Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[DJeXeL]

^^^ Wow, Robb. That is horrible. Hopefully park management sees that. Sucks that happened but I'm sorry to say, I'm not surprised. This infuriates me as I have a daughter myself that is a little over a year older than Kristen.

Edited July 29, 2014 by DJeXeL

[ilrider]

She got the height band now and all should be well.

The point is that stuff like that shouldn't even be happening in the first place!

 

It's a judgment call on the part of the ops. When a kid is borderline, it makes it tougher. How do you suggest ensuring consistency with different rides other than the wristband? I agree she should not get on Goliath and Eagle to be told no on Viper, but it's still a human using his/her eyes against a measuring stick. It's not an exact science. And it's for safety, so it's an important decision.

[HARLEYGUYJB]

I once saw a kid turned down on a ride because he was 1/4 of a inch short...

[ilrider]

I once saw a kid turned down on a ride because he was 1/4 of a inch short...

 

But he should be, because it's a safety issue. I am a parent, and I would want my kids turned away if too short. It's happened before where it was a close call and we just wanted to check.

Edited July 29, 2014 by ilrider

[Wes]

1/4" too short is still too short. It's a safety thing.

[ernierocker]

The only good thing about missing out on the U.S. trip this year is that I don't have to have "A Six Flags day" this year...

[GigaG]

I hope this was just a one-off thing. This is sad. I think parks shouldn't use pipe measuring sticks - not the kind with a bent top, and definitely not the straight kind. The pipe adds too much error. I'd rather see "flat-top" measuring sticks, sort of like the metal ones at Cedar Point. Also, the wristband should be the final word if it is obtained at park operations after an "official" measurement.

[netdvn]

From personal experience, if the manufacturer says a person has to be of a certain height to ride, then they have to be at that height. Even if they're 1/4th of an inch off of the mark. If an incident were to happen and there were injuries, if the ops let someone who was too short onto the ride, the park could be liable for lawsuit - especially because they went against the manufacturer's safety requirements.

 

Even then ops still let people who are barely below the mark onto the ride. Some ops give some leeway while others are typically by the book.

 

As for this situation, I'm not sure what to think. Maybe she was wearing tennis shoes and switched to flip flops, maybe KT shrank in her shoes while she was walking around the park (yes it does happen). Assuming she was checked at both Eagle and Goliath and cleared, perhaps Viper's height stick is a little off. I dunno.

 

- Did the ops physically boo her off the ride? There's no excuse for that.

[StatMan22]

This is an unfortunate situation. The ride op was probably just trying to do his job right, but there should be some consistency between the rides. Don't know how 48" on one ride is not 48" on another. And then the crowd booing is terrible-unfortunately that's the type of crowd that Six Flags gets sometimes.

 

In other (maybe more lighthearted?) news, some guy is trying to sue SFGAm because he was stuck on Superman for 15 minutes:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/07/28/69871.htm

 

The excerpts from the claim that was filed are gold-"Superman: Ultimate Fight", "...became sick and disabled, and will continue to suffer great pain...". I was stuck on Superman for about 10-15 minutes last year in the brake run because of a protein spill ahead of us. It's not terribly uncomfortable, and we got exit passes for our troubles. I'd gladly trade 10-15 minutes suspended on Superman for an exit pass.

[coasterbill]

Grason was then and there severely and seriously injured, both internally and externally, and he suffered a severe shock to his nervous system, and bruises, contusions, and lacerations to his body; and became sick and disabled, and will continue to suffer great pain, discomfort, and physical impairment, and his injuries required hospitalization and medical treatment, all of which said injuries are permanent

 

This country sucks.

[GigaG]

This is an unfortunate situation. The ride op was probably just trying to do his job right, but there should be some consistency between the rides. Don't know how 48" on one ride is not 48" on another. And then the crowd booing is terrible-unfortunately that's the type of crowd that Six Flags gets sometimes.

