An observation of attitudes

I'm a firm believer of the idea of privelege. When I see a private screening of a soon to be realeased film at the theater I work at, I understand that it is not a right but a privelege we have at the theater. To me, this goes the same with any ERT given to me. No Matter What Happens, I am always gracious to whatever park is giving US the oportunity to experience any form of ERT.

Mad props to all the parks that allow us this privelege!

During the entire day of CoasterMania, I never actually heard anybody fussing about TTD being down but I've read allot about it. Me personally, I could have honestly cared less that TTD was down. I had a feeling down deep that it wasn't going to be up since it was dealing with problems two days prior to CoasterMania. I knew it was for sure not gonna be up when at about 6 a.m. all of the crowd was gathered and waiting to enjoy our ERT that I saw them cycling trains on MF. I even told some of the people I was around that I bet they make the MF/TTD substitution and sure enough that was one of the first announcements. Like I said, I wasn't displeased one little bit though. I was just happy as a clam to be there at CP and getting ANY kind of ride in before the lines got really long that Friday. :) The extra goodies the park threw in were nothing more than icing on an already super-dee-duper cake.

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This ain't no book you can close, when the big light hits your eyes. Cropduster-Riot Act-Pearl Jam

During Pat Koch's disheartening announcement at SRM, I didn't personally hear any complaints, but my fiancee said she did. To me, that was appalling in itself, but I chalked it up to just a few kneejerk reactions from people who tend to not think before they speak. However, when I got back home and heard on the 'Buzz that some folks actually asked for a refund...while I guess I shouldn't have been surprised--I was, to say the least. Aside from igniting anger, it also rekindled the same sadness I felt that Saturday night from the tragedy--

To think that anyone could be so uncaring...

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-Mike B.
Son of Hulk

I heard some of the complaints at SRM, and made note that those complaining were not Coasterbuzz people. I didn't hear any complaints at Beastbuzz, but believe me, if I had I would NOT have kept silent about it. The complaining I have heard and read about Dragster being down for Coastermania, even after the park provided two front of the line passes (one for anything and one for TTD), and opened Gemini and Disaster Transport as a replacement only makes me less inclined to attend this event. I even read people complaining because they were being told TTD MAY be open. That tells me the park was doing everything they could to have TTD open for the nighttime ERT, but couldn't do it. CP COULD have not even tried.

I put a similar rant on GTTP yesterday. I'm having a very difficult time understanding why some of the complainers feel so justified after parks go out of their way for the enthusiast community. What is worse, not all of the complainers are youngsters either. The complaints are not limited to this year either. I recall the complaints from Coastercon last year as well. It was bad enough that ACE'rs were chided in the newsletter for their actions.

It's time some of these people realize that actions like this are more likely to make parks less inclined to offer events like these to enthusiasts.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
http://www.webtechnik.com/ebony/CPLady.htm

That is just shocking and disgusting Tim, what you overheard at BeastBuzz. I can't believe that after the awesome treatment and priveleges we were given all that night, thas some bozo actually had the nerve to say such a thing, let alone in the presence of our hosts. I would surely hope that whoever made that ungrateful statement doesn't attend any future enthusiast events, especially not any affiliated with Coaster Buzz.

I just want to say once again, that I was blown away by the treatment we got by Jeff S. and the rest of PKI, and they made my day great. Thanks again guys!

Take care and God bless!

Having worked in several parks during enthusiast events I can tell you that the vast number of people are terrific and cause no trouble what-so-ever. Unfortunately, the trouble makers usually are pretty good at being complete a-holes and they are the ones that stick out in your mind. It is easier to hear the squeaky wheel.

I personally heard a few people at Coastermania in the early morning just going off about the TTD incident and i can kind of understand their reaction. HOWEVER, Number one, the fact that they could get MF running in the amount of time they did and keep it running all day is phenomenal and two, The fact that ttd was down meant i was able to get 2 rides on millenium , 3 rides on raptor, a ride on blue streak, a ride on power tower, and 2 rides on magnum before the park even opened to the general public. Thats hard to manage when you have all day on most Fridays. The one other thing that just made my day complete and made coastermania the best day ive had at the point was a night ride on magnum with NO TRIMS! WOOOHOOOO!
*** This post was edited by mike chunke 6/11/2003 9:25:23 AM ***

Just at the gates at 6am for CoasterMania (my first enthusiast event, and the first for my girlfriend as well), I made the comment to my gf that I hoped that I wasn't like these people. I heard a lot of just general spouting of stats and arguing over which coaster is better and why, which is to be expected of the community, but I did hear a lot of grumbling already about Dragster not being up. At that point, I think it was just rumor, and not confirmed yet, but already folks were complaining, even though they were standing in line for the gates to open 4 full hours before the park opened, and they were going to be allowed to stay 3 hours after the gates close.

