Wichita Thunder – Update from the Road April 19
Submitted by: Jason Mals, Director of Broadcasting – Wichita Thunder Hockey
It’s the day after Game 3 and we just got back to the hotel from practice. Last night was a tough one. The guys fell behind in the second period and tried to recover from the three-goal hole, but couldn’t get over the hump. Texas just seems to get all the bounces in their barn. It was good to see them not quit and stay with it in the third period. Wichita outplayed the Brahmas in the first and third, but the second was the downfall. Here in the post-season, the second period has been the turning point for the guys. Before last night, the team had outscored its opponent 19-5 in the second. Granted, the third has been strength all season, with the team outscoring Rio and Texas 9-1 so far in the playoffs, but giving up the three goals to Texas was too much to overcome.
After practice, we got back to the hotel around 12:30. The team has the rest of the day to themselves. Most of the guys were talking about going across the street to watch a movie. There is a mall on the other side of the highway from where we are staying with a strip center full of restaurants and shopping. I plan on looking over some notes and updating stuff for the Texas media guy so he is all set for the game notes for tomorrow. Also, with tickets being on sale for Game 5 back home on Saturday, I have taken many calls and redirected them to the office so they can get their tickets taken care of. Hopefully the guys can come out and get Game 4 and that way play in front of the home fans for a possible clinching game on Saturday night in the ICT. We shall see!
Wichita Thunder – Game Day Update
Submitted by: Jason Mals, Director of Broadcasting – Wichita Thunder Hockey
Its Game Day! The day for me started out with a radio interview on Sports Radio 1410 KGSO with Chris Allison, talking about the game tonight and how Sunday’s win could roll over. In the playoffs, each game has to be looked at as a separate circumstance and with the Brahmas returning home, I expect a much more competitive game than Sunday was.
Thunder practice at the NYTEX Sports Centre
After grabbing a little breakfast from the hotel, the team jumped on the bus and headed over the NYTEX Sports Centre. Most of the hotels in the CHL have a free Continental breakfast, which the guys take advantage of. For those who haven’t been to the ‘Shoebox,’ you are in for a different experience. The fans are right on top of the ice and the sound reverberates to make it feel like you are playing in front of 5,000 people. The building is listed at capacity at 2,400. Just think of the Wichita Ice Center Olympic sheet with a vaulted ceiling, steel bleachers and suites created on the north end of the rink. The south end has about 10 rows of steel bleachers and the press box is made of wood.
The Brahmas finished their pre-game skate and the theme from their coach, Dan Wildfong, this is our house (in so many words). Wildfong is remembered by Thunder faithful for an incident the last time Wichita made the Conference Finals, when he speared Travis Clayton and a bench-clearing brawl ensued. It was my first year in the CHL and I will never forget that. My color-commentator and current GM Joel T. Lomurno even has a picture of the two coaches from that night in his office.
After practice is over, most of the guys will head out for lunch. The restaurant of choice is usually Olive Garden. I will head back to the hotel and then over to Jersey Mikes Subs with some of the staff members including Shane from KAKE TV. Wichita could use a Jersey Mike’s location. The sandwiches are unreal. The rest of the day will be gathering pre-game notes and then the bus will leave at 4:45 for the arena. I will have more after the game tonight as the guys look to make a statement on the road in Game 3!
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Wichita Thunder – Update from the Road
Submitted by: Jason Mals, Director of Broadcasting – Wichita Thunder Hockey
Well, it’s time for another bus trip. This time, however, there are more implications for the guys. We have been on the iron horse a lot this season and if the guys can pull out two wins tomorrow and Friday, the Finals would be around the corner. The team seems very relaxed and laid back, but that is how this group has been all season. Guys bide time playing cards, sleeping, or even just watching a movie. This trip down to the Dallas/Fort Worth area is not as grinding as some of the other ones have been. An extra bonus is the addition of Shane Ewing, from KAKE Channel 10. He is doing a life on the road documentary and behind the scenes look at the team away from the ice. I am fairly certain it will air after the season is over, but to my knowledge this is the first time a media member has been with us since Jeffrey Parson from the Wichita Eagle came on a bus trip back in 2005-06.
