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COASTER-net.com > Your guide to ride on the wild side > News & Releases

There's another aspect of excitement in the world of thrill rides. There's the excitement of the latest announcements of upcoming rides from an industry as secretive as the military at times, and the excitement of all the latest happenings at parks around the world. Sometimes the news is good, sometimes the news is bad, but our aim is to bring you the fairest, timeliest, most accurate details on everything that concerns you. COASTER-net's team of journalists is hard at work around the clock to bring you the in-depth scoop!

Heart trouble on 'Velocity'
Man collapses after exiting

Flamingo Land Theme Park & Zoo, Malton, North Yorkshire, UK 08/29/06 - By: Cory Gross -

While climbing off Velocity, a one-of-a-kind roller coaster at Flamingo Land in the UK, a 42-year old man collapsed.

He was given CPR and the Yorkshire Air Ambulance was summoned at 5:15 p.m. The man was flown to Scarborough Hospital where he is in stable condition.

Paramedics were fighting to save the man, said a park visitor who did not want to be named. A lot of people were gathering around looking toward the queue of the ride. A woman who looked in total distraught was taken away by two men who the visitor thought was in trouble. She then noticed a man lying on the ground and had paramedics giving him CPR.

Velocity is the park’s newest sit-down roller coaster. Instead of traditional seating, the ride has motor bikes which provide a seat for the rider. Once riders are strapped in, the ride launches at 54 mph, going through many twists and turns on its 2,109-foot track. This ride was the first of its kind in the UK and opened in July 2005.

Signs are posted at the entrance of the ride prohibiting riders with weak hearts. However, people usually ignore or do not even heed these warnings, which results in fatal or near-fatal consequences.

Journey the lost city of Atlantis in 2007
Sea World San Antonio introduces new ride

Sea World San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA 08/24/06 - By: Cory Gross -

© Matthew Vickers

Journey to Atlantis: Journey to Atlantis is found in all of the Sea World Parks (Journey to Atlantis is Sea World Orlando is pictured above) but all of the rides offer different experiences.

Everyone 42 inches and up, get ready for a thrilling, wild, and wet adventure as you journey through the lost city of Atlantis on the new ride called Journey to Atlantis, at Sea World San Antonio is San Antonio, Texas.

This new ride for 2007 is the first of its kind in the U.S. Developed my Mack GMBH, this ride will combine the elements of a roller coaster and a water ride. This ride is sure to be a hit and will keep guests wanting to go on over and over again.

Journey to Atlantis is also found at Sea World Orlando and in Sea World San Diego, but each ride is very different and will give riders a different and unique experience from most thrill rides.

The ride starts out with 16 passengers boarding a boat ready to explore the lost city of Atlantis. They head up the lift hill. At the top, boats head to turntables which turn 90° or backwards to their next destination in the ride. They then go down a reverse camel back hill and they land on another turntable which turns them forward again. They then are taken down the final plunge into a lake going through geysers and water sprouts. A similar ride is found at Europa Park in Germany.

This ride will be added to the park along with its other 5 rides. Other rides in the park include: Great White, a B&M inverted roller coaster which is a Batman: The Ride clone; Steel Eel, which is a Morgan hyper coaster that races up to 65 mph; Texas Splash Down and Rico Loco, wet rides that are sure to leave riders soaked; and the Shamu Express, which is a family roller coaster for the little kids. These are only a few of the many attractions in the park.

Journey to Atlantis offers a great experience for riders and observers alike. People who are not on the ride can stand on observation areas and get soaked by the ride going into its final plunge.

The ride started construction in late June and it still under construction. The ride is expected to open May 24th.

Busch Gardens lets the 'Griffon' out of the bag
VA hyper-coaster to join Tampa counterpart in 2007

Busch Gardens Europe, Williamsburg, VA, USA 08/23/06 - By: Devin Olson -

© Busch Entertainment

A Secret No Longer: Busch Gardens Europe has announced Griffon, the world's first floorless Dive Machine model from Bolliger and Mabillard.

Busch Gardens Europe has finally let the cat out of the bag... Or rather, the mythical beast, in this case.

