SFoG, 8/3-84...oh, the HORROR!
Associated parks:
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In all honestly, I knew that there was a good reason that Vekoma's flying coasters put you on your back while going up the lift/brakes.
It seems to me that coasters do, in fact, get stopped on the lifthill (no, not stuck, stopped.) because of computer errors, and I remember riding X-Flight earlier this year and wondering what would happen if we were under the tracks when the power failed.
I can completely imagine what the pain would be like for someone in that position. I'd imagine it would be hard to breathe, it was probably really hot, and for a woman, it could only be worse.
(For those who want to test this theory outside of the coaster world, go to a concert w/o assigned seating. Bad Religion for me. It was nearly downright scary to be pushed so hard against the people in front of me that it was difficult to draw a breath.)
I'm also a bit befuddled (love that word) with the response by management and the mechanics. I've seen lap bars/otsrs stuck all the time, and usually the park brings a mechanic by (if not just using a handy wrench) and within 10 minutes, you're out. My explanation would be that they'd actually have to lower you from the track softly (they couldn't just, you know, release you).
I'm also curious to know if that weird B&M patent we saw (the sideways track thing) is a fix for this problem, if it ever were to (and I guess it does) happen.
And to Patman: I'm not much for political corectness either, but you're exactly right. I'm not going to go any further into it, and it really doesn't matter why this is true, but from my experiences, it certainly is.
That said, it doesn't really matter to me that much. It's just something I see a lot of.
Here's my 2 cents about your trip.
It was a Saturday and late in the summer. The crowds are huge, and I would seriously advise people not to go on Saturdays. I guess that doesn't matter now, but personally I would not go to ANY park on a Saturday. Take a day off and go during the week, much smaller lines.
As for the Scorcher, if you're right around 54", you will barely just touch the floor anyway. Additionally B&M stand up restraints will "float" up with smaller/lighter guests. You literally had to hold people down and then have the operator lock the harness in. This happened quite a bit when I was down there.
Also when I worked there as an attendent last season I would always try to ask everyone if they were comfortable and unlock the harnesses and relock them if necessary. But I guess some of the other attendents aren't like me.
As for the stacking, forget it. It's ALWAYS going to stack. Why? THE RIDE IS SHORT. If we had a longer ride like RR or Mantis, then we could get trains out faster. But we don't so trains waiting to unload are the way things work. It sucks, but hey that's how it is.
For Superman, that really is ridiculous. But in all honesty that ride has had to be manually unloaded MANY times this season. So much for B+Ms being perfect... I don't hold this ride high in my opinion. Too complex like Deja Vu. Anyway, I'm surprised they waited so long to unload. Normally if you are up there for 10 minutes they will unload manually. I'm sure there was some reason for it, but they should have done more for you.
About the experience with the GM. I don't know what to say. Obviously whatever happened was a big deal for him to show up, normally the GM doesn't go to ride breakdowns at all. On one hand, he should have been more polite to you. On the other, you should have been more polite to him, too.
I speak for all the rides department when I say "we know the trash is bad." I mean, we can't stand it as much as the next guy. The truth of the matter is that, we don't have enouigh people to clean up during the day. Our staffing is really low right now, even lower than usual. I blame this on Premier for cutting corners so much when they took over. The park truly was better when Time Warner was in charge. Sometimes I wonder if they care at all. But in all honesty the foremen and supervisors and even mostof the attendents want the rides to be clean... but we just can't free people up to do that. Even park services doesn't have the manpower to help us out. Pathetic, I know. But the point I am making is that it's not that we don't care.
We do care. A great deal of people are the park care. Many memebers of management long for the TW days. They want to se the park get better, but corporate rules from SF Inc. (aka Premier) tie our hands back and cut our budgets. We have to work with what's given to us. It sucks sometimes.
One thing I DON'T like about TRs is that when a bad one is posted, everyone says "oh this park sucks, I will never go there," etc. etc. Don't knock it by one TR. Yeah this was bad but see for yourself. Just try not to go on a Saturday (sorry Mark).