The plan for the rest of the day is to get to North Richland Hills, TX and drop the team off at the hotel. They are on their own for food and usually go out for a nice meal. After the guys are dropped off, we then head over to the arena to take bags off the bus and air out the equipment. It is usually Mark Sweeney, our trainer, Brad Brungardt, the equipment manager and myself that 
unload and unpack the bags so the gear is dry for pre-game skate the next day. Getting everything off the bus and settled in takes about an hour. Once we take care of that, the bus heads back to the hotel. The team usually leaves from the hotel in the morning around 9:45 a.m. and goes out for a brief pre-game skate to get the legs loose. It’s been exciting being a part of this year’s team. I will have more in the morning as Game 3 approaches in the Berry Conference Finals!
Guest Review: Miranda Lambert
Submitted by: Monica (Bergkamp) Leiker
The old adage “The third time’s a charm” isn’t only true for Hollywood superficial elite and their marriage count, but also rings accurate for this Harvey County farmer’s daughter and my track record for seeing Miranda Lambert live. My first experience with this hell raiser and heart breaker was INTRUST Bank Arena’s inaugural concert January 2010, with Brad Paisley and Justin Moore. Being an obsessive true country music fan, I naturally signed up and increased my nerd status to high alert, by joining her RanFan Club, for the sole purpose of first dibs on concert tickets. That show was insane and spoiled me into never seating in the “not VIP” section ever again. This go around, my childhood close friend fell on the sword and purchased a RanFan membership the second it was announced that this Texas cutie was heading to the ICT. While driving from my now-home in Holly, Colorado to Colwich on Friday, my vocal cords were belting out every tune on “Four the Record” just to make sure I could check off “Raised eyebrow from obese trucker” on my Bucket List. I knew there was no way ML would disappoint come Saturday, April 14. Below are my top 3 moments from the Miranda Lambert show, featuring Kansas-born Jerrod Niemann and Chris Young.
3) Has to go to Jerrod for his written song “Yellow Brick Road.” Hands down, this Liberal Redskin’s written (oh my lord, an artist who WRITES their own stuff. Nothing like being a true artist) song struck my heart chords like the feeling of finally getting stick shift on an old farm pickup. His references to dirt roads, pump jacks, Friday football lights, tumbleweeds, wheat fields, and cruising Main on Saturday nights idealize my experience growing up on our family farm near Halstead, Kansas. Literally, my girlfriend and I had big ol tears welling up in our eyes. There’s smoothing about hearing lyrics like that, that were your life that gets a person every time. Again, these were words that Jerrod wrote somewhere that reminded him of growing up in southwest Kansas. I cannot stress to you how amazing and inspiring it is hearing a singer sing the words that they wrote, and not some city slicker acting like they know what it’s like out here. Fabulous work, sir. And thank you. I am a huge follower of what’s called Texas County (Jason Boland, Wade Bowen, Reckless Kelly, to name a few) and Jerrod’s performance had the passion of many of those guys.
2) My second favorite memory of the night was the second Miranda owned the stage with “Fastest Girl in Town” (I called it). Talk about the fire and passion of a Texas tornado sprinkled with fabulous fashion. After standing in the GA pit since 7, it was a nice work out for me jumping up and down, like a crazed lunatic. This woman, I cannot begin to get across how passionate she is with her work. Even though she performed that same song the previous night, you could never tell. She pours her heart and soul and herself into every show. It’s almost like an honor to be there, experiencing that with her. Miranda Lambert was the fastest girl in town Saturday, April 14 and she left no doubt. Amen.
