G$ Kurt

So according to Dorney's FB page Demon Drop opened today... http://www.facebook.com/dorneypark If anybody is going to Dorney soon let us know how she is in her new home!

The Blue Streak has been nominated for the Pepsi Refresh campaign!! Go vote now so it can get $50,000 and reopen! GO NOW! http://www.refresheverything.com/conneautlakeparkbluestreak

What a fun little ride! Thanks for posting this! 5.5 G's?? Wow that seems really high.. sounds intense which I 100% approve!

The biggest problem I have with this rumor is why July 1? Why would a park want to close a ride right before the busy 4th of July weekend? Just doesn't make much sense to me..

As much as I would love to be in charge of that, I'm not. You are correct. lol But I totally agree, this is being talked about as if its the 100% truth and I don't understand why. (welcome to the coaster community I guess) But before we begin talking like this we should just wait for an announcement.

I'm sorry, but there is no way Great Adventure deserves this ride... I mean yes Chang would fit in with some of the great coasters there and they don't have a stand up yet, but lately this park has been negleting everything else in this park besides coaters! They need to work on getting some good flats in place or at least maintaining the ones that they have. The park has so much potential to be Great and I really want it to, but Chang is not the answer. As a Great America "Fanboy" im not just saying this because "gosh dang it u done stole our new kool coaster ride". No, I'm am perfectly fine with SF management giving the idea of the ride going to Chicago a second thought. But when they decide to move it elsewhere, why not give it to St. Louis, or another park that needs a big new ride again. Also, I'm confused.. where is this "official" news of all of this happening coming from? or is this still speculatuion? I feel like I missed something..

You guys have it all wrong... Magnum is the only thing that can and will stop Armageddon.

Hey Robb, I decided to post my question here since it is somewhat related to your job as a video game producer. but anywho.. All of the questions here are hypothetical, my real question to you comes at the end of all this. I'm a senior at Southern ILL University and am starting work on my possible thesis for grad school (if I end up going) on the odd and unique relationship between the game industry and Parks. While video games are becoming a threat to parks and the rest of the tourism industry, parks continue to use video games as promotional items within their parks. i.e. Rockband Live, Six Flag's Nintendo Wii Experience, Sonic themed rides.. Disney with its short lived nation-wide Disney quest idea and even into today with interactive games such as Kim Possible at Epcot has shown that Disney has recognized the social shift towards video game experiences. The popularity of "Lazer targeted" dark rides is also evidence of this trend. Also important to note is the fact that amusement parks of old help build the arcade business in turn revolutionizing the gaming industry into what it is today. Can parks continue to be a proving ground for video games or game experiences? Has the whole gaming industry been targeting tourism or amusement parks, or has it been social changes that have brought about this competition between industries? It is my goal to further assess these social changes and see how amusement parks can and will adapt. Though the amusement park industry cannot compete directly with gaming in terms of technological advances, can it in user interface and experience? This is all just a small mish-mash of my many ideas I'm trying to comprehend/organize. So my question to you kind sir is... has there been to your knowledge any work (articles or publications or references) in the gaming industry or the park industry about any of this? Thank you, and I'll leave with the best quote on this topic I've found so far. From the infinite wisdom of Dick Kinzel... "Our biggest competitor right now is electronics. We have to get the teenagers off of the couch, away from their computers and their sport box's and get them out and get them to participate in activities as opposed to just doing it on the internet." -Kurt "Wth is a sport box" Boek

Very sad indeed. I was just in Vegas last weekend and planned to go to the ESPN Zone at New York New York but went somewhere else instead... looks like I should have gone.

Wow! My mind is blown by how fast the landscaping in Maverick is growing in! I have the standard postcard shot from Mavericks opening year of the horeshoe roll picture that you took and it is just amazing how quickly those trees are growing in.

^^one train or one side because one side during the weekdays is usually how it goes, but one train would be really weird.