 

In other (maybe more lighthearted?) news, some guy is trying to sue SFGAm because he was stuck on Superman for 15 minutes:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/07/28/69871.htm

 

The excerpts from the claim that was filed are gold-"Superman: Ultimate Fight", "...became sick and disabled, and will continue to suffer great pain...". I was stuck on Superman for about 10-15 minutes last year in the brake run because of a protein spill ahead of us. It's not terribly uncomfortable, and we got exit passes for our troubles. I'd gladly trade 10-15 minutes suspended on Superman for an exit pass.

 

How does anybody file that claim? They weren't stuck upside down, they could not be bruised or anything... what... the... F... if this was true, it would have been on the news... being stuck in a brake run is not "being hung upside down" and damaging your nervous system, bruises, contusions, etc... The park shouldn't have to deal with this.

[singemfrc]

From personal experience, if the manufacturer says a person has to be of a certain height to ride, then they have to be at that height. Even if they're 1/4th of an inch off of the mark. If an incident were to happen and there were injuries, if the ops let someone who was too short onto the ride, the park could be liable for lawsuit - especially because they went against the manufacturer's safety requirements.

 

Even then ops still let people who are barely below the mark onto the ride. Some ops give some leeway while others are typically by the book.

 

As for this situation, I'm not sure what to think. Maybe she was wearing tennis shoes and switched to flip flops, maybe KT shrank in her shoes while she was walking around the park (yes it does happen). Assuming she was checked at both Eagle and Goliath and cleared, perhaps Viper's height stick is a little off. I dunno.

 

- Did the ops physically boo her off the ride? There's no excuse for that.

No it wasnt the ops that booed her Robb said it was the other guests in line who were apparently unhappy with waiting for them to measure KT's height.

 

The worst part is Robb posted that after this he went to guest relations and got her a wristband declaring that she is officially 48" and when he went back to Viper the ops STILL denied letting her on the ride. What's the point of the wristband if the ops can just say "Meh I don't recognize that"? Obviously Robb wasn't about to give up though, he said he spoke with some supervisors and eventually got her on the ride.

[coasterkid124]

I hope this was just a one-off thing. This is sad. I think parks shouldn't use pipe measuring sticks - not the kind with a bent top, and definitely not the straight kind. The pipe adds too much error. I'd rather see "flat-top" measuring sticks, sort of like the metal ones at Cedar Point. Also, the wristband should be the final word if it is obtained at park operations after an "official" measurement.

 

This. Usually the people that conduct the measurements work in the safety department, and they are the ones who should make the final decisions. Not some ride op, who barely knows anything about safety, and just memorizes the rules on all the signs. No disrespect to ride ops, because I was one myself a long time ago. But as we know, many of the ride ops today hate their jobs and take it out on the guests.

 

If I were in that situation, I would have called security to remove any rowdy or disrespectful guests.

[Lightnin Loops]

It just shows how bad SF customer service is across the board. And how lacking they are in training. They get the child the the wristband after the problem. And when they bring the child back, the operators/attendants still refused to allow the child to ride.

[ilrider]

Isn't it more likely the ride ops were booed for not letting her ride? I'm sorry, but I just do not see people in the station booing a child for getting measured or not being able to ride. This is my home park, and we wait on rides while children get measured and sometimes booted for being too short, and I have never, in my entire life at this park, seen the parents or child booed for any reason. Chicagoans, and Midwesterners in general, are friendly people. We don't get up in arms about waiting a few extra seconds.

[adamd]

It honestly sounds like these operators get off when they decline a person to ride. There are some people in the world that seriously get a sick pleasure of making someone else miserable and that's exactly what this sounds like. The operator pressed her head down and they still declined after she got a wristband. I'll bet the only thing they look forward to every morning before going to work is how many people they'll deny the ability to ride.

