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June, 2002 Kelly's Coasters: Post 10 I RODE VENOM TODAY!!!! Hey everybody! It's now summer and we're taking our yearly trip to Tennessee's Great America! My parents see that me and my sister LOVE this park and we're going to go as many times as we can! The main point of this trip for me was so that I can go on Venom, the new roller coaster for 2002! Lines were pretty long for the coaster, almost an hour wait. Mainly because this ride can only run one train and that's it. I should know, lines for Twister can get pretty bad. I also learned that ride ops have lots of fun on coasters that launch from the station Screwing around with the passengers so that they don't know when the train is gonna go! "All Clear!" the ride operator said... "You will be launched in T-Minus 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, RIGHT NOW!" (SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK) The LIM's on Venom made a sound that was just like a woman in a horror movie screaming. And instantly, we blasted out of the station like a bullet from a gun, sowly picking up more speed every time we pass by! Overall, I really liked Venom. I really miss Super Looper like everyone else, but Venom is a suitable replacement to me! We got to the park pretty early so that we were able to go on Revolution without dealing with any of the crowds. The park did get more crowded as the day went on, though. I also decided to give Roar another chance. Usually I like a roller coaster more the second time around, not here though. It still suffered from the same old things. Your head slams against the headrest at the bottom of the 220ft drop, horrible whiplash and shaking in the mountain tunnel, and the extremley trimmed and slow paced oval section with of course, only one pop of real airtime. I don't HATE Roar though, it does have it's good moments like the exhilirating first drop and the airtime hill after the MCBR. I'm surprised that this coaster got such good reviews from coaster critics, some people even having the audacity to call it the greatest roller coaster in the world. Are you sure he didn't mistake Roar for Vampyre? It's almost criminal how Rage gets almost no attention in the park. Ever since it opened, it was a walk-on, walk-off deal. I understand Rage isn't the biggest coaster in the park, but it's still pretty fun! Hell, I'd rather ride the smallest B&M Floorless coaster than the tallest, fastest and most overrated wooden coaster in the world. Bye for now!

Even though he's talking about NTAG. This comment unfortunatley is Cedar Point to a T.

oh snap......thanks for chatching that.

Thanks for the tremendous feedback everyone! I appreciate it! November, 2001 Kelly's Coasters: Post 9 Hey, it's Kelly! GREAT NEWS!! Tennessee's Great America confirmed that there is not ONE, but TWO new attractions coming next year! It's part of the park's new "triple-two" gimmick. 2 new rides for 2002!! I know, it's incredibly stupid and cheesy of Cedar Fair, but on the upside TGA gets two new awesome rides! Let's check 'em out, shall we? Hmmmmm....a Chance Revolution, sounds good to me. TGA already has a Chance Rotor. It also seems to fill the void between Vampyre and Roar. I sort of wish that TGA was getting a HUSS Giant Frisbee ride like Paramount's Kings Island, but this seems good too! Ho. Ly. CRAP! I did NOT expect this. An Intamin Inverted Impulse coaster is being built where Super Looper once stood! This is amazing! I've always wanted to go on a launched coaster and now one is being built right in my home park! Bye for now!

This is miserable news. I will be there in 9 days! Can't you just reschedule the trip?

October, 2001 Kelly's Coasters: Post 8 SUPER LOOPER DEMOLITION These pictures I'm posting to my blog aren't going to be pleasent to watch, but Coasters4U recently posted several pics of Super Looper being removed from Tennessee's Great America. Sadly I wasn't able to visit TGA in its last weeks to get one last ride on Super Looper of the season because of what happened on September 11th. It really put everyone on edge and both my Mom and my Dad don't want to do too much travelling. September 20th, 2001: A large amount of land was cleared around the coaster, probably to make way for the trucks and cranes. October 2nd, 2001: The first peice of track was removed from the ride. October 14th, 2001: Major sections of the ride are now completley gone, including the loop, the first drop, and several twists and turns. October 18th, 2001: Within days, all that remained was an empty coaster entrance, queue and station all leading to nowhere. October 20th, 2001: And pretty soon, that was gone too. October 22nd, 2001: Within a month, it was as if Super Looper never existed in the park, completley wiped from all existence. There is a rumor going around at the possibility that a new roller coaster will be built in the same spot where Super Looper once stood. I guess other people didn't really enjoy Roar as it was actually considered a flop. Something tells me that the new coaster, if it's even going to happen, is going to be an "apology" for building Roar. What do you guys think it's gonna be?