The park has confirmed Griffon, a Dive Machine hyper-coaster from Swiss company Bolliger and Mabillard taking riders over the edge for the first time towards the end of next spring. The ride will strongly resemble SheiKra of sister park Busch Gardens Tampa, only feature a larger course and more unique trains. Riders will sit ten-abreast in floorless trains, making this coaster the first ride like it in the world.

After climbing to a height of 205' diagonally, riders will slowly round a curve, then dive at 71 mph into one of two Immelman inversions. 3,108 feet of steel track will guide trains through the park's France section as riders encounter a splashdown, airtime hop, carousel curve, and second vertical drop of 130 feet plunging down a hillside.

In comparison to the 2005 sister ride, Griffon will feature a slightly shorter track length, but a ride edging just beyond SheiKra's statistics in all other aspects.

Griffon will join 1978's Loch Ness Monster, 1984's Big Bad Wolf, 1997's Alpengeist, and 1999's Apollo's Chariot, giving the park a quintet of major coasters for the first time in its history. Both of the latter two coasters were manufactured by Bolliger and Mabillard as well.

Construction began on July 6 immediately after the closing of the Le Mans Raceway antique car ride.

Look for an extensive preview of the 2007 coaster right here in COASTER-net's Ride Gallery!

Another waterside park goes to the bulldozer
Trump Entertainment Resorts to redevelop Steel Pier

Steel Pier, Atlantic City, NJ, USA 08/22/06 - By: Paul S. -

For those of you how like classic water side pier parks, in March we learned that one of the classics the Myrtle Beach Pavilion Amusement Park in Myrtle Beach South Carolina was going to the bulldoze for redevelopment.

Now five months later we learn yet another classic waterside park is going to the bulldozer. This time it is the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

The Steel Pier opened in 1898 and currently is 1000 feet long getting 900 ft over the water. It has also been a family distention in Atlantic City for a long time, with famous entertainers and animal acts.

Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc, which also owns the Taj Mahal hotel in Atlantic City, has decided that they will be redeveloping the Steel Pier.

While what exactly will happen to the Steel Pier is uncertain but it is official this will be its last operating season.

There is a company board meting in November in which an announcement is possible for some time after. Currently Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc is working on the Taj Mahal's ongoing expansion and renovation, which will be including a $250 million hotel tower that will be opening in 2008.

Some people fare that closing the steel Pier will eliminate any family friendly places in Atlantic City. They fell that with its elimination Atlantic City will complexly transform from a place of family entertainment to a place of gamblers with no reason to bring the kids.

What ever will become of the Steel Pier is uncertain, but one thing is for sure for better or for worse changes will be coming to it in the upcoming years. So time to get your late trip in before this classic is gone for good.

Holiday World hosts the Golden Ticket Awards
The 2006 academy awards of the amusement industry

Holiday World, Santa Claus, IN, USA 08/21/06 - By: Cory Gross -

© Holiday World

The 2006 Golden Ticket Awards: Holiday World is hosting the Awards on Sunday, August 27th at 1:00 p.m.

Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN will host the 9th Annual Golden Ticket Awards on Sunday, August 27th at 1:00 p.m.

These awards determine the best in the amusement park industry. The categories in the awards include: Best Amusement Park, Best Water Park, Most Beautiful Park, Cleanest Park, Park with the Friendliest Staff, Best Water and Dark Ride, the Best Wooden and Steel Roller Coaster, and many more. Hundreds of enthusiasts who have been to many parks are surveyed to determine the winners of the awards.

Among the attendees at the awards are representatives from Cedar Point, Busch Gardens, Six Flags, Dollywood, Kings Island, Sea World, Lego Land, and many more who are hoping to bring home a Golden Ticket Award.

"We are planning to add our own touch to the ceremony this year," said Holiday World & Splashin' Safari president Will Koch. "We hope lots of families who are in the park on Sunday will join us for all the fun, plus a few surprises."

The president of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attraction and the President of the World Water Park Association will hand out awards to several categories along with the American Coaster Enthusiasts president, and Frieda Foertsch, who is 95 years old and has worked at Holiday World for over 50 years.

