A GOOD park attendant story...Happy Thanx
Well, we all have several "moron" stories about various park attendants/ride ops who have been known to defy common sense, stare into hyperspace, lapbar you into the concrete, etc., but I'd like to acknowledge a good one in the spirit of Thanksgiving.
For the blonde lady with the big friendly smile at the entrance of Dragons at IOA: "You're the greatest!"
Last summer, my little blonde-haired, blue-eyed coaster freak was 53-and-a half inches tall in her shoes. Despite all the "stand-tall" training we could give her, it just wasn't enough.
If you have ever trekked through the park with your little one at or near this height, you'll know what I'm saying. The tears will kill you.
Anyway, little-freak bravely walked up to the height bar and stood as naturally tall as she could. Everybody knew rejection was coming again.
And than came the words she'll never forget:
"I think she'll be alright."
I wish every one of you could have seen that instant on little-freak's face, the joy in the eyes. So, many thanks to that unknown, wonderful lady who, obviously, has never forgot what it iz to be a hopeful, nervous, and brave little kid!
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
For the blonde lady with the big friendly smile at the entrance of Dragons at IOA: "You're the greatest!"
Last summer, my little blonde-haired, blue-eyed coaster freak was 53-and-a half inches tall in her shoes. Despite all the "stand-tall" training we could give her, it just wasn't enough.
If you have ever trekked through the park with your little one at or near this height, you'll know what I'm saying. The tears will kill you.
Anyway, little-freak bravely walked up to the height bar and stood as naturally tall as she could. Everybody knew rejection was coming again.
And than came the words she'll never forget:
"I think she'll be alright."
I wish every one of you could have seen that instant on little-freak's face, the joy in the eyes. So, many thanks to that unknown, wonderful lady who, obviously, has never forgot what it iz to be a hopeful, nervous, and brave little kid!
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
For coastergenius: "I 'spit' you not: the kid actually said she would do that to get to 54!"
And to think; I actually thought she was a bright kid. Turns out, she's afflicted with that evil little coaster disease. :)
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
And to think; I actually thought she was a bright kid. Turns out, she's afflicted with that evil little coaster disease. :)
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
I don't know. Maybe I just do my job correctly, but I wouldn't have let her ride. A half inch is a half inch. I've told kids they couldn't ride when they were closer than that. I'm not being mean, I'm just doing my job. Would you call me a "moron," if I didn't let your girl ride? If I would have seen that, I probably would have asked her why she let your kid ride. I've gone to GR to report an op at a SF park who height checked a child, the kid was far too short (at LEAST an inch, maybe more) and he let them ride. If the rule is 54" it should be 54", not 53.5". If I had kids of my own I would wait until they are 54" and nothing less. I guess that is just me though.
(Yes, I realize it's a half inch, but to me, it matters. It's all or nothing. But I hope your "little-freak" enjoyed her ride nonetheless.)
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"Legend 1 looks too intense for me."
(Yes, I realize it's a half inch, but to me, it matters. It's all or nothing. But I hope your "little-freak" enjoyed her ride nonetheless.)
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"Legend 1 looks too intense for me."
I'm inclined to agree with my cohort Mr. Legendary there. You have to draw the line somewhere, and if you're letting kids on when they're a half inch too short, a parent whose kid is three quarters of an inch too short is inevitably gonna come up to you and say "Well you let HER ride" and it's just going to turn into a bad situation. It's for the child's own safety and really, a park could ask her to take her shoes off if they were so inclined, it's that park's prerogative.
-Natalie
CP Ride Operations '99-'00
-Natalie
CP Ride Operations '99-'00
For legendary, I wouldn't call you a moron if you were polite about it!
If, however, you're gonna behave in such a "stiff" manner, I may well call you that. And it shows that you haven't raised any kids; you can easily (now) say that you wouldn't let them go, but wait until you raise them up for a few years.
And for Natalie, do you, despite the hardline opinion, have a "good" operations type story from your experience, following the thread?
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?" *** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. ***
If, however, you're gonna behave in such a "stiff" manner, I may well call you that. And it shows that you haven't raised any kids; you can easily (now) say that you wouldn't let them go, but wait until you raise them up for a few years.
And for Natalie, do you, despite the hardline opinion, have a "good" operations type story from your experience, following the thread?
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?" *** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. ***
Why am I being singled out? Nobody else in the thread has one of your "good operations type story" yet I am the only one asked. Kinda sketchbox.
