Jew

I recall this being addressed at one of the WCB Q&A's. I think the misters just fell into a state of disrepair. Probably just needs a new pump and nozzles. It was one of the things they said they had on their "to do" list. Of course, I think this was also the very first WCB Q&A from a few years ago as well...

^^Great insights. However, it's still not making sense to me why this was a good move. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the judge in a bankruptcy hearing merely give a "go, no go" to the creditors? Why would the new owners want to let Shapiro walk away with the 3 million dollar bonus instead of using bankruptcy as an excuse to get rid of him? And why the change now? He's the face of the company (every newsworthy quote from the company comes from him. The family friendly strategy is always linked with him as well in news articles), its probably too late into the year to make drastic changes to his 2010 plans, so why not let him stay and make a smooth transition? Why is anyone going to invest in a company without a leader and a vision at the moment? Surely his abrupt departure raises red flags about what's going on with the company. I hated my finance classes in school, so I'm definitely no expert, so you can probably provide more insight into the numbers. I noticed that revenue increased in both 2007 and 2008, and took a dive in 2009. However, the entire industry took a hit in 2009. I can't find an article about Six Flags being in danger of chapter 7, nor can I find anything about these sizeable losses. How much worse off would the numbers be without Shapiros licensing deals, ad revenue, and programs he spearheaded such as rolling out Q-bots on a wider scale, VIP tours, food vouchers, preferred/valet parking, etc.?

RCT would make for a great SyFy movie.

^Digging deeper, I found this to be quite interesting: I can totally see why the new board would be worried about this. They already voiced their concern with the conflict of interests from the Johnny Rockets and DCP deals, so that seems like a much more logical reason than just making him the scapegoat for a bad 2009. Regardless, the fact that there is no statements from either side is quite odd.

^^^So why didn't bondholders remove him as part of their agreement, like they did with Snyder? They let him remain as a director and walk away with $3 million. 2009 was a rough year for the theme park business, not just Six Flags. The company was headed to bankruptcy no matter what the circumstances were. Shapiro also spearheaded licensing deals, pushed for Q-bots, VIP tours, preferred/valet parking, food vouchers, and other revenue generating items that don't add much cost. So his value is far more than the reported $52 in ad revenue that was projected for 2009. Something just doesn't add up. CEO's don't just quietly leave. Let alone ones that took every chance they got to be in front of the press.

The whole thing seems strange...He obviously left under some less than ideal circumstances. Is he leaving because he is taking the money and running? Fired? About to have something negative come to light? It doesn't really seem like it's in the best interests of the company to replace him so abruptly with an interim person. What's an interim guy going to do that Mark Shapiro couldn't have done? Doesn't look good for the company when the guy who has become the face of the "new" Six Flags to investors takes off with such little fanfare.

^There's only a huge line because they don't load the theater until right before showtime. Once that crowd gets spread out amongst the 3 levels, the shows are usually 75% full at best.

^Actually, you first wrote off ginzo's opinion as a complaint that "enthusiasts with nothing better to do" complain about. That's a lot different than simply stating you disagree. I only brought up your El Toro comment to point out how you are selectively picking and choosing what aesthetic elements bother you, since that was your rude response to ginzo when he brought up aesthetics. At the end of the day, if I was running park...I wouldn't put horribly out of place ads on my coaster, nor would I line my midways with cheap plastic trash cans. Both look like crap IMO.

^I know something I can find that is the same at every CF park too: trashcans everywhere! I didn't mean for this thread to get so derailed. My point was simple: aesthetics are an important part of the experience to some people. To those people who find aesthetics important, having midways lined with plastic trashcans certainly takes away from the atmosphere of a park. I don't understand why this is such a hard concept to grasp. You're only making yourself look like a hypocrite when you try to spin your bashing of Six Flags less than aesthetically pleasing sponsorships, while refusing to criticize your employer for doing something that many others find tacky.

^Pink trains on a coaster don't ruin the experience of that coaster. They just make it look worse (I'm not arguing that. I agree it looks like crap.) Sort of like a midway full of plastic trash cans taking away from an otherwise nice area of a park?

^So if the logic is that it's OK to destroy the aesthetics of something as long as it "makes sense," how can you fault Six Flags (a cash strapped company fresh out of BK) for selling a sponsorship on one of their most popular rides? That makes sense too.

^To many, aesthetics/atmosphere are equally as important as all those other things. In fact, you made a comment bashing Six Flags for the El Toro train. So apparently aesthetics matter to you...when it's not bashing your employer?

^Go back and look at all the other years as well. Montreal is consistently in the bottom 1/3.

^^Because most kids in the target demographic can't ride it...

^I'm starting to agree with Wes. You must be a robot because you obviously didn't read what I said. The Bondholders wanted Synder removed. They specifically asked for his removal, while also asking for Shapiro to stay. Oh, and bankruptcy isn't that simple. You can't just say "I don't feel like paying my debt off anymore, lets go bankrupt."

The Expos were destroyed long before Loria/MLB got involved. The owner before Loria did the most damage.

^Properly staffing/training your park services staff > Placing cheap plastic trash cans everywhere

^After riding Dodonpa...I'm glad they are doing something to control the airtime after a 149mph launch.

The rides are most likely the trailer versions---meaning they are designed to be put up (and taken down) very quickly.

I love you Wes.

Here's a better question: have you actually programmed a ride? ...However, the concept of the ride track itself being split into different zones/blocks/whatever you want to call it doesn't vary at all. Harness sensors and displays are all optional items. I can assure you that even though the operators can't always see the faults, the PLC is logging EVERYTHING and maintenance has access to that. You're absolutely wrong about coasters not having timers. It's not that hard to figure out how long it should take an empty train or a full train (they do have these things called water dummies) to cycle between blocks. It's also not that hard to figure out how weather might effect those (Who knew science could be useful?). Add those together and you're going to be able to figure out the safe operating range between blocks.

^Considering the reorganization plan that was approved specifically mentions him staying in his position (while at the same time calling for Synder's removal), I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon.

^Or designed a show that could be seen from anywhere around the lagoon...

Part of me wants to laugh at that rumor, but part of me wonders if that is correct. Figuring out how many people an area can hold is a simple math problem: total square footage/whatever OC fire inspectors say is the minimum amount of space each person takes up (LA County is 4).

Modern NFL stadiums generate hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Someone will pay for a parking garage if that is what it takes to get the stadium built.