Death on Wildcat coaster in Tulsa
Zingo
Sunday April 20th, 1997
A teenager has died and 4 others sent to the hospital on the Wildcat
rollercoaster designed by Schwarzkopf at Bell's Amusement Park in Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
As reports - the car malfunctioned at the top of the lift hill, falling
back and hitting the the next car that just started up the lift.
___________________________________________________________________
Haven't I heard this before? But a long time ago on older coasters? I
thought that there were stops all along the lift as a safety measure? Maybe
this car did not catch? More as I get it.
--
KGress
http://www.icnet.net/users/gress
Zingo
Here is the article from Tulsa World web site
The REAL story from the Tulsa World see -
http://www.tulsaworld.com/scripts/tulsaworld.dll/TOPSTORY?970420_Ne_a1wildc
A 14-year-old boy was killed and six people were hurt, including two other
14-year-old boys who were seriously injured, in a roller coaster accident
Sunday at Bell's Amusement Park.
As a ride car crested the highest hill on the Wildcat roller coaster about
6 p.m., it malfunctioned, sending it backward down the incline and into
another ride car, Assistant Tulsa Fire Chief Harry Baker said.
A 14-year-old boy in the front car was reportedly ejected and hit his head
on one of the ride's metal bars, according to eyewitnesses. He died at the
scene.
Six other people in the two cars were taken to area hospitals. Authorities
would not release their names.
A 35-year-old man and his three daughters, ages 12, 9 and 3, were treated
at and released from St. John Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said.
Two other 14-year-old boys were taken to St. Francis Hospital in serious
condition with external and internal injuries, hospital spokeswoman Lisa
Ingram said.
The teens were being treated in the hospital's emergency room, and details
about their injuries were not available, Ingram said.
The roller coaster operates on a metal track and uses single cars holding
four people each. Estimates place its highest point about four stories
tall.
Kurt Vitense of Tulsa was on the platform getting ready to ride the Wildcat
when the accident happened.
``I heard a funny noise and looked up and the front car was coming
backward,'' Vitense said. ``I couldn't tell if the people in the car even
knew what was going on, but they hit awfully hard.''
The park, located at 21st Street and New Haven Avenue, was jammed with
visitors enjoying a day of fun and 25-cent rides as part of a
season-opening promotion. The park actually opened last weekend, but
because of bad weather, the promotion was extended to this weekend.
The other rides at the park -- including the Zingo, the large wooden roller
coaster at Bell's -- continued to operate after the accident. Baker said
the park would not have to close.
``The Wildcat is off in the corner, away from a lot of the attractions, so
that won't be necessary,'' Baker said.
Robert Bell III, the park's general manager, said the park had been in
operation for 47 years. He said this is the first fatality (of a patron) on
a park ride.
Bell said the ride was inspected two weeks ago by the Oklahoma Department
of Labor. He said all rides are inspected once a year.
It may take several weeks to determine exactly what occurred.
``My family and I are deeply upset and shocked by this tragedy,'' he said.
``We are committed to conducting our operation with the highest level of
safety. As a family operated business, the safety of all families who visit
our park is our first concern.''
Wesley Harmon of Tulsa and his friends rode the Wildcat about an hour
before the accident and said they noticed nothing unusual about the ride.
``It was rickety, but then that's the way it always is,'' Harmon, 35, said.
``That's scary to think that it could have been one of us.''
One teen-ager said he rode the Wildcat for the first time Sunday and
doesn't think he'll ever ride it again.
``No way,'' said 17-year-old Roger Pedersen. ``There's a bad omen about it
now.''
Few people at the amusement park Sunday evening knew the details of what
had happened.
Paula Pedersen brought her two children, 4-year-old Austin and 6-year-old
Erin, to Bell's from Fayetteville, Ark. She had only heard a few rumors
about the accident.
``It makes me sick now that I know,'' she said.
Beth Minnich of Tulsa decided not to ride Zingo because of the accident on
the other roller coaster.
``I was excited about it,'' she said. ``I haven't ridden Zingo for years,
but the accident just made me too nervous.''
Minnich, her husband, Kurt, and their two children, ages 7 months and 3
years, decided to stick to the kiddie rides for the rest of the day.
``There's not too much danger on those,'' Kurt Minnich said. ``On roller
coasters, you take your safety for granted. But any chance for injury is
just unacceptable.''
One neighbor of Bell's, who would not give her name, was outraged that park
officials would not close for the day.
``As soon as this happened, they should have closed the park down out of
respect for the victims,'' she said.