If Legendary hadn't posted what he did I would have posted something drastically similar, that is why I posted an agreement with him. It's just the way that I would expect things to be run if I was in charge of a crew or something like that. It's nice that your kid enjoyed the ride, but if something would have happened to her on the ride that could possibly be related to her being too short to ride it would you have been able to forgive yourself? I doubt it, and neither would the nice girl at entrance who let her ride.
So do I have a good operations type experience? Not one that defies the rules...I *expect* my experiences at amusement parks to be good rather than bad. When things are exceptional within the rules is when I find it fit to compliment a park's operations. Holiday World in general is one example of this, the attitudes of the employees there are better than any I've seen yet. That's my compliment for the day. Happy belated Thanksgiving, hope everyone is safe and happy.
-Natalie
CP Ride Operations '99-'00
If Legendary hadn't posted what he did I would have posted something drastically similar, that is why I posted an agreement with him. It's just the way that I would expect things to be run if I was in charge of a crew or something like that. It's nice that your kid enjoyed the ride, but if something would have happened to her on the ride that could possibly be related to her being too short to ride it would you have been able to forgive yourself? I doubt it, and neither would the nice girl at entrance who let her ride.
So do I have a good operations type experience? Not one that defies the rules...I *expect* my experiences at amusement parks to be good rather than bad. When things are exceptional within the rules is when I find it fit to compliment a park's operations. Holiday World in general is one example of this, the attitudes of the employees there are better than any I've seen yet. That's my compliment for the day. Happy belated Thanksgiving, hope everyone is safe and happy.
-Natalie
CP Ride Operations '99-'00
Stiff, man, stiff.
And we "singled out" both respondees, not one of them--no sketchbox here.
Re: "..defies the rules..." This is either the militant--or the youthful--stance. One would assume it is the "youthful" stance, and hope that twenty more years will teach that there are "many, many shades" of a rule, not merely "black and white."
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
And we "singled out" both respondees, not one of them--no sketchbox here.
Re: "..defies the rules..." This is either the militant--or the youthful--stance. One would assume it is the "youthful" stance, and hope that twenty more years will teach that there are "many, many shades" of a rule, not merely "black and white."
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
The worst thing I saw was this...
It was July at Six Flags Ohio, about 6pm.
My buddy and I were getting on the Huss Top-Spin, Texas Twister. In front of us was a girl, no taller than 43" tall. The height requirement for the Texas Twister is 55"
The girls father told the ride op the girl had ridden a similar ride at a fairground. The op let the girl on, looked at her once the restraints were on, and said "She wont fall out"
Of COURSE, I get to sit next to her.
So, here I am, flipping 'round and 'round 60 feet in the air, sitting next to a girl who didn't meet the height requirement by at LEAST a FULL FOOT.
This girl could not even ride the go-karts, the log flume, or the parks tamest coaster, the Double Loop.
But she got on a Huss Top-Spin, the ride with the tallest height requirement in the park, because her dad said "she has been on a similar ride at a fairground before"
Imagine what would have happened if she did fall out. The news, me sitting next to her, her family. How stupid would her father and the op feel. Her death for a ride.
I blame the father and the op. The father was stupid enough to even consider asking, and the op was even more moronic for allowing it.
Now, I am a MAJOR SFO fan. I visited 25 times, rode the new CCI Villain woody 100 times this season, and have defended the park when it needed it.
But not this.
This made me mad.
Just thought I would share that.
It was July at Six Flags Ohio, about 6pm.
My buddy and I were getting on the Huss Top-Spin, Texas Twister. In front of us was a girl, no taller than 43" tall. The height requirement for the Texas Twister is 55"
The girls father told the ride op the girl had ridden a similar ride at a fairground. The op let the girl on, looked at her once the restraints were on, and said "She wont fall out"
Of COURSE, I get to sit next to her.
So, here I am, flipping 'round and 'round 60 feet in the air, sitting next to a girl who didn't meet the height requirement by at LEAST a FULL FOOT.
This girl could not even ride the go-karts, the log flume, or the parks tamest coaster, the Double Loop.
But she got on a Huss Top-Spin, the ride with the tallest height requirement in the park, because her dad said "she has been on a similar ride at a fairground before"
Imagine what would have happened if she did fall out. The news, me sitting next to her, her family. How stupid would her father and the op feel. Her death for a ride.
I blame the father and the op. The father was stupid enough to even consider asking, and the op was even more moronic for allowing it.
Now, I am a MAJOR SFO fan. I visited 25 times, rode the new CCI Villain woody 100 times this season, and have defended the park when it needed it.
