SOB_TOM

Ok, let me clear up maintenance runs: During a maintenance run, maintenance personnel sit in the cars with the restraints up (in order to start a ride, the restraints must be locked) and ride the coaster. They DO NOT jump out at the bottom of the hills, they jump out when the train starts to slow down past a speed in which the train would make it over a hill. This is done because the wheel bearings need wear and tear on them to run to perfection, and the extra weight in the cars helps break them in faster. So no, they are not jumping out a 70+ MPH, normally they jump out when the train is around the 5-10MPH range. As for the loop on SOB, the way it is designed is to pin you back into the seat, therefor the maintenance personnel were in no danger while riding.

There were two incidents involving the rosebowl, or first helix: During construction, a wind storm came through and knocked the partially built second hill down. The temporary supports were not strong enough to endure the high winds (I think they were in excess of 60MPH) and failed, causing the hill to collapse. The second incident involved a support beam breaking internally, causing a 8-12 inch depression in the track on the entrance drop into the rosebowl, causing 28 injuries and the removal of the loop to allow lighter rolling stock onto the ride. I'm thinking that you may have had pictures of SOB during its testing. Year after year, in order to break in the wheel bearings, each coaster has to undergo a certain number of cycles. Since the bearings initially have a ton of friction, maintenance personnel would ride on the ride and give it a gentle push (hop out of the car during the cycle when the train starts to putter going up hill, push it over the hump, and jump back in) to allow it to complete the cycle. SOB's trains were extremely heavy, and would sometimes valley in the rosebowl regardless of how much you pushed.

If I am waiting in line, I will confront the line jumpers and drag the people behind me in line into the confrontation. Example: A group line jumps in front of me. I ask them what they are doing, get lame excuse. I then say, "We have been waiting for X minutes, and you just want to skip that?" I then turn to those behind me and ask, "Do you think that's right?" Normally, this will start a mob mentality, and the line jumpers will scamper away, foiled in their attempt to skip line. When I was a ride op from 02-03, the policy was that two people from separate groups had to witness the line jumping, then we could take action. This was to prevent people from just saying, "They cut!" and having them removed from the line. Reminds me of a story. Back in 02, I was working on SOB one day, and we had this report of two line jumpers for the front row. Well, our policy on SOB was to wait until they were at the front, about to get on the ride, then kick them off. It was just easier that way. Well, they made it to the front, I told them that we had people complaining of them line jumping, and they had to leave the line. They refused and sat down in the car. So we called security, told them the situation, so security came to the ride, the two line jumpers still refused to leave. Security called Mason Police, where they were cuffed and sent to the station to a thunderous applause from those in the station.

Sounds like someone was told to throw together a news story quick or be looking for new employment..... Or be put on the Brett Favre Retirement watch...

Before I go political, I am going to just stop reading this thread. I don't want to hurt peoples' feelings (which apparently I have done in the past,) or again, start preaching about how smoking bans and bans against groups of people are unconstitutional. I will say this, however... No matter what the side effects of smoking are, it is a legal substance, just like caffine. The next step is to screen for "cronic caffine users" and deny them jobs because of "the side effects of caffine." Tom, who is so infuriated with the Cincy Zoo that he can't see straight.

From Dictionary.com: Discrimination: treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit. Link: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/discrimination Tell me how this isn't discrimination? To deny a job because of a LEGAL substance!? I'm sorry, but I will no longer be going to the zoo because of this policy. Whether or not there is a law about tobacco users or not, this is and will continue to be discrimination. And please don't get me started on the illegal practices of the smoking ban....

Cobra, I hang out with Ox and Patty all the time outside the haunt. As for coming back to St. Rita, I enjoyed my time there, but I felt it was important to move on. It didn't hurt that the co-owners of The Dent Schoolhouse are two old classmates from high school (in fact, I still remember helping out with their yard haunt, which went across his house and 3 of his neighbors' houses as well.)

I worked St. Rita's 4 years ago. Say hi to Patty and Ox for me!

I know from the experience of doing haunted attractions, it is murder on you. There are contributing factors, but at the haunt I have to wear a kneebrace under my costume just so I can act all night.

So what you are saying is the fact that children could see these displays, it marked them forever? It seemed to me that the way they were done, the displays were kid friendly, but the adults, whom the displays were aimed for anyway, got the innuendos, and were offended. Goes back to my point, if you don't like scenes of death and such, then don't go!