*** This post was edited by MisterX on 8/5/2002. ***
It may not be racist technically but why even make a comment like that here? What does a bunch of black men walking around with basketballs at a park have to do with anything that relates to Mark's trip report?
Aside from that, its unfortunate you had a bad experience at this park. Lately I have been hearing good things. I havent been to this park in about 10 years so I really cant form an opinion on it anymore.
And some of you need to leave the "Typical Six Flags" comments out to. Each park is run differently and it shows.
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Ric Flair was hitting on the female host, he told her - "Space Mountain may be the oldest ride in the park, but it has the longest line." WOOOOO!
PatMan007 said:
i counted 301 black dudes with basketballs to 17 of everyone else with them.
That's kinda sad, you spent most of your day counting people with those basketballs. Didnt have anything else better to do?
Dunk said:
PatMan007 said:
i counted 301 black dudes with basketballs to 17 of everyone else with them.
That's kinda sad, you spent most of your day counting people with those basketballs. Didnt have anything else better to do?
Well, while standing in B:TRs queue, I would say no, he didn't have anything better to do. But this is off the topic, and seriously had nothing to do with the topic, so let's just drop it... ok?
Anyways... I have personally spoken with John Odum, and he is in no way, a rude guy. He was very polite, and defiantely wants what is best for the guests. BUT, when I was stuck on S:UF, there were these punk teenagers (Yes, I'm a teen too, but I certainly don't act that way) were cussing, and yelling at the mechanics that kept walking by. And I am sure that you and everyone else on the train were yelling at him "What's the problem?" and he took the time to somewhat talk to you, when he had about 100 other things on his mind at the time... So I think that you were definately over-dramatic, and sorry about your accident, and that's awesome that you can ride stuff!
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Beer, my soon to be wife, coasters, and the FREEDOM OF SPEECH. Is this a great country or what!!
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stoogemanmoe
*** This post was edited by stoogemanmoe on 8/5/2002. ***
MagnumForce said:
SFOG is prolly the worst park experience I have ever had. Ridiculous lines, dirty, line jumping like I have never saw before. I waited two hours just to pick up my season pass from the will call window. The entrance plaza is so screwed up.
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Its no worse than Carowinds.
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"The fish are eating the guest, sir
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How much more floorless can they get?
For a start your problem on S:UF I'm most sorry about, but the recation of what they do at SFoG is very very very not typical of them. Me and my wife have gone down to guest relations and made 2 complaints this year, about the actions of some of the ride ops, and have gotten passes to back line rides.
When we got stuck on Deja Vu for 30 mins on our back John Odim was there appologiseing to everyone, and give out free passes to the park, good for the rest of the year, getting stuck on S?:UF it is odd he would not do the same, I know (accroding to the people talked to on the Atlanta news) the poeople that got suck for 90 mins Acrophobia got their money refunded, and got passes to come back. I'm not say you are lying, so don't get huffy puffy defensive about my coment but it is very uncariteristic.
But I will agree with you on many points, The park IS VERY dirty and by the end of the day trash is everywhere.
The ride ops are punk ass kids.
As for thr black things. SFoG is in a very low income suburb just outside of Atlanta, so there are a lot of black kids that both go and, work there (you'll notice a good 50% of the empoloyees are black). This is not a big deal at all to me, and I have no problem with it. Now the basketballs, me and my wife have a problem with. Think about standing in line for an hour and a half, with 5 kids all bouncing basketballs. That alone would get on anyone's nerve (like it does me and my wife) and when they miss bribbling, it either bumps into you, or goes rolloing down the path at other guest while the kids runs at full speed down a crowded midway full of people to catch his basketball, it is damned annoying.
I have no problem with the number of black people at SFoG, casue I'm not a rascist, but the damn balls are annoying and are a major potential safty hazard at a park with the way they play with um there.
