Browntggrr

You bring up an interesting point. If the steel used was substandard compared to US steel, why would they even try and sell the ride knowing it would not last? Everyone in the industry would have to know the same information as yourself, and others. If this is to be correct, Paramount had a serious integrity issue.

While not impossible, I highly doubt a new coaster is in the plans for the next 2 to 3 years. I would also hope that it would not go over the lake. There are many other areas where a coaster could go that would not take away from an area that is still soft on the eyes.

I really don't think that was it. Sometime ago, a member here posted some great KC construction pics. You can definately see that this was not an ordinary rumor monger. And without going into detail, in his opinion KC was sent to the junkpile due to "lack of upkeep". http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?...=9364&st=30 And while there is truth to "life expectancies", there are many steel rides that have been around for 30+ years: Revolution at SFMM- 1976, Corkscrew at CP- 1976, and Cedar Creek Mine Ride at CP- 1969 just as few examples. Now KC lasted only 18 years. And in the three examples that I chose are two different parks; one with the reputation of not having the greatest focus of maintenance and uptime, and the other a park that has rather terrible weather- especially in the winter. Sure, it is valuable land. And Delirium looks great there. But for how much land KI has to expand, and for how small of a footprint Delirium has, it is easy to see that there were other reasons than just prime real estate and popularity for the deconstruction of KC.

Less orphus resistance? (Nose and mouth)

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-mteacup...0,2555633.story If the injuries are true, then it is a sad story. But something tells me that some of the accusations have been exaggerated. Medicine has helped control the seizures, but she said she relies on her husband and other family and friends to stay with her because of lingering memory and physical problems. Exactly what is "lingering memory"? Not to mention, a woman that was 5'11" and 230? WOAH! That woman could kick some serious a$$! EDIT: fixed link!

Intresting article. I would just make the suggestion to the writer to expand his horizons to other big parks. It was easy to tell that he does not frequent parks often.

^ Either that or... Since AAA sells discount admission tickets for KI, why not make it a one stop shop and sell the parking admission as well?

http://www.rcdb.com/id920.htm Something does not add up. The original cost of X-Flight was $15 million. And the money allocated to KI was $10 million. Now if you just throw in the removal of SoB's loop, the new trains, the other repairs as well as the other park improvments (addition of garbage cans ), and then throw in there the entire cost for X-Flight being at KI this year it seems that the $500,000 is inaccurate. The bottom line still is; it costs more to construct than deconstruct.

That is like saying CF spent more disassembling, transporting, and reassembling (with all the trimmings) Firehawk, which we know not to be the case. http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm Kings Island, another park that the company acquired this past season, and Knott’s Berry Farm, the company’s only year-round park, will spend approximately $10 million and $8 million, respectively, on their 2007 capital programs. Kinzel added that both programs will be highlighted by major new thrill rides that will be announced by the parks at a later date. Where did you come up with this idea? Or if you are referring to ROI (return on investment)?

Wow, the comments that could be made about that statment! Yeah, I agree. The earplugs should have been a big, pink, blinking, neon sign. Just to give everyone a good visual: http://www.microtelinn.com/mappoint/Locato...amp;country=USA I can remember staying at a campground (it's gone today), in a tent, back in the early to mid 80's on Cleveland Road. Yeah, those same tracks were near us. Now imagine it, numerous trains, sleeping in a tent, in the middle of JULY (The shores of Lake Erie can be rather humid)! It was TERRIBLE! I honestly believe that may have been the last time my family stayed in a tent for a vacation. I have stayed at a rather unattractive motel on Cleveland Road called Value Inn (yellow sign) located maybe one mile East of the main entrance. It wasn't Breakers, it didn't have a phone, or a pool. But it did have two beds, clean sheets, and towels. For $50 split 4 ways, it was the Taj Mahal for us. Ahhh, the college years.

The Beast has been operating since 1979. And in 29 years there has been at least one significant accident (when the brakes were wet and two trains collided). And guess what? The problem has been corrected, ironically enough, without major downtime. FoF was notorious for being a severe head-banger. New restraints were installed. And guess what? The problem has been corrected, ironically enough, without major downtime. Beast and FoF have been here for 29 years and 12 years respectivly. Your comparsion of those rides to SoB is like apples to oranges. And no, I have not screamed to tear it down. It would be great if the problems could be corrected and the ride could operate for everyone's enjoyment. But after 8 operating seasons (4 if you only count uptime) the park could use the money for something else. Think of it from a history standpoint. The Bat was present at KI from '81 till it finally closed in '83. As great were the reports as to what kind of ride it was, it could not operate consistantly. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? (Well not really, since most of the world feels that SoB should be donated to a third world country in the form of pencils) But in the end, Vortex was built. Now who could complain about that decision? The park certainly has not suffered with Vortex. Now, has the park suffered with SoB? I'll let the majority speak up with that answer.

I would never call you a lier. I don't even know what a lier is. I also would not call you a liar either. That would be just plain rude. Anyway, the issue with Magnum earlier this year were not the brakes wearing thin, but it was the brakes being wet. And as far as "failure is failure". I'm sorry. Getting a broken sturnum (SoB), having your feet taken off (S:ToP), or having a train derail (Japan Togo stand-up) is not acceptable. Those are not examples of failure. They are examples of catastrophic incidents. Accidents? Maybe. But I am a firm believer that all accidents can be prevented.

Just ask Ray Lewis! I can't say that I have ever felt "unsafe" at a park. But I did fell uncomfortable at KD the first time I went there 9 years ago. I live in Erie, PA. Quite a long distance from Richmond. And back then, the "information highway" was nowhere what it is today. So I really did not know much about the park. So I was rather concerned when I saw the metal detectors. I just kept asking myself, "What the hell happened here that they felt the need to install this type of security." Nowadays, post 9/11, it is no big deal.