I will be working at The Dent Schoolhouse for the third year, and I am excited for another haunt season! There's nothing like being inside a house, the mood completely set, and stalking the living! For those who are curious, The Dent Schoolhouse was ranked #6 in 2009 by Hauntworld.com's "Best Haunted Attractions" and also is ranked in the top 25 in Haunted Attractions Magazine's "Must See Haunts." The doors open for another frightful school year on Sept. 17th and runs through Oct. 31st. For official information, go to http://www.frightsite.com to purchase tickets and see operating hours. Sorry, shameless plug, but I have been through this haunt time and again as a paying customer, as well as an actor, and The Dent Schoolhouse is by far one of the best haunts I have ever been through. I highly recommend everyone to go to it.

Working as a haunt actor, I just have this to say: You come to a haunted attraction, you are expected to see hardcore elements. If you don't like those types of things, then don't go! Simple as that. As for the display, I thought it was both brillant and funny at the same time. Again, if you don't like haunted attractions, and portrayals of death, you shouldn't be going anyway. Secondly, the way I remember it, KI had a kids attraction during the day, and at 7:00pm, the park was geared for those 14 and up. So I have yet to see something that is completely wrong with these images. It was something that the media didn't agree with, and therefor the rest of society, the lemmings that they are, decided it was wrong as well. Ok, I'm done with my rant.

Nah, that butterfly caused Katrina, remember?

This is actually similar to something they do with the squirt games at certain amusement parks. If a certain amount of 'wins' is attributed to a certain squirt gun (normally around 3 in a row,) the piece that runs up and down to symbolize where you stand throughout the game (called the 'carriage' or 'car,') will run slower than the other 'cars' for a certain amount of time. The parks and maintenance personnel do this to keep the playing field fair, but a lot of times, it is not perceived that way.

While I think there is some validity in the Chaos Theory, I think that most theorists take it to the extreme. I will use the theory in the article. Yes, the body does have its own magnetic force, it is not enough to effect a magnet, much less a piece of metal. As for the mass, one person stepping on the Earth is so small it would have no effect on the Earth, or its magnetic pull. It is just like an ant crawling on your finger. While you know it is there, you really cannot feel it crawl. So to say that a person taking two steps forward would effect the motion of the ride, well, its ridiculous. It is a Chaos Theorists taking it a step too far.

Sad state of affairs when someone cares about a coaster over a living, breathing human being... As for this "stunt," these are timed down to the second. What this means is that if this guy was at a certain point, and was not as far as he should have been, the assistants were most likely instructed to pull him off. What I saw in the pictures, he took more time to take the debris off the tracks, something most likely they did not rehearse in practice. Also, he was most likely delaying to make his 'escape' look more daring, and the jumped a millisecond later than what he should have.

Not everything is a hint towards a new ride ya know....

Mantis and King Cobra are my only two standups, and I have to say that Mantis is very slow paced compared to Cobra.

The nitty gritty if why Winterfest was ended was attendance mostly due to weather. Winterfest cost a lot to pull off, but they were not getting the attendance figures they thought they would, so therefor were not generating enough revenue to justify having it as an event. Just like it was posted earlier, Winterfest will not return to KI as long as Cedar Fair owns the park, and I doubt any other owners will attempt to pull it off either.

I know its not all, and thats why I put most in the post, but its sickening to know the morals that I was raised up in (clean up after yourself, leave things in better shape than when you first got them) and seeing what I see while cleaning these studios.

I did read the article, but what I'm trying to say is that the park took his donation and turned it into a PR opportunity because of who he is. To me, that just isn't right.

I have seen some promotions give away bumper stickers before at the park, and subsequently the workers having to scrape them off. Its how the next generation is being raised Terpy. Stickers for a long time have been an easy way to get the name of a brand or product out, and have been used for decades. However, many (and before people blast me, there is a difference between MANY and ALL) teenagers now do not care if they vandalize or cause damage because of the morals being taught from their parents and communities. Its like some of the architecture majors at UC. I am in the middle of cleaning about 20 studios, and yet I have gotten 7 done because of the complete lack of respect to the architecture studios. There was spray paint on the walls, on the windows, about 30 beer bottles lined up on air conditioning ducts, a beer bottle was super glued to the wall, all this in a space that was given to them by the school in order to further their education. Its a complete lack of respect that boils down to the way that the students were taught by their society and by their parents while they were younger.

While I'm glad he bought the ducks, I don't see what the big deal is about a corporate person buying something to donate to a cause. Of course, I also don't see the big deal in making a big production of anyone with money making donations to charities. It shouldn't be something for PR, it should be expected of those with money. That and a donation is supposed to be from the heart, not from the PR dept.

Wasn't Paul Ruben one of Ocean's 11? You know, the one who bankrolled the idea?

I remember having these in the past, and the butter ones are melt in your mouth good! Makes me want to return to the park just for that. Well, that and the funnel cakes.