Although the amusement park remained open until its usual 9 p.m. closing
time, employees were trying to usher visitors out early.
"There were simply so many people here, we didn't want to cause a panic," a
woman answering the telephone in the business office said.
"We didn't want craziness to ensue. We've done pretty well at it," she
said.
Tom Monroe, director of safety standards for the state Labor Department,
said the Wildcat and the rest of the park's rides were inspected within the
past two weeks. Monroe said the inspections were part of the de partment's
normal practice before an amusement park opens for the season.
``We had one or two inspectors up there a week or two ago. . . . I don't
look at that report unless there's some major problem. . . . If there was
anything out of the ordinary, it wasn't brought to my attention.''
Monroe said that if the inspectors find a safety problem with the ride,
``nothing operates until it's safe.''
Inspectors "would physically walk the entire track, check the chains, check
the belts and bars. It would get a thorough inspection,'' he said.
Monroe said an inspector would be sent to secure the accident scene,
inspect the equipment and determine a cause for the accident.
Two people were hurt on the Wildcat ride in 1978 when one of the ride's
cars slammed into other cars parked on the track.
Martacq Sanzalone, then 22, suffered a broken wrist, and the accident
fractured James D. Barnes' right knee. It was the third such accident on
the Wildcat since 1976, resulting in at least four injuries, according to
reports at the time.
Sanzalone later sued Bell's and received $28,800 from the jury verdict.
In 1976, a 19-year-old Bell's employee fell to his death from the park's
Skyride, which resembles a ski lift.
James Bennett fell after trying to cross Expo Square while hanging from one
of the ride's empty cars, according to reports.
In 1980, a 9-year-old's leg was broken on Bell's Super Round- Up, a
spinning ride. The boy's leg apparently became wedged outside the ride's
car.
In 1991, an accident on a mini-roller coaster at the Tulsa State Fair
injured a Sapulpa woman when the ride jumped its tracks. Jessie K.
Swindell, then 36, was treated and released from a Tulsa hospital. The Fair
is operated and Bell's is permanently located on property owned by Tulsa
County.
Bell's opened in 1951 with just six rides; it now has about 45 rides and
attractions.
Although a critic of the legislation, Robert Bell and his park complied
willingly with the Amusement Ride Safety Act when it went into effect in
1982. The act required all rides to pass a safety inspection and show
$300,000 in liability insurance.
Inspectors check items ranging from engine mounts and safety belts to
operator qualifications.
Robert Bell had fought regulation before, however.
Bell sought a court injunction against the Consumer Product Safety
Commission when the commission asked park officials to fill out a
questionnaire on ride safety, focusing on the Sky Ride. The request came
after a fatal accident on a gondola ride at Six Flags of Mid-America in St.
Louis. The accident killed three people and injured one.
"An amusement park ride is not a consumer product under the act," attorneys
for Bell's Amusement Park claimed in 1979.
In 1981, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the CPSC does
not have jurisdiction over the ride.
Bell was quoted as saying, "We know more about ride safety than a paid
employee of the federal government. We have more at stake."
Robert Bell received the industry's Andrew S. McSwigan Award for the fight
against federal regulation of the amusement park industry and for action
taken against the CPSC in 1979.
Bell said that his park is safer than traveling amusement park rides, such
as those at a fair, because of the permanent nature of Bell's.
In 1986, Bell's had to delay opening because of skyrocketing insurance
costs.
He said "amusement parks' reputations for being dangerous places make it
more difficult and expensive to find insurance."
"The tragic thing about it is amusement parks are a real safe business, but
in the public's mind it's not. One of the reasons people come to an
amusement park is the aura of danger.
"Most of our accidents are stumble and fall things."
sh5 ---
World Staff Writers Michael Overall, Ashley Parrish and Tim Hoover and The
Associated Press contributed to this story.
Zingo <gr...@mail.dec.com> wrote in article
<01bc4e5c$80a3afa0$f020...@home.oko.dec.com>...
David H.
On Tue, 22 Apr 1997 00:08:08 GMT, cro...@ix.netcom.com (Matt
Crowther) wrote:
>On 21 Apr 1997 21:05:47 GMT, "Zingo" <gr...@mail.dec.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>Here is the article from Tulsa World web site
>>
>>The REAL story from the Tulsa World see -
>>
>>http://www.tulsaworld.com/scripts/tulsaworld.dll/TOPSTORY?970420_Ne_a1wildc
>>
>>
>
>>
>(bunch of article deleted)
>
>>Beth Minnich of Tulsa decided not to ride Zingo because of the accident on
>>the other roller coaster.