The Whirlwind looks like an interesting coaster, mainly because Vekoma at that point in time was going through the "I wanna be Arrow" stage, so I guess the WhirlWind model is the awnser to the original Roaring Twenties Corkscrew that Arrow made. The Corkscrew with BayernKurve model looks more like Vekoma doing their own thing. I still wonder how they got away with essentially stealing Arrow's track style for so many years.

Pain meds. That's all you gotta know.

FINALLY, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE! Wildcat is NOT bad! Yes, it is MUCH rougher than most GCI coasters and Lightning Racer is a much better ride, but to compare it to death traps like freakin' Mean Streak and pre-RMC Rattler is going too far. Hell, Coney Island Cyclone is VERY painful at times, but I still love it and it's one of my favorite woodies! If you honestly think Wildcat is bad, Try Mean Streak, in the back seat, TWICE.

July, 2001 Kelly's Coasters: Post 7 R.I.P Super Looper 1977-2001 What more can I say than, R.I.P Super Looper.

May,2001 Kelly's Coasters: Post 6 Review of ROAR!!! In case you were wondering why I took so long to update this blog, me and my family were at Tennesee's Great America for a day trip, just because my parents knew how much I wanted to ride Roar! Aren't they sweet? I'm not gonna give much away right now, but my Roar experience was....not really what I expected. As me and my family entered the park, I was taken aback at just how HUGE and intimidating Roar is. We followed the crowd of people going to ride the new coaster and I was completley shocked to see how much it just overshadows the other rides in that area. Well, this was the moment I was waiting months for....Sara, quite predictably didn't want to go on even though she was 50'' and you only had to be 48'' to ride Roar. She was willing to ride everything else, though....Me and Dad went on while Sara stayed with Mom. "Dispatch, enjoy your ride." The uninterested ride-op said. This is it!! HERE WE GO!!! Overall.......I really, really, really, REALLY wanted to love this ride. I had VERY high expectations for it, but I think the ride was very sub-par. The best part of the whole ride was the first drop, I LOVED the free-fall sensation of plunging 220 feet on a woodie! But after that, My head literally slammed so hard on the headrest, that I was seeing stars. The swooping drop inside the mountain was very jerky, and my head slammed into the headrest again coming out! Then came the mid course brake run into another steep, swooping drop. Then came the ONLY pop of air-time on the ride, because after that, during the Figure 8/Oval section they added TRIM BRAKES before the ride even opened! And they slowed the train to an absolute CRAWL. I personally thought we were going to roll back! It wasn't a complete peice of crap, but it could have been MUCH better. I give Roar a 5.5/10, and that's me being generous. On the upside, lines for Vampyre were litereally non-existent! And Guess what, Sara loved Vampyre and it's her new favorite roller coaster! For lunch, I had a nice big plate of buffalo chicken which led to a very funny scene! Me: OW OW OW OW SO SPICY!!! TOO HOT!!! Dad: Then stop eating it! Me: Can't.....too delicious...ow...so GOOD!!

Correct!

I am in a park in Pennsylvania and I am named after a well known KISS song. Who am I?

Stormrunner's launch is an absolute punch in the face. It only goes from 0-72mph in 2 seconds, but when you actually ride it, It seems like you're going from 0-85mph! Flight of Fear has a bit of a kick to it, but it seems more like you're accellerating in a fast car than being shot like a bullet from a gun like Stormrunner.

I don't get pissy when people mistake an Arrow for a Vekoma or a Vekoma for an Arrow, but when that person says something stupid about the Arrow or Vekoma like "HERPA DERP SAME COASTER FROM FINAL DESTINATION 3 WERE GONNA DIE OH NOES!!!!!!!" That's what annoys me.