1) The story that I’ll tell for years when someone asks me about my experiences seeing Miranda Lambert live, will always include my top memory from this night. When she came back on stage after the storm suspension, rocking those curvy Kansas State purple skinny jeans and black cowboy boots and Jerrod Niemann’s ”Real Women Drink Beer” (Amen, again) shirt, she treated us to the best rendition of “House That Built Me”, that I will ever experience. She first dedicated that song to all whose homes may have been destroyed in the wake of the tornadoes that dotted the Midwest plains that night. Commenting that if anything happened to her childhood home, she would be devastated, she attempted to continue with her show. Before the lyrics started, it was clearly evident that this hell raiser had reached a sensitive subject. She was crying and it was the kind of cry that you cannot help but get the tingly feeling as your arm hair raises up. The crowd serenaded her, as she seemed to be in a humble stance, for the first half of the song. After gathering her emotions, she finished the song. Then she was very insistent to her band to not repeat what just happened. So, I’ll probably end up buried in a ditch for repeating this to you. It’s a risk I’ll take. In that moment, that woman has never appeared more human to me. Talk about a connection. An amazing connection that everyone in that arena will have forever.
Guest Review: Miranda Lambert – “Always a First Time for Everything”
Submitted by: Eric Proffitt
Intrust Bank Arena opened its doors to the public on January 9th, 2010 and has had countless events, including numerous country concerts. On that Saturday night in January, Miranda Lambert took the stage right before headliner Brad Paisley rocked the crowd with his voice and electric guitar skills. Since that day, I have been to every country concert the arena has hosted except for one. On April 14th, 2012 Miranda Lambert, who at the time just opened shows for bigger artists, proved how far she has come since that time. She headlined the Arena, bringing her On Fire 2012 tour to downtown Wichita.
Each country concert has featured lots of big name artists, as well as showcasing a lot of new and upcoming talent. While Miranda Lambert was already well-known in the country music scene (her first album “Kerosene” hit stores in 2005), she played smaller shows and was the opening act for bigger artists. Hard work and dedication shined through, as she now has her own headlining tour.
I first saw Miranda Lambert open up for Trace Adkins in September of 2006 at the Kansas State Fair. I could tell her Texas southern voice and sassy demeanor on stage would make her a huge success. When she came onto the stage at Intrust Bank Arena to kick off her On Fire tour, it marked the 5th time I have seen Miranda perform. She just recently won Academy of Country Music awards for Album of the Year for her 4th album “Four the Record” as well as Female Vocalist of the Year. She played songs from all of her albums including “White Liar”, “Only Prettier,” and her latest radio single “Over You” about the loss of husband Blake Shelton’s brother 16 years ago.
Going to as many country concerts as I have, there was bound to be something different that would set this concert apart from all the rest. Little
did I know that it would have nothing to do with the concert itself. Opening acts Jerrod Niemann (from Liberal, KS) and Chris Young (who has 4 straight #1 hits) played their entire sets, but Miranda was only able to manage 10 songs or so before she had to leave the stage due to impending storms. The weather was getting bad outside with an impending tornado on its way. The concert was suspended for 45 minutes before Miranda resumed with her sassy hit “Only Prettier”, followed by her heartfelt song “The House that Built Me.” She opened the song by talking about how it would hurt to lose her childhood house that she grew up in, and then mentioned the fact that it was tough for everyone at the concert to be worrying about their own houses and their families. Before she got the first words of the song out, tears started rolling down her cheeks, so she turned the microphone around to let the crowd sing the entire song with her. After gathering her emotions, she finished with 5 more songs, including the finale she sang with opening acts Jerrod Niemann and Chris Young.
The Miranda Lambert concert at Intrust Bank Arena was yet another great evening. Each time I see her it is as good as the last time. I just never would have thought that weather would become an issue and set itself apart from any other time I had ever seen her perform or from any other concert I’ve seen altogether.