>>``I was excited about it,'' she said. ``I haven't ridden Zingo for years,
>>but the accident just made me too nervous.''
>>Minnich, her husband, Kurt, and their two children, ages 7 months and 3
>>years, decided to stick to the kiddie rides for the rest of the day.
>>``There's not too much danger on those,'' Kurt Minnich said. ``On roller
>>coasters, you take your safety for granted. But any chance for injury is
>>just unacceptable.''
>
>
>So did this person drive to the park? A lot higher "chance for injury"
>there than on a roller coaster. Despite this tragedy, roller coasters
>are a lot safer than many daily activities, but leave it to the press
>to make them sound like death traps by quoting uninformed people.
>
>Matt
>
This is exactly the point I made in another thread about this article.
Americans have absolutely NO sense of perspective when it comes to
risk assessment.
They drive every day, even when they COULD walk, even though almost
EVERYONE has been in some sort of car accident. Often they don't even
take 10 seconds to put on the seat belt.
Yet, they freak if ONE amusement park ride has an accident.
They smoke, even though it's been proven to cause cancer and many
other diseases.
Yet, many are TERRIFIED of ANY risk associated with AIDS, even if they
use a condom properly.
They eat poorly, even though all signs show that an unhealthy diet
leads to early death.
Yet, panic ensues when a plane crashes.
EVERY DAY, MANY people die from smoking-related illnesses, drunk
driving, regular driving, illnesses caused by poor eating or lack of
exercise.
Yet when ONE accident happens on certain other things, it's big,
shocking news, and proof that these things are dangerous!
Perhaps it's time for Americans to take a cold hard assessment of the
risk in their EVERYDAY LIVES, before they pass judgement on things
like roller coasters and airplanes.
David H.
"You don't have any goals.
You need to figure out what you want to do with your life."
"OK, can we go to Six Flags?"
-- Hank and Bobby Hill
_King of the Hill_
Matt Crowther
On 21 Apr 1997 21:05:47 GMT, "Zingo" <gr...@mail.dec.com> wrote:
>
>Here is the article from Tulsa World web site
>
>The REAL story from the Tulsa World see -
>
>http://www.tulsaworld.com/scripts/tulsaworld.dll/TOPSTORY?970420_Ne_a1wildc
>
>
>
(bunch of article deleted)
>Beth Minnich of Tulsa decided not to ride Zingo because of the accident on
>the other roller coaster.
>``I was excited about it,'' she said. ``I haven't ridden Zingo for years,
>but the accident just made me too nervous.''
>Minnich, her husband, Kurt, and their two children, ages 7 months and 3
>years, decided to stick to the kiddie rides for the rest of the day.
>``There's not too much danger on those,'' Kurt Minnich said. ``On roller
>coasters, you take your safety for granted. But any chance for injury is
>just unacceptable.''
Mandy
c The Associated Press
Hi,
Thought maybe this would be of interest. This is taken from the Today
News on AOL . . . which comes from the Associated Press. :)
Mandy
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The failure of a safety device on a roller coaster
allowed one car to slam backward into another, killing a 14-year-old
boy and injuring six other people, authorities said today.
Amusement park officials said the ride had been inspected just two
weeks ago.
One of the cars on The Wildcat was being pulled to the top of an
incline Sunday night when, just before reaching the crest, it rolled
45 feet backward down the track and collided with another car, said
Harry Baker, assistant fire chief.
Witnesses said the boy who died was in the front car. He was ejected,
hitting his head on one of the ride's metal bars.
``I heard a funny noise and looked up and the front car was coming
backward,'' said Kurt Vitense, who was on the ride platform. ``I
couldn't tell if the people in the car even knew what was going on,
but they hit awfully hard.''
Baker said the cars are pulled up a track to the top of the initial
crest by a chain and are supposed to descend forward. Instead, Baker
said, ``something malfunctioned at the top.''
A safety feature called an anti-rollback device broke, allowing the
car to roll backward, the sheriff's department said in a preliminary
report today.
The ride, about four stories tall at its highest point, uses single
cars holding four people each.
Bell's Amusement Park was packed as visitors enjoyed a
25-cents-per-ride promotion. The park remained open after the
accident.
The ride was inspected two weeks ago by the Oklahoma Department of
Labor, park president Robert Bell III said. He said all rides are
inspected once a year.
The ride has been at the park since 1974, Bell said. It was the park's
first fatal accident in its 47-year history.
