Coastersaurus
Specific Type: Wooden Jr. Coaster
|
Cypress Gardens started out in the 1980’s as a beautiful place for the family to spend a day together. The park was packed with beautiful gardens and classic water-ski shows, which gave it the title of the “Water-ski Capital of the World.” The park then went through a phase where it was sold, purchased, and then resold. The Busch Corporation ran the park for awhile, but then sold it to park employees on April 1, 1995. The employees successfully ran the park until it suffered from declining attendance post September 11th.
On February 22, 2004, Kent Buesher, owner of Wild Adventure, purchased the park and began its transformation into Cypress Gardens Adventure Park. Over twenty new rides, four of which are new roller coasters, were purchased for the park. Triple Hurricane happens to be one of the new rides. Focusing on family entertainment, the park wanted a small wooden roller coaster that their younger guests could enjoy. They made the decision to go with the Martin & Vleminchx Group of France. M&V has been a very popular company that has focused on building rides for other designers at amusement parks for a number of years, but this was the company’s first venture into building their very own designs. M&V largest junior coaster model was chosen and construction started within the park. As construction progress, Cypress Gardens was hit with not one, two, three, but four major hurricanes that caused major setbacks in the reopening of the park and some significant damage to the gardens and existing structures. Fortunately, none of the new roller coasters suffered any damage. After the string of hurricanes, the park started on the decision for a name for the now complete wooden coaster. Then the idea was presented to name the new woodie Triple Hurricane, to remember the weather event that plagues the park and delayed the opening. Triple Hurricane is not an impressive ride, but it serves its purpose of breeding the new generation of thrill ride junkies. The lift hill stands at a mere 40-feet and the ride boasts 1,365 feet of track. The fifty-second ride reaches a maximum speed of thirty-two miles per hour, which isn’t bad for a junior coaster. The ride features a single junior roller coaster train from the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. After guests take in the beautiful gardens and scenery of Cypress Gardens, the parks youngest guests make their way to Triple Hurricane, the park’s junior wooden coaster. Once they stroll through the queue line, they find themselves standing on the loading platform waiting to board one of the twenty seats in the five-car train. Sitting two abreast, the young guests secure their lapbars and are released from the station. The train exits the station and starts its climb up the 40-foot lift hill. Riders get a nice view before they are sent down the first drop. The train then soars skyward as the train crests the second hill. The train takes its passengers around a 180-degree turn and sends them into a series of bunny hills. The train drops then rises, giving a nice sensation of airtime. The small series contains four points where riders feel airtime. The train is now up to it’s maximum speed of 32-mph, which isn’t bad for a junior wooden coaster. The train crests the top of the last dip and rounds a 180-degree turn. The track makes one final dip before the junior coaches roll into the brakes. The brakes slowly release and the train rolls back into the station. Lapbars are released and Cypress Garden’s younger guests are set free to try their hand at the park’s other three roller coasters. |
©1998-2016 COASTER-net.com, All Rights Reserved.
