Anyone remember the Swingin' Gym ride?

I was reminded of this ride browsing through ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3971843540

I can't believe a full working one is still in existence here in the US even though it's owned privately. They are still in parks everywhere in England & Europe.

I don't recall them being as dangerous as this article states:

http://www.ride-extravaganza.com/rides/swingin_gym/

Guess I was lucky the few times I rode (heck, i was probably 12 to 15 then)....

Any CBuzz bidders out there?? LOL!!

I used to see tham at fairs and carnivals.

I can't honestly remember one at a 'permanent' park.

Chippewa Lake Park had one.

The ride is still standing, and still moves too.

-Josh

Enchanted Forest had a set in Chesterton, Indiana. I was an Op at the one there. Man, people would get really stupid in the cage. We had alot of company picnics where they had free beer. The drunks would get in the cage and get in going pretty good and all of a sudden they would lose their balance and get tossed around like a rag doll. Good times. :)

Myers Lake Park in Ohio had one for many years. I used to ride it all the time. You really did get knocked around a lot, but that was part of the fun (at least back then before people sued over anything).

hmmm.... victor NY is right on the way home from my drive from school...

anyone wanna lend me some $$$ :)

-- alan jacyszyn

I'm confused. How did it operate?

Knoebels had them up until the mid/ late 80's where their handstamp booth is now! unfortunately I never rode them but hear all kinds of GREAT stories about them. People having fun then loosing momentum from laughing then getting hurt getting thrown around in the cage!

Sounds like fun to me! Especially with a few beers, or maybe not!

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Raven-Phile said:
Chippewa Lake Park had one.

The ride is still standing, and still moves too.

-Josh

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Ahhh, so THAT is what that strange contraption is! :-P

-Tina

Argh! Torture devices! When I was kid they had these at Blackpool Pleasure Beach and every year my dad would make me go on this with him then make me feel like an utter wimp because I never managed to get the thing over the top!

Not sure about mainland Europe but I am pretty sure there aren't many left in the UK.

-Swingin' Jim(vy!) ;)

I understand that somebody removed the cages from the ride at Chippewa. I haven't personally checked so I guess I could have heard wrong.

How diabolical. But for $10.50, I'd gladly take them if I had a way of getting them back to NJ!

One of the local carnivals used to have these every year when I was 7 or 8. My mom would never let me ride them though. Probably a good thing from the sound of it. We always used to think that riding this would be the eqivalent of getting a swing to go in a complete loop.

Willow Mills Park had one, and another park I had been to when I was young. Over time they got covered with weeds because they stopped using them.

I can't remember what other park that was. I am thinking Knoebels, but I am not 100% on that one. I am sure someone else would know.

I was just talking about this, the ending piece in Cirque Du Soleil reminded me of it. I only did it once, at a fair witih my dad when I was probably 12 or 13. We didnt do very well.

I believe I rode one at a carnival once as a kid. NO freakin way I would do it again.

Yeeeouucch!

-Tina

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millrace said:
I understand that somebody removed the cages from the ride at Chippewa. I haven't personally checked so I guess I could have heard wrong.

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They might have, I haven't gone on a photography run in about a year and a half so I'm not sure.

Once I get my D70 I'll probably make a run out there since it is one of the best locations for my black and white/abandoned places photo "fetish"

-Josh

They are gone. I found a picture of the empty frame on Brad Sherman's (Arrow Guy) website. But I don't feel like looking up the link right now. :)

I remember someone telling me that a go-kart track in the Sandusky area had one up until maybe 5 years ago. Anyone have more info on that?

I believe it was Sport City and the place closed down a year or several ago. I'm not sure when they last used the swinging gym but I remember people talking about it. I should have made the effort to check it out.