These awards are the academy awards of the amusement park industry. Past winners have been Cedar Point for the best park, with the number-one steel coaster in the world. Schlitterbahn Water Park Resort has won the best water park and best water slide. Cedar Point and Schlitterbahn have been known for winning many of these awards, but many other parks are also bound to win at the 2006 Golden Ticket Awards.

State of Arkansas blames ride operator
Magic Springs accident ruled operator's fault

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls, Magic Springs, AK 08/19/06 - By: Paul S. -

© Magic Springs and Crystal Falls

State Ruling: The state blamed a ride operator for the fall, stating that the rider was too large.

Back on July 29 Felicia Robinson of Memphis, Tennessee fell 11 feet to a box holding electric cables, after being thrown from the Twist 'n Shout roller coaster at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls amusement park.

Before “Twist 'n Shout” opened at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls it was operating at Gillian's Wonderland Pier as ‘Wild Wonder’, until an accident occurred killing mother and her child when a car rolled down the lift hill backwards into a loading vehicle.

After the accident at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls the lady was taken to a hospital ware she was said to be in stable condition.

Magic Springs and Crystal Falls said the ride was said to be in proper operating condition and the park blamed the rider for not follow the rules of the ride as the reason for being thrown off.

Now though The Arkansas Labor Department is saying that the reason for the accident was because, the ride operators let the woman ride sideways taking up two seats. While the ride manufacture say only one rider is allowed per seat. So that the ride operator was wrong in allowing the “extremely large” lady to ride.

'Flight of Fear' launches again at Kings Dominion
Ride reopens after quiet refurbishing (updated 8/18)

Paramount's Kings Dominion, Doswell, VA, USA 08/18/06 - By: Devin Olson -

© Brad Ruwe

Back on Track: After nearly two months of refurbishing, the ride has reopened as shiny as new - if not for its the darkness-enshrouded setting.

Mid-Atlantic coaster fans can officially rejoice as one of their favorite rides makes its triumphant return.

The unpopular closure of Flight of Fear at Paramount's Kings Dominion came to an end today as the park relaunched its monumental 10-year-old launched coaster.

Kings Dominion confirmed the redebut of its oldest remaining steel launched coaster and first ride of its type in the world, then reopened the ride today. Thus, the Doswell, Virginia theme park has become the first park to ever operate four launched coasters at once.

When the theme park debuted its fourth launched ride at the start of the season, Italian Job Turbo Coaster, it decided to shut down Flight of Fear for budget reasons. The call was made due to the expense of powering three rides using electromagnet Linear Induction Motors. The rides consume so much electricity, in fact, that each attraction operates on a separate power grid. Another factor contributing to the decision was the ride's rigorous maintenance required.

Then, along came new Paramount Parks owners Cedar Fair, who completed a purchase of the chain on June 30. One of the first decisions said to have been made by Cedar Fair was to work with the park towards a swift redebut for Flight of Fear, and work towards that goal began in July. After that, the coaster was thoroughly cleaned, with cosmetics inside its building replaced.

© Devin Olson

Fenced No More: The fence that blocked 'Flight of Fear' was removed and guests once more got a chance to experience the ride.

Finally, the ride was recertified by the state of Virginia following weeks of prior ride testing.

During the secrecy-shrouded closure, popular rumors circulating included an unconfirmed report that the park was considering retheming Flight of Fear into MTV Soundwave, a concept presented on a Paramount Parks survey last year. Other rumors claimed that Flight of Fear would find itself at one of the three sister parks that lack similar rides.

The coaster originally opened on June 18, 1996 as one of two rides to utilize Linear Induction Motors for the first time, the other being a clone at Paramount's Kings Island in Ohio. In 2001, it received improved trains that eliminated discomfort during the 54-mph experience.

A classic is back, and thrill-seekers hope that it's here to stay for good this time.

Updated 8/18/06.

Girl collapses at Six Flags Great America
Ten-year-old dies when returning to family

Six Flags Great America,Gurnee, Illinois, USA 08/17/06 - By: Cory Gross -

© Six Flags Great America

Health Conditions: A girl with pre-existing heart condition collapsed after returning from ride and later died.

Running toward her cousins and grandmother, a 10-year-old girl collapsed at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. She died a short time later.

