Does SFGAm seem different to you?

SFGAm seemed different to me. I'm not talking about V2 or Deja Vu but of the other rides. Even the coasters seemed to changed.

Whizzer: Wow, this thing is running a lot better then last year. It also seems to go faster.

Viper: This is one of the few coasters that seemed the same to me. Still one of the best.

Raging Bull: The first drop seems to be more intense than last year. Did they take the brakes off on top of the dip before you drop? Also, did it lose it's B&M roar? It seems so silent or maybe it never had it or maybe I'm just deaf.

Demon: The same.

American Eagle: They killed it. It came to two complete stops during the ride and it didn't break down it was the brakes.

Iron Wolf: Got a lot rougher, but is still one of the best.

Batman: The same.

Shockwave: Did this ride improve! It seemed smoother or maybe I'm just imagining things.

Whirlgig: It seems so strange where it is now, it just feels different.

Among the other things are how they closed the midway section by demon which connects County Fair and Carousel Plaza. How Sky Whirl is gone. How the two new coasters tower the park. I don't know, it just seemed all different but I sure as hell liked it a lot better!
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SFGAm kicks ***

It's nice to see I have gotten so many replies.
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SFGAm kicks ***

Actually, I noticed a difference in Viper, one of the rides you feel is still the same. It seemed a little rougher, but still an A+ ride.

I also thought Iron Wolf regained some sort of punch it had lost in recent years. I felt like I would get thrown out of the train a couple of times. And it's a lot smoother than in the past.

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As a human being I reserve the right to do something something stupid.
-Ed

I love sfgam!!!!!

Do you mean the path with the thingy covering it? Sorry for the bad choice of word, but I don't know what to call it. That path is gone?

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SFGAm: SCREAM. THRILL. REPEAT. Two New Coasters in 2001!

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SFGAm Supa Crazy said:
"SFGAm seemed different to me. I'm not talking about V2 or Deja Vu but of the other rides. Even the coasters seemed to changed.

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It seems different to me too, a little, but I see different differences...

Whizzer: Feels the same to me as it always has, but I hadn't ridden in in a few years

Viper: Feels slower to me this year, but it's still great !

Raging Bull: Seems the same to me (The best coaster on the planet !) :).

Demon: The same. Likewise.

American Eagle: They killed it.
Agreed. The first few times I rode it this year, I thought "why bother ?", but the last time I rode it, it was pretty fun. Overall, there are many, many woodies I like better (Viper, Boss, Screamin' Eagle...)

Iron Wolf: Feels smoother to me. Less headbanging especially (or maybe just better padded headbanging).

Batman: The same. - Yup, short but sweet !

Shockwave: Did this ride improve! It seemed smoother or maybe I'm just imagining things.
Nope, feels smoother to me too !

How Sky Whirl is gone. How the two new coasters tower the park. I don't know, it just seemed all different but I sure as hell liked it a lot better!.

I still miss the Tidal Wave, Z-Force & The Edge ! The Sky Whirl missing def. takes away from the skyline. Oh well, you can't stop progress. I'm always happy for new coasters. Just don't take away Shockwave (if it's too rough, fix it - new trains or something. Just don't remove it !)

*** This post was edited by Joe Carroll on 6/22/2001. ***

I agree with Joe. After having grown with that park since it's birth, I can vouch for the fact that many of the "true" Great America experiences are gone. Tidal Wave (currently running flawlessly at SFOG), Sky Whirl, even the Haybaler!!! But what I long for most is for them to forget braking the Eagle every chance they get. Many youngsters have no idea how POWERFUL that 1981 Intamin thrill machine is when let loose. And when it races.......

But as I said before Arrow shouldn't have ANY problem creating an inclined curve to the right after Shockwave's 3rd vertical. A more gradual 270 degree horizontal loop around to the right before coming into the brake run would give the train a smoother entry, plus give more space to distribute the climb in altitude. Think of it as a larger version of what Demon does after it's second corkscrew. And yes, they have the space and money to do it. They should have fixed that 10 years ago. It is the one place on that ride that makes it a difficult re-ride even for me. If Vortex can come out of it's second vertical with enough speed to slam around that turn into it's brake run, Shockwave certainly has the momentum to make it through the element I suggested. I've watched it many times, and would love to ride it even more.
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Scale model coasters and rides.....
www.angelfire.com/oh4/tk173

ARROW GUY. The feeling of the original Great America has been diminished as far as rides but alot of the infrastructure of the Marriott era has stayed in place. To me that is all it takes to keep its original charm. Although I was sad to see Sky Whirl leave, I know its probably a good business decision. You have to admit they have done a good job of holding on to rides as long as possible. We cant say the same for Paramount and their park out in California.

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""Coaster riding is a disease and SFGAm is the cure!!!!!!!""

If you go on Iron Wolf when you are on the chain lift and you look to the right you can see skywhirls base and wheel still there!I just thought of that to let you know that it is still at SFGAm !

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V2 all the way

Yeah. I saw it there too. The Tidal Wave sat back there for quite some time after being taken down too. I hoped for the longest time that they were going to put it back up somewhere else (in the same park).