^ I stand completely corrected on i:305 being faster. I was completely unaware. But as far as the rocket coasters go, the launch functions as a lift as it gets the ride to its highest point, the ride falls by power of gravity from that point. But the point is moot, there's barely enough ride left in the second half of either Dragster or KK to even count as rides. But anywho, it's sad that i:305 has been neutered.

Actually, i:305 never took that record from Millie as it is a little bit shorter. And anyways, Kinda Krap and Dragsters second halfs are both gravity driven and go much faster. But alas, I'm very disappointed in not being able to ride this beast as intended. I'm pretty sure it is still a great ride though.

If you are getting the early resort entry, don't go in the resort entrance, go to the marina entrance and get in that way. Run straight to Millie. That is if Millie is part of the early entrance fun.

Wow!! That Wall-E scene is amazing!!

^ Sad face....

Also with Holiday World, they are introducing something completely new and untested, If it is the top of the hills they screwed up on STR than that is truly amazing since thats the only part of this ride system that could be considered "prototype". The difference is that Holiday World is a small park toying around with their huge ride, with Cedar Point, no one even needs to tell you they are the best park in the world they'll do it themselves but they seemingly can't build a "log flume". Thats where I think most people see the difference. I don't really care, but while both delays are dissapointing they should be expected. Besides, for some its just fun ripping on CP I think that both parks are deserving of the coaster community's patience is and courtesy. Heck CP just went all out THEMEING a ride! We don't want to scare them away from doing it again.

Mr. Freeze has always felt pretty weak to me, but I'm going to be in Vegas in a couple of weeks and I'm excited to see how Speed's launch compares. As for most powerful, if your counting any type of launch then Dragster would have to be the best for me, Magnetic, Maverick takes the cake. Just LIMS though, FoF was kinda intense, so was RnR but its been years since I've ridden them. Impulse coasters probably have the strongest LIM launch for me.

In the new press release from Kinzel,on pg. 30 of the Cedar Fair discussion, he mentions how he is committed to keeping CP's title as coaster capitol of the world in tact. With MM poised to take the crown, I would say that this is a strong suggestion that CP will be getting a new coaster probably in 2011. But it is still early, heck the 2010 ride hasn't even opened yet! I'm not going to speculate anymore than this until I see track showing up in the field next to Breakers Express.

Awesome TR! and holy woah! Sky Rocket was not a project I have paid much attention to but wow! It looks like its gonna be a great ride, I was not expecting it to be that big. Kennywood looks like it has a great season ahead of itself. How does the coaster VIP tour thing work? I'm a little confused by that. Also, beer pong midway game=greatest idea ever.

What?!? This doesn't make a whole lot of since at all. The point of a test seat is to test the fit of the restraint. Kind of pointless if the test seat doesn't have the same restraint as the ride. I always wondered what happend because early in the rides construction the park openly said it would not have hard restraints but straps. This is getting weird...

I think we should wait for the ride to at least open before anybody starts judging STR on how great the themeing or lack of themeing is. It does seem to be promising that there will be some surprises. From the crystal rock bottle company signs (and not just the ones on the station but the rustic steel signs all over the buildings around the ride) and the facades the pump houses received these are some promising signs the ride will have some good themeing elements to it. We don't know what (if anything) will all happen in the tunnel or on the island, but with the strong suggestions throughout construction that the storyline of the Camfield's vs. MaGee's will be continued, I think we can expect some sort of interactive element of the ride wether it be animatronics or themed water/spraying/exploding elements.

^ ditto American Eagle is great too. No wooden coaster that huge normally runs as well, or maintains a paint job as good as Am Eagle. And btw, lightning racer isn't a racing coaster. Even though it has a finish line, its still a dueler. Much like Dragon Challenge.

^Sounds like the best day ever. Anyone got any news on how Little Dipper is coming along?

^Awesome Photo TR! I love going to Lincoln Park Zoo!! Partly because its free but mostly because its awesome. Shot-town? Did you mean Chi-town or is this a new nickname I have yet to hear of?