PhantomNick

^^ I just asked if the Title Fairy perused other topics, I didn't assign a gender. The "he" I referenced after that was Diamondbacker27, not the mighty and glorious Title Fairy!

While I agree that this is ridiculous, the fact that the person who was complaining about the inconvenience of sitting on a seatbelt buckle is commenting on people that are complaining about paint choices is making my brain hurt. These are all fantastic!! He truly will always be remembered for that comment. And each time it's brought up, I laugh again! Shoot, I'd love it if it somehow got incorporated into his title...."I sit on seatbelts" or "Forever trying to master the ever-complicated seatbelt" or something of the like. I wonder if the Title Fairy ever peruses other topics?? Because I'd be willing to bet he won't go and request something like that. I think the new paint looks fine, and it's at least good that the park is keeping things fresh and updated. Knott's is a park I definitely would love to visit when we make it out to California someday!

I bet we've raised a little more than that! Maybe it's not all posted yet? Okay, wise guy, let me revise my statement then -- Team TPR currently has an officially posted total of $7,449 raised for GKTW!! And we know many others are raising funds that will be posted later! Better? Oh, beleieve me, I realize that at this point right now there may be somebody (*cough* Jason *cough*) who has wonderfully raised at least that much on their own already.....and that's pretty freaking awesome!!

^ Technically, you can raise money right up to the day of the event (and, if I recall correctly, even for a little while after the event). However, the "cutoff" most people go by is the one that GKTW imposes so they can run final totals to determine who gets the fundraising prizes (band, counter, shirt/Fast Lane), along with determining who the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fundraisers are at each park. In the past couple years, that deadline was set for Noon on the Thursday before the event. Typically they send an email about this around that last week before the event. We've done some recent traveling, so I haven't had a chance to keep this thread as up-to-date as I like to. Sorry about that, everyone! That said, I went in today and updated the first post a good bit, as there was another great surge of new members to our team! All new members have their individual fundraiser pages linked on the first page now. Team TPR now stands with an impressive roster of 66 participants, which is awesome!! Robb, if I'm looking at the previous years' threads correctly, isn't this the biggest number of riders we've ever had participate in Coasting for Kids?? Also, I've updated the itineraries for each of the parks who have released them, as most of them now contain more detailed marathon info (specific times for specific coasters). Finally, I went ahead and ran another tally for us.....drum roll, please........Team TPR has now raised $7,449 for GKTW!! Tremendous work by everyone who is fundraising for the cause! Keep it going! GO TEAM TPR!!!

My first wheels came from my lovely grandmother -- a sleek and pristine 1988 Dodge Omni! It fit the bill for me at the time though, and man, did that thing get some awesome gas mileage!! Something like 38-45 mpg! This same car met its maker one morning on my way over to college classes with a couple friends. Stalled out, then started to smoke when I popped the hood to look at it. We headed for higher ground and called police.....a firey inferno insued from there, complete with the hood exploding off the car!! Turned out to be a small crack in the fuel line. It was pretty crazy!

Not quite sure how I feel about someone who can't master coaster seatbelts handling a gun! I kiiiiid, I kid! I personally don't, but almost everyone in my aisle here at work does. It's usually pretty deserted here that Monday after Thanksgiving!