CoasterMania was fun, I'll give you that, even though we didn't stay for the late-nite ERT, we still basically had ERT on Maggie and WT after it rained and a lot of people went home (suckers!), but I doubt I'll ever attend another enthusiast event. It really turned me off to the entire community and has made me seriously consider even backing off these boards to distance myself from a crowd that if I was GP, I would really look down upon. Yes, it's mostly a few bad apples, but there is also just a superiority complex inherent with being more informed than most on a subject, and I think that of all the groups I've seen or been a part of, coaster enthusiasts take the cake for arrogance.

And at that event, although I didn't get a chance to say some nice words to any "silver tags", I did make a point to tell my favorite WT and Raptor ride-ops that they were doing a good job at remaining so cheery and upbeat on a day where they knew they were working for a good 20 or 21 hours (wonder if they've started to recognize me yet? ;) )

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"As soon as you design something that's idiot-proof, the world will go and design a better idiot." ... Thank you EchoVictor!
--Brett

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Vater said:
During Pat Koch's disheartening announcement at SRM, I didn't personally hear any complaints, but my fiancee said she did. To me, that was appalling in itself, but I chalked it up to just a few kneejerk reactions from people who tend to not think before they speak.

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I heard some very disgusting comments from a few member of a certain coaster club as we were exiting the gates at Holiday World. Even if it was a kneejerk reaction, it was most inappropriate and such comments could be kept to oneself instead of blurting them out for all to hear. The lack of compassion some human beings exhibit in such a situation was certainly distressing.

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-Stephanie
Moderator and wife of the infamous webmaster

I made a comment in the TTD thread and was too disgusted by the replies to respond back. The attitude by Tim is the right one and it seems is universal to everyone who replied so far. When you consider that the park is giving extra hours and free food for *LESS* than their usual ticket prices, and you should be grateful that they think so highly of us to organize such events. Cedar Point surprised me when I saw that it was free to season pass holders as well. My local park (SFGAdv) only gives a (slightly) reduced admission for the coaster celebrations and I still think it's worth it.

My group was too tired to get up too early, so we got in about 8:30am and took naps in the afternoon. We didn't get any of the exit passes (which I didn't know about) or the Disaster Transport/Gemini ERTs (which I would have liked to know since we never made it to Gemini earlier), but despite that, it was worth every penny and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Next year, we're driving in so we can enjoy the trip better, and if we're lucky, BeastBuzz 2004 will be there so we can go this time. :) My brother and I enjoyed 2002, but couldn't do it this year.

I heard that some of that was going on, I still find it hard to believe. I know we were pretty busy checking with all of our friends to make sure everyone was OK and handling the situation...I think most people were in a state of shock, and I'll try and attribute some of the more *distressing* behavior to that....

The people at HW are like extended family to me, and I know they couldn't have been more upset by what happened...while my condolences certainly go to Ms. Fellner's fiance and family, I also hope that people remain cognizant of the fact that the Koch family and certainly Paula read these boards...please be responsible and respectful in all your comments.

P.S. On a lighter note, but no less seriously, PLEASE remember to thank the employees who work very hard (and often long hours) to show us a good time at their parks...esp. the ride ops, they work long hours and put up with a lot of *stuff*...

I'm not sure what's worse -- the people at SRM asking for a refund, or the ones who said "So close Raven and let us ride Legend".

Whever I think I've seen the worst of humanity, someone comes along to prove me wrong.

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--Greg, aka Oat Boy
My page
"Mary Jane, don't you cry, you can give it a try, Again when the sequel comes out" -- Weird Al, Ode to a Superhero

Tim, THANK YOU! I agree with you 100%

When I started to participate in these enthusiast events several years ago my intentions were (and still are) to hang out with friends, ride some coasters, and have fun.

Too many enthusiasts take this hobby WAY too seriously, unfortunately. Some people need to get a life to be honest.

I saw a lot of people whine and complain last summer at Coaster Con. Granted I was upset about X but what can you do right?

I can't believe that some people actually wanted their money back at SRM, and I also heard the *****ing and whining going on at Coastermania with Dragster being down. These parks go out of their way to make these events special, and it sucks that some so-called enthusiasts have to make such a big deal out of trivial crap.

<-------getting off my soapbox now. :-)

-Tina

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Feel The DragsterGasm....
www.intenserides.com

God bless you!

