Advertisement

Lightning fans show plenty of spirit ahead of Stanley Cup final

The Tampa Bay faithful show up for a drive-thru pep rally Saturday morning in Tampa.
 
Tampa Bay Lightning fans Shaurya Kataria, 10, and his sister Avnitka, 8, wave pom-poms outside of their family vehicle's sunroof to celebrate game day during a pep rally in Tampa.
Tampa Bay Lightning fans Shaurya Kataria, 10, and his sister Avnitka, 8, wave pom-poms outside of their family vehicle's sunroof to celebrate game day during a pep rally in Tampa. [ IVY CEBALLO | Times ]
Published Sept. 19, 2020|Updated Sept. 19, 2020

TAMPA — Sonya Bryson-Kirksey was out shopping for groceries when she got a call from the Lightning on Thursday, asking her to attend the franchise’s drive-thru pep rally at WestShore Plaza on Saturday morning. And she didn’t have to think twice about it.

“There’s no way I’m missing this,” she said.

Saturday morning was the first time Bryson-Kirksey, 53, interacted with fans in-person since the league’s pause in March. She typically talks with fans at Lightning home games, where she sings the U.S. national anthem, and on social media, but the drive-thru was special.

About 750 vehicles went through WestShore Plaza for the pep rally. Fans cheered from their cars as workers handed out goodie bags — stuffed with promotionals, Lightning-branded fanny packs, pom-poms and more — and spray painted vehicles with the Lightning logo and short phrases like “Go Bolts."

“I think that it was necessary because we are here, we are at the Stanley Cup final,” Bryson-Kirksey said. “I think it was necessary for me to be out here today just so I can touch all of these people that I’ve been touching on social media, the entire season. So this is wonderful. It’s really fun.”

The Lightning's national anthem singer, Sonya Bryson-Kirksey, greets fans at the drive-thru. “I think that it was necessary because we are here, we are at the Stanley Cup final,” she said. [ IVY CEBALLO | Times ]

The Riverview resident added that the overall sentiment when talking to fans seemed to be just how much they miss being at Amalie Arena and feeling close to the players and the game itself.

Hilary Fitzgerald and longtime boyfriend Justin Key felt that way, too.

Related: Lightning defensemen hungry for their first Stanley Cup

Fitzgerald, 29, saw an email from the Lightning about Saturday’s pep rally and knew she and Key had to make the drive from Clearwater.

“We definitely wish we were going to the game,” said Fitzgerald, who donned Victor Hedman’s personalized Harry hat. “But this has been a fun thing to do to keep it fun and exciting.”

Key added that the drive-thru was a great idea for getting fans involved. Watching games at home hasn’t been too challenging, since the couple has tried to make more of an event out of game days.

Key said this was their first run as a season ticket holders, so it was disappointing that the regular season was cut short and the playoffs are fan-less.

“We’re making the most out of it,” he said. “It’s refreshing (seeing Sonya and mascot ThunderBug).”

The couple has a reservation set at Cigar City Brewing’s Taproom at Thunder Alley for Friday night (Game 4).

Related: How to watch the Lightning play Dallas in the Stanley Cup final

“Just being involved and being with other fans to get excited about the games (is great),” said Key, 31.

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

By 9:50 a.m., workers were close to running out of spray paint. By 11:30, a half-hour before the event was advertised to end, the drive-thru entrance closed as cars in the back waited nearly 45 minutes to get to the front of the line from North WestShore Boulevard. At one point, traffic was backed up to I-275.

Simone Lowery has been a Lightning fan since the franchise’s Cup year in 2004. The 49-year-old Lutz resident brought a megaphone to the pep rally and was honking her horn, playing the siren on the speaker and trying to get others engaged in the fun.

She stopped at the start of the drive-thru for a hello with ThunderBug, too.

“It’s exciting just to be a part of this journey with them,” Lowery said. “It’s a little heartbreaking because we want to participate and watch them right there (at Amalie Arena).”

Related: Like you, Jeff Vinik has a remote control and a Stanley Cup wish

Fellow Lightning fans Serena Samuels and Perry Bunch Jr. have been season ticket holders together for three years. The couple drove in from Parrish.

“We can’t go to the game to watch our team, but how awesome could this be?" said Samuels, 35. “Just seeing the fans and being able to come up here and be a part of something for the playoff run, we just thought it would be fun."

Seeing Lightning mainstays like Bryson-Kirksey and experiencing parts of a traditional game day made it feel like the couple was back at Amalie Arena, said Bunch, 33.

The couple decorated their gray Toyota Tundra with two large flags attached to the sides of the flatbed and five car flags on the rearview window, one of which featured the 2004 Stanley Cup year.

“It’s the atmosphere of ‘I’m at the game,’ but it’s not there,” he said. “I feel like my mind’s playing tricks on me right now. It’s cool because (the team) isn’t here, but it feels like they are here.”

Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.