Hank

I wear the most comfortable shoes I own - and they must provide ankle and arch support, as well as protect my toes. I put gel-type inserts in the shoes as it helps prevent fatigue. For the water park, I bring my aqua shoes, although you must remove them for most slides. (I don't want to injure my feet on the concrete, and sometimes that concrete gets REALLY hot, too!) Something I'd like to mention... I took a jogging course at the university several years ago. I would get sores on my feet. The professor told me to wear 2 pair of socks. I know this makes my feet hotter than I care to have them, but for those of you who have these kinds of troubles, try it - it does work.

Maybe they could get the removed loops from Kennywood's Steel Phantom (now Phantom's Revenge) and put them in the enpty space. And, if they could get the same lap bars that Phantom's Revenge has now, as opposed to Steel Phantom's OTSH's, they could kill 2 birds with one stone! (in other words...have Morgan redo SOB)

This is from RCDB... Trains: The Son of Beast originally used trains built by Premier Rides. The trains were made up of 6 cars and sat 6 riders per car. During the 2005/2006 off season one car from each train was removed, thus shortening them from six to five cars per train. During the 2006/2007 off-season, the trains will be changed. The configuration and manufacturer of these trains is not known at this time. Structure: Building Materials: 1.65 million board feet of southern yellow pine. History: The Son of Beast was originally built with a 118 foot tall vertical loop. Problems encountered during the 2006 season closed the ride for the remainder of the 2006 season. During the 2006/2007 off-season many changes are being made to the ride. One of the changes is the removal of the loop. While the loop was not the cause of the problems, removing it would allow the lighter trains to be used. This is expected to improve the ride. Hopefully this will start some new thinking!

I wish I had that kind of attendance at church - where I'm the music director. I guess I'm in the wrong business. I tell my son... You can design a coaster, get paid and be done. You can build a coaster, get paid and be done. What you want is to own the park where the coaster is located to keep collecting revenue from it for years to come. Obviously, Disney is doing something right - and higher prices at the gate don't seem to phase anyone.

I offered to buy it for the coaster I'm building in my backyard - but after considering the amount of space it would take-up, who needs a used loop anyway? (I have other "ways" of getting "looped")

This was in the Toledo Blade today... Article published Tuesday, December 19, 2006 By GARY T. PAKULSKI BLADE BUSINESS WRITER SANDUSKY -The chairman and chief executive officer of Cedar Point's parent company doesn't plan to jump off the merry-go-round any time soon. Richard Kinzel, who just last year indicated he planned to retire as early as January, 2008, has signed a new contract that could keep him at the helm of Cedar Fair LP until 2012. The publicly traded Sandusky partnership revealed the existence of the contract in a regulatory filing Dec. 15. It guarantees Mr. Kinzel, 66, a minimum of $1.2 million annually. "We just went through the Paramount Parks acquisition and since then he has expressed an interest in staying … and seeing that through," spokesman Stacy Frole said. The $1.2 billion cash deal with CBS Corp. included five amusement parks with $420 million in annual revenues and catapulted Cedar Fair from the world's fifth largest amusement park owner to third behind only Disney Co. and Six Flags Inc. Under Mr. Kinzel, Cedar Fair has grown from just two amusement parks with $96 million in revenues two decades ago to a dozen outdoor ride parks, six water parks, an indoor park, and hotels bringing in nearly $1 billion annually. In the three months ended Sept. 30, the company booked a profit of $133 million, or $2.42 per partnership unit. That was down from $171 million or, $3.11 a unit, a year earlier. Investors will welcome Mr. Kinzel's decision to stay, said Robert Routh, an analyst with Jef-feries & Co. Inc. "He has done a phenomenal job and everybody likes him," Mr. Routh said. "With the Paramount acquisition, that has likely reinvigorated him with the prospects for the business and the size of a company that has nearly doubled." Mr. Routh said it is possible that Mr. Kinzel doesn't plan to remain for the contract's duration but wants to signal that he plans to stay for the foreseeable future. Cedar Fair's spokesman said that although the contract gives Mr. Kinzel the option of retiring before the contract expires and becoming non-executive chairman, he intends to stay through 2012. She said he is eager to see through the financial turn-around of the Paramount Parks, some of which have struggled in the past. Ms. Frole said Mr. Kinzel's retirement plans were never firm, although in a 2005 interview with The Blade he discussed plans to spend more time with his children and grandchildren. Under the new deal, he will receive a base salary of at least $1.2 million a year plus compensation geared to performance. The company will also buy a $2 million life insurance policy for him that will run through 2018, whether he is employed by the company or not. The contract was finalized Dec. 12 for a term beginning Dec. 1 and concluding Jan. 2, 2012. The company also negotiated new contracts with two other top executives, regulatory filings show. Jacob Falfas, chief operating officer, got a three-year deal with a guaranteed $600,000 annually. Peter Crage, chief financial officer, got a two-year deal for at least $400,000 a year.

