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Vortex to be retired soon?


stashua123
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The majority stakeholder in S&S Worldwide, Larsen MacColl Partners, has sold their interest in S&S to Sansei Yusoki Co Ltd, a Japanese company involved with lift and escalator systems, stage equipment, as well as an arm for amusement rides as well.

http://www.screamscape.com/html/industry_news.htm#SSPOWER

Does not look like anything will change at S&S. Hope Vortex will still be round for just a little more.

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Arrow produced 10 coasters in their final 4 years of independent operation (1999-2002), averaging in at just under 3 coasters a year. S&S on the other hand, has been around for 14 years and is averaging 1 coaster a year. Maybe I'm crazy, but those numbers just scream Arrow's success and commitment in coasters, and S&S' lack thereof. You said yourself, Arrow is only doing 4th Dimensions and nothing more, so what's the point? Perhaps financial constraints or a contract binding is constricting Arrow's potential ambition?

According to rcdb.com, only 5 of the Arrow coasters from 1999-2002 were new (X2-2002, Psycho Mouse-2001, Mad Mouse-1999, Mad Mouse-1999, and Tennessee Tornado-1999.) The other five had been built in 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 before being relocated.

Any lack of S&S coasters being built doesn't necessarily mean they don't want to build them, there needs to be somebody asking for them.

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That's like saying you wonder why Cedar Fair is holding on to Paramount Parks. There isn't in reality the entity once known as Paramount Parks. It was people, a culture, a way of thinking, acting, treating people. A customer list, a vendor list. A governance structure, which did not include Dick Kinzel. All basically thoroughly integrated into what is now Cedar Fair Entertainment Company or abandoned. Ironically, the acquisition, and its debt load, transformed Cedar Fair at least as much as it did Paramount Parks.

Back to Arrow. Arrow failed. Not just once either. Several times. And its real genius was Ron Toomer and the people he surrounded himself with. He was an engineering genius. A finance guy? Not so much. In any event, he's gone.

S&S is a business. A flowing, changing entity. It could sell part of its business lines if it chose. Even if it did, there really isn't the old Arrow, sitting as a separate unit, waiting to be neatly sawed off and sold.

If and when Vortex ends at Kings Island, it's not likely to be because of parts availabilty.

Should we mention Flight Deck, too?

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You must not like airtime... floater that is (See what I did there). The third hill in that seat (3-2) is one of the most amazing coaster moments of all time.

I love 1-3 but 2-2 and 3-2 are sublime. So smooth and re-rideable. Probably the only coaster I've gone 10+ laps on consecutively. BTW 8 on Raptor in abt. 45 mins was not a good idea

Truce accepted.

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^ That's probably it, in all actuality. I like several violent coasters, and getting ridiculous (and occasionally somewhat painful) airtime on Magnum is probably one of my favorite things about that ride. I love sitting in the back and watching the heads in front of me quickly hop out of view as the train lurches over the last series of bunny hops. You can even ask Gator--I spent (and enjoyed) more laps in Blue Racer's last row than I intended at Coasting for Kids, and the ride was moderately jackhammering back there. But hey, to each his own! :)

(Then again, I was also half-comatose from lack of sleep at Coasting for Kids, so maybe that isn't the best example...)

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Well I had an interesting conversation in study hall today......

Girl: "Did you hear King's Island tearing down Vortex?"

Me: "No, Why?"

Girl: "It's built in a sink hole and the thing you ride in could come off the track."

Me: *Starts laughing* and continues on with History homework

Girl: "It's not funny, people could die!"

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Am I the only one here with a soft spot for Arrow's... awkward... transitions? It seems people classify the coaster as "rough", but I think it's all a part of her charm.

Yes, HER charm. Vortex is a classy lady.

I love Arrow coasters, even more then the B&M's of today, call me crazy I guess, but Vortex is one of my all time favoirte coasters, along with Magnum at CP.

I love Arrow products. My first and second coasters were Arrow loopers, so I feel right at home in an Arrow Looper train.

I am totally on the same page as ALL of you! :) Yep, she (Vortex) definitely has the nostalgia and the Arrow elegance.

Don't worry, homestar92. I have a (very) soft spot for Arrow rides too. <3

PKIVortex, I also really LOOOOVE Magnum! :D Vortex and Magnum are my favorite Arrows.

PhantomTheater, I so totally agree with the part of your post in the quote that I underlined. I'm always excited just to step on one of Vortex's trains, let alone ANY Arrow trains! :)

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I guess I'm one of the people you all aren't fond of. The only Arrows I like are Magnum and Adventure Express. (I actually love them) I guess Gemini and Flight Deck are ok, but I have never really been about Arrows. I couldn't stand The Lochness Monster at Busch Gardens when I tried it. I also tried my best to enjoy Big Bad Wolf the three times that I was on it, but it just didn't do anything for me. I couldn't even really get into the nostalgia of it. Could not enjoy it at all.

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Well I had an interesting conversation in study hall today......

Girl: "Did you hear King's Island tearing down Vortex?"

Me: "No, Why?"

Girl: "It's built in a sink hole and the thing you ride in could come off the track."

Me: *Starts laughing* and continues on with History homework

Girl: "It's not funny, people could die!"

You could tell she was an expert in the subject, by her use of the technical term, "thing you ride in".

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Well I had an interesting conversation in study hall today......

Girl: "Did you hear King's Island tearing down Vortex?"

Me: "No, Why?"

Girl: "It's built in a sink hole and the thing you ride in could come off the track."

Me: *Starts laughing* and continues on with History homework

Girl: "It's not funny, people could die!"

You could tell she was an expert in the subject, by her use of the technical term, "thing you ride in".

Yeah, she is an "expert" in everything.

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vague but true rumor of the day^^

Again, not that hard to state that "other old Arrow coasters at various CF parks." I count 3 vague words (other, old, various) in that phrase. What is old? 10, 20, 4 years? various?

the true part being that at one point most if not all of these various old arrows will be gone... but when?

So which KI arrow would be considered old and leaving? Flight Deck, Vortex, Adventure Express???

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This rumor is very incoherent. There are Arrow loopers within all Cedar Fair parks (with the exception of Knott's, Dorney, and Worlds of Fun), and Screamscape is reporting the 8 coasters will be gone within the next 2 years for no reason. How anyone can see any validity in this is beyond me.

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