This thread has been a tremendous help to me. It reminds me that there are wonderful, compassionate enthusiasts online.

Regarding behavior that night, only one person asked for a refund. I haven't written him a letter yet, but I will not be sending him any money. Not out of anger, but out of consistency. Lots of enthusiasts asked to pay half because they were just coming for a portion of the event. Everyone was told it's one price--come to whatever portion you wish. It wouldn't be fair to refund this person's money when I wouldn't pro-rate anyone else's event fee. Plus, we have never charged for ERTs...it's strictly one-day's admission plus the cost of the meals. This person's receipt indicates he arrived before the park closed to the public that evening, and he would have had plenty of time to join the rest of the group for the buffet.

The rest of the people at Guest Relations that night were turning in their locker keys, which we appreciated.

That's all I have to say for now. Please, please continue to keep the Fellner family in your prayers.

Thank you, Paula
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Paula Werne
Holiday World PR

Paula, thanks for posting....we WILL keep their family in our prayers, as well as our HW family. It IS good to hear that that sort of callousness wasn't wide-spread....

Please keep us posted as to how things are going in Santa Claus, it's kind of like getting "letters from home"...

Wow,

If you are interested in PR and ever get a chance to intern under Paula (whom I have never met) I would jump at the opportunity. In fact, it would be worth it to pay for the opportunity.

Thank you for posting, Paula. Please let the Koch AND Fellner families know that there are many of us keeping them in our thoughts.

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--Greg, aka Oat Boy
My page
"Mary Jane, don't you cry, you can give it a try, Again when the sequel comes out" -- Weird Al, Ode to a Superhero

Add my name to those who wish well to the Koch and Fellner families. Paula, I hope to meet you at HW one day soon. Perhaps taking a week off from work and taking the time to drive by Indiana next year would be a good plan. The classiness you guys have showed despite the tragedy is exemplary and is always appreciated even when we forget to say so.

This is why I'm always grateful to have met a fellow enthusiast like Tim. People like you is what still keeps me a part of the Coaster Enthusiast Community. We aren't all about what the park owes us, whose coaster is better, and how much room we can get on a ride. We are all about having fun, spending time with close friends, and making use with the limited time that we have. SRM Saturday night reinforced our ideas. To put this in perspective...

I missed every bit of ERT at SRM this year. I've never been to this event before and just like every enthusiast, I put down the $32 for the event. Because of working late Friday night I had to drive the 6 hours that night to HW and I arrived at 4:00 am. I slept in Saturday morning which means I missed Friday's ERT and Saturday morning ERT. Of course we know what happened with Saturday night which subsequently cancelled the rest of the event.

However, even though I missed out on all that riding time, I had a wonderful time at the park. I made great memories with my close friends, I got to talk to Jeff Hammersly about his babies, and most of all I learned a great deal about what life is about. Given the circumstances, I felt it would have been a slap in the face to the park if I had even thought about asking for my money back for the event.

I will always remember my first SRM because of what happened. I will never forget who was there that night at the campfire when we still had a great time being with the people that matter most; our loved ones and close friends. This reminds me of what we are all about.

If anything I'd be paying Holiday World even more money for the valuable lesson that their event taught us all this year. They taught us to never stop living your life, to go out and make the most of your time, because you never know when your time will be up. Because I just can't send a check to Holiday World for this lesson, I will continue to support the park. Even though Legendary Affair was cancelled, I'm still driving the 6 hours that weekend to introduce my parents to this quaint little park in Southern Indiana. Because its the least I can do for the park.

Thank you Tim for making this observation public. I know exactly how you feel about this. It does make me feel ashamed sometimes to be a member of this community. However, this thread still reminds me of why I'm still remain a part of this community.

~Rob Willi

Many of you bring up the point about people who feel the parks owe us something. I think that is the single most disturbing thing I see. I don't know if it's on the rise or just appears to be as the enthusiast community grows, but I certainly don't like it.

As I mentioned, PKI kept four crews late for us at BeastBuzz. No component of admission went toward that. CP put on an event with several hours of ERT and lunch, essentially free for passholders and at a cost below normal admission for everyone else. All the costs for that event are 100% expense for the marketing department, who arguably doesn't need enthusiasts and can't quantify and return on investment for the event.

Most disturbing is that it's not just general enthusiasts, but even reps for some clubs. I've heard interesting stories about them demanding certain things from parks. Not a very good example to set.

My hope is that enthusiasts pull their collective heads out of their asses and realize that at all times, we are guests of the parks. If you're in this scene for the perks, you're in it for the wrong reason.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com - Sillynonsense.com
"Pray that your country undergoes recovery!" - KMFDM