^^ Okay, I'm just gonna ask it -- how on Earth will you manage driving a car?? Oh wait.....you might be okay, since the seat belts are on the side.....I don't think even you could sit on those ones! Seeing these pages upon pages of worry over seat belts led me to chime in, since we just visited the park on Saturday. I rode Diamondback twice, so let me confirm what some others have said already - the ride experience is EXACTLY THE SAME!!!! Great floaty airtime just like before. There is seriously no difference whatsoever. Quite frankly, I didn't even notice the belts at all during the ride. I did get pretty lucky though, looking back, as I somehow avoided sitting on those tricky things. Phew! As for dispatch times, they were maybe a smidge longer, but if they were, it really seemed minimal. The line seemed to be moving at a steady clip just like it did the last time we visited in 2009. Sometimes they'd stack a train, sometimes they wouldn't. Overall, the point I'm really making is this is nowhere near the big deal that some folks are making it out to be. Other random notes from our visit: * Banshee still kicks all sorts of ass!! It might even be my favorite invert. The pacing through and between elements really is perfect. And I so love how steep that first drop is! Also, I got a night ride on it (the park was awesome and reopened it after a breakdown at about 10:15, which was technically past park closing, so people waiting could still get their night ride in!), and it was INSANE. Flying through the course, and the forces after the drop down the hill were VERY strong!! Love, love, LOVE this coaster!! Seriously folks, get out there and ride Banshee.....it won't disappoint! * This park really does have a lot of good and fun coasters! Racer is great, Flight of Fear is a blast, and I even have a soft spot for Backlot Stunt Coaster and Adventure Express. * Had easily the BEST ride I have ever had on The Beast, and the first pitch-black one to boot! I'd say that ride elevated it a smidge for me. It was tearing through the course and was very smooth. That ending helix is still money! Still not a fan of the brakes that randomly break up the pace though. But overall, I'd say it bumped up to a 9/10 ride for me. * Seriously, if you're coming (like us) from out of town on a weekend, Fast Lane Plus is the only way to go!! Waits for most major coasters were at least 90 minutes throughout the day, and many hit 2 hours at various points. Our longest wait (not including a couple breakdowns) was maybe 5-10 minutes for Beast. Absolutely 100% worth every penny!! * Still missing the Invertigo credit, as it suffered a fairly long breakdown when we were looking to ride it with riders stuck at the top of one of the lifts. I'm not sure how long they were up there, but it was at least 15 minutes while we were in that general area. So, apparently it's not just Stinger at Dorney with problems like this regarding this ride! All in all, it was a picture perfect and gorgeous day with a nice leisurely pace and plenty of riding (thanks to Fast Lane!) as we enjoyed the park with some friends of ours. I really have to say that I am a pretty big fan of Kings Island. I never visited the place under Paramount, but I can't help but think that Cedar Fair has done some great work on the park and made it just a notch below Cedar Point for nicest park in Ohio.

Banshee at around 10:20 Saturday night.....night rides on that thing are awesome and insane! There was apparently a breakdown at some point in the evening, but the park started cycling trains again around 9:55, then opened Banshee back up so those waiting there (probably about 4-5 trains worth of riders) could still get their night rides in! I thought that was a very gracious move by the park!

^ I agree with this sentiment in regards to GateKeeper. I don't know any of the specifics about what exactly the park wanted or whatever, but I take GateKeeper for what it is - an eye-catching, fun coaster that certainly revitalized and modernized the park's main entrance. I enjoyed it when I rode it last year.....a good bit, actually. It is not exploding with forces, but for what it is I don't think it has to be. The park has Maverick, TTD, Millennium (yeah, I said it), and Raptor in the forceful coaster category. GateKeeper has a nice assortment of elements, and a couple of them I felt worked quite well (the first drop/inversion and the keyhole over the entrance). The public seemed overwhelmingly happy with it when I visited, and that's a win for the park overall. I do agree that I wish some elements were better/more forceful than they are, but in my opinion it is by no means "boring". It fell in the neighborhood of a solid 8/10 coaster for me.