I noticed something too. I had been spoiled by PKI, SFWoA, and CP with all their great coasters in three days!!! Now my homepark will seem a bit duller :( So I realized that there are pros and cons to going to parks better than yours ( although CP is the only better one. PKI is tied and SFWoA is not as good as SFGAm).

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"Who knows, it could be a mutant from the power plant" "Oh fiddle faddle, everybody knows our mutants have flipers. Oh no, I'v said to much. Smithers, use the amnesia ray." "You mean the revolver?" "Precisely, and when you're done be sure to wipe out yo

I'm an original attendee since the park's inception as well, and have seen first hand many of the changes over the years - some good, some not so good.

The good: This park now has a very good selection of coasters. Six Flags keeps pumping money into new rides, making this park a must see amongst enthusiasts. Raging Bull, Batman (love this queue!), Viper, American Eagle, V2, Whizzer, Demon, Shockwave and (hopefully soon) DejaVu makes for a varied selection of different coasters. With SFGAm's position in the Chicago area market, I don't expect this trend to end anytime soon.

I am curious to hear from anyone knowledgeable about just what options this park has for future development/expansion. Was Sky Whirl removed because there are no other expansion room left for SFGAm?

The not so good: With exception to Southwest Territory, it seems this park is slowly losing the original feel and charm it had in its early years. The rides themselves are themed well for the most part, but those themes have little to do with the area they are located. The ride themes should blend in with the area of the park they are in. All of the areas of the park should work as well as Southwest Territory's overall theming does.

Equally important to any park experience are the quality of employees in the park. In terms of ride operations SFGAm does pretty well - they move rides along at good intervals most of the time, at least to the degree that staffing will allow. This park has staffing problems, however. I've seen some rides run at less than capacity due to short staff. During a recent visit, Power Dive was running on two operators total, allowing half the riders per trip as normal. The operators were doing an admirable job given the circumstances, but that ride should be running at full capacity if at all possible. The staffing trouble shows in the overall cleanliness of the park from day to day as well (ride queues and bathrooms are often filthy, especially late in the day, and garbage cans are often overflowing). Food stands are often closed when they should be open.

The impression that I get from some employees and ex-employees is that this is not such a good place to work. Sometimes poor attitudes show in the park (although it is not a huge problem) but the employees definitely are overworked and underpaid. Working in this park was a privilege in the early days, but that feeling has slowly eroded as a result of low pay and changing labor conditions. Six Flags management is directly responsible for addressing such concerns. If they are making any effort to address this problem, I'm not seeing it from a guest perspective. Paying employees near minimum wage will not help - I personally am willing to pay increased ticket prices to see employees be better compensated, so that the park draws better quality applicants. The park has difficulty weeding out less than quality employees, because they are short handed to begin with, so they hire and keep whoever they can. Good parks are not made by rides alone, the employees are at least 50% of the overall park experience.

Also related to guest interaction, I miss the ride op spiels in the station. The recorded and repeated welcome/exit messages make the park experience feel "antiseptic". The recorded messages make you feel like you are in a sanitarium instead of an amusement park. This is one more opportunity for the ride ops to show some personality, and to have a connection to the guests by showing them a good time. It seems the only time you hear from a ride operator these days it is something negative (keep off of the handrails, etc). A good ride operator can really make a difference here by creating a fun atmosphere in the station. Put the microphone back in the operator's hands and let them show the guests a good time!

American Eagle needs an overhaul BADLY. This coaster is a shadow of its former self - try riding the blue side (if it's open) and you will see what I mean. It rarely races anyway, taking away one of AE's best qualities. This was a good ride in its heyday, and is worth putting money into it. It's overbraked, too, but I suspect this is to reduce wear. BTW, has Six Flags heard of grease?

I'll also add that I'm not in favor of closing the shortcut bypassing Southwest Territory - this adds too much mileage on my feet! I much preferred the shady shortcut to Sky Whirl and the Demon.

Overall, it is still a good park, I do feel fortunate to live close enough to the park to visit fairly often (although I wouldn't mind living three hours from CP!).


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First we Rock - Then we Roll! *** This post was edited by Rock&Roll Dave on 6/24/2001. ***

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Chitown said:
"We cant say the same for Paramount and their park out in California."

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Exactly what I was going to say. I can't believe how they ruined the original feel. If SFGAm got rid of the train (like PGA did for Stealth) I would have been really upset. This is why Six Flags Great America has remained my favorite park, because of the feel you get as you walk thru the park...it's just amazing and almost unexplainable :)

As for the park feeling different...I will let you know after I go...still waiting for that big lime green and bluish structure we call "DeJa Vu" to open (so I can go).


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-Glitchey
Former Moderator @ Danimation.com

SFGAm doesn't really seem that different to me. But there are a few things that have changed.

Iron Wolf, IMO, has become smoother. When I went on it this year, no headbanging for me. It was just a crazy and intense ride.

Raging Bull just seems to get better everytime I ride it, I don't know how, but it does.

Batman felt a little rougher this year, Still smooth, but more intense, how I like them.

Viper still flies

Shockwave is at it's best from a while back.

And V2 fits in great with the park.

And when Deja Vu opens, the park will be even better, with less lines for other rides. It's just an overall awesome park.