SFwoA-Getting better everyday

I was there the other day and the crew from B:KF made the ride even better, they had all the passengers on every car into it. People were yelling, giving hi fives etc...

The only other time I had seen that was in 2002 when the Ride-Op on RWB made everyone clap, cheer, and make alot of noise before she let the car go. I am happy to see the changes at the park. I was always very, very critical of the park, and it's hard seeing as how it is my home park. It makes it that much nicer to see SFWOA coming to life.
*** This post was edited by stopher 7/2/2003 8:33:02 PM ***

The way I can tell the atmousphere is improving is the attitude of the guests, actually. Our area has only had one guests complaint the whole year, and that was over a 42" height requirement. I seem to notice a lot less frustrated guests this year, meaning when I have to break bad news (Too short to ride, ride closed, etc...), the guests don't seem to mind at all. That's the part I find interesting, that while we might be doing our job better, from a standpoint of an employee, I can see it reflected in the attitude of the guests.
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Jes
Jes's Roller Coasters DJ Jes
Six Flags Worlds Of Adventure Ride-Ops Crew 2002-2003(Find Me, Win a prize!)
*** This post was edited by Zero-G 7/2/2003 11:01:02 PM ***

Makes me want to visit. Maybe next season if the new hyper is comong.

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Craig, the slamming you refered to on the drop after the turnaround is there on purpose. It's playful, but not rough. As a matter of fact, that spot hasn't gotten any rougher since the ride opened. The two spots that concern me are the second half of the jazz track where the train starts to jack-hammer some, and the valley immediately after the spot you mentioned where it jack-hammers a little more. The rest of the layout feels pretty good and the shuffling in turn #3 has been greatly improved over last year. If you're not prepared for that little jog to the right on the third drop it would seem rough, but hey, I give Six Flags credit for building a ride that aggressive. The Villain is a modern version of a classic style PTC coaster from the 40's that I swear is a tribute to Herb Schmeck.

Jeff, I couldn't have said all that any better. The fact that you even mentioned the "double down" that existed on the Big Dipper's fourth hill reminds me of my days running that coaster. One of the few classic John Miller rides remaining that hasn't been castrated like other coasters I could name in the state!

Wood - anything else is just an imitation
*** This post was edited by Thrillerman 7/5/2003 12:58:31 PM ***

Big Dipper had a double down? I never knew that!

Anyone have anymore information on that, like how did it feel, or airtime, height of it, did it turn a little left or right (since the fourth hill does that now), when did they change it?

Very strange, and thanks for any information anyone has on that!
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"The Future of Roller Coasters"
-RollerCoasterGod
OhioThemeParks.com

The double down was on the fourth hill out before the turnaround. When the coaster was completely rehabed the first time (winter '79/'80), the double down was rebuilt true to the original design. It was during the mid 1980's during sudsequent rehab projects that Funtime made the alteration. I was told by the maintenance dept. and the head of ride operations at the time that the stresses were too great on the track and structure at that point. The words I remember hearing from Tommy Jones at the time were, 'That spot is a constant headache for Harvey". Harvey was in charge of the Dipper when I worked the coaster and would always be out walking the tracks during normal operations when the park was open. The coaster was 'his baby'! Come to think of it, he was on top of the fourth hill a lot. Harvey died from a brain aneurysm.caused by a welding accident at the park in 1985. His name badge from his uniform was mounted to the green brake lever as a tribute to him.It can still be seen mounted to the far wall across from the loading platform as it was later moved. Another one of his name badges was also mounted to the back of one of the Dippers' trains but I'm not sure if it is still there anymore.

The double dip on the fourth hill was rather shallow compared to the one on Pheonix. Basically it was about a five to six foot drop-off from the top of the current hill, that leveled and then jogged to the left and started to drop again where the current drop side is. Think of the double dip that Colossus once had and how it was changed, minus the trim brake. Athough I miss the element on the Dipper, I don't mind the change too much because the ride is faster now through the second half. On a final note, the Big Dipper opened on June 20, 1925 not 1926 as posted in Ridemans stats on this site.

Jon Blakemore Big Dipper crew 1980
*** This post was edited by Thrillerman 7/6/2003 6:52:21 AM ***

I guess I'll give you that "slam drop" after the first turnaround on Villain, but the high-speed trick track is pure pain for my back. I just don't understand how people not prepared for that ride can handle it. I also wish that the freakin lap bars on those trains wouldn't staple me on every drop, but they still can't compare to those god forsaken PKI Racer bars.

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I play in a really awful garage band, but it's still fun.

I have to agree with everyone. Although I have only managed to get there 2 times since its been SFWOA I can say it is a decent park. It seems like no one ever has anything good to say about this place and I dont know why. Sure it has its flaws but it has a lot of positive points.

I know how a lot of people dont like Villian but I for one really enjoyed it. I went the first year they became WOA and not just SFO and didnt think much of it but when I went back this year I really liked it. Sure its a little rough but it has a nice layout and I love the double ups.\

One more thing I want to comment on is when I was there the X-Flight crew was doing an extremely good job. They were always trying to get the guest into it and trying to pump up the crowd. They were doing this all while running the ride in a very quick manner. Looked like they could have been ready to run it well with a third train even.

I had a great first time at the park on a weekend in June this season. When we arrived I was worried because the place was wall-to-wall people but we never waited longer than 20 minutes for a coaster. I guess they were all doing the water park thing. I absolutely loved The Villain! I feel that it is definitely on the same level as Shivering Timbers. For me it's a toss-up between those two for my number 1 woodie.

I also have to add that I was pleasantly surprised at how the season pass gets you discounts on just about everything in the park, including a dollar off beer! :) That doesn't happen at Cedar Point.

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Millennium Force Laps-112
**Vertigo Launches-21**
Dragster Launches-4
*** This post was edited by macho nachos 7/7/2003 11:30:49 AM ***

I had the pleasure of getting a really "loose" ride with the lap bar last year. I can't believe the ops didn't catch it as I was in the front seat. Anyway, the dose of air I got going over the second hill rivaled ST. I swear that if the Villian had PTC's with standard buzz bars, that coaster would be absolute insanity. Best woodie in the state by my standards. There are two other corperate parks in Ohio that can only dream of having a wood coaster with that much intensity. Villian rocks all the way through its course and never lets up. Sure the ride feels a tad rough in a couple of spots, its the pacing that constantly brings tears of joy to my eyes. CCI did a brilliant job with a very standard/basic style of layout, just like they did with ST. BRAVO

Wood - anything else is just an imitation
*** This post was edited by Thrillerman 7/10/2003 10:39:28 AM ***