A Kings Island Stretch

[TheCrypt]

So. For this summer camp thing I'm attending, I have to make a free website about Structure and Design. So naturally, I chose Kings Island, thinking "Hey, Kings Island has a crap load of buildings, this should be easy!"

Well, it's not.

I try typing up things that sound structure and designy, but it just comes off as a stretch. I really don't have much time to start over on a different topic, so that's out. Does anybody have any suggestions? I've really hit a roadblock here... Oh, and please nobody Terpy me!

Thanks,

Crypt

[The Interpreter]

Why is it not easy?

Sounds like a fantastic idea to me.

And I AM somebody.

[dudecoasterman]

You could talk about the supports for different rides and the other rides around the world that the manufacturers made, take Vekoma for example,you would talk about how Invertigo's supports are different from an SLC's or a Flying Dutchman's.

[TheCrypt]

Honestly, I didn't think about supports for rides. Could this be expanded further to track differentiations?

Thanks, dudecoasterman.

There are several reasons why it's hard [for me at least]. I have to keep out what kind of food they serve, what kind of ride experience it had to offer, theming, etc. It has to be based solely on structures and designs. I'm not very good with writing, so it furthers my problem. My journalism is nowhere near many posters' abilities.

[Hank]

Terrain is a big deal at KI. The Beast, SOB, Flight Deck, AE, Whitewater Canyon - all take advantage of the acreage's terrain. Maybe this could be a better focus for you.

[TheCrypt]

I'm looking for some help on things with buildings. That's like half the project, LOL. I will incorporate the supports information in there in place of another page.

[Thrill_Biscuit]

Are you expected to write purely technically, or are you allowed to be creative? If the latter is true, then you might be able to use sentences like, "To help its towering, steel lift hill remain suspended high above the wafts of deep-fried potatoes and funnel cakes, massive, tubular columns of tempered metal rise 230 feet above the teeming crowds at precise angles, distributing the load evenly as each precision-designed train plummets its screaming riders along its precarious drop."

See if you can add the color of your experiences in the park with the technical aspects of it.

[TombRaiderFTW]

I'll gladly help if I can (as structural mechanics are some of my favorite things I've studied in school), but I'm a little confused about what you're writing about. Like, are you just describing the visual differences in various KI support structures, and then trying to relate those differences to the purposes of the structures? That's the impression I'm getting from what you're saying, but I want to be sure.

An example of what I'm saying: you observe that Diamondback has thick, cylindrical steel supports, but Adventure Express (or Beast, Racer, etc.) has rows and rows of rectangular wooden beams that are assembled into certain wide shapes. You then try to describe why Adventure Express would have wide supports made of a weak material compared to Diamondback's supports?

Or maybe it's something like: you observe that the Eiffel Tower gets wider at the base, but the Festhaus (or Drop Tower) stays the same dimensions on all sides. You then try to describe why the Eiffel Tower needs wide supports at the bottom, but the Festhaus doesn't, despite the fact that it's a physically wider and longer building?

Just trying to get a better idea of what you're looking for.

EDIT: WHOAAAAAA MAN. Post 1000. I just hit post 1000. Definitely never thought I'd see this day.

[Fire-Beast-OF FEAR]

What kind of awesome summer camp do you go to that has you make websites? At my camp all we did was run 3 miles and talk about Jesus.

[medford]

What kind of camp is this? Is it an architectural camp, a civil design type camp? The supports of a rollercoaster may not exactly hit their intent (you talk about buildings a lot) if its an architectural camp. However a civil design type camp and discussion about using the terrian and the roller coaster supports would be interesting.

building wise, Kings Island is kind of a boring place, but there are a few exceptions that would actually make for a good paper as it would force you to limit the conversation and not drag things out. KI Theater, IIRC, has columns out front. What kind of columns are they? What are they supporting (roof only I believe), are there other visible supports? The oktoberfest restaurant has internal beams that are visible. Are they wooden or steel (I can't recall, never thought about it much until today)? What about the front entrance? Are there archways that you pass thru? Take a look at all of the stations, The Beast station uses a lot of wood, perhaps exclusively wood, while Vortex uses a combination of steel and wood. There's a "walk-over" bridge to get to Vortex's station. Dinosaur's alive has a tent setup for their gift shop, I haven't paid close attention, but I'm guessing the support system is a bit unique to anything else in the park. Then of course there is the Eiffel Tower which definently has unique supports to anything else in KI, there's probably even a lof of disscusion around the web about the one in Paris that you could learn from. etc, etc, etc....

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced KI was a great choice as their's a lot of variety tucked into a small space. When is the paper/website due? Wouldn't hurt to call KI and see if there is someone willing to take you "behind the scenes" into some of the buildings to get a look a better look at how they're supported. I'm not sure how receptive KI is to something like that, but they might have someone willing to give you an hour of their time, can't hurt to ask.

Since this is a technical discussion, I don't think you need to worry too much about being a wordsmith. Technical papers are fairly dry to begin with. It won't hurt to describe things in interesting ways, but I wouldn't get bogged down attempting to make it too flowery. Get to the park and take a lot of pictures, pictures can often describe things to the human eye much clearer than words, they'll help you craft a description. Go beyond just looking for the structural design, but see if you can't get pictures of how the structure ties together. Bolts, welding, nails, screws, etc.... Different things are tied together in different ways. When you look at something, try to get a sense for what you think the design accomplishes. For instance, The Beast station really gives you the feel that your out in the middle of the woods. You can talk a little about the history of The Beast, and how it originally had a pond around it that gave it that Saw Mill kind of feel, talk about how the surrounding woods tie into the theme of the station, etc... Go back to flight deck, talk about the platform giving you the impression of stepping onto an aircraft carrier. what does Boo Blaster on Boo Hill do on the exterior of their building to give it a haunted Castle type feel?

I guess I should take back my early comment about KI being a "booring" place in terms of buildings. Its actually quite interesting, just not what you typically think of when it comes to a "building". There is a ton of variety, take as much of that variety into thought and start describing it. I'll be at the park tomorrow afternoon, evening. I'll pay closer attention and see what other areas of the park are a bit unique.

Good luck

[stashua123]

Or maybe say how SOB's supports are very messy and complex and The Beasts supports are neat

[Tanna]

Terrain is a big deal at KI. The Beast, SOB, Flight Deck, AE, Whitewater Canyon - all take advantage of the acreage's terrain. Maybe this could be a better focus for you.

I love taking guests to the park because of this. How many of us have taken first time guests to this park and have them remark on the amount of trees, or have them amazed that The Beast goes so far out into the woods?

I think the barrenness of Diamondback's landscape along the run is due the contrast of all the greenery around the other rides.

That's actually a great idea, Hank.

[LongLiveTheSmurfRide]

On International Street alone you should be able to write quite a bit. The different buildings along IS are designed after common international structural influences. You can see building designs from France, Spain, Germany, Sweeden and Italy. Then, of course, you can comment on the general design and layout of the park. How do the paths branch out to help with crowds and bottle-necking? Perhaps, if it's permitted, comment on areas where a design modification to the park layout might improve things, like how X-Base and Action Zone are both "dead ends" and do not allow and easy "flow" for crowds.

[TheCrypt]

Thank you everyone. I have finished it (was due today), but had to start completely over to do many things mentioned here.

What kind of awesome summer camp do you go to that has you make websites? At my camp all we did was run 3 miles and talk about Jesus.

Well, the only time we ran was to get out of rain (well, my group--I walked), and there was no mention of Jesus there! It was a Structure and Design camp at Wright State University.

Again, thank you all for the advice! It helped a lot!