Angry_Gumball

Well, I got my gold nugget for attending the promo shoot

We usually nerd out but have fun. I'm always at the park with fellow TPR members these days Hearing GP stuff at the park provides some nice conversations at the table afterwards when grabbing dinner.

For those cooler nights (like tonight) it is also a face-freezer! Just wait until those cooler autumn evenings and night rides! I also wouldn't mind riding this beauty in the rain!

Unpleasant surprise: I didn't really think the OTSRs would have affected the ride much other than lack of freedom on SFMM's Revolution but in the end I felt like I was getting in a fight with someone and constantly being knocked in the head...I left the ride with a headache, never again..got the credit and that's it. Fun layout, horrible restraints. Pleasant surprise: Gold Striker! I honestly expected 3 *floater* moments of air as GCI's aren't really known for ejector airtime...but the more I ride Gold Striker, the more I'm actually feeling that thigh-crushing, sustained moments of ejector air! *Imagines if this ride only had buzz bars* Even more surprising: the pops of air you get heading uphill into the turnarounds...especially in the front rows! They're pretty intense and you're actually yanked back into your seat rather quick after being launched upward!

I'm really hoping tomorrow will be a little smoother, operation-wise! Today was the day I almost wasn't going to go due to the whole getting out there late. But in the end by the time I got out there and in the park, the first train finally dispatched with riders. So I ended with 4 rides instead of 5. Not really a huge deal considering my late arrival...enough time to be nice and get the group cookies when they got off their ride Let's see what I can do tomorrow...my record high is 11 laps and record low is 4. I currently sit at 41 so I need 9 more laps before I strike gold for the 50th time! Other tidbits from today: More people were deciding not to listen and raise hands during the ride, numerous breakdowns/stops on the lift (as noted), no new changes on the tunnel though I imagine by the weekend they'll be going full speed ahead, and lastly, the line was closed off promptly at 7:45 unlike yesterday when I finished my last ride at 8:25...dusk rides on Gold Striker were pretty awesome!

Well I won't really say it was packed but the lines remained pretty constant, starting just as you pass under the track heading to tunnel. When the ride wasn't breaking down, the line moved pretty quick. Earlier in the day the lines went into 2 sections of the switchbacks.

Psssh...only 4 laps in tonight. Combine crowds with e-stops, it really threw a wrench in the works. I'm currently at 41. I did see that they added Friday in, 5:30-8:30. Yes I'm doing it! Actually don't know the real reason other than they need more shots. Lots of guests are still deciding to keep putting hands up and such, and the park needs riders.

I can't wait to ride this in a true night setting! Well almost time to get my butt out there, couldn't get off early but I'll make my night worth while!

^ Here's how mine went (and yes I had to answer in complete sentences, just like answering questions on my school work ): Q: What do you think of Gold Striker? A: Gold Striker is just full of awesome! It actually currently sits as my no. 1 wooden coaster! Q: What is it that makes GS that good? A: What made it good was the crazy amount of airtime experienced. I counted 14 moments that my butt had left the seat in the back row! Q: What was your favorite part of Gold Striker? A: My favorite part was pretty much the airtime and the many unexpected moments. Q: Where's the best place to sit? A: The best place to sit is in row 5 and 12. Especially row 12, really takes you on a wild, out of control ride! So yea, that's pretty much how I answered it, may not have been my exact words but you get the idea!

Honestly I don't know. I was really surprised to see it actually happen this week. I think between the 6 days of shooting, they should have enough footage. At least on my train, a lot of people were actually cooperating and keeping the hands down. Awkward moment of the day, one of the guys filming the ride called us over (as he remembered us from last week) and interviewed us, asking what we thought of Gold Striker, favorite moments, etc. Yea, it was awkward but a great way to express my thoughts on the coaster!

Thanks for sharing! Among all the Gold Striker hype, I almost forgot all about Undertow, looking forward to hitting up the 'Walk some point this summer and ride this thing!

Yup that was my friend shouting that out We were in row 2. I also noticed the lubricated track and the lack of screeching sounds...reminded me of BART screaming through the transbay tube. Another thing I noticed today as I spent some quality time in the front (3 or 4 times in Row 2, 2 times in row 1 finally, and the rest in the middle/back) is that you get a lot of the up hill ejector airtime...much stronger up front. As you head towards the back, uphill airtime is still present but not as forceful. However, the downhill airtime is more noticeable. As you get towards the middle, you kind of get a good mid-range of both experiences (nothing extreme but it's a good 'all arounder' section). In the end, there are no dull seats on this ride! The ride however did need a little 'waking up' but after a few laps, the ride was really picking up its speed!