``My family and I are deeply upset and shocked by this tragedy,'' Bell
said. ``We are committed to conducting our operation with the highest
level of safety.''
Two 14-year-old boys were in fair condition today at St. Francis
Hospital, a spokeswoman said. A father, two of his daughters and
another young girl who was a family friend were treated and released.
AP-NY-04-21-97 1220EDT
Copyright 1997 The Associated Press. The information contained in
the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
otherwise distributed without prior written authority of The
Associated Press.
The Chiller
On Tue, 22 Apr 1997 05:02:22 GMT, dav...@ix.netcom.com (David H.)
wrote:
<snip>
The whole sensation of coasters and rides is the "chance" of danger.
The GP truly thinks these things are unsafe, to them it's a risk
riding. So when something like this occurs, it's proving, to THEM,
that's it's unsafe. I know if I climbed up to go bungee-jumping and
the guy's cord right before me broke, I wouldn't jump! Just my
opinion...
Kip Ross
kk...@sprintmail.com
Noodle
On Tue, 22 Apr 1997, David H. wrote:
> This is exactly the point I made in another thread about this article.
>
> Americans have absolutely NO sense of perspective when it comes to
> risk assessment.
Just wanted to add this little bit: The same can be said for anyone
anywhere in the world who drives, smokes, enjoys an unhealthy diet or is
particularly out of shape.
The characteristics David H listed, which appear below, are certainly
not a distinctly American phenomenon... although there very well may be a
more skewed risk perception overall in the U.S. than elsewhere.
Now, the sue-happy U.S. legal system is a different story... :)
That's where parks can really get the shaft IMHO, even if little Bobby did
ignore the posted signs.
> They drive every day, even when they COULD walk, even though almost
> EVERYONE has been in some sort of car accident. Often they don't even
> take 10 seconds to put on the seat belt.
>
> Yet, they freak if ONE amusement park ride has an accident.
>
> They smoke, even though it's been proven to cause cancer and many
> other diseases.
>
> Yet, many are TERRIFIED of ANY risk associated with AIDS, even if they
> use a condom properly.
>
> They eat poorly, even though all signs show that an unhealthy diet
> leads to early death.
>
> Yet, panic ensues when a plane crashes.
>
>
> EVERY DAY, MANY people die from smoking-related illnesses, drunk
> driving, regular driving, illnesses caused by poor eating or lack of
> exercise.
>
> Yet when ONE accident happens on certain other things, it's big,
> shocking news, and proof that these things are dangerous!
>
>
> Perhaps it's time for Americans to take a cold hard assessment of the
> risk in their EVERYDAY LIVES, before they pass judgement on things
> like roller coasters and airplanes.
>
>
> David H.
__ ___
____| |___ _____ _| >__James A Hanson, Mechanical Engineering____________
| | | |_| < University of Maryland College Park
_| | . | | | >
__| | | | | | | | < . , ` '.`', \__\\__\\__\\__\\__\\__\
|____|_|_|_|_|_|_|___> ===================================================
"Clinkclinkclinkclink clink ...clink... WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!!!"
-the great American roller coaster
"Great spirits have always encountered
violent opposition from mediocre minds." -Albert Einstein
Mind Eraser
On Wed, 23 Apr 1997 00:06:56 GMT, dav...@ix.netcom.com (David H.)
wrote:
>True, and I'm sure that I'd be the same way. I've already recounted
>numerous times the story of going down one of the Action Park alpine
>slides with the brake on somewhat much of the way after seeing someone
>hurt from the slide while I was in the first aid office. (Admittedly,
>the fact that *I* had already been hurt at the park didn't help any!)
Hehe! The first time I bungee-jumped, I was SO nervous. I was shaking
so bad I could just barely sign the forms. Anyway, I get to the top of
the tower and the operator preceded to tell me how there was a tower
*just* like the one I was on down the road but it had to be removed
because the cord broke and the person died! This was AS I was standing
on the edge about to jump! That didn't stop me from doing it and
loving it though. I've now bungee-jumped a bunch of times!
My best bungee experience was this:
I decided to do something wacky so I put both hands on the edge and
had the ops raise my feet into the air. So I'm standing there on the
edge of the huge tower doing a hand-stand. They pushed me off and I
went *flipping*!!! So much fun!
Kip Ross
kk...@sprintmail.com
David H.
On Tue, 22 Apr 1997 18:54:14 GMT, kk...@sprintmail.com (The Chiller)
wrote:
>On Tue, 22 Apr 1997 05:02:22 GMT, dav...@ix.netcom.com (David H.)
>wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>The whole sensation of coasters and rides is the "chance" of danger.
>The GP truly thinks these things are unsafe, to them it's a risk
>riding. So when something like this occurs, it's proving, to THEM,
>that's it's unsafe. I know if I climbed up to go bungee-jumping and
>the guy's cord right before me broke, I wouldn't jump! Just my
>opinion...
True, and I'm sure that I'd be the same way. I've already recounted
numerous times the story of going down one of the Action Park alpine
slides with the brake on somewhat much of the way after seeing someone
hurt from the slide while I was in the first aid office. (Admittedly,
the fact that *I* had already been hurt at the park didn't help any!)
However, why is it that people drive past accidents on the road every
day, usually without giving it an extra thought? It usually doesn't
even get people to put on their seat belts.
Mandy
Lost in my outbox...didn't clean it out till today....
"Zingo" <gr...@mail.dec.com>, after reading the message, frantically
scribbled down with zest:
>A 35-year-old man and his three daughters, ages 12, 9 and 3, were treated
>at and released from St. John Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said.
I'm rather curious about this one. . . Where was that 3 year old
child? Was he/she on the ride? Just out of curiosity, is there a
height regulation for this ride and if so was this 3 year old a really
tall kid? <Just some food for thought>
>Bell said the ride was inspected two weeks ago by the Oklahoma Department
>of Labor. He said all rides are inspected once a year.
>It may take several weeks to determine exactly what occurred.
Maybe they should be inspected more than that since wear-and-tear,
weather, ect can effect equipment. Certainly, it may not do it in a
less than a year between inspections, but things such as this can
happen. They do not plan to open up Wildcat till they can determine
the problem and get it fixed, of course, but I'm wondering how many
are going to flock to this one again? Question: Would you ride it
knowing its history? My answer: Yes, if they would fix the problem
and install safety devices such as rollbacks if there are none present
at the current time.
>Paula Pedersen brought her two children, 4-year-old Austin and 6-year-old
>Erin, to Bell's from Fayetteville, Ark. She had only heard a few rumors
>about the accident.
>``It makes me sick now that I know,'' she said.
Was Ms Pederson going to take that 4 yr old on Wildcat? If there are
height restrictions, they must grow them big out there. <sarcasm, no
mean to offend>
Ms Pederson, if you are out there, the chances of your kid getting
hurt on a ride are rather low, especially if they follow the rules.
You have a more likely chance of having an accident from walking,
driving, going up in an elevator, playing sports, ect.
If one is so frightened by getting hurt on a rollercoaster, then I'm
sure they may as well be as frightened with the many drivers out there
on the road. Lock yourself up in your house. Then you are safe. . .
No not really. . . That old plug-in radio just may slip in the
bathtub.
>Beth Minnich of Tulsa decided not to ride Zingo because of the accident on
>the other roller coaster.
>``I was excited about it,'' she said. ``I haven't ridden Zingo for years,
>but the accident just made me too nervous.''
I can understand being a bit nervous about it, but I'm sure she'll
ride again someday after all is forgotten. The chances of two
accidents happening on two rollercoasters in the same day in the same
park. . .I think that most people on this group will ride a
rollercoaster again. Yes, we take chances, but we are in it for the
thrill, we know things like this can happen, but we ride anyway.
>Minnich, her husband, Kurt, and their two children, ages 7 months and 3
>years, decided to stick to the kiddie rides for the rest of the day.
>``There's not too much danger on those,'' Kurt Minnich said. ``On roller
>coasters, you take your safety for granted. But any chance for injury is
>just unacceptable.''
Again, either they grow them big out in OK, the parents are nuts, or
the reporter wasn't thinking that day. . . Who'd take a 7 month old
kid on a rollercoaster?
Any chances for injury are unacceptable?!!? Stay at home too. Those
cars can kill you, I tell you! I hope you don't smoke, eat foods that
have artificial additives, ect! Chances are you're more likely to die
doing those. . . wouldn't want to take any chances would we?
>Tom Monroe, director of safety standards for the state Labor Department,
>said the Wildcat and the rest of the park's rides were inspected within the
>past two weeks.
I don't know my stuff too well on this, but is this, in most parks,
the norm? I mean two things actually.
1. How many times does a normal amusement park inspect their
coasters?
2. Has there been any studies on accidents at parks and
times/techniques of inspection/maintenance on these rides?
>``We had one or two inspectors up there a week or two ago. . . . I don't
>look at that report unless there's some major problem. . . . If there was
>anything out of the ordinary, it wasn't brought to my attention.''
