Whizzer out, new ride in for 2003 at Six Flags Great America

The patron in the article is right. The medium rides that smaller kids and adults can ride together are becoming extremely limited. What do you want to bet that it is not a mine train going in that spot? The PR rep from the park is full of crap, suggesting that the demon is a similar family ride. It has a sharp drop and 4 inversions. That does not qualify as a family ride in my book. To be in PR, you must take BS 101, thats for sure :).

You know, I am not big on "causes" however I do think that this is a sad mistake that the park is making. I would be willing to add my name to any petition circling to save the ride.

Shaggy

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Shaggy

R.I.P. Maestro
Phantom Theater 1992-2002

Well it looks like SFGam may be getting that rumored B&M flyer after all,I mean why else would they have to remove an old coaster to make way for a new ride?

It certainly must be a coaster because flat rides do not take that much time to construct & test,depending on the nature of the ride of course.

It is sad to see an old ride go especially if it's been with the park since the very beginning but you know what they say,out with the old and in with the new.

Shaggs - a petition to save Whizzer would be as effective as a petition to save Phantom Theater. Both parks are way to far along in the decision-making process to reverse what's going to happen. What we can hope for, in Whizzer's case, is that it is relocated. THAT would be a worthy petition to sign.

Matthew

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"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog its too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

That sucks but it does provide hope for SFGAm fans.

Only hope for those who want extreme thrills, which, unfortunately, seem to be closer to the norm these days.

Lack of mid-sized family rides is why I didn't take my son to Cedar Point until he was 48" tall. At the time, Camp Snoopy did not exist and only Disaster Transport, Iron Dragon and Jr. Gemini were the only "thrilling" rides for a child under 48". Fortunately, he was tall for his age, and was able to ride just about everything by the time he was 7.

I think that's what impressed me most about PKI. They had a great selection of "thrilling" rides for smaller sized kids.

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

Personally, I am very happy about the introduction of a new coaster, and feel that they couldn't put it in a better location.

However, it is sad that they will lose a ride suitable for younger patrons, and I am all for having them relocate it to a different part of the park.

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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze
Visit: http://www.dynamicgroove.com

So, how many family coasters does SFGAm have left? Thats right, zero. If you include the Spacely Sprocket's Rockets as a family coaster then you have one, but its just a kiddie coaster. SFGAm is turning into a non-family park now. The only other coaster that might be considered a family coaster is Viper.

By the way, how can Demon be considered a family coaster? Somebody needs to give the PR a little wack on the head.

Although I am glad to see a new coaster come, I am sad that SFGAm is losing its family atmosphere, but it never really had much to begin with anyways.

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Cedar Point-America's Roller Coast.

Who is to stay that they are not putting a new great kiddie/family coaster there? Or that they will add a new one somewhere else?

Well look at things this way. The park may completely overhaul the whole section. We may eventually be saying goodbye to the Hometown section of the park. Could we be getting a transformation to say Metropolis? Superman flying coaster. Rethemed rides in the Orbit, Triple Play, Fun Machine. I could really see this happening, and I would welcome the new area. Am I sad to see the Whizz go - yes but I am all about the future, and anything they could do to improve my home park is great. I just hope they save all the tree's. If they rip out all the tree's shame on them for that.

Think of the layout they could have in the Whizzer area, it could be very awesome.

Later.

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BMCOASTER

bmcoaster@wi.rr.com

Im also very sad to see Whizzer go!!! It was a great family coaster and i think the odds are slim it will be replaced with a family type ride that it was. Also if you put in a new coaster i would bet alot of the tree's landscaping will have to be removed to allow for the construction of the new ride and may not be put back considering the dimensions of the new ride/coaster. Another sad day for the park and for family attractions.

While I am very excited about a new coaster (if the trees stay) the whizzer was a classic. Those swoops through trees and over water, nothing like it. If its a flyer it better have all the trees the way they are or it was a waste to put it in.

Man I knew it! But I think that we will Get a S:UF clone for sure the area is perfect for it. If you lined up a image of whizzer and Superman you can see that the station fo SUF would be over the whizzer's brake run and the Pretzel loop would be right next to the Hometown fun machine. Also if you noticed the layout of SUF takes into account some buildnings and nearly every tree.

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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. *** This post was edited by SFGAm Man on 7/30/2002. ***

Perhaps if the park adds a thrill ride to that section they'll also add a family coaster? SFNE did it w/ Superman and Poison Ivy, SFWoA did it with Batman and RoarRunner, there's obviously a precedent already set.

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"Outside of a dog, a man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog its too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

I highly doubt it will be a jr. coaster in it's place. The only two that have been highly rumored are an LIM Superman or a B&M Flyer. I liked that article and have it on my bulletin board. The cool thing is the article made the front page!

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It ran flawlessly Sunday, and I couldn't have asked for a better final day with it. The ops (it helps when they are enthusiasts too) had the lights and brakes off for us, and let us take front seat for our final ride. More ops have said it is to be taken apart carefully, but no word on buyers or destination. A petition to keep it in running condition would be more applicable at this point.

I am glad to hear everyone's opinions on the family rides. The park is no longer 100% family friendly, and may have lost that a few years back. Sure, we cannot stop time and deterioration of certain rides. But there are obvious decisions that need to be made if they wish to remain a place for every age group. They need to back up a few steps and replace certain attractions instead of leaping forward to grab the latest and greatest thrill that 1/2 of the guests will ride.

Willard's Whizzer......the spiral lift, self-powered cars, loud roar of the trains, severe banking close to the ground, diving towards the lake, beautiful station, and the screams and laughter from all ages. We will miss you.
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Brad Sherman
BuzzCon Frequent Flyer, responsible for guests fleeing the queue in horror!
Pics of my last day with Whizzer

I was suprised to hear the PR rep refer to Demon as a family coaster...gave me at least a little laugh. I am sad to see it go, but eventually all rides get replaced. I am not sure about Hometown becoming a new "themed" area though, she said that Whizzer stood in the way of progress in the hometown square area. But then again, she had no idea how long it would take to remove or what effect it would have on operations. I did like the comment of being taken apart carefully to sell, I guess SF doesn't want to keep this baby in the family.

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wof fan

If there is some kind of petition set up for the ride to be relocated, Whizzer should be relocated in the U.S.. Consider Magic Springs as an option, we are not a thrill park, but a very good family park. We already have 3 relocated coasters, why not a fourth, or even more as long as it is family friendly. I grew up in Texas riding Big Bend, now I live in Arkansas. Magic would be a good location, even with the mechanical difficulties. The new park owners have done wonders with the used rides (coasters) in the past, and they will continue to. They are commited to it. Family fun for everyone.

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coasters that dash, and waves that crash.

I think we'll get a S:UF clone next year, then a Wild Mouse and/or some flats the year after that, to make up for what's been taken out in recent years. That would be the logical progression, if you ask me.

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Current favorite coasters:
Wooden: 1) Beast 2) Raven 3) Son of Beast 4) The Boss 5) Timber Wolf
Steel: 1) Raging Bull 2) Millennium Force 3) V2 4) Wild Thing 5) Mr. Freeze
Visit: http://www.dynamicgroove.com