March, 2001 Kelly's Coasters:Post 5 I can't beleive how fast this ride went up! This photograph was taken a few weeks ago when the construction for the "Oval" section of the coaster was taking place! And just YESTERDAY, the final peice of track was put into place! As of today, the tallest and fasterst wooden roller coaster in the world is complete and ready to open in a month! My Mom and Dad already agreed to take me and Sara to Tennessee's Great America again! Sadly, she's still just under 54 inches so she still can't ride on the two B&Ms yet. I doubt Sara will want to ride Roar, but who knows? I just can't get over just how friggin' MASSIVE Roar is compared to the other coasters in the park. Even though theres the Stratosphere Towers and the Vertigo slingshot ride, Roar's first hill and the manmade mountain just seems to lord over the entire park!

The last time I was at KD, I honestly lost count of how many times in a row I went on I305 because there was ZERO line. But then because me and my mother ate at Cracker Barrel before, we learned that chicken fried steak+I305 isn't a great combination, it's a long story.

Some people like it rough, what can you say?

I want to punch who ever made this decision.

February, 2001 Kelly's Coasters:Post 4 Recently, Coasters4U posted pics on their forum tracking Roar's construction progress. I decided to keep you guys updated by posting these pics on my blog! 12/9/2000: Here, you see that the gigantic man-made mountain constructed mostly out of hardened polystyrene and rebars has been completed as well as the coaster's station! Roar will be located across from Vampyre and ajacent to Twister. 1/3/2001: The ride is slowly but surely going up! Here, the massive 225 foot lift hill is being constructed. It might not look like much now, but Cedar Fair says that by the time the park opens in April, Roar will be in it's final stages of preparation and in May, Roar will be open to the public! Bye for now!

I was on both The Crypt at KD and HangTime at Dorney all by my self on one point. It really wasn't that fun screaming "WOOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!" during flips all by my self, It's much better doing it with other people!

SooperDooperLooper, MindBender, and Shockwave all have perfect circle loops, so I don't know why everyone is freaking out about the the shape of the loop. The coaster looks like a poorly made knock-off Arrow peice of shiz, but there have been coasters with perfect circle loops in the past that still operate today.

November, 2000 Kelly’s Coasters: Post 3 SUMMARIZATION OF TENNESSEE’S GREAT AMERICA PRESS CONFERENCE (Stage contains large sign that is covered by a black tarp. PR manager Wendy Collins is the first to speak) Wendy Collins: “Hello! In about a year’s time, we will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of an amusement park named Elmwood Lake Park. We know Elmwood Lake Park today as Tennessee’s Great America! Since 1971, this park has been famous for it’s mind bending thrill rides, exhilarating roller coaster rides, and family friendly atmosphere! And now, it is time to focus on the future of Tennessee’s Great America! With the addition of yet another thrilling attraction for 2001! Joining me now is Mr. Jason Walker who is the current General Manager of Tennessee’s Great America talking briefly about his personal history with park and what is to come next year! (applause) Jason Walker: "Ok! HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING TODAY?!" (cheering) Jason Walker: "Good, good. It’s so nice to see so many thrill seekers like me here today celebrating TGA’s early birthday, of course the park doesn’t officially turn 30 until next year! But before we move on with the celebration, I’d like to take you back to my experience with this wonderful amusement park. In 1984, I was a young kid, still in high school. And I and my buddies took a trip to a park called “Elmwood Lake Park” and I remember being absolutely captivated by the sights, the sounds, and the smells of a true-blue American amusement park! That’s why it was such an honor to join their team as a ride operator and then slowly rise through the ranks up to the position of General Manager where I am today!" (applause) Jason Walker: "And now.....it is time.........it is time to reveal just what we have been hiding behind this black tarp. But be fore we unveil this, I must ask you people, what does a grizzly bear do in the woods? This is the birthday present that we present to the park for its thirtieth birthday......CUE THE MUSIC!!!!!" (epic fanfare blares over the PA system that resembles the intro music that KISS used on the Hot In The Shade tour) (Pyrotechnics erupt from the sides of the stage as the tarp is blown off via a small explosive and reveals what was underneath.) Jason Walker: "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I GIVE YOU, THE MIGHTIEST OF ALL WOODEN ROLLER COASTERS, ROAR!" (rapturous applause) Jason Walker: Well there you have it folks, what we've been hiding all this time! Now, here are some facts about this absolute behemoth of a roller coaster. When Roar opens, it will break two world records! It will be the tallest AND fastest wooden roller coaster on the planet reaching heights of approximately TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY feet! 230! It will also reach speeds of EIGHTY-SIX MILES AN HOUR! Roar will also be the tallest attraction in the entire park, beating Vertigo, the slingshot ride by five feet! It is also the only wooden roller coaster in the entire United States that is manufactured by Vekoma Rides of Holland! Yes, the builder of Twister and Fireball Jr. is the builder of this collossal wood coaster! Vekoma built three other wooden roller coasters in Europe. Robin Hood at Six Flags Holland, Loup-Garou at Six Flags Belgium, and Thunder Coaster at TusenFryd! Roar is slated to open to the public in May of 2001! Be there! (Close up image of Intraxx's CGI render of Roar) (Stats of Roar) Wow........I just can't believe this....I already figured out that TGA was getting a brand new roller coaster, and I was expecting it to be either a hypercoaster built by Morgan, Intamin, or B&M or a medium sized wooden coaster built by GCI or CCI. NEVER EVER EVER in a million years would I expect the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world to come to Tennessee's Great America! Also, I never knew Vekoma made wooden coasters, I always thought that Robin Hood and Loup-Garou were CCI coasters! Not frikkin' VEKOMAS! And to see that Roar is a Vekoma wooden coaster is just more surprising! Can't wait until this opens! I'll be there! Kelly OUT!

