Volume 1, No. 11. June 29, 2001
It's a roller coaster!
Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia, announces the arrival of
Cheetah, June 16, 2001. Measurements: 2,818 feet long (854 meters), 86
foot lift hill (26 meters), 90 foot first drop (27 meters), 61 mph (98 kph).
Delivered by Customer Coasters International.
The "Survivor" phenomenon goes only so far. On his second coaster opening in
a week (he had earlier attended the Batwing debut at Six Flags America
in Largo, Maryland), "Survivor II" runner-up Colby Donaldson duly took the inaugural
rides on southern Georgia's new woodie, fielded interviews with media members
ranging from Savannah, Georgia, to the Florida Panhandle and Dothan, Alabama,
and met with park guests. Popular as he was, though, the opening day line for
Cheetah was longer than the line of people waiting for an autograph and
pose with Colby.
True, because Cheetah was operating only one of its two trains this day,
throughput for the Colby interaction may have been higher than that of the coaster;
however, where typically the park's lines lengthen to no more than 15 minutes
for any given ride on any given day, Cheetah had people waiting up to
an hour on its debut day. Such was both its anticipation and immediate popularity.
The woodie, an out-and-back with a figure-eight ending, is the latest gem at
this small regional park that seems to install one or two new gems every year.
After enduring a week of heavy Tropical Storm Allison rainfall, which threatened
to stall the last construction push to get Cheetah finished, the park
opened the ride on schedule on a Dixie-hot summer day. Donaldson rode six circuits
on the ride along with local dignitaries, media members and winners of radio
and television contests. He then moved over to the park's new boardwalk overlooking
its giraffe and elephant exhibits for interviews and the public meet-and-greet.
He left in mid-afternoon, en route, no doubt, to yet another engagement. Cheetah
stayed behind, engaging park patrons well after dark.
©2001, Minton Enterprises LLC
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