Sound of Thunder today is music to region's ears

Mahoning Valley residents Dr. Michael Slyk, Dr. Jon Saadey and Tim Chesney did the heavy lifting. They put up the money for the new franchise, created the Mahoning Valley Thunder and talked and talked and talked about the arena football team.
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams did his part by paving the way for the Thunder to play at the Chevrolet Centre, the city's year-old sports and entertainment facility.
The press played a crucial role, providing hundreds of inches of copy in The Vindicator and many hours of television and radio air time, to make sure that the Mahoning and Shenango valleys were ready for some football in the spring.
Now, it's the community's turn.
And if the near sell-out for tonight's inaugural game is any indication, the people of this region are just as excited about arena football as the owners of the team. But one game does not a successful franchise make, which is why attendance at the other seven home games is so important to the Thunder's future.
As of Wednesday, the team had sold 1,800 season tickets -- 300 more than the owners had hoped for -- but the Chevrolet Centre seats 5,700, which is where you come in. If every seat in the house is filled for every game, the word will go out around the country that this is a happening place.
The Thunder plays the Tri-Cities (Wash.) Fever tonight, and the special game-day section in today's Vindicator will tell you everything you need to know about the players of the home team and the af2. There also is a color poster of Thunder quarterback Glen Gauntt.
The other seven home games will be spaced out over four months until the finale July 28 against the Green Bay Blizzard.
Building block
There is excitement in the air, but not just because this football-loving region will be able to root for a professional team that calls Youngstown home. The Thunder represents another key building block in this area's economic revitalization effort.
While the creation of good-wage jobs remains the priority, quality of life issues are also important -- especially when the goal is to attract companies whose employees place a premium on quality education, quality cultural activities and quality sports.
The Chevrolet Centre in downtown Youngstown has become a symbol of the Valley's resurgence, which is why we keep urging city officials to ensure that it is being operated and managed by the very best in the business.
The SteelHounds minor league hockey team, vying for the championship cup this season, is the main tenant of the center. In its second year as a Central Hockey League franchise, the SteelHounds appear to have found the formula for success on the ice, but attendance has not met the expectations of owner Herb Washington.
Whether that's the result of having another successful hockey team in the Valley, the Mahoning Valley Phantoms of the North American Hockey League, is an issue that team owner Bruce Zoldan and the SteelHounds' Washington can best determine.
Like the SteelHounds, the Phantoms, which play at the Ice Zone in Boardman, are also in the playoffs.
While various events at the Chevrolet Centre have brought thousands of people to the central business district, which is good for restaurants and bars, the challenge is to sustain the level of activity so people make Youngstown their entertainment destination.
Hence, the significance of tonight's roll out of the Mahoning Valley Thunder. There undoubtedly will be people in the stands who may not have otherwise been interested in what's going on in the Chevrolet Centre. That's a good thing.
Team owners Dr. Slyk, Dr. Saadey and Chesney deserve the praise and the support of the community.