How many years has the AstroTower been SBNO? I'd say since 2007 but does anyone know for sure?

July, 2000 Kelly's Coasters: Post 3 TENNESSEE'S GREAT AMERICA TRIP REPORT DAY 2!! Me and my family entered the park rather early today, just a few minutes after the Star Spangled Banner signaled the opening of the park. My little sister Sara discovered the perfect little roller coaster for her, the Vermont Maple Train! It really reminded her of the Thunder Express coaster that was removed from Dollywood last year. After riding several different rides and coasters that we didn't ride yesterday, we stopped to eat at the park's plaza! After lunch, we walked over to the edge of the park grounds where Vampyre, one of the most high-rated steel roller coasters in America lies. This coaster constantly makes top-ten lists almost every year since 1984 when it opened! Of course, I just HAD to go on! Hands down, the most insane roller coaster I have EVER been on. It puts Steel Savage and any other coaster in this park to shame. I actually greyed out during the unique "triple loop" element! But the BEST part is the second lift hill and the steep, swooping drop into Elmwood Lake! I actually greyed out a second time on that turn! Overall from where I stand, this is the best roller coaster in the world. Period, the end. The last ride of our trip was the newest roller coaster, Rage, technically the first Bolliger and Mabillard floorless coaster. It was a very short, but sweet ride. The inversions are very intense and thrilling, but I feel like they're too close to each other and after the Mid-Course Brake Run, there really isn't much left of a ride other than a helix. We're going home tommorrow, unfortunatley. I wish we could stay another day, but Dad can't really miss any more days of work. I'll end this Trip Report with an interesting rumor I heard from Coasters4U.com. Apparrently, there are plans for a new roller coaster next year, but there is no signs pointing to what kind of coaster. My gut tells me that it's going to be a hypercoaster and it's going to be built by either D.H Morgan, Intamin AG, or B&M. Currently, no roller coaster in the park is over 200 feet tall which means that a hypercoaster will be a boon to get extra foot traffic in the park. However, a lot of people at Coasters4U think it could be a new wooden coaster, probably built by GCI or CCI. Screamin' Eagle is the only woodie in the park so it would make sense for TGA to build a second one. There is going to be a press conference at the park in October to celebrate the soon-to-be 30th anniversary of Tennessee's Great America, to me that's the perfect place to announce a new coaster for next year! We're just going to have to wait an see! Bye for now!