Coasting For Kids 2014

I know you aren't saying it, but a nation of no victims is every bit as ridiculous as one where everyone is a victim.

But enough... This is about raising money for GKTW. :)

RCMAC, I don't know how to send the link from my phone, but I'm the only Jaclyn doing the Dorney event. If you'd like to donate, I'd be so grateful.

I did not remember to sign up for Coasterbuzz by the time I got home from the gym last night. However, I DID donate what I could to your page, Jeff. Things are pretty tight right now and I've kinda been tossing money to everyone's pages in little dribs and drabs. Sorry it wasn't more, but I might even be able to send a few more dollars your way this week. Johnny, you too. :)

Bunky, I sent RCMAC your link by e-mail. Hope you don't mind.

bunky666 said:

Okay, this time, it seems to have worked...let's try it out:

http://support.gktw.org/goto/Jaclyn-Miller-1

For some reason, this seems to be the only way I can get my link to work. I'm so sorry for my technological impairment. Some things are much more difficult on a MacBook for whatever reason.

Anyone notice this in the email just sent about Coasting for Kids?

For the safety of guests, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company has implemented a new re-ride policy at all of their parks. Guests will be able to ride a coaster for a maximum of two consecutive cycles, before being asked to take a break. If you have questions about a specific park and/or roller coaster, please ask the operations staff at the event. Safety is paramount at Give Kids The World, so we support and appreciate Cedar Fair’s new policy.

Well, that kind of removes some of the "fun". I liked being able to zone out and close my eyes for a half hour and just reflect on absolutely nothing.

Well now you can do that on the midway. :) Seriously though, that was announced at the beginning somewhere.

I think this is the first I've heard it from GKTW, but I did see it on ACE's Facebook page a while back. I'm curious if it just means switching seats or exiting the station entirely (which would be odd seeing as we come in through the exit). Seems a little silly, as they re-check the restraints on every lap anyway. This might be a good excuse to repeat Vic's 2009 gimmick of trying every seat on the train. :)

Just got that email and was trying to figure out what is meant by "two consecutive cycles." If a cycle is one complete circuit on a coaster, that's underestimating the stamina of the participants - as I'm confident that everyone participating could ride any given coaster at least a dozen times without any problem. If I'm interpreting their definition of a cycle correctly, it sort of ceases to be a marathon. Anyway, mentioned Coasting For Kids to a guy with whom I was talking on the bus to SFGAd yesterday and when I told him that I'd raised $193 toward my $200 goal, he gave me $7. What a sweetheart! Also, the guy was extremely knowledgeable about coasters - a refreshing change b/c believe me when I tell you that most of the people on the NJ Transit bus to Six Flags are not. One he wasn't really familiar with is Boulder Dash and when I described it to him, he said he was guessing that it was built by CCI. Bingo!

Any ideas about lap counters? Looked for these online and couldn't find any that weren't handheld. A guy at City Sports tried to sell me some fancy Garmin gadget that costs $449 - forget it! It would be nice to find some inexpensive device that could be worn so we could keep a record.

I am also wondering how this is going to be enforced. Do we need to switch seats, or sit one ride out, or leave and go back up the exit ramp.

I'm sure these questions will be answered at the event, but if anyone has any info beforehand, that would be great.

Bobbie, I forget what the lap counters are called besides lap counters, but there is another name for them if you do a little research, and they are only about 15 or $20 at all sorts of different stores.

Google "Tally Counter."

Six Flags oT has had this policy on Titan for years now, probably because of the intense and sustained positive G's plus the Texas heat. For Titan it means you must get out of the train, exit the station and walk back around and come up through the queue, even if there's nobody waiting for your seat.

Because a walk in the heat will do you good.

Well, it means you'll miss at least 1 train every cycle. I don't mind the walking or the stairs nearly as much as my brain minds the positive G's but I'm also an endurance runner, so...YMMV?

Yeah, 90 laps on Gemini is nothing, but climbing those stairs all day... ;) Maybe now I can finally get money from those people who won't donate because riding a coaster repeatedly "isn't work."

I'm a bit disappointed by the inability to power-ride myself. It's like running a marathon where you're forced to take a break every two miles. So much of the fun of Coasting for Kids is going the distance.

You could probably buy a hand held clicker for $10 at a drugstore or something. Or just keep a little pocketbook or post it note and a minigolf pencil. I'm curious to see how many rides people get at these events.

Or, you could do what I do, and not care. :)

Or just guesstimate. Either or.

Or raise enough money that they hand you a counter at the event. :)

RCMAC said:

Because a walk in the heat will do you good.

If walking down a flight of stairs, across a couple of hundred feet of sidewalk, and up another flight of stairs in any kind of weather is bad for someone, they probably are not in good enough health to be riding in the first place.