fryler87

Round and round the rumor mill goes. Where it stops? Cedar Fair knows. Higher and higher the expectations rise for the enthusiasts who want taller, faster and longer rides. Raised up to the sky, sometimes squashed to the ground, hopes and wants are occasionally found. One things for certain that history shows, the next big thing here is right under your nose.

What is a practical during an inspection, and what is not is not the issue here IMO. It is the parks responsibility to be sure that rides are safe. If that means checking every single bolt, then so be it. The other option is to close the ride down, which seems inevitable at this point. Inspections are the result of what some piece of equipment does, what it means to the ride, ride safety, the probability of failure, the failure modes, etc. Engineers are responsible for recommending what should be inspected based on as many factors as possible. To say that every single bolt should be checked is ludicrous. Such a ride would never be open, it would always be under inspection. Following inspection policies that are above and beyond those which the strictest governing body requires should be applauded, but it's simply beyond realistic to check everything. Under your logic, should the park then inspect the structures of all its coasters to prevent something like this happening? I don't think so. Does Enterprise take each rental car entirely apart and inspect it to ensure absolutely safe mechanical operation before renting it out to another customer? I doubt it. Should this woman be compensated? Yes, but reasonably. Unfortunately, ambulance-chasing lawyers compete to promise you the world. If you give a mouse a cookie, it'll ask for a glass of milk. I never want to be involved in an amusement park accident, but I just can't see myself demanding anything past reasonable compensation if I was. I hope the result of this trial is a deal that helps this woman live as normal a life as she would have led if she never visited the park.

VortexJunkie, I support you 100%, but I wouldn't put all the blame on KI security. Sadly, parents aren't as disciplinary to their children as they used to be and more of today's younger people have a false sense of entitlement which, in their eyes, gives them the right to do things like this. I would blame poor parenting for this, something sadly out of your and my control. Additionally, in today's "instant/get it now/no waiting" world, younger people have less and less patience to wait their turn like many people rightfully do. One distinct experience I had was at King's Dominion last year in the line for Dominator. Although no words were exchanged (reservation is something my parents spent endless time teaching me as a child), a mother and her two children who happened to be in line right behind us agreed that it's something that is inexcusable. It sounds like park security tried to reform the situation but wasn't completely effective in what they're likely supposed to do (which may be wrong, it's my best guess). It won't be long until people really start taking things into their own hands, and I won't guarantee that I won't be one of those people. Being a rug that line jumpers walk over is frustrating and if there's nobody who will do something about it, the only thing left is to take matters into one's own hands. I have zero problem standing up for what's right in this situation, and if that means being threatened of assault, so be it. I refuse to get pushed around and refuse to see others get pushed around because I and they follow the rules that make everyone happy. This isn't a threat to the park to 'do something about line jumping, or else.' This is a warning to the park that these situations are more and more prevalent, and there are many guests who will NOT accept this kind of behavior and WILL bestow it upon themselves to take matters into their own hands.

Ride op at Beast to child standing on queue gate: "PLEASE DO NOT RIDE THE GATES. THEY ARE NOT THE ATTRACTION." Funny funny!!! I was quite soured at Diamondback when the ride op with the wireless mic was repeating, 'Michigan sucks' So what if you go to Ohio State? King's Island is a family establishment and although I realize it's 2009 and Diamondback isn't geared towards younger children (who are less likely to be in line hearing words like 'sucks'), I was VERY put off by an employee being comfortable using language that is a gateway to worse four letter words. Looking back, I should have gone to guest relations. Hope it doesn't happen again.

The golden equation for centripetal acceleration: A = (V^2)/R where A = acceleration, V = velocity vector and R = radius If such a velocity and radius gives A to be less than 9.8, you'll fall out of your seat.

Rut roh Raggy!!! Look out below!

And the entire remainder of the park.

Last summer, Mr. Gramke stated that track erection was scheduled to be finished around Christmas/New Years. I would say that for a project of this scope, even if the prediction was a week or two off, that's still pretty good.

Good point, however compare the speed of the trains at both points. A wild guess would be that a train on the Force travels 45-50 miles an hour while Diamondback's trains will be doing 80. Griffon is another example of a coaster whose trains whiz by at a pretty high speed (right under a pedestrian bridge nonetheless) without much rider protection. All I'm saying is hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

That hammerhead looks like its gonna be hella good. Definitely looking forward to that element. I'm still interested to see what is done with the bottom of the first hill...it's awfully close to the Crypt's queue and I fear for the park when (not if) someone decides that it'd be funny to hurl some object just as the train whizzes by at 80 miles an hour.

Why's that? You're more than welcome to attend, and the events are always a blast! I'm not really sure why... KIC Day 1: My mom took off the wrong days so we couldn't go. KIC The Second Coming: I had no ride, and by the time I got one, it the day after they stopped selling tickets. It's weird cause I go to other coaster events, such as Fall Freakout and Coaster Mania, but never KIC days.... I do know that I will get to go to them once i get to drive (I turn 16 April 16th.) All in due time, young grasshopper. Just think, the first KIC even was last year, and this is only the beginning! Your window of more fun is about to open. This is gonna be awesome!

Who needs a breather? Counterattack courtesy of Millennium Force.

^^These pictures hardly do the structure justice. I drove back from North Carolina yesterday and was covered in goosebumps when I passed the park on 71. Even if the ride isn't that great, it WILL be one of the best looking coasters ever, in my slightly biased opinion.

At Busch Gardens Europe, I was first almost shocked to see stands in midways that sold bottled beer (although it made sense that they were all Anheuser-Busch products), along with every restaurant (which wasn't surprising). Despite the abundant sale of alcohol around the park, I can't remember a single instance of an unruly, let alone, intoxicated guest. I've seen a few instances at the Island when a guest had too much to drink and was being detrimental to other guests' experiences. I'm not sure if that day at Busch just happened to be problem free, or if that's the norm at the park, but it seemed like nothing was out of control at all. I just can't believe that people would spend an amount of money at the park to get drunk...talk about expensive!!!

This thread exemplifies the greatness if KICentral, its staff, and Don Helbig.