Hm. . . If I ran a park, I think I'd still like to look at the report
just in case someone on the lower rungs of the ladder "forgot" or did
not bring it to my attention. By the way, are there any reports as to
what maintenance was taken on the Wildcat prior to the accident within
the past few weeks before and after inspection?
>Monroe said that if the inspectors find a safety problem with the ride,
>``nothing operates until it's safe.''
Yes, but the person didn't even look at the report to know did he?
(Don't flame I'm being sarcastic).
>Robert Bell had fought regulation before, however.
>Bell sought a court injunction against the Consumer Product Safety
>Commission when the commission asked park officials to fill out a
>questionnaire on ride safety, focusing on the Sky Ride. The request came
>after a fatal accident on a gondola ride at Six Flags of Mid-America in St.
>Louis. The accident killed three people and injured one.
>"An amusement park ride is not a consumer product under the act," attorneys
>for Bell's Amusement Park claimed in 1979.
Oookay. . . Hm. . . Well, what is the harm anyway of filling out a
questionaire if you are sure that your rides are safe? Wouldn't you
be proud of that? You wouldn't fight it, rather I would be happy to
say rides are safe. <sarcasm in effect>
--M.
:::::remove the obvious w in the address to email::::::
daaa...@gmail.com
dsch...@ix.netcom.com
> Who died what was their name
surfd...@aol.com
dsch...@ix.netcom.com
> Wow, the last post on this thread before today was before I even had internet!
30 Ways to Ride Your Batman ;-)
Dana Schwartz
5/8/97
Yesterday (Wed., 7 May) at 3:30 pm when I got out of work I decided,
"What the heck!" It's the first weekday of the regular SFGAd season,
it's 52 degrees with 20-25 MPH winds, school is still in session - how
many people could be at the park?
Verrrrrrrrrry few :-) !!! It was coaster heaven! I started out on
Batman (walk-on except for the first row) for 3 or 4 rides. Over to
the GASM for a couple. RT had both sides open and hardly anyone was
riding the left track, so after waiting one train for a front seat, I
stayed on the platform and just kept grabbing empty seats (4 or 5 more
rides). Back to GASM for one more. And then...
It was 6:15 - I really had a couple errands to run... OK! ONE more
ride on Batman and I promised myself I'd hit the road. At 6:20 I got
on Batman...and got off at 7:50 :-) ! Had to change seats once or
twice, but rode most of the 30 rides in the same seat. The ride ops
were terrific - announcing that no one had to leave the ride unless
they wanted to (except for the first row)! (I was happy that Alfred
the Butler was not talking at us!)
Riding with Chris & Chris (one an ACE member who some of you know; the
other a budding coaster enthusiast from Long Island - Hi guys!), I
finally had one of those classic opportunities to try riding an
inverted in different ways: holding arms up, out; holding onto the
top of the OTSR; hands on the front of the seat, on my knees; legs
out, legs crossed ala the Rockettes on Alpengeist :-) ! (had to see if
*that* felt as stupid as it looks, even though I wasn't wearing a
dress!), looking in different directions (to the side, straight down,
up). Unlike on woodies, hands-free riding doesn't add a whole lot to
the experience on an inverted after the first drop, IMO - I mean, I
wasn't looking for airtime exactly.
However, having the opportunity to simply have FUN with the coaster
was novel - last Sunday the wait was almost two hours (and can be
longer, as we all know)! It was worth pulling every damn knot out of
my hair afterward :-0 !!! I think I'm going to start another *female*
thread about coaster riding hair styles and management: a r.r-c *do's
and don'ts* thing, ala Glamour! OK - long-haired guys can chime in,
too!
BTW, B&R:TC is looking awesome! As Adam Revesz and others have posted
recently, that boomerang on Robin is humongous! And you know,
*technically challenged* me - I can hardly describe what the Batman
side looks like except to say that it's kinda like they put up a tower
and threw track at it and it stuck on sideways :-) ! How's *that* for
a description?!?
I think I may have to do this a few more times before school skip
days, after-proms, etc. begin!
Dana Schwartz
doo...@ix.netcom.com
surfd...@aol.com
I didn't get internet until late September 1998-
Dial-up with the new AOL 3.0! I found RRC about a month later as a link off ACE's site, which was still an AOL hometown page. I still use the same e-mail address.
surfd...@aol.com
And that was on 5/8, which means I officially became an ACE member only a few weeks later, so my application and check were probably in the mail at that time.