[adamd]

I also think the people were booing the ride ops not kt. I know we have been in line and people were booing the ride ops for not allowing a kid to ride that was just too short or vise versa we have cheered when they say the child is tall enough.

[StatMan22]

Isn't it more likely the ride ops were booed for not letting her ride? I'm sorry, but I just do not see people in the station booing a child for getting measured or not being able to ride. This is my home park, and we wait on rides while children get measured and sometimes booted for being too short, and I have never, in my entire life at this park, seen the parents or child booed for any reason. Chicagoans, and Midwesterners in general, are friendly people. We don't get up in arms about waiting a few extra seconds.

 

I'd echo this. I've never witnessed a booing at SFGAm myself, but I would imagine (and hope) they were booing the ride ops, not a kid. The general public would always fall on the "let them ride" side of the fence, not the "let's be safe" side. Regardless, they really shouldn't be booing either way-they're either booing a ride op for trying to be safe or a kid, neither is good.

[Wes]

Even if they were booing the ride ops, a kid is going to perceive it as potentially being directed at her, which is upsetting especially after a distressing situation. I only blame the operations people for making her go through that.

[DLex]

Robb's FB posts were pretty depressing. I felt really bad that KT was denied to ride (BOTH times). As an older brother with 4 younger siblings, I can relate to their frustration.

 

Quick point regarding Viper's operations from my visit last week. Atrocious. Dispatches once every 4-5mins. It was at that point during my visit that I gave up and bought a flash pass.

[netdvn]

No it wasnt the ops that booed her Robb said it was the other guests in line who were apparently unhappy with waiting for them to measure KT's height.

 

You really can't blame the park because a few guests decide to act like complete assholes in public. It the ops fault for not taking care of the situation before it got out of hand, but not for doing their jobs and looking out for someone's safety.

 

The operator pressed her head down and they still declined after she got a wristband. I'll bet the only thing they look forward to every morning before going to work is how many people they'll deny the ability to ride.

 

Do you know how often people try sneaking their kids the wrong colored wristbands just to get them on bigger rides? It actually does happen. Fortunately, in this case, it just so happened to work itself out, but I've seen situations where kids that were too short to ride still trying to sneak in, people hiding casts underneath sweaters to avoid being seen, people pulling out cameras/cell phones at the last minute as the train is being dispatched, and people trying to game disabled access/fastpasses and throwing fits when they can't get their own way.

[GayCoasterGuy]

So grateful we have Whizzer It's one of the crown jewels of the chain.

 

Can you elaborate on this for me? I have seen you and others say this time and time again, but I simply do not understand.

 

Sorry for the delayed response, but it looks like a few others hit on what they love so much about the Whizzer. I'll add my 2 cents.

 

It's a nice long and laid-back ride; just enough thrill for anyone, but not too much. The seating is great; easily one of the most comfortable coaster trains ever. Ironic the Schwarzkopf looping trains are also super comfy - Anton knew what he was doing. Just enough to keep you very safe, yet still feel free and unencumbered. The design of the hills and curves sprawl all over the place. Nothing is rushed. The trees have grown thickly around the ride - especially that ground level/hugging curve.

 

Whizzer is a smooth, fun ride for me but nothing I would write home about. Is there something I am missing here that others see?

Probably not. Not everyone has to be in love with the Whizzer... but it certainly is special to many local folks who grew up on it (and coaster nerds, of course). For many of us, it was our first "big" coaster.

 

The same can be said about any Anton's really.

Anton coasters are rare. They feel and look very simple - and they kinda are. They are simple roller coasters. No fancy this or that; there is a little 'heartlining' in the design, but it's not overdone. One thing to note is the attention to detail. Where Arrow coasters were built with a bunch of tubes welded together, the Anton coasters had joints all over the place. Whizzer has hinged track at every support - similar to the hinges that have now shown up on RMC coasters. Mind Bender and Shockwave have ball-and-socket joints at nearly every support. There is a certain smoothness and movement to the rides that is unique. It's very subtle, but special.