IF that is true, your friend is in for a fantastic time. He is going to be utterly astonished at the actual quality rides that KI has. Most of them are even operating! Seriously though, people do not come to ride SoB. Why do I say that? Well look at it from the 20,000' level. The ride has been plauged from day one. It has not only had serious injuries on one occasion, it is notorious for giving most uncomfortable rides to literally beating them up. Who actually knows if it is going to be running from day to day. The ride has no draw. Go to some other enthusiast sites, they even hate it. And if a roller coaster enthusiast hates a coaster, what does that say for the actual ride? And enthusiasts make up less than 10% of the guests that go to the park. How many stories have we discussed here about the GP making up untrue stories about SoB? People are going to continue to believe those stories until the ride is consistantly operating, there is nothing to make them believe anything less. For another point. When TTD was having numerous issues for the first two years, CP actually had a online "TTD status" section letting anyone who wanted to be informed about if the ride was operating or not. Ever wonder why there was/ has not been the same type of information given for SoB? Sure there are some that love the ride. It probably has some underlying meaning for them (first coaster, biggest coaster ever, fastest ever etc.), or they have just not been on it yet and want to form their own opinion. I have the same feeling about Beast. And even though some will bash the heck out of Beast due to the braking, lack of airtime, roughness, unintrested layout- I still love it. But you know what- they are right about all those comments. But back in 1979, it was a much different ride. The same cannot be said for SoB. The problems it had in 2000, are same problems as today. When it was announced that the Flyers were being moved from KI, KIC had a petition to try and stop it from happening. Will there be the same outpouring if SoB was announced for destruction at the end of the season? I, for one, am very intrested to see what kind of reaction most have if/ when it happens. For years now, I have said I would hate to see SoB torn down. But when is enough, enough?

^ Excellent point. I have a bunch of friends that are teachers. The stories they have about parents blaming them for the kids failure in school are non-stop. My particular favorite is the parent blaming the teacher for the student not doing homework. Yeah- HOME-WORK!

I find it hard to believe that a one year wait could be considered rushing. Removing the main element of the ride, purchasing trains that are new to the ride, and then changing the gauging so that the trains fit on the track is not exactly a rush job. And as far as people being negative- SoB is a money pit. It has been for 8 seasons now (or if you actually count just the uptime of the ride- 4 seasons). Everyone really needs to sit back and think objectively about SoB. Put your personal feelings aside for a minute (weather you love it or hate it). It has not attracted positive attention since it opened. There have been lawsuits, modifications, injuries, and still the ride is not operating. People do not come to KI to ride SoB. It has been a black mark since day one, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The millions of dollars that have been poured into the ride over the last 8 years could have built a rather decent coaster for all of us to enjoy: Thunderhead at DollyWood was $7 million, El Toro at Six Flags was $12 million, Voyage at Holiday World was $6.5 million and Storm Runner at Hershey Park was $12 million. All of these rides scale from a "good" ride to a "fantastic" ride. And then there reality that most need to understand. There have been major changes over the last 12 months. But its status is still the same. SBNO

Hillary is going to be their as well? *stirring up the pot!*

Honestly though, why would a parent not keep track of their 4 year old in a wave pool? When my family goes on the boat, both of my kids (6 & 4) wear life jackets. They wear them even when they are on the beach playing in the sand. As sad as this incident is, there really is more blame on the parent(s) than on the lifeguard.

Are you saying that safety is not CF's top priority? Or did I miss something? Obviously your not picking up on the sarcasm And with sarcasm, there is a . And it would be "you are" not "your".

Are you saying that safety is not CF's top priority? Or did I miss something?

Yeah, it really is not a surprise that Prischak wants to take back his rides. He has a small fortune invested into Lake Erie Speedway, but the outcome has not been exactly lucrative. He really needs to draw more families to LES. And quite honestly, there is really no reason he shouldn't take them back. A moved ride is better than SBNO. At this point, it would take a small miracle for CLP to open ever again. Sad, but true.

Put it to you another way. My wife and I went to KD back in '99 for the first time. We had season passes from KI and decided to use them to our advantage. We hit KD on a Thursday expecting to be at the park for two days since neither of use were ever there. About 4:00pm, on the first day, we were bored with the park. We actually went back to the car to look at the AAA travel book to see what else was in the area to do. At that time, I did not realize that BGE was so close. On Friday we went to BGE and it was the absolute highlight of our trip. Everything is fantastic with the park. Even though through the website it seems that there is more to do at KD, it is not a fair comparison for BGE. There are just some things that cannot be seen through pictures or explained in words. We did go back to KD in '04 to see if anything changed, and still felt the same way. We actually left the park early to go back to BGE since we had free passes due to a incident with a rude ride operator the previous day. Volcano is a great coaster, everything else is "meh". When going to KD, you can see why KI was the crown jewel for Paramount.

-est rides are starting to become a thing of the past. Ironically enough, you can thank CF for that with the addition of Maverick. A coaster that did not promote itself as a -est coaster.

BGE hands down. The park is one of the most beautiful & enjoyable parks I have ever been to. BGE may have less coasters, but they are some really good coasters. Considering that you have just left KI, you will be riding coasters at KD that are very similar (Rebel Yell, FoF, and from some people's opinions Anoconda). Passing on BGE would be a mistake.

SF paying for the medical bills is a definite. Lifetime season pass? I am going to shoot from the hip and guess that her family and friends will not be making plans on being guests of SF anytime soon.