But not this.
This made me mad.
Just thought I would share that.
Yup. 12-plus inches is way out there, even for a less-than-militant definer of law such as me.
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
I say if your within an inch its all right. The way I see it most people go 60 mph in a 55 mph speed zone, and cops let them go without a ticket. Is it just that the police aren't doing they're job, or was the restrictions set in such a way where there would be some wiggle room. (The 12" story is different completely, however.)
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Randy Hutchinson
You build it, I'll ride it
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Randy Hutchinson
You build it, I'll ride it
I agree with Legendary, what would happen if a surgeon decided not to use anesthia on a patient on a patient during a surgery just for kicks.
I have to agree with Legendary. When you start fudging on the height, where do you draw the line?What if something happened to the child in question? It WILL come flying back in your face, get you at least a reprimand,if not fired. The parks safety people and their insurance co. put these restrictions on for good reasons. Don't try to second guess them.
Another analigy is if somebody said, "The Joker's JInx has too much headbanging, could you [the Ride Op.] take the OTSR off for me please."
I guess the surgery would hurt pretty bad--what kind of parallel that has to do with "shades of a rule," you'll hafta explain. That's kinda like the 12-inch story--way out there.
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
*** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. *** *** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. ***
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?"
*** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. *** *** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. ***
Same for the "headbanging" analogy--way out there.
Nobody's talking about deleting the OTSR.
And in so far as the insurors and their restrictions are concerned...their bottom line is "how much of the park's money can they get with the lowest risk." The park's agenda is opposite--keep as much profit as possible. As an aside, don't give up your brain--second guessing is what keeps these people relatively honest, especiallyinsurors!
Which is all fine; but know, it's only about money, period.
If you're that militant not to accept "less than an inch," then at least be consistent and follow the speed limit, too.
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?" *** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. ***
Nobody's talking about deleting the OTSR.
And in so far as the insurors and their restrictions are concerned...their bottom line is "how much of the park's money can they get with the lowest risk." The park's agenda is opposite--keep as much profit as possible. As an aside, don't give up your brain--second guessing is what keeps these people relatively honest, especiallyinsurors!
Which is all fine; but know, it's only about money, period.
If you're that militant not to accept "less than an inch," then at least be consistent and follow the speed limit, too.
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bukweet FL
"kanwegoagain?" *** This post was edited by bukweetfl on 11/24/2000. ***
OTSR is an "Over the Shoulder Restraint", otherwise called a horsecollar or shoulder harness. Found on most coasters that have inversions, these are almost universally uncomfortable and over-restraining.
I still stand where I previously did on this issue, and have nothing more to say of it. Call it militant or what you must, I draw the line where I draw the line - at the exact height requirement.
Regarding speeding, it doesn't really have much of a parallel with this issue either unless one elaborates on it, because I don't *expect* officers to hedge any on the speed limit, i.e. if I speed, even five or ten miles per hour, and get caught, I pay the fine and get the points, because the officer is just doing his job and I can't fault him or her for that. Likewise, if you get caught trying to take a child on a ride who is too short, even if by a half-inch, it should not be called a "bad experience" because the ride op is doing what he or she is supposed to do. If a cop lets me go with a warning, yeah I'd say it's a great experience, like you are saying here, but I would respect the cop just the same if he or she enforces the rules, and would not call him or her militant or "stiff."
Just my take on the issue.
-Natalie
CP Ride Operations '99-'00
I still stand where I previously did on this issue, and have nothing more to say of it. Call it militant or what you must, I draw the line where I draw the line - at the exact height requirement.
Regarding speeding, it doesn't really have much of a parallel with this issue either unless one elaborates on it, because I don't *expect* officers to hedge any on the speed limit, i.e. if I speed, even five or ten miles per hour, and get caught, I pay the fine and get the points, because the officer is just doing his job and I can't fault him or her for that. Likewise, if you get caught trying to take a child on a ride who is too short, even if by a half-inch, it should not be called a "bad experience" because the ride op is doing what he or she is supposed to do. If a cop lets me go with a warning, yeah I'd say it's a great experience, like you are saying here, but I would respect the cop just the same if he or she enforces the rules, and would not call him or her militant or "stiff."
Just my take on the issue.
-Natalie
CP Ride Operations '99-'00
I would let somewon who didn't meet the hight requirement ride unless it was a safty issue. AId it was only because the child would be scared and no risks would be taken I would let it slide.
Todd
Todd
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