Hey! Is that loop for sale? I'm building a wooden coaster in my backyard and if I could find a used loop.......

On FOF, there is (what I will call) a "dip" just prior to the end of the ride. I don't know if this is what you all were speaking about when you said "final corkscrew" (I can't tell if it's a corkscrew) but the feeling (to me) is that the train goes down while you're going up - and then the ride levels off and stops. Please enlighten me on this element. The other favorite, no longer in existance, was the last small hill on The Racer at PKI. The possible head remover got me every time!

I see that the PKI website is now offering e-tickets for 2007. The price is $29.95. Is this the same as last year, or is this a special price thing for the holidays?

Boy, those elephants almost looked real! Just kidding. Nice slideshow. I was very impressed by AK when I was there a couple of years ago. Some friends of mine said it was nothing but a glorified zoo, and I found that to be firther from the truth than the earth is from Pluto (the ex-planet, not the dog). And yes, even without a crowded park, it took a lot more than just part of the day to experience everything - and we still didn't get to all of it. That's OK - time to go back!

After Flight Commander was removed, where did it go? Are there any other Flight Commanders anywhere? I was on the ride twice - I thought it was cool.

There was an interesting show on National Geographic Channel last night about toilets - called FLUSHED. They said that, up until the 1800's, people "toileted" together, much like using a bathhouse together. Conversations were carried on during the "outcomes" and males and females "did it" together in the same room - no dividers, no stalls, no privacy. I guess this is where the lack of dividers in men's restrooms originated. Back on topic - If only Top Gun were twice the length, if only Top Gun got rid of those OTSH's, if only Top Gun didn't require a two mile hike to get to the loading platform - then it would be my favorite. However, once you get on the ride, all bad things are forgotten.

No Revenge of The Bat! Instead, they're going to combine King Cobra with the old Safari ride - you'll stand-up and ride on the monorail through various wild animals, such as those who hate SOB, those who think TR is a waste, those who avoid IJST because they say it's too lame, and those who will be REALLY disappointed when PKI (or KI) doesn't get a new coaster next season!

May I ask why certain rides were closed because of the cold? Could you elaborate? I realize the water stuff, but Face Off?

You know, a little bit BETTER landscaping would do wonders for the entire park. I live in Toledo and we have a suburb called Maumee. Toledo does well with the landscaping, but once you cross into Maumee, YOU KNOW IT because it's so much nicer. I think it would even make me forget that The Racer used to look good - 3 colors and shiny!

Anything going on at SOB? Just wondering.

Everyday the news reminds us of how obeese we American's are becoming. OK - lose weight and all will be well, but that's hard to do - and if the numbers the news tells us are correct, there aren't gonna be many people able to ride these coasters anymore. Even if they ALL went on diets, it would take a long time to get PERFECTLY into shape to be able to ride - and I have to ask if a park can sustain the loss of business while everyone trims down. So, why not make the restraints a bit more accomodating - a la B&M and S&S - because I don't see us American's getting skinny anytime soon. When the park orders a new ride, make sure people can fit on it. There will be some of you that will say it can't be done for saftey reasons. I say bullcrap to that - the same thinking goes into the making of an automobile and I don't see anyone being denied a driver's seat in a new Chevy or Ford. For god's sake, think outside the darn box once in a while. Another bug up my butt... I can ride on everything at PKI, but hardly anything at CP. When next year rolls around, will CF change all of the restraints to match those at CP? And I used to be able to ride everything at CP up until a couple of years ago. Go figure. So, CP doesnt get my money, PKI does this year, but we'll have to wait and see about 2007.