The girl was running back from the Camp Cartoon Network, an area in the park where she just got off a ride. The girl, who had a history of heart problems, collapsed. The paramedics came, but her heart had already stopped and she was pronounced dead an hour after. An autopsy is planned to find the cause of her death.

The police said the girl, whose name had not been released, lived in Arlington Heights, an area in the Chicago suburbs, which is about 20 miles south of the park.

There was no answer to the phone at the Six Flags, Inc., headquarters in both Gurnee, Illinois, and New York. Six flags, Inc., which runs over 30 water, theme, and animal parks in North America. They recently switched management and now have been trying to make all their parks family-oriented.

This was not the first death to occur in the park. In 2003, an 11-year old girl died after riding Raging Bull, the star attraction in the park that soars over a height of 200 feet. The 10-year-old girl was said to have died from a previous heart condition.

Preformer dies at Six Flags Elitch Gadens
Ninteen-year-old falls off chairs while preforming

Six Flags Elitch Gardens, Denver, Colorado, USA 08/14/06 - By: Cory Gross -

The audience stared with astonishment at the Amazing Acrobats of China show taking place at Six Flags Elitch Gardens, for they had seen a 19-year-old performer take a terrible fall on Friday night.

The performer was sent to the Denver Health Medical Center, where he then died on Saturday morning due to his injuries.

The performer stood on his hands while balancing on multiple chairs and a table almost 30 feet in the air. He then fell face-first. The audience did not know what had happened. They thought it might have been part of the act, for they just remained in their seats, silent.

The announcer called for medical assistance and a nurse from the audience came up to help. There was not much to be done until the ambulance came to take the unconscious, yet breathing performer. The audience members left calmly.

The group was scheduled to perform until Labor Day, but the park has canceled Saturday shows and has said that the other shows will be postponed until further notice.

Six Flags shared its "deepest sympathies" with the performer’s family and friends. Six Flags representative Brooke Basher said that in her six years of working with Six Flags, a performer has never died.

Injury on 'Alpengeist' at Busch Gardens Europe
Rider with condition suffers multiple leg fractures

Busch Gardens Europe, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA 08/11/06 - By: Cory Gross -

© Devin Olson

Warning: The ride states that riders with pre-existing medical conditions that may be affected by the ride, should not ride.

This evening at 5:30 p.m., a guest was injured while riding the roller coaster Alpengeist, at Busch Gardens Europe, in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The person, who had pre-existing medical conditions (according to Busch Gardens Europe), got multiple fractures while riding the roller coaster, which lets the rider’s feet dangle below the trains, since the track is above the rider.

Alpengeist roller coaster soars 195 feet above the ground, which makes it the tallest full-circuit inverted coaster in the world. It also reaches a top speed of 67 mph over its 3,828-foot course which delivers 6 heart pounding inversions. Alpengeist is said to be the greatest inverted coaster in the world, as well as one of the best steel coasters.

The injured person was flown by a nightingale to the Children’s Hospital of the Kings Daughters because there was too much traffic to drive, and the only doctor that could treat him was there.

Alpengeist is not only one of the greatest steel coasters ever built, it is also located in one of the top-rated parks in America. It was built by Bolliger & Mabillard which is known for building very safe roller coasters.

Next Six Flags park to go: Elitch Gardens
SFI will start marketing park at $170 million

Six Flags Elitch Gardens, Denver, CO, USA 08/08/06 - By: Michael Ingerson -

Six Flags Inc. announced this week that Six Flags Elitch Gardens, in Denver, will be put up for sale. A couple months ago, SFI stated that they were considering the selling Six Flags Elitch Gardens, along with a few other Six Flags properties. While it is no surprise that Elitch Gardens is being sold, the price it is up for is.

The owner of the Denver park is attempting to get $170 million for the 75-acre property. Former owners bought the Elitch property for $6.1 million back in 1994. One of Denver's Fuller Real Estate said that the number is mind-boggling, but may be worth it.

The city of Denver would like the property to remain as an amusement park, but that idea is getting mixed reviews.

"The city invested more than $30 million in getting that property redeveloped for Elitch's," said John Huggins, Denver's director of economic development. "We're not particularly interested in having the property developed for a different use."

