A chopper with a theme

Cool Storm item of the day ...

The Storm has partnered with Vinnie DeMartino and Cody Connelly of V-Force Customs to build a custom Storm chopper. Known for their roles on the television show American Chopper, Vinnie and Cody will build a theme bike for the team.

Now for the neat part:

Fans can track their progress online at www.tampabaystorm.com or www.vforcecustoms.com, where there are photographs and video clips of the bike throughout the process. The finished product will be unveiled at the Storm's home finale June 21 against the Los Angeles Avengers. After that, Born to Ride will take the chopper on a tour of Florida, showing it off at various locations.

-- KEITH NIEBUHR