BeemerBoy

Let's face it, they weren't gonna dismantle the thing regardless, and they're "improving" it only because their hand was forced to after it almost killed someone. If I had to guess, chances are, the brass at CF would really rather the coaster not be there at all, but they can't just right click and remove that huge disappoinment. So instead, they're dealing with it the only way they can, and not because they're incredibly proud of their "record holder" woodie. Scott "I'm just saying" B.

Why does anything have to replace either one of the two in either place they now occupy? Doesn't the park own hundreds of acres with which to expand? (I think I remember reading something to that effect a while back) I'm still going on record as saying CF has a golden opportunity with this property to turn it into the Cedar Point of the east coast. Remove some of the "lesser" rides, make a few bucks off of them if possible, and then build quality stuff after that. A couple lodging options perhaps? Then maybe a huge new coaster? Maybe I'm way off, and giving CF more credit than they deserve, but I'm actually really rooting for them to turn this park into something great, regardless of the two thousand trash cans soon to follow.

Thanks Julie. Your's was the "wrap-up" report I was hoping to see. Although I didn't get to see the exhibit in it's current state with my own eyes, what you said, and what I've seen in this thread have made me wholeheartedly agree with your assesment of the place. More than anything else, it's just very "un-Disney" to open an attraction that is not fully functioning. On top of that, as you said, being as dated as it is just doesn't flow well with it's next door neighbors. It's also sad in a sense that Wonders of Life is one of the last remaining examples of great edutainment. Like all the other pre-thrill ride attractions in Future World, it was exactly what Epcot was created to be....a unique and pioneering way of educating while entertaining. And considering the amount of health issues the world deals with these days, it would be nice to see Disney contiune to simply update the exhibit as necessary, in an attempt to educate in a fun and entertaining way. I'm realistic though. Unfortunately, the desire to grab the younger crowd's attention, and more importantly, that crowd's parents' money, will probably win out in the form of another Pixar ride.

Okay, so this is of no interest to me, but since I'm really bored at work right now I thought I'd post it for the hundreds of you who it would appeal to. Anyway, you can now replace your Wii wristband if so desired. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16222369/

Glad I'm not alone on that one. The only time I've ever ridden a coaster while raining was unintentional. We were trying to get one last ride on Dueling Dragons in before Florida acted like typical Florida. Well, we made it to the top of the lift hill after an unscheduled delay in the dispatch, and then like a light switch, the skies just opened up. And no, there's nothing fun about riding a coaster in a downpour.

Pete, as many others have said, I also recall the excitement you had when you learned of your child's conception. My prayers were with you from day one, and they continue to be with you, your wife, and all your family. I'm so sorry to hear of this sad news.

^ Yes, but the fact is 99% of us in here wish it would join Hercules.

I'm sure that when it opened it brought it larger crowds, but you gotta remember.......Alpengeist, Apollo's, and Griffon are all within a couple hours from it. And, it's not even the tallest attraction in it's own park, or even the signature ride, which I'd consider Volcano to be. The truth is, you're all missing the most obvious fact here. The removal of any ride brings an opportunity for more glorious concrete! And just think about the cluster of garbage cans you could have in the spot that the hill currently occupies.

^ They're taking out California Screamin's loop???? EDIT: ^Damn you're quick.

SCORE!! I just realized I've got a collector's item now. Look out eBay, here I come. Hmmmm, now to decide where to spend that $0.10 when the fierce bidding war is over.

Maybe they'll give the loop to Mean Streak to give it some redeeming quality.

That's actually the best idea yet. Do you think it would work being that they already have mind eraser? I was actually thinking along the lines of it being a great opportunity to get rid of the crap they have in exhange for a quality invert. Like trading in a used car for a better model. Except, the model they'd be getting would still be, um....used.......ah, forget it...you get the idea.

That's actually the best idea yet.

Well, from what I've seen so far, I'd say chalk up another winner for B&M. Hyper, Jr. Hyper, Jr. Hyper with Floorless trains.....eh, whatever it is, it looks like a fun ride, and I love the hills through the supports! I guess the only question now is when will the killer trims be installed?

Wow. Seven pages about a color change? If this is all it takes for Six Flags to gain attention, then maybe they should just repaint all their old coasters. Think about how many "new credits" that would be to some of you out there. Scott "I love the offseason" B.

^ What he said. Nice report Ted. Not in a million years could I ever get Shannon to tag along in weather like that....for anything. And yes, sometimes rivalry games are simply about securing bragging rights for another year.....and another long offseason. Heck, as a Miami fan, I still contend that if we only won one game each year, as long as it was against FSU, I'd be happy. Probably the reason the last couple years have been a bit depresssing.

I'd like to add a couple quick thoughts if I may. The foreign members need not apologize for bad English. For the most part, your posts are pretty well written, and understandable. It takes a lot of guts to post on a board that is not of your native toungue, and I think most of us admire your attempts to learn the English language. One suggestion to the foreign members though. In the location description of your profile, don't get creative with your place of residence. In other words, don't put something like "in the loop" or "over the river and through the woods." By simply putting Japan, or Spain, or wherever, people will recognize easier that English may not be your first language. That way they may not be as quick to jump on your case about imperfect grammar. It's just a thought that may help out a bit.

