SOB_TOM

There are designated tornado shelters throughout the park, in which the ride ops and the other personnel are trained in helping guests to get to in the event of an emergency. Basically it would go like this: The ride ops/personnel would get the call and would start to direct guests to the nearest tornado shelters, and then take shelter themselves. After the event was over, a person put in charge from KI would give the all clear, and everyone would be let out. As for closings, it would depend on several factors ranging from damage to psychological side effects from such an event. To give an example of some of the designated tornado shelters: Under Action Theatre, underneath Showplace, underneath Bandstand, ANY bathroom, and parts of FoF, just to give some examples. And as for the two examples you brought up, the sign was hit by a microburst, which was mentioned, and the SOB incident was straightline winds that took it over. From what I gathered from people who were working in other sections of the park, the wind was calm, and all of the sudden the freak wind came up.

Coming from the theme park maintenance background that I have, I can say that a lot of the times these things cannot be seen before they happen. First off, a cable like what Millie would use is made up of several smaller cables in one bundle. So if there is metal fatigue, its hard to see. Metal fatigue can only be seen through two ways: Visual inspection (which is done everyday, and is only to the exterior of the metal component) and Xray (which should be done once a year and is very expensive.) Most likely, and I do not have any knowledge of what CP does for maintenance, is that the life expectency of the cable is, lets say, 2 years. So you let the cable run for 1-2 seasons. That is what the PARTS manufacturer tells you. Occasionally, you will get a bad cable (One that does not last as long as it should.) Since the maintenance guys can only look at the exterior of the cable. So if some strands break on the interior of the cable, the maintenance crew cannot see the fatigue on the inside, therefor causing catastrauphic damage to occur to the cable itself, causing accidents like this one. So to blame the maintenance crew, there's only a limited amount they can do. Now if theres evidence that the maintenance crew was running the cable PAST what the life expentency was, then I will agree with everyone here. But lets let the evidence present itself instead of throwing people under the bus too early.

If I were you, I would ask your Supervisor, or have her ask her sup. The reason is that most of us here either do not work for the park, or are past employees when the rules were different. So to get the most up to date information, I refer you to your (or her) supervisor.

Ok, so I don't know how to code, but I think a gadget that went on the sidebar of Vista (and Mac) would be perfect to check on the hot topics of the day. Who else would go for this? I voted yes

I wonder if there was a panel or what to decide this, cause there HAD to be better.

That would be cool to watch though, as a train passes underneath.

You have to realize, while there are a handful of workers from the park who post here, not all of us have the answers, and the management probably does not want questions like that answered in the open, so thats why you need to ask your sup before you take it into the open.

I have a feeling that they would add-idas him back to the forums though.

Ryan actually took a pic of me when I wiped out on a kneeboard, and its clear I forgot to let go of the rope.....

And trust me, the wet suit top really makes a difference.

That statement is completely true. A teenager (or a single person) is more likely to bring a cooler, or go out to eat outside the park than they are eating inside the park. If a family of four, lets say two adults, a 15 year old and a 8 year old, go to the park, they are going to pay for admission (if not season pass holders,) then pay for at least one meal (most likely two,) not to mention a good chance of buying some sort of merchandise, and maybe a game or two. A single person will pay for gate admission, most likely eat at the car, skip the merch and the games, and just ride. So yes, in fact, families are where the money is.