This Day in History – April 13, Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
April 13, 2010
Kenny Chesney brought his “Goin Coastal” Tour to INTRUST Bank Arena on April 13, 2011 and put on one of the most energetic, fun-filled concerts the arena had seen. Joining Chesney on the bill were Special Guests Billy Currington and Uncle Kracker.
This Day in History – April 1, Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
April 1, 2010
Photo Credit: Jaime Green / The Wichita Eagle
It may have been April Fool’s Day, but Taylor Swift’s 2010 show at INTRUST Bank Arena was no joke. Tickets sold out instantly for the show, and fans were not disappointed. More than 11,000 guests experienced the Fearless Tour at INTRUST Bank Arena April 1, 2010.
Facebook Flashbacks
Submitted by: Christine Pileckas, Marketing Manager
I can still remember the first time I heard the word Facebook: it was 2004, my freshman year of college, from my good friend Ashley. She went to Towson University in Maryland, and Facebook had just opened up to their student body. It was all the rage at her school, but back in Pennsylvania, we still had no idea what this “Facebook” was all about.
If you remember, Facebook was only available to college students with a valid email address from their respective school when it first started. They slowly added more and more colleges, until they finally opened it up to the general public. I also remember the day I found out West Chester University, my college, had been added to the Facebook database. There was a mad scramble to sign up, create your profile, and find that perfect picture to use which would define you in this new world of social media.
Back then (if I can refer to a time barely eight years ago as that) Facebook was solely for personal use and self promotion. There were no pages for businesses, advertising opportunities or weekly page updates to track your effectiveness. As a biology major my freshman year of college, with dreams of being a physical therapist, I would’ve never guessed this social media site would one day be a primary function of my career and so essential to the success of my employer.
Fast forward to present day. My computer has a shortcut to just about every major social media site right on my desktop and my iPhone is equipped with every social media app available. It’s safe to say I live and breathe social media, and I am perfectly okay admitting that as it has become socially acceptable (no pun intended). My Twitter and Facebook feeds, for both work and personal, are the first things I check in the morning, and the last things I check at night. Some might view that as an unhealthy obsession, I simply view it as trying to be good at my job.
The best thing about social media as a marketer can be defined in one word: free. The main function of a marketing department in the arena business is to, as we like to say, put butts in seats. Having a database of more than 21,000 Facebook fans and 2,800 Twitter followers that we can share news and information with 24/7, for free, is invaluable. It’s safe to say our “average” fan is more apt to check our Facebook page or Twitter feed for event information, than they are our website.
This year, INTRUST Bank Arena was ranked 47th in the Venues Today Social Media Power 100 Chart. As explained on www.venuestoday.com, the chart was created by Venues Today Managing Editor Dave Brooks and Paciolan’s Director of Social Media Matt Kautz and ranks a venues digital marketing reach. They researched over 300 venues in North America, scoring facilities for total number of fans and followers, with additional points for number of Tweets, Facebook Check-Ins and group listings on Twitter. The score was weighted for market size and facility type. For the full Social Media Power 100 Chart: http://www.venuestoday.com/smp100.
Our goal for next year? To be ranked #1, of course. I have to thank my boss, Director of Sales & Marketing Sarah Haertl, for instilling such a good-natured competitiveness in me. I felt satisfied with 47th until she reminded me there were forty-six other venues ranked better than us.
We love fan feedback, and encourage you to share any ideas or suggestions on how we can further connect with our fans and stay engaged.
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Home Away From Home
Submitted by: Stacy Schraeder, Suites and Catering Manager
I believe that the kitchen is the heart of any home. Even if you don’t cook, the kitchen still becomes the gathering place. Comfort and joy are often found in food. I believe the heart of INTRUST Bank Arena is also the kitchen. The difference is our home is a little bigger and we feed thousands upon thousands every year!
I was lucky to grow up with an excellent cook for a mother and my family is notorious for gathering in the kitchen to laugh, share and argue about our day, no matter how tiny the kitchen may have been. I love that food brings people together. I think my first career choice failed because there wasn’t enough food involved. Food can make people happy. Food can turn your whole day around. Food is so much more than just sustenance.
