Bon Voyage-Thanks for the memories AND headaches

Thank the good Lord up above.
My prayers have finally been answered.
I have never wanted a ride to leave before, except for Shockwave. Why? You ask.
Granted it was my first major rollercoaster, my first upside down experience, and blue is my favorite color, Shockwave hurts, BAD.
I'm 6'2'' and first off, the cars are pretty cramped for a tall kid like myself, the harnesses rubbed my shoulders raw by the end of the ride. The bottom of that first hill you get slammed into the right side of the harness. The loops are ok, inbetween the 2nd and 3rd, I would always black out, (which I'll kinda miss), and do I really need to talk about the turn into the midcourse brakes?
I felt like a test dummy in a car hitting a wall at 50mph each time. That is not what I call a fun ride.

* The things I will miss about Shockwave:
-That intimidating, towering structure from the driveway entrance.
-The Royal blue color, my favorite, which is kinda rare these days.
-The famously loud clankity-clank of the lift, that you could hear from anywhere in the parking lot, that was one of my favorite noises, you knew you were there when you heard that noise.
-The broken records, tallest, fastest, loopiest, 1st steel coaster to have a curving drop in the world.

It's too bad that SFGAm has basically said they've run out of room, even though there are a few open spots in the park still that don't have anything, especially the entire bottom left hand corner of the park, (Orleans Place.)

*Now what is goin on with the whole flat ride section that once was, The Lobster, Cajun Cliffhanger, and Power Dive. I suppose many thought the flyer was going to be located there, but now Shockwave has bit the dust... are we also getting new flats, what's the deal?

-Jeff-

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You look busted.

I agree with you about the restraint issue. I am 6' 2" also, and I would have to slouch down to even have the restraint come down all the way. I also loved the g-forces during the 2nd and third loops.

I can't even think about how different the entry way of the park is going to look! I have been going to great america for 10 years, and every single year there has been shockwave sitting there right in front. Seeing a B&M flyer there will be different, but I think that I'll get used to it. I wonder where Shockwave is going...

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-Matt

um, i was 6'5" last time i rode shockwave and had no problems with the restraints.

*edit* on the topic of the flats being gone, i hear SF was going to re-locate the crazy entrance to Batman so people dont get confused, on top of placing a nice big ferris wheel in the power dive area. I heard Cajun Cliffhanger was closed mainly due to the fact that that girl lost her toe because she wore sandals on the ride or something. I guess we will have to just wait and see though..

*** This post was edited by Kaldaim on 9/25/2002. ***

"1st steel coaster to have a curving drop in the world"

Sure...there are countless other steelies that predate Shockwave that have a curving drop.

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Kaldaim said:

um, i was 6'5" last time i rode shockwave and had no problems with the restraints.
*edit* on the topic of the flats being gone, i hear SF was going to re-locate the crazy entrance to Batman so people dont get confused, on top of placing a nice big ferris wheel in the power dive area. I heard Cajun Cliffhanger was closed mainly due to the fact that that girl lost her toe because she wore sandals on the ride or something. I guess we will have to just wait and see though..
*** This post was edited by Kaldaim on 9/25/2002. ***

No, two girls were being jackasses and wouldn't stand behing the yellow safety circle after being instructed to 5 seperate times. So when the floor dropped their legs slammed against the wall so hard she started to scream and the ride operator raised the floor and crushed her and her friends toes and shins.

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Faster Than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Up in the sky it's a bird, it's a plane, it's ROBB ALVEY.

*** This post was edited by Coaster Sam on 9/25/2002. ***

Where did you hear that version of the story?? That is completely false.

I think East River Crawler is just going under refurbishment....anyone remember a couple years back when Hometown Fun Machine was taken apart early?...it didnt go anywhere.

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SFGAm Viper

The Shy One said:

"1st steel coaster to have a curving drop in the world"
Sure...there are countless other steelies that predate Shockwave that have a curving drop.
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Matterhorn has plenty of curved drops including the very first one.

Also. it wasn't the tallest or the fastest when opened.

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

It was the tallest when it opened. The title was then taken away by GASM II.

