According to Norse mythology, Thor was the god of thunder who could make the heavens tremble with a swing of his mighty hammer.
According to the lore of Oklahoma City Thunder fans, however, Thor is a guy with blue hair and fake armor. Even so, this Thor is still a pretty formidable character. He can’t produce lightning, granted, but he and his female companion, Jolt, are able to elicit lots of high-fives from admirers.
“The fans love it, and we are still flattered by the amount of them that want to take pictures with us at every game,” Thor said.
Thor’s alter ego -- the Oklahoma City version, that is -- is Jeremy Tilton. He said the spirit of that ancient deity took command the moment he and wife Bernadette first saw the team in action.
OK, so we’re embellishing a bit.
“The idea of Thor and Jolt came about during the first season,” said 38-year-old Jeremy. “We thought we should incorporate Thor into our costumes, with some Thunder improvisations, of course.”
Inspired by the Thor of Marvel Comics, Jeremy crafted his getup by using painted-blue leather for armor and adorning it with a Thunder crest, orange cape and yellow boots. Bernadette made her own costume to create the persona of Jolt, Thor’s faithful sidekick.
“We are not the type of couple that gets dressed up very often outside of Thunder games, so that just shows what passionate fans we are,” Jeremy said.
“We will be married 10 years this September, and I can only think of three or four times during our marriage in which we dressed up for a friend’s party or Halloween, etc.”
But the Tiltons’ love for the Thunder overcame any reluctance the couple might have had about getting decked out in superhero garb.
“After watching the Thunder play – their work ethic, how they battle every game, even how they all get along together as a team – we knew we were loyal fans for life,” Jeremy said. “The entire organization is one we can all be very proud of.”
While Thor and Jolt have been humbled by the reaction of other fans, these parents of three (child No. 4 is due this summer) admit that the response of their own kids has been a bit more ambivalent.
“On one of the first nights that we dressed up, my 6-year-old son came into our room while I was getting dressed,” Jeremy recalled.
“As I was putting on my Thunder blue tights, I noticed him watching me very carefully and not saying a word -- which in itself is very unusual for our son.
“After a minute or so of just watching me and soaking it all in, he asked, ‘Daddy … are those boy’s tights or girl’s tights?’
“I laughed for quite a while about that one. They all get a kick out of it for now, but will probably think Mommy and Daddy are crazy as they get older.”
Thunder fans, crazy and non-crazy alike, are urged to check out the online interactive community that is THUNDERALLY.Phil Bacharach is the Director of Corporate Communications for the Thunder. He is looking for die-hard Thunder fans throughout the world. If you or somebody you know bleeds Thunder blue, contact Phil by clicking here