Six Flags Great America's Whizzer to close Aug. 11

Oh i'm going to miss the whizzer most of all. It was like my 2nd coaster, the first being rolling or roaring thunder. Oh the memories of my dad holding me on his lap as we went into that magnificent helix! When they take it down a little part of me will die. But then it grows back next year when our new coaster comes! But anyway whizzer wouldn't go to Kentucky. Great America is taking it down because of technical malfunctions and they cant fix them so why would SFKK want it?

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Have you ever been to SFGAm and seen Deja Vu closed? If you have then go again and it WILL BE DEJA VU!

Sorry I couldn't hear you, The voices in my head are drowning you out.

Okay, I know that I'm going to get flamed for this post, but I think that this fact needs to be pointed out, in light of everything that is being said about how great the Whizzer is, and how much it means to so many people.

First of all, let me point out that I can completely sympathize with everyone that feels some sort of connection to the ride. Years ago, the Flyer coaster on Hunt's Pier in Wildwood was bulldozed onto the beach, and in the blink of an eye, my first coaster was entirely just a memory. I am very well aware of the pain that comes with the loss of a ride that has sentimental value... it hurts, it sucks, and nothing can make you feel any different. For those people who say "it is just a ride"... I pity them.

However, I am positive that the Whizzer was indeed a headache for the maintenance crews. Think about it... the trains were powered by individual motors in the cars, instead of by a traditional chain lift. All of those aging motors alone were probably the reason for a lot of after-hours drinking by the crews that had to keep them running. The ride, and all of its components, are 26 years old, meaning that a lot of parts are requiring a lot of work, or will do so in the very near future. Trains, steel running rails, computer systems... you name it. Nothing lasts forever, as they say. And I'm sure those trains don't give the Whizzer the capacity that the park needs... hence the long lines. I won't begin defend the park's bizarre decision to add two less-than-reliable shuttles in 2001, however...

I am NOT saying that SFGAm does not need the Whizzer in its arsenal of coasters. I am NOT saying that they could probably spend money to overhaul the ride and keep it running for at least another decade, provided that they are willing to fork over the cash to do so. All I am saying is that I am sure the park does have its reasons for removing the ride, and I am sure they are all valid... more valid than the reasons why Six Flags has removed other coasters from their parks in the past.

I, like many others on this topic post, are torn: the nostalgia and smooth ride of Whizzer (plus the nicetie of having your significant other sit in front of you)versus the latest and best technology and perhaps another Great America blockbuster? What do you choose? If you're corporate you look for revenue. If you're a semi-enthusiast (like myself), you almost long for simpler times.

But then again, flying around Whizzer's ponds, trees, etc., would definitely be cool.

Another ride that could easily fit into Whizzer's footprint woudl be an Intamin rocketcoaster. Though I think that with the parks ties to B&M my bet is with the B&M Flyer.
I was hoping that they were getting the rumored ferris wheel that I think they desperately need more than another coaster.

Now I and probably many other enthusiast probably have thought of a million places another coaster could go without disrupting other rides. So the park probably has thought about them as well. So my guess is that the maintenance crew just does not want to take care of the ride anymore.

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Whizzer tribute page http://www.crosswinds.net/~zerogthrills/sfgam/whizzer.html
Zero G Thrills http://www.crosswinds.net/~zerogthrills/

Well, I, for one:

1) Hope it is a coaster

2) Hope it is over 125 ft.

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SFGAm: 1)DV 2)V2 3)AE Blue 4)Viper 5)Bull

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Don't Fight It, Ride It, RAGING BULL!!!!!!- SFGAm

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Aughhh look out there are Mice all around

Whizzer isn't being relocated, thats the facts. (Don't try to argue, to those of you who "think" you know)

Adios Whizzer.

It's not like it was a surprise to me, but that doesn't change the fact that it's incredibly sad to see it go. You never really appreciate something until it's gone. Right now, I'd give anything to ride Whizzer all day one last time. And I barely ever rode it more than once per visit, if that.

I think by now everyone knows what is going into that area. Like others, I wish it wasn't a clone, but it is, and we'll have to accept that. At least we know this coaster will be open in May and not October like the last one. You buy a B&M and you'll get a quality machine. And SFGAm isn't going to be the only park with 4 B&M's next year.

Kind of odd that I feel this replacement isn't "worth" losing Whizzer. But hell, who am I? I don't run the park or make any decisions so I'll just have to accept their choices and move on. Farewell Whizzer!

Joe, who still can't get over the fact that SFGAm will have 7 coasters with a 54" height requirement in '03!

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It tastes like burning.

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Thank You for challenging TOS: The Ride. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day, here at SFCB.

Ahh that's right...V2 and DV did not come around until well near the end of the season. In fact, Sky Whirl was already closed by the time the final vote came into the village of Gurnee.

And to others that have posted about height and stuff...I know that even if the new attraction is under 125 feet, it will still be a great ride (heck...look at Legand and Raven at HW...those rides are both under 125 feet tall, and they KICK MAJOR BUTT!).

The point I was getting at was that if they needed a height variance, then some of the local people (myself included) would go to the Village of Gurnee meetings and find out first hand what the park was getting. Just like with the V2 and DV meetings, they had drawings, stats, and a few other bits of info that helps us determine what the new rides would be. I was only hoping the same would be true here, that way we would get that "heads up" directly from the park. But, if none is needed, then we have to wait until the park makes it official.

Speaking of "official" news, I wanted to point out this link:

http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intID=3746448

As of this posting, it was still a valid link. This is an article that appeared in the Daily Herald Newspaper this past weekend. So, this just again confirms what we already knew. Of note in this is that Michelle Hoffman says that Crews will carefully dismantle the whizzer, becuase Great America might sell it to another amusement park. She goes on to say that she (Michelle) did not know how long it'll take to remove the whizzer, or whether any park operations will be disrupted.

--Brian Plencner

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Brian A. Plencner
E-Mail: saurses@attbi.com *** This post was edited by Brian A. Plencner on 7/29/2002. ***

Do you have any guesses on the 'progress' that will be made in Hometown Square?

Is anyone NOT thinking it will be a B&M Flyer?

"Life is meaningless without suffering"

TurnOfTheCentury,

I myself feel that it will be a B&M Flyer. But, it is kind of fun to go to the Village Meetings and see the plans of the ride an all before the park makes the "official" announcement to the press. Its kind of like a "preview" of the ride. Even if it is a B&M Flyer, will it be the same as the rest? Will it be taller? Shorter? What will the layout be? Clone, exactly like the one at SFOT? Or a lot different? Will they keep the land the same, or tear out all the trees? Questions like this could be answered at the Village meetings. They usually bring drawings of the ride, arieal shots of the current area, showing the "proposed" path of the new ride. Its like walking into the R&D Department at SFGAm and going "Hey...Show me exactly what you are doing next year". But, the difference is, they have to show the Village all this, and let them know, if the attraction is over 125 feet tall. And, since the village meetings are open to the public, we local folks can find out all this information from the Village. No need to try bugging the park about it, just go to the meeting and they will tell you! :-)

Anyway, I'm not sure what Michelle means by "Progress in the Hometown Square Area". Going back to the Marriott days, that section of the park was done that way to have the look and feel of a small town in the midwest, with a square, railroad station, country stores, sweet shop, etc.

I would think that if they wanted to keep that "theme" in place, then they would put in something that fit it. So, maybe they will be theming the B&M flyer to fit that era? Crop-Duster plane maybe?

--Brian

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Brian A. Plencner
E-Mail: saurses@attbi.com

If only you knew...if only you knew....

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... *** This post was edited by The Shy One on 11/20/2002. ***