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

Now...just a quick point here. I think alot of people (myself included) would be upset if they took out an absolute classic family ride to make way for a different family ride.

Bring on the thrills! While a S:UF clone wouldn't cause us to forget whizzer, it would certainly go a long way towards easing the pain!!!

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

The old always goes to bring in the new. If Whizzer must go, a flyer would be a great replacement. I hope Great America will find a place for something else for the kids though.

Tidal Wave out, Whizzer out, Schwartz out...ouch

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Proud to be a CoasterBuzz club member, ACEr and blacklisted as an enthusiast!

As much as it was a family ride, and great for nostalgia's sake, you can't argue the fact that the ride had horrible capacity problems and the park had problems maintaining it.

Really, when you think about it, there aren't many parks that have 'family' coasters like Whizzer. In fact, I'd say that most don't. Whizzer wasn't a kiddy ride (Jr. Gemini) or even a 'junior' ride (Woodstock's Express). It was a bit bigger than both, with a much more intense layout (though still very tame) and much more interesting for the parents/older children than the new types.

I would argue that Viper is more of a family coaster than Demon, as well. But what really drew families to Whizzer was the very, very shallow drop, and the relatively tame layout.

I bet they will replace it with an updated version of... it. No, they won't bring Whizzer back, but I suspect that, in the coming years, we'll see a sort of family coaster come to GAm to ease the pain.

Of course, for the time being, that S:UF clone sounds mighty alright. Frankly, as someone who never became emotionally attached to Whizzer, I'm not disappointed at all to see it go.

No, no I'm not heartless. Just way too honest.

BMCOASTER -

That's EXACTLY what I was just thinking!! I picked up on the "standing in the way of progress" from the article. I mean, it's tucked off to the side, how can it be standing in the way of progress for Hometown Square... unless... they're planning on gutting that entire area and doing like they did in Yankee Harbor when Batman was released. Unfortunately that means the trees are going too. I could see them doing that though. If they do put in a new B&M flyer, they're not going to want it hidden in the trees, but front and center where it will get attention. Not that this all would necessarily be a bad thing, I mean, the whole Hometown Square thing is kind of sleepy anyway. If they do a Superman theme, they already have the red and blue aptly titled Orbit right there. This whole line of thinking would also complement the "make way for new attraction(s)", whose meaning was debated in the last Whizzer thread.

Mamoosh, you're forgeting though, Six Flags has really only been in the habit of doing that extreme+family+shelf coaster combo for the a park during its first years in the chain.

Six Flags New England got Poison Ivy in 2000, the same year it changed from Riverside to SFNE

Six Flags World of Adventure got Roadrunner Express in 2000, the same year the Six Flags brand name first came to Geauga Lake

Six Flags Marine World branched into a Six Flags park in 1999 and recieved Roadruner Express, and in the following year recieved Cobra

Six Flags Fiesta Texas was taken control of by Six Flags in 1996, and their first gift was Roadrunner Express.

Most of the original(preowned)Six Flags parks recieved a junior coaster shortly after Premier bought out Six Flags in 1998-1999, like:

Six Flags Great America got Spacely's Sprocket Rockets

Six Kentucky Kingdom got Roadrunner Express

Six Flags Magic Mountain got Canyon Blaster

Six Flags Great Adventure got Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train and Roadrunner Railway

Six Flags America recieved Great Chase

Actually Premier and Six Flags have never built a family or kiddie coaster without a park having chnage of ownership. The only exceptions were Six Flags over Texas and Six Flags Magic Mountains' anniversaries.

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

Wasn't it "WILLARD'S WIZARD"???

Hey, whatever they can sell, to pack more people into an already overcrowded park, that's all they care about. This ain't no Holidayworld or Kennywood, trust me. It's all a fake front. Corruption rules my bones...

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Nope, Zombie, it was (and is - for now :( ) "Willard's Whizzer"...

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Goodbye Whizzer, dear friend. You set me rolling many years ago into this fun hobby...

RIP Whizzer: 1976 - 2002

WOW! This rollercoaster is as old as me. I never had a chance to ride this rollercoaster but it is always sad to see one removed.

It seemed like this rollercoaster was very respected and was a lot of buzzers first rollercoaster. R.I.P

Well, another piece of my childhood ripped away by corporate America. *sigh* :(

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Long live Whizzer; 1976-2002...

Well seeing as though corporate America brought it to you in the first place what are you complaining about?

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"To get inside this head of mine, would take a monkey-wrench, and a lot of wine" Res How I Do

But Marriott is so much nicer than the evil Six Flags.

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"Look outside, I know that you'll recognize it's summertime." - The Flaming Lips "It's Summertime (throbbing orange pallbearers)"

Having taken my 5 and 7 year old to SFGAM this summer, I can vouch for the coaster that they enjoyed the most. My 7 year has ridden quite a few kid/jr/adult coasters across the country, and she still enjoyed riding the Wizzer and had a smile on her face each time she rode-it that day. As an aside, that day the climbing area was closed-down, it was hot and the kids area for the 5 year old didn't last long in either area with no shade, and limited rides.

