Volume 3, No. 11. June 13, 2003
It’s
a wood coaster!
Wild Waves and Enchanted Village in Federal Way, Washington,
announces the arrival of Timberhawk, June 5, 2003. Measurements: 75 feet
high (23 meters), 84-foot drop (25 meters), 2,635 feet long (798 meters), 50
mph (80km/h), two 24-passenger trains. Delivered by Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters,
Rocky Mountain Construction and S&S Power.
One person was destined to be the most difficult for Timberhawk to win
over.
Not any of the guests who climbed aboard Washington state’s first wood roller coaster in 68 years and largest ever; they were happy to be put on the coaster map.
Not coaster enthusiasts who attended a photo-shoot preview; they’re uncertain expectations were far surpassed by the ride’s interweaving personality and fast drop-and-rise action.
Not
officials of Wild Waves and Enchanted Village which Six Flags, Inc. purchased
two years ago; they were happy to finally answer the 2-year-old nagging question
“when are you going to put in a big ride?” “I think every park
needs to have one great wooden coaster,” said the park’s Vice President
and General Manager Lenny Freund. “We’ve got ours.”
No, Timberhawk’s most ardent pessimist was the man who built it,
Stan Checketts of S&S Power. Prone to motion sickness, he likes his thrills
in quick doses, and he is particularly perturbed by woodies he deems too rough.
However, his company had taken on the creative assets of bankrupt Custom Coasters
International last year to start its own wood roller coaster division. So,
here he was, on media day for his company’s first-ever woodie, sitting
in the front seat of Timberhawk.
Checketts chattered non-stop through the whole ride, sometimes commenting on
his general coaster consternation, sometimes casting approving judgments on
the track his engineers designed, more often reeling off incomprehensible phrases
in that Gatlin gun cadence he employs in conversation, and a few times jettisoning
an exclamation regarding an oncoming drop or head-chopper moment. At the end
of the ride, after counting the number of brakes employed in the final block,
Checketts proclaimed his new ride “a good feeling. It’s thrilling.
It’s fun.” And he’s ready to build more.
Having passed muster with the master builder, Timberhawk proceeded to
enthrall the local press and public. The day was supposed to be reserved for
early morning radio promotions and media members, but Wild Waves and Enchanted
Village wisely let park guests crash the party. At first park officials suggested
the public return “around 2 pm,” but by the time television broadcasters
and newspaper photographers and reporters were descending on Timberhawk
in the late morning, any guest who walked up could walk on. Soon the word spread
through the rest of the park, providing ideal photo-ops of trains filled with
whooping, beaming, Lord-praising riders swooping through a course that, thanks
to a tight footprint, counts 20 crossovers.
The official opening came on Saturday when Timberhawk exclusively hosted
local dignitaries and park marketing sponsors. By then, Wild Waves and Enchanted
Village had established itself as a coaster park. “We had one shot at it,
to put the best product we could out here,” Freund said, “and Stan
and S&S delivered that.” Even Stan liked it.
For more photos
and information on Timberhawk,
Click Here
THE LOOP is written and produced by Eric Minton, Minton Enterprises, LLC. To see more examples of Eric Minton's work and Minton Enterprises services, visit www.ericminton.com.
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