With the property being zoned for just amusement park, redevelopment for anything else would take a hefty amount of work, and the property would have to be rezoned.

Developer Susan Powers stated that she doesn't think that the Elitch property being used for residential use would be such a great idea due to the amount of noise and traffic in that area recieved from the near by the Pepsi Center and the City Lights Pavilion concert venue.

"It feels like everything on that side of Speer Boulevard is really entertainment-oriented," she said.

The park could still be sold to another park operator. This would make the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau happy. Elitch Gardens is Denver metro area's fifth-most-popular paid tourist attraction, according to Longwoods International, a marketing research firm.

US Army theme park planned for D.C. area
Proposal would join museum in 125-acre complex

Fort Belvoir, Fairfax County, VA, USA 08/08/06 - By: Devin Olson -

© Windows Live Local

Prime Real Estate: The site proposed by a developer for an Army theme park would border the Potomac River, just south of the Nation's Capital in Fairfax County.

Imagine paratrooping from hundreds of feet in the air, flying through a combat zone and fighting against insurgents, all before you get back to the loading platform. Now open your eyes.

The United States Army's base realignment may not be the only change coming to the Fort Belvoir base just south of Washington, D.C. Recently, the Army announced the construction of the National Museum of the US Army at Fort Belvoir along with an adjacent hotel and conference center. Now, it seems, those plans could exceed all expectations.

The Army is considering a private developer's proposal for a theme park for the 125-acre complex, to be constructed at the Fort Belvoir Engineer Proving Ground. The site is located near Springfield, Virginia, between I-95 and the Potomac River, providing accessibility along with scenery.

Last year, Orlando's Universal City Property Management III quietly submitted a proposition for the theme park. The Washington Post uncovered a copy of the proposal, which explains that guests would have the ability to "command the latest M-1 tank, feel the rush of a paratrooper freefall, fly a Cobra Gunship or defend [their] B-17 as a waist gunner."

The Army had teamed up with Disney and Universal Studios to help with museum concepts. Originally, the museum was to be built closer to the main portion of Fort Belvoir and slated to debut in 2009. However, the museum was soon postponed by two years. Just last week, those plans were officially shifted to the Proving Ground and delayed by two more years, putting the grand opening at 2013.

© Disney Enterprises

Fates Recalled: None of the three major theme parks proposed for the D.C. area over the past more than thirty years have materialized.

Local officials have begun expressing concern over potential traffic congestion, a common downfall for development projects in the Washington D.C. region.

Northern Virginia has a more than thirty-year history of proposed theme parks that failed to leave the drawing boards. When the Marriott hotel chain was creating theme parks in California and Illinois during the mid-1970s, the proposed location for a third park in Manassas failed due to the area's historic significance. The most well-publicized instance occurred in 1993 when Disney unveiled plans to construct its own third American park location several miles away in Haymarket, but once again, historic concerns scrapped the park. Finally, a Legoland park proposed in the later nineties met the same fate.

However, being that the proposal casualties were all the brainchilds of private developers, any park approved by the Army to be built on federal land is more of a sure-fire probability.

Darien Lake comments on shortened hours
Park cites fact that major crowds won't feel effects

Six Flags Darien Lake, Darien Center, NY, USA 08/07/06 - By: Cory Gross -

Six Flags, Inc., is trying to improve their profit across the board with its theme parks; however, Six Flags Darien Lake, in Darien Center, NY, is cutting off an hour of operations from Sunday to Friday.

The park will now close at 9 o’clock p.m. for five days a week, but will remain open until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. This reduced schedule began on Monday.

"We're still providing our guests with over 10 hours of fun per day, and this has no effect on the times of day when the majority of guests are in our park or on the busiest days of the week," said Mary Christa Sellan, a spokeswoman for Six Flags Darien Lake, in a statement. "We are concentrating our resources toward the lion's share of the day when the family audience is most impacted."

The park is evaluating the Fright Fest due to weather conditions. The Fright Fest is a Halloween-themed event that is held on weekends October, which is after the park’s regular season. The park said that they will still hold the event but is still finalizing details.