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Never Has Gravity Been So Uplifting.

Just because it's down to a concrete stub doesn't mean it's going. Like he said, it could be taken apart for refurbishment. Obviously there were some maintenance issues there earlier this year.

Plus it's a very popular ride.

-Nate

I have a strong feeling that East River Crawler is staying. It might be because I love the ride, but as mentioned earlier with Hometown Fun Machine- flats can be taken out, and put back easily.

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Never Has Gravity Been So Uplifting.

I was just at the park this past weekend, Coaster Sam. When I looked there was more to East River Crawler than a concrete stump. You pretend to know so much but you are always wrong!

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Serving Hot n' Fresh Potatoes with ALL the Fixins!!

Well Last time I was there that is what I saw. And you have no confirmation to your statement neither do I. So unless you have a picture of your claim... keep your mouth shut about who's right and who is wrong. I was stating my oppinion as to the future of the ride. Pure speculation I never claimed it to be the truth.

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Faster Than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Up in the sky it's a bird, it's a plane, it's ROBB ALVEY.

Yes, I actually have a picture of what ERC was as of 9/22. Email me if you want it...

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Never Has Gravity Been So Uplifting.

Coaster Sam said:

SFGAm Viper said:

I think East River Crawler is just going under refurbishment....anyone remember a couple years back when Hometown Fun Machine was taken apart early?...it didnt go anywhere.
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SFGAm Viper

Thats hopefull wishing but you're wrong. It's now a concrete stump. Nothing left on it.
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Faster Than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Up in the sky it's a bird, it's a plane, it's ROBB ALVEY.

Coaster Sam, you're really getting annoying. You always post these crazy things, with no logic at all to back them up. You do it all the time, and it's getting really old. You make it sound like you know what's going on, then you misinform people. That's how crazy rumors get started. I'm not one to flame people, and never have since I joined in December of 2000, but you're getting on my last nerve. Let's take East River Crawler for example. You know NOTHING about what's going on with that ride right now, yet you post like you know for sure. Then you tell even crazier stories, like when you said you worked at the park operating Whizzer this year and a few of us managed to prove that you were lying. From now on how about we only post honest things and things that we know for sure?

I said my brother operated whizzer which he technically did as a trainee. Misleading but not untrue. "You don't outsmart smartass. I am the master of misleading misinformation, the expert of double dealing. I answer to noone but my own ideas."-Slagar the Sly One.

Edit: and maybe Jeff

*** This post was edited by Coaster Sam on 9/25/2002. ***

You are just an idiot. Why lie? Does it make you seem cool to yourself to have information even if it is not true. It makes you look like a lying jackass to everyone else though. Why even bother posting if people are not going to believe a word you say, especially now that you admit to lying.

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Serving Hot n' Fresh Potatoes with ALL the Fixins!!

Coaster Sam said:

"No, two girls were being jackasses and wouldn't stand behing the yellow safety circle after being instructed to 5 seperate times. So when the floor dropped their legs slammed against the wall so hard she started to scream and the ride operator raised the floor and crushed her and her friends toes and shins. "

That is an outright lie. One girl, too short and wearing sandals got hurt when she put her feet against the wall. When the floor came back after being dropped, her foot got stuck between the floor and the wall. End of story.

I never admitted to lying I admitted to misleading because frankly I hate people who speculate and have no patience so whatever chance I can with a topic that speculates I give bogus information just so they waste their time.

edit: That was not an outright lie it was a warped version of the original story if they wanted the truth they could've easly gone to an accident report site.

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Faster Than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Up in the sky it's a bird, it's a plane, it's ROBB ALVEY.

*** This post was edited by Coaster Sam on 9/25/2002. ***

Coaster Sam said:

"I was stating my oppinion as to the future of the ride. Pure speculation I never claimed it to be the truth."

So you hate yourself, eh?

Stop trying to come up with excuses for why you lie. You like to hear yourself sound important, and you like having your ego boosted from that. Sounding smart and being smart are two radically different things.

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Did you know that 1 in every 5 American teenagers believes that the US declared its independence from FRANCE???