So they're thinking of foregoing the "Paramount" things like Top Gun and Italian Job. I suppose that's OK - Top Gun can be renamed anything - even Fairly Odd Coaster II if they want, but Italian Job - that whole thing is based on the movie and to retheme it would pose problems for the people at CF. Maybe they could call it "Snoopy's Cops & Robbers".

Quote... Inspectors found a cracked vertical support beam in the double helix part of the coaster the day after the accident. Inspectors say that might have contributed to the big jolt riders described. Kings Island must now take apart a small section of the ride, including pieces surrounding that cracked beam. Those pieces must be turned over to the state for analysis. Meanwhile, the park would have to rebuild that section and test the new portion under the supervision of an independent engineer hired by the state. SMALL SECTION!!! REBUILD THAT SECTION!!!!! TEST THE NEW PORTION!!!!! And you guys have them tearing down the whole thing. Can't anyone read!

Very well written. Since 1973, I have ALWAYS stayed at the Knights Inn in Lebanon - and always in room 120. Last year, it was the pitts. I know you only sleep there, but I'm gonna look for a different place. By the way - go online next time and get a better deal for Knights Inn. I always eat at Perkins too! We must have the same astrological sign or something. Such a nice place. One question - how crowded was the park? Being a Thursday and a Friday, I would think it would be "shoulder to shoulder" - but maybe the chance of rain kept some away. I know last year, we were there this same week - on a Wednesday and Thursday - and Thursday was quite crowded. Some of the park employees said that the beginning of the week was slower. I know - it's a crap shoot. Just asking.

Alcohol & cigarettes - correctly spelled, just for you!

When KI opened, it was yellow.

A screwball friend of mine once stated that if someone were to build a coaster where every 1 millionth person riding were to get a serious injury or be killed, there would be a line stretched miles long with people wanting to ride it. Then, there's video games. Get in an accident, just press reset. Get killed, just press reset. Don't like the game - even though it cost $90 or more - who cares, just throw it away. Finally, there are people who think that nothing could ever happen to them - that somehow they are Divinely protected or have extra Guardian Angels - and go on doing whatever they like, or want, or enjoy doing. In real world life, people are the most valuable thing ever. You cannot replace a person. You can't just throw them away when you're tired of them. And, they are fragile and need protection. In viewing the posts about the recent accident on SOB, it amazed me that even though real people were really hurt, all some cared about was if the ride was going to be opened the next day. Or, since they don't like the ride, it should be thrown out. Or, people who's careers are about the saftey and well being of others seem to never do their job. Doesn't life have any value anymore? Or are we really that immature and/or crazy? I hope none of you ever gets injured - on a ride or anytime. I hope none of you ever feel that life has no value - everyone is important in this world. I hope none of you ever do something so stupid as to cause harm to your own self - drugs, drinking, and sex isn't all there is to life. I pray that all of those who were injured on that ride yesterday will heal and be well, and a special prayer go out to all who helped them, service the ride, clean the park, design attractions for our enjoyment, drive the ambulance, work at the hospial - and anyone else along the way - a prayer of thanksgiving to you all. Please accept apologies for those who don't appreciate what you do.

Something that may interest you... RR is the inverted coaster of Woodstock's Express at Cedar Point... http://www.rcdb.com/ig553.htm?picture=2

The Beast was my first "bigger than The Racer" coaster. I came off of it shaking - something that no other ride had ever done to me before. I couldn't believe that anyone could have built a coaster with "out of the box" thinking. And then to ride it at night - WOWzers! (mind you, all of this took place back in 1980 when I was 21 years old)