 

During the 80s, when bigger and badder-assed stuff was being built, I would always give Whizzer a courtesy ride. But over the years, I've been bitten by the Anton bug and Whizzer gets more and more important to me as a coaster fan. Every Schwarzkopf coaster seems to get better with age (except for one on the west coast which is now covered in silly hardware; but I best not go there!) Mind Bender has never left my #1 spot.

 

We have all these great new steel coasters, but not one does what the Anton rides do. Designs these days feel rushed and even truncated. They don't have the same grace (or sprawl) that some Anton's do. Even the little portable models like Scorpion at BGT and Tig'ger at Indiana Beach have that special Anton magic to them. But like anything in life, you certainly don't have to love it. There are plenty of coaster nerds that could care less about the Anton coasters they've been on. I can understand that as I feel that way about B&M rides. I like em, but I'm not interested in spending much time on them.

[Ed Farmer]

In other (maybe more lighthearted?) news, some guy is trying to sue SFGAm because he was stuck on Superman for 15 minutes:

http://www.courthousenews.com/2014/07/28/69871.htm

In his defense, I felt like suing something too after I rode SUF.

[ilrider]

The denying her the ride a second time with the wristband was the biggest problem with what happened today in my mind.

 

I still, though, do not think KT was booed out of the station as was presented. The patrons at this park just don't act like that. The ride ops were being booed for a) making her get measured in the first place and/or b) denying her the ride. But, I was not there. Again, I am sure it upset her, but I don't think this makes the whole park look bad. It definitely makes the Viper team look bad!

[singemfrc]

No it wasnt the ops that booed her Robb said it was the other guests in line who were apparently unhappy with waiting for them to measure KT's height.

 

You really can't blame the park because a few guests decide to act like complete assholes in public. It the ops fault for not taking care of the situation before it got out of hand, but not for doing their jobs and looking out for someone's safety.

 

The operator pressed her head down and they still declined after she got a wristband. I'll bet the only thing they look forward to every morning before going to work is how many people they'll deny the ability to ride.

 

Do you know how often people try sneaking their kids the wrong colored wristbands just to get them on bigger rides? It actually does happen. Fortunately, in this case, it just so happened to work itself out, but I've seen situations where kids that were too short to ride still trying to sneak in, people hiding casts underneath sweaters to avoid being seen, people pulling out cameras/cell phones at the last minute as the train is being dispatched, and people trying to game disabled access/fastpasses and throwing fits when they can't get their own way.

I wasnt there so Im not going to say the ride ops took pleasure in denying someone. It's also possible that their managers have been cracking down on them out of an overabundance of fear about an accident involving someone who was let onto the ride when they were just short and they're trying to be extra safe. They probably could have moved a little faster to keep things moving and maybe the other guests wouldnt have booed (which they shouldnt anyway, thats despicable whether they knew it was a kid or not) but beyond that I dont blame them on the first attempt.

 

The wristband, though, is where I get angry. The entire point of the wristband is to have someone in the guest relations office to an official check and pre-verify the guest so the ride ops don't have to. I get that people are always going to try to game the system but if thats the case then either do something make the wristbands less fakeable or less removable or get rid of them completely. If the ride ops can just say "I dont care if you have a wristband I'm not letting you on" then the entire wristband system is bleeping pointless and does nothing more than to further aggravate the parent and traumatize the child and create a horrible experience for all involved.

 

If the wristbands are on the arm tight enough to where they can't be removed or swapped then there should be no questioning it. The only way an operator should deny the guest is if they think the wristband has been tampered with or removed, otherwise they should have no authority to deny it and no responsibility for allowing the guest to ride. Guest Services has already verified the guest's height, isn't that the whole idea? I want to say "What kind of a mickey mouse operation is this" but it occurs to me that is a silly saying as a "mickey mouse" operation would never let something like this happen. (Where did that saying come from anyway?)