Well, after a fairly boring weekend, I call Ryan (boddah) to see how RWW was going, and to see about a baseball game this weekend. Little did I know that instead of a ball game, we would be headed to Wake Nation. We arrived around noon, and the weather was mid 60's with a constant breeze, which later in the day caused some shivering problems. After catching up with Pete, the owner of Wake Nation, and Bill Mefford, I knew that this day was going to be special. Pete is as into this sport as any die-hard that actually goes out on the lake. To see someone who enjoys what he does as much as Pete does, I knew that even if I fell flat on my face, this day would still be fun. After getting out gear, we were told to try knee boarding first. For those of you who don't know, knee boarding is where you kneel on a board, and go from that position. I saw Ryan pulled off the dock at an impressive 18.5 MPH, I lined up, and went down that ramp. What a rush! Being pulled from a sitting still position to 18.5 MPH is definitely an experience. Well, Ryan and I both made two successful launches while knee boarding, we "thought" we were ready to play with the wake boards. So we go and get the wake boards, and set up on that same ramp. After getting several helpful hints from Pete (who was operating the ride, checking up on people, cooking food, not all at once of course) I line up on that ramp. Here is where Tom learns a lesson: Water is INDEED denser than concrete, and as such you probably should not face plant into it. Fast forward to 6PM (where Ryan's most successful run was about 150 ft on his backside and mine was 15 ft on the board,) we stopped and decided to try the concessions. To say that the cheeseburger was the best I have ever had would be an understatement. This was WONDERFUL, and I normally don't talk about the food unless it is that good. After this short break, we decided to hit the water again, only this time since my forehead was red from faceplanting and not the sun, I decided to go back to knee boarding while Ryan took shots, and we ended up leaving about 730. All the time we were at Wake Nation (and even in the parking lot,) not only were the employees great and knowledgeable about their jobs, but they were as friendly a bunch I have ever met. In fact, while Pete and the rest of the staff were giving us tips and tricks to try to get us out on the lake, even those who have been riding and knew what they were doing were chiming in, as well as laughing with us and probably at us, but hey, I was laughing at myself as well. In fact, even though it was Ryan and mine's first time wake boarding, we were asked by several people if we were coming back the next day. Even though I swam more than rode on the wake board, this group helped me out and made this day truly an experience I will never forget. Overall, the atmosphere, the challenge, music, employees, and even the other patrons made my decision to come back to Wake Nation a no brainer. Even as I sit here, I am sore and sunburned, but Wake Nation is definitely one place everyone needs to attend, whether to watch, or to attempt, wake boarding.

Not to mention the time it would save, which saves on labor costs.... Ironically they do come deflated.

Wish I could have afforded to go, but sadly the economy has me down..... Speaking of trim brakes, you act as if someone has control over if they are on or not. For the most part, those are kept on for your safety and comfort, but lets just forget that for a second...

I haven't been to KI for a few years now (shame on me I know, but can't afford it) but Heres the stats on SOB_TOM: 6`4-6`6 depending on the convienence store Im walking out of 230lbs brown hair hazel eyes I normally wear whatever to the park, but almost exclusively wear sandals. Theres your hints.

And if you are not a moderator, leave the moderation to the professionals. I think the reason he asked here is because A.) maybe NASCAR day is coming up the next day he works (just guessing,) or B.) since other employees DO read these forums, maybe they knew the answer.

Lets see, marathoned the following rides: (all rides are without getting out of the train, other than to switch seats) SOB-34 times (in the rain, and was a ride op with extras on the ride. Wanted to see how long I could last.) TRTR- 28 times (same thing) FoF-19 times (raining and like 1000 people in the park. Good time to marathon anything.) Beast-17 times Vortex- 10 times I think thats it actually. The rest were all having to get out of the train due to a line of some sort.

The longest I ever waited was first year for FOF. It was a 6 hr line, and i waited in all of it.

And to answer any questions, yes the SOAR tour did indeed happen, in the face of a fierce wind and swirling snow. Lets just say that it wasn't the warmest experience, other than the hospitality shown by one Mr. Don Helbig.

Ok guys, hate to break it to you, but the fog is not coming back to Flight Deck. How do I know? Open your eyes next time you are down on that ride...

And if you go across the river to Turfway Downs its 16 to bet.

Actually, when SOB had its loop, you did NOT need a restraint, and I have proof. In 2002, I was a ride op on SOB, and one of the maintenance guys who just finished his morning check, left his tools in one of the seats and did not realize it until after the train was dispatched (by maintenance.) When it came back, the tools did not move an inch. When I enquired about this, he informed me that the forces were high enough to keep you in the seat, regardless of a restraint. So yes, there is one coaster that (used to) invert that you did not need a restraint on.

Ever wonder why that is the last piece to go in? Was just curious.

Heres a question I have had for awhile though: Knowing what I do about expansion and contraction, and knowing how cold it is this very instant (-4 degrees,) is there a certain temperature that construction has to stop due to cold? Stupid question I know, but its been one that I have been curious about for awhile now.

If I remember correctly, and this is several years ago, its any coaster club that you must pay dues for and have a membership card.