the office part-time.

The Thunder sponsors a team in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure every year, and we always have several employees who make the commitment to walk or run for this excellent cause.

However, this year none of us can say that we haven’t been affected by breast cancer. We’ve all been affected by what Jane has gone through, and it’s made us all the more determined to play a role in fighting this disease.

So on Saturday, bright and early, we’ll be there. We’ll be lining up with the thousands of others to show our support for Jane and for ending breast cancer. We’ll bring Rumble and the Thunder Girls to warm up the crowd, we’ll bring the Thunder Drummers to liven up a water station and we’ll bring all of our energy to promote this cause and our community.

- Karina Henderson

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Kickin’ it in Stillwater

Friday, October 7th, 2011

The crowd felt it last night, you could tell.

During the Sprite Thunder Rally in Stillwater on Thursday, there was no doubt that everyone got a piece of the fun atmosphere and had a chance to kick back for the evening.

Sometimes literally.

Kids were hoopin’ it up on the sport court, running around with faces painted and Thunder basketballs in their hands, trying to dribble against imaginary defenders and take shots over their make-believe outstretched arms.

Several Storm Chasers, the Thunder’s professional hype crew, bounced around the event, leading grooves when the music came on and leading games, such as the bean-bag toss.

Rumble ran from station to station, taking photos with fans, helping with the prize wheel and spinning around one girl who, er, “agreed” to be his dance partner.

The Thunder Girls kept everyone in good spirits, performing a few routines on the court and sharing pom-poms with some of the girls in the crowd.

And when DJ Boom put on “Cupid Shuffle,” just about everyone fell into line – walkin’ to the left, to the right and then kicking.

Except for an Oklahoma-sized wind gust that swept down the plains and swept away two of our tents, the event was relaxed and sunny, lively and cheery, and full of Thunder fun.

Game-night emcee Katie talked to the fans throughout the night. She even led a lighthearted Q&A with Thunder broadcaster Brian Davis, who talked about what he does to prepare for games and what the Thunder has meant to Oklahoma.

The last of four Sprite Thunder Rallies hosted by the Thunder throughout the summer and fall, last night’s event truly felt like a celebration of the community, of our fans and of the joy and passion so many of you bring to the Thunder Family.

Thanks to everyone who came out last night and to all the Sprite Thunder Rally events.

- Karina Henderson

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Thunder pairs with United Way for Day of Caring

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Members of the Thunder staff, Season Ticket Members and several Thunder Girls rolled out to the offices of Upward Transitions just outside of downtown Oklahoma City on Friday for United Way’s “Day of Caring” to prepare and serve lunch to the local homeless and impoverished.

Upward Transitions is a private nonprofit agency that assists the homeless and less fortunate by providing them with the basic essentials and resources to help get them back on their feet. Its primary source of funding is the United Way of Central Oklahoma.

Thunder staff members began grilling and preparing the food at around 10 a.m. in the Upward Transitions parking lot. People began showing up around 11 a.m. to be served hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies and soft drinks. The parking lot was bustling with hungry people waiting to be served and happy ones who had gotten their fill. About 150 people came to eat lunch – we ended up having the perfect amount of food!

All of the people that we fed were beyond grateful for everything we did for them (they especially loved the Thunder Girls!). Many came through the food line twice, and some even three times. It felt great knowing that we made someone’s day more enjoyable and it was a fun way to help out in the community.

Upward Transitions is located at 1033 N. Walker in Oklahoma City and is always accepting volunteers and donations. To find out how you can help, visit www.upwardtransitions.org.

- Taylor Gibbons

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