Food and entertainment go hand in hand. Who doesn’t associate a hot dog with a baseball game, popcorn with the movies or cotton candy with the circus? At INTRUST Bank Arena all of us in the food and beverage department get to continue these traditions and even improve upon them. Our guests are growing more and more health conscious and we try our best to respond to these requests. It may not be as catchy as “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks,” but Hummus and pita chips are darn tasty!
The other thing we get to do is provide a little “home” for the artists and crews that come to create and perform shows in our arena. These ladies and gentlemen spend so much time away from their own homes; it’s a real privilege for us to do what we can to bridge the distance. I know people write stories about nightmare riders that say “no brown M&Ms” and other such legends- I’ve never seen anything even remotely like that here. Not to mention, if you were away from your home so much, what items would make you feel good? (I would have to have Cheez-its, I’m just saying)
Now I’m not delusional, I know our guests come to the arena to see the shows, not for the food. I don’t love my Mom just because she is a great cook. However I do hope that our guests have a better experience because they got a little bit of “lovin’ from the oven.”
Wichita Thunder’s Road to the Championship
Submitted by: Frank Griffith, Director of Operations
Last Wednesday’s Eagle’s CHL Report by Jeffrey Lutz featured Brent Sapergia as No. 7 in the Thunder’s 20 Greatest Players. As noted by Lutz, Sapergia was a high-scoring part of Wichita’s two CHL Championship teams, back in ’94 and ’95. The article also mentioned that Wichita is currently second in the CHL in attendance, drawing 6,414 per game to Intrust Bank Arena, but has work to do to set a franchise record. In the 1994-95 season, the record attendance was set slightly higher at the Kansas Coliseum, in which the Thunder won the CHL championship; Wichita’s second straight at the time.
As the Coliseum’s Operations Director back then, I will never forget the rising frenzy and fever of the rabid Thunder fans, whose numbers increased as the team progressed through the season. There were record crowds and even several sell-outs, as newly found fans and of course the Thunder boosters rocked the place. Every team in the league did not want to come to Wichita to face the abuse and fury of the Wichita crowd, including the low-pitched chant to the opposing “GOAALLLLIEEE”.
Home-opener of the 2011-2012 Wichia Thunder season
Fast forward to the present. Currently the Thunder is the top team in the Berry Conference, jumping ahead of the Allen Americans, and battling Evansville IceMen for the overall League championship. The Thunder handed the IceMen two defeats in a row in Evansville just last week, and has become the first CHL team to clinch a berth in the playoffs. With a leading edge in the regular season, home ice advantage would be secured in the post season playoffs.
Speaking of home ice advantage, as we installed and painted the ice sheet here at INTRUST Bank Arena for the last time this season in January, I told the Operations staff that we are making “Championship Ice”! It has been a theme around the arena, and we look forward to hanging a couple more banners from the catwalks celebrating the success of the 2011-12 Thunder team.
With the Steven brothers’ new ownership and the resources they bring, the talent of the Thunder players, veteran Coach Kevin McClelland, the awesome Thunder fans, and arguably the best “barn” of the League complete with Championship Ice, I can see opportunities for record crowds in the near future.
So it’s time for the rest of the Wichita sports fans to get off the fence and “cowboy up”! There are very few regular season games left, with a huge last weekend March 23-24 with games against both Allen and Evansville. After that it’s straight into the playoffs. Be a part of the hottest thing going in professional sports in town!
And on a side note, the 2nd Annual Thunder Alumni Game is set for Saturday, March 24 before the Thunder take on the Evansville IceMen. It’s amazing how many of the Thunder Greats will be back in town for this memorable event. Check the Thunder website for a roster, it’s quite impressive and looks to be a good time. Hope to see you there!
Go Thunder!
