Question for Ride Ops that check height req.

See, everyone's getting caught up with the concept that you CAN get your child (or someone else's, presumably, MJ) height-checked once at guest Relations at some/many of these parks....

What I'd like to *propose* is that a single height-check UPON ENTRY become the de facto standard for checking heights...then your ride ops all day long can look for a simple wristband that identifies by color which rides a child may/may not be able to ride....

To resurrect an old thread, there is an inherent problem in marking everyone: everyone needs a mark. This is a hassle when well over half of prospective riders are obviously tall enough. The obvious solution is not to mark those tall enough, but the absence of a mark can't indicate a height level in and of itself, since a mark can be removed. What do you do about non-children who don't want to be so conspicuously marked based upon their height? Those who still wish to circumvent the height marking standard?

I dont think I can count the number of times myself as an Op would recheck a child with a wristband at the ride and the child would be too short. Even with the wrist band it should always be left to the operators on the platform and at the entrance that have the final say. It's also a proven medical fact that as you walk around for a day like at an amusement park your spine compresses making you shorter in the evening hours then in the morning.

I liked the way that one of the several parks I worked at had it. There were poles on the track end of each row Q that were each set at the height requirement so the ops walking down the platform between trains could easily see it people were tall enough in bulk numbers and the person at controls had a good view too. This worked great because it was a lower height requirement so it did not obstruct views on the platform

Man, I must have missed this thread earlier this year.

I agree with having height check at the entrance as a way of guarenteeing you are NOT tall enough, but as much as others protest, the ride op is ultimately responsible for your saftey and should have the final say so.

As a parent, a ride-op, and a site controller on a sky coaster, I can see all sides of this issue. But on the side of the ride op getting the final say, would you like to fly on a sky coaster where the assistant controller says your are properly hooked up but the the controller (who has final approval, as well as responsibility for your safety) says your not, but the assistant says he already approved the hook up so lets go?

Just because your car passed a safety inspection doesnt mean it is truely safe.

Well if the Controller/sitecontroller has adequately and properly trained the assistant controller and the AC passes all 8 hours of training 100%-- then a family would not have to worry about that.

Yes, the controller has final say in workings of AC on flightline-- but an AC who messes up after 8 hours of supervisiion and training should immediately be sent back to flightsuiting and be re-trained.

DollywoodRideOp

Rideman, you may know physics and how gravity works, but you may need a refresher course in Law.

48 inches means 48 inches, not 47.5, 47.6, or even 47.9. If that girl wants to stuff toilet paper in her shoes to be 48 inches, and ends up face first in the parking lot below, its the parks fault.

If Intamin builds a ride in New Jersey, Ohio, PA, Hawaii, or wherever, and they say you need to be 48 inches tall, only the state's regulatory agency can change that, which never happens. I may not be 100% on all of this, but I never want to be in a courtroom being asked if 1/2 an inch would have saved a life. *** Edited 12/17/2004 5:28:37 AM UTC by Agent Johnson***

You missed the point Dollywood,

the point was the controller is a safety net in the very rare instance of a mistake. The odds of 2 independent people missing a mistake are pretty slim. Samething with measurements. At SFStL most rides have permanent metal rulers mounted to a permanent support structure decreasing the likelyhood of human error. But for all the complaints, it STILL COMES TO BEING THE RIDE OPS ULTIMATE RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THE GUESTS SAFETY, not a person in guest relations who has NOT went through the training for YOUR ride. Same call as a person "of extraordinary size" not being able to ride after waiting 2 hours because the ride op is not comfortable with the way they fit the ride.

As has been mentioned before in this thread many things like human error, fraud, or the before mentioned shrinking of the spine could make a difference between 48.0 inches at 10 am and 47.9 inches at 6 pm.

Wristband or not, if I personally feel as though a person doesnt look tall enough I remeasure because THAT IS MY JOB. If you don't like it, I would be happy to get my supervisor to come remeasure your child, because then it isn't my call and I can know that I did my job as trained.

Didn't miss your point at all. While safety infractions on Skycoaster are very very rare... individuals who are in the least bit uncomfortable of performing their job should not be at Skycoaster. Hence, the detailed training as opposed to other rides in the park. I have trained many people on Skycoaster and have known about the practices. For you to even mention that scenario-- although likely-- is not very funny.

I agree with your last comment though on wristband or not. There were many times in the the parks that I worked at where a child's height is questionable even with the wristband. Parents will stoop to many levels to try to get Jonny or Suzie who is 47 and 4/5 inches to ride- when they truly are not 48 inches. Some put soap in their shoes or make their kids wear high heel shoes or have fros.

Where it is for their own safety that we refuse them- we can be dignified about it and tell them what they can do, because ultimately they dont want to hear NO. They want to hear-- what they can do.

DollywoodRideOp

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Where it is for their own safety that we refuse them- we can be dignified about it and tell them what they can do, because ultimately they dont want to hear NO. They want to hear-- what they can do.