Six Flags Darien Lake is one of the six parks that the company is considering for sale. Six Flags, Inc., lost 39.6 million dollars in profit, while last year it was up 11.1 million dollars.

Six Flags scratches new entertainment
Continued financial woes prompt sacrifice

Six Flags Inc., New York City, NY, USA 08/05/06 - By: Devin Olson -

© Josh Davidson

Hired and Fired: Six Flags strategy to increase the number of costumed characters and quantity of family entertainment around the chain lasted six months.

When Mark Shapiro claimed the reigns of the Six Flags chain as CEO this season, his vision for the chain's future called for 1,200 new costumed characters, parades, new shows and wandering performers, all enhancing the entertainment experience. However, half a year later, that vision appears to be crumbling, at least for the moment.

Six Flags' unfavorable financial situation has only persisted under the new ownership and leadership, with the 2006 season defined mainly by disappointing results among the fresh changes. In June, Six Flags announced the consideration of six properties for elimination from the lineup after a quarterly report of falling revenue. One of the parks in the announcement was Magic Mountain, one of the largest parks in the chain and in the world.

Now, Six Flags is scaling back on the strategy adopted this season to attract a stronger family audience. In just the past couple of days, Six Flags Elitch Gardens laid off the majority of its costumed-character workforce, bringing the numbers of the walking Warner Bros. icons back down to levels more in line with previous Six Flags management. Elitch Gardens is among the six parks considered for sale, but other "stronger" properties are feeling equal effects of the ongoing $2 billion debt.

At Six Flags Great Adventure, the chain's largest developed property, more than thirty years of firework shows and nightly parades have come to an indefinite end. The park announced that those events along with shows such as "Welcome to the 60s" and the park's daily opening show are no more. However, Shapiro just recently promised revamping to this park and others in long-neglected areas.

Many parks have lost at least an hour from the end of their daily operating schedules as another effect of the sacrifices being made, one example being Six Flags Darien Lake, another one of the six "weaker" properties. However, this park has not only lost daily operating time, but also over a month of operation at the end of the season which included a version of the chain-wide Fright Fest Halloween event.

The race to get Six Flags back on track continues, but only time will reveal whether the sacrifices being made will help or hurt the chain in the long run.

Josh Davidson contributed to this article.

Ticket-taker takes job too literally
Busch Gardens Europe employee arrested

Busch Gardens Europe, Williamsburg, VA, USA 08/04/06 - By: Devin Olson -

© Clint Novak

Caught in the Act: Guests enter Busch Gardens Europe after passing through the main turnstiles where employee Justin Sands stole unscanned tickets.

Finding tickets to a major theme park online for $10 may seem like a deal too beneficial to pass up, but just watch who you purchase tickets from.

Over $38,000 was potentially stolen from Busch Gardens Europe by an employee between the dates July 4 and 28, but now the man charged with the crime is behind bars. The crime? Felony embezzlement for stealing and reselling tickets for major discounts.

Twenty-one-year-old Justin Sands is charged with swiping guests' tickets without scanning them, then putting them up for sale online for up to a fifth of their maximum value. In all, the park estimates that he stole 734 tickets.

He was caught on July 28 and arrested by James City County police officers after a park security officer heard of the misappropriation and acted as an interested customer.

Sands told police he resold the tickets for $10 to $20. Single-day admission to Busch Gardens Europe is $51.95 for adults and $44.95 for children, making for a grand total of $38,131 stolen if all tickets had been sold by the park at full price.

Park still struggles after year of operating
Disneyland Hong Kong has low attendance rates

Disneyland Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China 08/02/06 - By: Cory Gross -

After expecting to have 5.6 million visitors, it appears that Disneyland Hong Kong will fall 500,000 short of that goal.

The park only has an average daily turnout of 18,000 people, which is only half of its capacity. Just over 5 million visitors are predicted for the first year of operations, which is half a million less than expectations. Since the city of Hong Kong is very crowded, it was assumed that the park would get a lot of visitors.

The managers of the park are refusing to give attendance figures, saying that the information is commercially sensitive. The park has been criticized for not having enough attractions, considering its costly ticket price.

Disneyland Hong Kong is one year old and has had problems ever since it opened. This is a major drawback to the park and shows that it is not very popular.