Having visited the park several times over the years and enjoying the adult rides both by myself and with my wife, it did show its limitations with our kids. We have been to quite a few parks both ways. With our kids and w/o them. Sure things will move along however a corporation sees fit to maximize profits to their shareholders/executives, but I must confess that coaster just seemed to bring a bit more enjoyment from both of my kids than many others they have ridden. I do not think the target market for SFGAM is the family with kids in the 3-7/8 range. Sure there are things for them to do, but when you visit the park, you can note what their target is. 13-25 age group along with parents to the corresponding age groups. Yes that target is seen in all parks, but you can get a feel for what the park is looking for with respect to visiting a park at different times of the year and seeing similar patterns.

Yeah Chris, three B&M is pure evil alright, they should never have been built. Oh, then there wouldn't be any.

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Lake Compounce-So Fresh and So Clean Clean

I feel sad that the coaster is leaving, but it was getting old. Not many coasters of it's type even come close to staying 26 years at one park at all. It was also getting king of jerky and blocky anyway. That's just my oponion.

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Whizzer 1976-2002
I'll forgive you for scaring the hell out of me when your train stalled at the top of the lift when I was 6.
*** This post was edited by Ben Guerra on 7/31/2002. ***

I wish they could just find someplace else for the new ride. (Which by the way, hasn't even been confirmed as a coaster) It's very sad to see SFGAm rearing it's ugly corporate head. It won't quite feel like Great America without Whizzer, and however unthrilling the ride might've been for enthusiasts, little kids can't just start off on Batman or Raging Bull. If the new attraction will be a coaster, I hope it's a GCI woodie. Nothing is better than a woodie twisting through trees...

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You know this really makes me sick! I can't belive Great America is going to get rid of their ONE OF A KIND, First Roller Coaster!You know they're gonna scrap it just like they did to their other one of a kind ride Skywhirl!And ot even try to sell it! Now watch their going to be average and common like all other six flags parks and put in a dang B&M Flyer! I wouldn't mind seeing a new coaster but at least make it a unique coaster that u can't find newhere else. (Sarcasm) oooooo,ahhhhhhh A B&M Flyer! Big Deal! We can go to many other parks to ride a freakin B&M flyer! An watch they'll give it a gay name like Super Man! There are too many Coasters out there named SUPER MAN for the Love of God. If Great America was SMART they would tear down the non-operating Yankee Clipper and put a flyer their like PGA! And PGA Kept Tidal Wave too! I think its time for Marriot to buy the park back and make it good again! Making it good again would meen, keeping Whizzer, Bringing back the Demons original theming, and puting a coaster in Yankee Clippers place! Long Live Willards Whizzer!

Whizzer is a classic family ride...a ride for everyone to enjoy...they shouldn't take it out. It should be put some where so it can be enjoyed by most everyone! I will miss as well as others. I will be saddened when it is taken out...SFGAm will never be the same. Well, I guess it is its time to go for the WHIZZER I am just not one to say goodbye.

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Let The WHIZZER Live! *** This post was edited by SFGAmgirl on 8/1/2002. ***

I rode Whizzer 2 times 07/31/02 for my last rides on the coaster. It ran great with no problems at all. It is the only family coaster the park has and it is a big loss. As much as i like Viper, a coaster with a 48" height limit is to tall of a restiction to be a family coaster. And as much as i love thrill coasters i feel they need a family attraction as now this is gone as well as Sky Whirl with the additions only being thrill rides.

Let me preface this by acknowledging that the bottom line for the park is continuing to draw big numbers with the latest, state-of-the-art rides. But let's also acknowledge the fact that, despite any PR rider figures, or maintenance cost estimates that come out, Whizzer has ALWAYS been one of the most popular rides at Great America.

And I think most people know why - it's a great way to try out coasters. Many of us got hooked by riding the Whizzer. It also is perhaps a sign of the way things used to be at parks - where we didn't have a need to be 100% thrilled to have a good time - when there was something cool about just having fun on a roller coaster, as opposed to having our brains scrambled, our heads banged around, and goodies scrunched, etc.

I think Great America, though probably trying to forge ahead with the Six Flags Manifest Destiny Mandate, will be alienating more people than they know, if they don't add another family-type coaster to the arsenal. Some one here had mentioned a wild mouse where Power Dive used to
stand. Wouldn't that be nice?

Of course, that would add more to the cost of a new 2003 attraction, now, wouldn't it?

"Without suffering, life has no meaning."

Again, Whizzer is a great draw, and, right now, everyone in the world thinks that it is their favorite coaster.

That said, don't get mad at Six Flags. Was everyone this mad at Paramount for removing there's a while back? One of a kind ride or not, it was by no means any longer profitable. The only place they could get spare parts was from their third train. The capacity was absolutely atrocious.

I bet Six Flags brings in some sort of new spinoff of Whizzer in the coming years. Right now, though, there's no doubt in my mind that from a logisitcal standpoint, they're doing the right thing.