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That's when you tell them they CAN take their under-height kid out of the line, they CAN enjoy many other rides at the park which the child CAN ride and if they don't value the safety of their children they CAN go f... well, you get the point. :)

Although I only worked in ride operations for one year, I would like to add my two cents to this discussion.

Geauga Lake's 2004 height policy, as far as I know was based on Cedar Point's, and the rules existed for a reason.

At Geauga Lake, we had colored wrist bands that could be given to guests at Guest Relations, where they can be "officially" measured. There are two problems though. First, not all guests know about the service, and second, having a wrist band does not guarantee that you or your child will be able to ride. Guests can sometimes slip by the requirements and get a wrist band for a height they don't meet, either through deceiving the people at Guest Relations or Park Ops, or by simply using someone else's wristband. I have even been told by an old TL of her having to take a wristband off of a child, because it was inaccurate.

Also, at Geauga Lake, we did not only check for the presence of a wrist band, but one that was dated and initialed, and even then, if the child looked questionable, I would measure them anyway. Basically, the policy was that if the child was borderline (within 1/4"), and they had a wristband, they could ride.

The way I would explain wrist bands to guests would be to talk about how they help you determine what rides you can ride beforehand, and they help the ride operators out if the child is borderline. The way the park map stated it, and the way I enforced it, was "This is a courtesy service to help you plan your day and does not replace measurements at individual rides."(source: Geauga Lake Halloween Haunt 2004 Fright Guide)

If anyone saw me this summer checking height, they know I was extremely strict. Safety was my number one priority, and I was as strict as possible. The worst part of the season in terms of height checking was the last couple of months, where staffing was low. Then, we had to check height on the platform, and I was careful, when checking restraints, to grab a height stick whenever I saw someone that even remotely looked questionable. That hurt dispatch interval, but safety is much more important than getting a train out on a shuttle coaster.

-Sam
*** Edited 12/17/2004 9:15:07 AM UTC by Avalanche Sam***

If everyone would just measure height based on a candybar, then we wouldn't be having this discussion:) In case you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm referring to Hersheypark. i.e. If Johnny is a Twizzler, he can ride such and such ride. There are measuring stands before you make it to the ticket booths. But, there are still height checking people at some of the rides.

It's really sad, but some people will push and push to get their kids on a ride. I operated a Chaos last year, and Chance clearly states the height limit on the control panel, which the park obeyed. I can't tell you how many times I heard "But he rode it last year. They must have changed the height limit." If junior did ride it last year, then that means someone wasn't doing their job.

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flogbert said:
To resurrect an old thread, there is an inherent problem in marking everyone: everyone needs a mark.

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Why not mark only the kids that are tall enough to ride?

Or, different colored writbands for all? Many parks use wristbands for ride-all-day purposes. Why not have one to indicate height?

I like the idea of one stop shopping. Kids being allowed on a ride in the morning and not in the afternoon with a different operator happens all the time. It makes guests angry.

I also really like gator's idea for height-based price. However, a better idea would be to monitor their happiness levels throughout the day and base it on how much fun they had. ;)

As far as height-based price goes, I know at least Sfgadv offers this, anyone under 54 inches pays the child price ticket, and if you're over then you pay adult admission.

And to put my 2 cents in on height checking, I think it's pretty obvious that the majority of the ride ops are in agreement and you can never be TOO safe. I don't know about anyone else here, but I'd rather have my child's height checked at every single ride rather than just once. It shows a sign that the ride ops actually care about the safety of everyone, rather than just trusting that wristband/stamp is the final say. Really, will it take that much time out of your day to be height checked at every ride for a couple SECONDS? And if your child does meet the height, then there shouldn't really be anything to be embarassed about, if anything I've seen many times before where guests around start applauding and it makes the child happy.

I agree that every child should get a wristband throughout the day based on their height, but this should NEVER mean that is the last time they get their height checked.

Adding to Sam's comment...I too was an GL Ride Op this season. I just couldnt understand why parents would go through all the trouble and try and sneak their child on a ride. Wristbands from older siblings being placed on the younger children. It needs to be fixed i was tired of beong constantly cursed at.

To those of you who were GL ride ops, particularly on coasters.. did you notice if the climate changed after the firing of (3?) workers for dispatching a train with a missed lap bar earlier in the year? I'm just curious to if returning employees who worked under SF management seemed more lenient on things like height requirements. From the SF parks I've been to, height checking seems non-existent.

At Blackpool Pleasure Beach over here in the UK, they used to sell you two levels of tickets - the full access or restricted access based on height. on goes the wristband, whichever height you are, and EVERY ride has a barcode scanner on the entry turnstile, which will not release the turnstile until you pass your wristband under it - if you're too short, it won't open. Simple as that.

And what happens when one of the parents trade wristbands with a kid who's too short?

rOLLocOASt

Once the wristband is off, it doesn't go back on and is immediately invalid- the only way to get them off is by cutting or tearing it.

You'd be suprised what people can/will do. I've seen a lot of crap you wouldn't believe in my days as a ride op.