Thanks for setting up and joining our Team TPR at Valleyfair, guys!! Welcome aboard, and happy fundraising! Okay, so who is going to give the guys at Valleyfair their first donation?? Several new teammates at some of the parks - a big hearty welcome to all new members of Team TPR!! It's great to see this train of support keep growing. We're now at a hearty 56 Team TPR members overall, which is awesome! I was able to have a great chat with Robb at Banshee's Media Day about Coasting For Kids, and he mentioned to keep your eyes open for some upcoming great "goodies" that will be tied to making donations to Team TPR members! Annnnd, the latest total, ran at 5:30 pm today, now stands at an impressive $6,712! Great job, and keep up the awesome work everybody! Last but certainly not least, I felt it was time again to share another great Kara story about GKTW. This one is from last year and touches upon the founder of GKTW, and how he took a horrific childhood experience and used it as motivation to help create this wonderful place to help children. What this man has done considering those circumstances is nothing short of remarkable. Read on..... There's no question that his horrific childhood could've resulted in a very bitter and resentful man. But, he turned it around and ultimately has ended up giving kids what was taken from him. Like Henri, the deserving children that GKTW serves have been robbed of their childhood, but when they're on their wish trips they get the chance to simply enjoy being a kid...they get their childhood back. Henri is about to celebrate his 86th birthday on March 7, which coincides with our Founder's Day. Each year, Henri and Margot come to the Village to spend time with the families. The event is very private and low key, and each year I just sit there in awe as I watch him interact with the children, much of the time acting like a kid himself. He poses for photos and autographs books for the families, and every so often I catch a glimpse of his faded personal identification number tattooed by the Nazis on his left forearm. Thank you, Henri, for creating this amazing place! GKTW Founder, Henri Landwirth

Banshee at KI for Media Day! Great event put on by the park. As for Banshee? I thought it was fantastic, and it admittedly surprised me a little bit with how great a ride (and forceful) it was!

^^^ Awesome to hear! I think it's great you guys are helping to preserve a true classic at the park! Looking forward to hearing more about it, and looking forward to taking a spin on the Auto Race when the park opens up for the season! ^ The new site looks great.....although it won't let me login to the forums.....

^ Awesome! Welcome aboard Team TPR! Good Luck with your fundraising!! Alright, I was away over the weekend and haven't had the chance to do an update to the first page until now.....but it's freshly updated with some new tidbits: * I think I've picked up any new riders that have joined Team TPR, and their individual page links have been added. * Team TPR has now hit 50 riders at the 10 parks where we are setup! Awesome stuff!! * California's Great America has posted their event details! * The latest Team TPR tally puts us at $4,851! We're closing in on $5k.....can we get there by the end of the week? And finally, as you see above, we have teams setup at 10 of the 11 parks. Calling riders who are near Valleyfair - We need a Team TPR setup there!! If you're interested in participating at Valleyfair on Team TPR, please setup the team so we can link to it here! Thanks! Less than 2 months to go, so keep that fundraising motivation high! Go Team TPR!!!

Phantom's Revenge - Kennywood (can't wait to ride this airtime machine again in about a month! )

^ Awesome! Welcome aboard Team TPR!! I'm sure you will have a blast at KI. I think it's pretty awesome they've added Banshee ERT as part of the itinerary. And it looks like your fundraising is already off to a great start!

Wow. You know, I believe Goliath will be awesome, but now I truly do hope that Wildfire is even better, just to spite you. Oh, and by the way, in regards to your post: Phantom's Not Impressed. Period. EDIT: Robb beat me to it!

^^ TRUTH. I'd absolutely NEVER heard of this place before seeing the Wildfire thread pop up here. And now? I'd probably sell a kidney if it could let me afford a trip over there to ride this thing!! Wildfire looks beyond f-ing NUTS!! These guys at RMC are freaking crazy, and in a gloriously great way! When I first saw the announcement details this morning, all that came to mind was WOW. Just.....WOW!!! (And perhaps a random shocked explative or two! ) The layout looks just plain sick, and the setting is gorgeous. Congrats, Kolmarden, on exploding into the coaster scene like Kool-Aid Man through a brick wall! And as a side note, in my opinion, anyone who says they are disappointed, underwhelmed, or whatever else is out of their ever loving mind. Seriously, I'd love to know what kind of stuff these people are smoking. How can you not see the overwhelming potential this coaster has to be a show stopper???