I do not blame the GM for being irritated at you. I am sure they were not leaving you in the ride on purpose. What would they benefit from that. Being a smart aleck in the situation doesn't help them help you at all. Reread what you said. I wouldn't have given you anything either after those unnecessary remarks.
Oh yeah, try PKI on a busy day, there is trash everywhere there also.
Glad you took my advice! ;)
Sorry you went on a Saturday.
You should have contacted me, I have a bunch of coupons that would have eased your pain.
Oh well...
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"Look outside, I know that you'll recognize it's summertime." - The Flaming Lips "It's Summertime (throbbing orange pallbearers)"
*** This post was edited by chris on 8/6/2002. ***
Chris-you're right, I should have contacted you. I assumed that your coupons were for entry to the park, and we're all season passholders.
As far as not going on a Saturday, when you are the owner of a business, it's hard to get away during the work week. Not to mention that we would have to coordinate work schedules with all three of us (actually, there was another friend that wanted to go, but he has to work weekends). I am not so stupid that I don't understand that weekends are crowded, but if it's the only time you can go, it's the only time you can go.
Super7, if you think that you would have been calm and collected when dealing with the park management, here's what I suggest you do. Lay down on your bed so that your head is hanging off the foot of your bed, supported by nothing. Now do that for an hour, and see how good you feel. If you haven't blacked out yet, then you'll understand why everyone on the train, including myself, was incredibly irritated.
Why even bring up other parks in Ohio? Are you assuming that because I'm from Columbus, I am either a PKI or CP fanboy? Sorry, but neither of those parks even makes my top 5(BGW, BGT, IOA, HW, KP)-PKI for the reason you mentioned.
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No love for the whiners
Sorry you had such a bad time. I've heard some good things about this park in the past, and I doubt it's like this always. Give it another try.
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TOGO!
With so many posts on a TR I figured I'd better read a little.
IndianaBeachGuy: Congrats on demonstrating that, of the seven posts you've made to this point, two of them are pretty stupid. I agree totally that the compensation Mark received was insulting and inadequate. I mean, we got free tickets to SFA when the chain broke on Superman, and we were up there for all of ten minutes in cozy Intamin trains on a very non-busy day.
I won't go to the park after a TR like this. If that's the way they treat people, I just don't think it's worth it.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM
Now that's a little bit much, Jeff.
You'd let the experience of one person dictate whether you go to a park or not? There are just as many people who have had positive experiences at this park as there are who have had negative.
Keep in mind that Mr. MWB has also posted trip reports in which he snatches cigarrettes out of smokers' mouths and revels in the opportunity to taddle on line-jumpers.
No offense, Mark. I think your TRs are entertaining, but you are a pretty reactionary person so I take them "with a grain of salt."
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"Look outside, I know that you'll recognize it's summertime." - The Flaming Lips "It's Summertime (throbbing orange pallbearers)"
*** This post was edited by chris on 8/6/2002. ***
IndianaBeachGuy said:
"tortured" and "hallucinating" were a bit of a stretch to describe what you went through
If he's seeing things, hearing things, feeling weak or pained or otherwise physically and/or psychologically discomforted in a serious way, then yes, hallucinating and tortured are appropriate descriptive terms.
GreatAdventureAddict said:
You guys should all take a nice trip to SFGAdv on a Saturday. I'm sure by the end of your trip, you'll be a completly different person.-----------------
How much more floorless can they get?
Um, is it because the hideously large crowds will drive me insane?
chris said:You'd let the experience of one person dictate whether you go to a park or not?
Why not? Do we not all love Holiday World because of the outstanding service we'll get? I mean we travel there from all over the country to visit a park in the middle of nowhere in Southern Indiana. I would've never gone there if I hadn't heard so many good things about it.
When the park GM blows you off like that, it isn't cool, and that sets the tone for the way the rest of the park is run. I don't need that on vacation... there are dozens of other parks I can just as easily visit.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"Let's stop saying 'don't quote me,' because if no one quotes you, you probably haven't said a thing worth saying." - Dogma, KMFDM
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