Yes, I'm sure they did absolutely no research into what GG has done for Mt. Olympus and Holiday World, and what a world class coaster company like GCI did for a small forgetable park like Beech Bend. I'm sure they just flipped through the Yellow Pages to find the first coaster builder they could. As for the coaster, I'm impressed. Not sure what else to say beyond that. It's not exactly something I'm gonna rush out to Houston for, but it does look like a pretty fun ride. Oh, and no name announcement? That's a bid odd for a press release, unless I missed something. Eh, whatever.

First off, without a doubt, that house should remain somewhere on the lot....as long as humanly possible. Generational thing? As in, the generation dating from the movie's premier until present day? I'm sure that's what you really mean, right? I'm sorry bro, but your argument on this one, like Wes said, is simply craptastic. There are two "horror" movies that will stand the test of time for generations to come. One being Psycho. The other is Jaws. Why? Because of the simplicity in which they portrayed the simplest of human fears. To this day, if even in just the slightest capacity, there's a part of my brain that remembers that shower scene whenever I'm showering somewhere away from home.....and especially if I'm alone wherever I may be at the time. In the same way, there's not a human alive that can honestly admit that they don't even think about what's below them in the ocean after watching Jaws. Of course the two films are more than just those scenes alone. Psycho remains relevant for many reasons.....camera angles, and killing off the films biggest star early in the story are just a couple. Heck, even though it was a stupid idea, it wasn't long ago that the film was "remade" starring one of today's biggest stars (Vince Vaughn). Oh, and yeah, it was so well respected, that the "remake" used the same production notes, camera angles, etc. from what I understand (sorry, I wasn't interested in seeing it). By your reasoning, we should find Paul and Ringo, and kill 'em off since their music is no longer ruling the Billboard charts....thus, evidently irrelevant. I mean, God knows, the musicians of today couldn't have been inspired by that garbage, huh? Scott "counting down the days until Little Miss Sunshine becomes an outdated movie that doesn't do anything worthwhile for its audiences anymore" B.

I'll let you guys duke it out over what's open and what's not, but there's two extremely telling pictures that decided my opinion on this one. Those ceiling tiles alone scream "Please don't let anyone see me like this!!!" (jedimaster, I'm assuming that's not just highlighted by your camera's flash?) Admittedly, I am a huge fan of everything "old school Disney," and I love taking a trip down memory lane, but for Walt Disney Wolrd to open anything in this condition is pretty shoddy IMHO. I'd expect something like this from Six Flags......never Disney. Seriously, from a place that has painters touch up Main Street on a nightly basis after the park closes, you'd think that at the least, a few ceiling tiles could be replaced, huh? And I'm sorry, but regardless of how many attractions are open or not, this just seems like a huge mis-step from management. I'm still really confused over this one. Let's just say they didn't exactly put there best foot forward on this one. Scott "half-assed shouldn't make the cut at WDW" B. Exhibit #1. Exhibit #2.

For the record, I do wish the original poster luck. However, I think it'd be much funnier, and definitely more entertaining to create a reality show which followed the big winners (or wieners, as it may be) of these shows to watch how: A: they realize Uncle Sam essentially cuts their winnings in half, and B: then see how fast they blow through the remaining money on rediculous purchases, which will probably lead to... C: eventually watching them file for bankruptcy and selling off their "Grand Prizes" and going back to work at their original jobs. Scott "I'm tired of watching morons being rewarded" B.

That was my only real "surprise." Oh well. It's still my favorite woodie, and the best wood in the poll that matters most to me: mine.

^ Yeah, after I looked at it again, I realized that. Oh well, it's still a lost opportunity to use a great theme to customize that specific type of coaster. ^^ Yeah, that's the element I was thinking of....whatever everyone calls it. That "90 degree" thing was perfectly scripted for a coaster like this. To me, this reminds me of Cedar Point dropping the ball by not putting an Intamin woodie in the Wild West section.

A few thoughts here. First, regarding the coaster, who were the design wizards that thought this one up? Seriously. Were they not allowed to watch any skateboarding footage at all? I don't consider myself an extreme sports expert by any means, but I think they missed a golden opportunity with this one. This may only make sense to some of you, but shouldn't the coaster have been dropping in to a massive half pipe off the lift hill? And considering Tony's signature 900 move, wouldn't a huge vertical 90 degree moment, a la Dragon's Fury, have made more sense? Don't get me wrong, I love the thought behind the theming, and this will definitely be a winner for the park, but man, what a missed opportunity to make it really kick arse. Now onto Mr. Hawk. A whore? If so, then every professional athlete and everyone in Hollywood fits that description as well. Heck, I wish my name alone paid my bills. And as someone else eluded to earlier, I can think of much worse "role models" to endorse stuff...*cough* T.O. cough* Barry Bonds *cough* Britney Spears*cough*. Believe me, Tony Hawk should go after every advertising dollar he can. If he and his manager were really smart, he'd start looking into sponsoring pain killer meds. It may seem grand to be Tony Hawk now, but ask him how it feels in 10-20 years. The abuse he's put on that body is gonna start catching up real soon. Scott "I need some of that Tony Hawk cough syrup now" B.

Jeff, congratulations on your early Christmas blessing. She's beautiful....and Abigail is an awesome name! -Scott