^ Perfectly said Robb, and I couldn't agree more, to be honest. This is all about supporting GKTW and helping out the kids they so graciously serve. Everything from a riding perspective is just a bonus. I do try to certainly ride as much as I can in honor of the cause, but I'll happily get up every 2 laps if asked to do so. My only hope (more from a humanity standpoint) is that some of the public didn't actually complain during previous Coasting For Kids events. I know at Dorney it was fairly obvious what was going on (banners, etc.), and there was also a park rep. who explained to people in line what was happening. After hearing about an event raising money for children with life-threatening illnesses, how anyone could possibly complain is beyond my comprehension! But I digress..... Well, as we head into the heart of April, it appears that we are picking up some serious fundraising steam now! I just ran a total as of 4 pm, and we now are up to 46 riders across the 11 parks (technically 10, as we still don't have a Valleyfair Team TPR), and as a whole Team TPR has raised $4,206 thus far! Great job, everyone!! Keep the momentum going, and rack those minds for ways to rustle up as many donations as possible! Go Team TPR!! Also, Canada's Wonderland has posted their event info! The first post of the thread has been updated with that, along with the individual links to some new Team TPR members!

Hi Kaylee! Thanks so much for posting in here, and thanks for taking over the reigns on this amazing fundraising event! We here at TPR are hoping to make another huge impact for the fine people at GKTW, as you continually strive to help better the lives of these wonderful children that you serve! Thanks again, and I look forward to seeing you on the boards!

Thank you, Thad! Glad to have you aboard! Good luck with your fundraising! Welcome to Team TPR, Shawn! Good luck fundraising, and have fun at Dorney! Thanks for joining Team TPR! Welcome and good luck! I've updated the first page of the thread, and added links to your individual pages, along with the link to the Worlds of Fun Team TPR page. As an extension to what Timothy said, I also wanted to post that I received an email today from Kaylee at GKTW (in fact, I'm guessing that everyone who is signed up received it) stating that they're working on the interface for our fundraising pages through TeamRaiser. In the meantime, you may see some things happening to your page, but I would wait a few days until they iron out what they're working on. For instance, right now, a good portion of the individual fundraising pages have all the text that you may have entered to customize it wiped out. My guess is they're working on porting over some stuff. As Kaylee stated, just be patient while they hopefully give the site an upgrade. Thanks!

I'm just curious why you would be so against something like topper track, especially if it preserves this classic and lengthens its life even further? If down the road (as in, many years) the park was faced with the option to either invest in topper track for it or (gasp!) remove it.....yes, I realize this will NOT happen, but play along ......., would you still not want the topper track? Now granted, if the park is good with keeping up on track maintenance, I guess it wouldn't be a glaring need. Does anyone know about how often they do major retracking to Beast? I'm sure every year they at least are replacing some small sections. I will agree that the ending double helix is pretty awesome. That was easily my favorite part of the ride. After hearing that it was dishing out great rides in 2013, I'm curious to see how it rides when we return to KI this year (later this month actually).

Looking great! I like the pic looking at the park entrance, as it gives a great idea what the visual of Lightning Run will be for folks walking up to the park gates. And that first drop looks splendid! Back row, anyone??

Thanks, man! The team page looks perfect!! I participated at Dorney the last 2 years, and it was a great time. Hopefully you can reach your goal and keep the streak alive of a TPR member at Dorney hitting over $1,000 raised for GKTW! Oh, and Steel Force is just about the perfect coaster to marathon ride!

Thanks for updating the Dorney Team TPR page, Dustin! I know with this new interface they switched to this year it can be tricky to navigate/update things, so believe me, it's not just you. The page looks great, with one small suggestion - there seems to be a redundant "Team TPR" on the page, so maybe you could eliminate the extra one. Also, thanks for sending out another donation to one of our teams! You've been a donating machine....which is awesome!!

Fixed this for ya. Well, see, that's the beauty of this hobby - different strokes for different folks. So, thanks but no thanks for the "fixing" of my opinions on the park's top coasters. ^^ And I would say my overall opinion of The Beast is pretty much the same as this. I certainly appreciate it for what it is (especially considering its age), and actually consider it a good and rather fun coaster. Probably a solid 8/10 ride for me. I don't think it's a bad ride or anything like that, it just underwhelmed me a bit when I first rode it after hearing plenty of folks rave about it as one of the best woodies on the planet. You bring up an interesting idea about having RMC "update" it a bit. Would the Beast fans/purists oppose this for tinkering with their baby, or would they welcome the "freshening up"?