You may have been on the same train as us. What row were you in? Did you hear lots of yelling from the front of the train? One of my friends were shouting down to the rest of the group below, making jokes about saving us and such I actually have a pretty high tolerance and can ride something quite a bit. Sure I'm a bit exhausted now but half of that was from running...something I don't do enough of. My stomach did feel a little awkward and started to slightly grey out coming down the drop but all I had were some chips and cookies...'twas time to grab some dinner afterwards, our now tradition to hit up Sizzler I really loved the walk-ons during the last 30 minutes...granted it was a long sprint from exit to entry, and a long sprint through the queue.

So, I struck GP gold while in line for Gold Striker today. In line I hear several off-the-wall things right behind me...it went like this: (2 guys talking about wood coasters) "Grizzly's fire proof" "Grizzly sucks...remember that one time it collapsed?" "Remember Stealth? That ride went through the Grizzly and when Grizzly collapsed, they decided to remove Stealth and decided to put in the water park instead." (Talking about Gold Striker) "Technology is amazing...this thing jumps the tracks and lands right back on it!" "The tunnels were added because of the birds..." Yea, lots of moments, made my wait in line (as Gold Striker kept going down) rather entertaining!

She was being very temperamental today to be honest...but glad I got to ride GS after 8:00 (talk about mad dashes through the exit and back up the entrance, snagged the last ride of the night too! So today I got in 11 laps. My total damage is 37 laps now! I'm not going to lie, I'm actually pretty exhausted from riding now, this ride was really showing its true colors as night came... Yes, I was being ejected upward, then yanked down in the hardest way possible only to be shot upward again! Ready for tomorrow! Honestly, I don't see it opening this weekend. They have lots to do on their wall/tunnel work. However, the ride camera was being tested tonight...and the flash is very blinding! This is placed just at the bottom of the drop, just before the speed hill. About the tunnels, here's my theory. Think way way back before Gold Striker materialized...during the planning phases, it was noted that a series of noise tests would be conducted, and modifications will be done if necessary. I kind of think that this is actually going on. In the mean time, the park is actually killing several birds with 1 stone as they're getting the promo shoot done, possibly training their staff with 'real world' scenarios to keep the lines going, possible noise tests (as we see the growth of walls and tunnels rising), and of course, promoting their new coaster! This is all 100% guess work other than the promotional shoot part (which is the only part I guarantee is 100% correct )

More wall too! Looks like its getting the Pony Express-like tunnels! Looks like Gold Striner won't be line cutter friendly

New wall-age added Take the wall!!!

They're already doing something special by allowing us to ride the new coaster, early and at no cost.

I've actually got my gold nugget from the Au13 media day, contains all the press material on it. It's a USB thumb drive themed to a gold bar

^Yup! So am I! You know the coasters irreststable when you make time to ride it more! Let's see what I can get my ride count up to this week

'Tis been a busy season so far: CGA: 7x (9x if I want to count my January Global Winter Wonderland visit, and the Gold Striker hardhat tour back in March) SFDK: 1x SFMM: 2x Disneyland: 2x DCA: 2x KBF: 1x SCBB: 1x

The Gold Striker shirts...are an attention getter as the gp stopped me so they can read the stats on the back and take a pic of it. They were then asking excitedly where I got it until it clicked in that you have to pay for them.

I figured as much. People with their hands up, wearing clothing with logos/sport teams, etc. They should have someone doing quality control since they're spending wads of money to do this. Production aint cheap! It isn't and it's wasting time and money when people don't listen. Sure I was wearing a Gold Striker shirt but that was ok and mostly plain on the front. Plus it's park material so it was not an issue, not like someone coming in with their Oakland A's shirt, or their bright red YOLO t-shirt...save the YOLO's for Full Throttle The crew on the platform were actually saying over the speakers (which carried out through the queue's PA system) that anyone not following instructions will be no longer allowed to ride. Most people listened surprisingly.

I'm guessing they need to reshoot some stuff as you get riders who find it difficult to comprehend simple requests, the GP raising hands when clearly told not to...and those thinking they're cool by sneaking on a pov so they can brag to their friends. All just a guess though. I'll be there all 3 days, though a bit late for Wednesday...Gonna ride Gold Striker one way or another!

Well, just as a heads up, Media Day isn't for everyone and their brother to attend (and definitely not the same case as the promo shoot that we've been doing)...you typically have to actually work for the media and be there to capture the moments and be able to tell the story. It's not primarily focused on riding the coaster or 'being the first ones before the GP.'