Volume 1, No. 9. June 1, 2001
It's dueling waterslides!
Noah's Ark Waterpark in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin,
announces the arrival of Point of No Return, May 26, 2001. Measurements:
100 feet high, 300 feet long each (30 and 91 meters). Delivered by ProSlide
Technology.
Noah's Ark decided to forego tradition
and not plan an opening ceremony for its new racing speed slide complex. "The
thought in the back of our minds was we might not make it," park manager and
vice president Dan Gantz said of the construction crunch as the Memorial Day
weekend neared. "It was down to the wire and we were getting concerned."
Finally completing the slide on Friday, management asked some of the staff if
they'd be willing to pace the slides through their first 100 uses. "They loved
it," Gantz said of the opportunity. "When I told one guy he would be the first
one down, he thought he'd gone to heaven." The launch tower's proximity to the
heavens kept Gantz from being among the slide's testers: "It's intimidating
up there." As impressive as the slides' height is their technology. Racers are
timed by a clock triggered by their passing through electronic eyes. The winner
ends up sliding through a series of water jet fountains, a liquid arc de triumph.
After thorough testing Friday night, the ride was available to the general public on Saturday, and proved as popular as any ride could be on a dismal, cold, rainy day.
©2001, Minton Enterprises LLC
All rights reserved