Volume 1, No. 18. October 5, 2001
Special WWA Edition
Drawing
water
Holiday World only has two roller coasters, but thanks to a concerted and clever
marketing push—and the fact those two wood coasters, The Raven and
The Legend, have earned Top Five status on many rankings—the Santa
Claus, Indiana, park has, over the past couple of years, become something of
a coaster mecca for enthusiasts and television producers. So, when it came time
to beef up the offerings in Holiday World's waterpark, Splashin' Safari, you
could bet that roller coastering would somehow be involved.
Yesterday, Will Koch, president and general manager of Holiday World, climbed
aboard a track-hoe to break ground on ZOOMbabwe, a 102 foot-tall, 887-foot-long
(31 and 269 meters) enclosed family raft slide from ProSlide Technology. "It's
taller than The Raven," Koch pointed out, then noted, "I think we are
going to be comparing it to our roller coaster experiences a lot. It's kind
of like the roller coaster of the waterpark: the nice curves, the nice drop
sections. It's a family ride but also a high-thrill ride."
Not that he's expecting the new ride to make as big a splash on coaster enthusiasts'
internet sites as have The Raven and The Legend. With this $1.7
million investment—the largest expansion in Splashin' Safari history—Koch
is ssmore concerned with improving Splashin' Safari's capacity and continuing
steady attendance growth. "We don't expect it to appeal to the coaster enthusiasts
as a new coaster would, but we are hoping the general public will see it in
the same magnitude as a roller coaster for the waterpark."
Even Koch may be underestimating the enthusiasts. To ride ZOOMbabwe,
guests will pass underneath The Legend, and the tower to the new water
slide will offer great views of the coaster. ZOOMbabwe also interacts
with The Legend, at one point passing just 8 feet (2.5 meter) over the
coaster's track, providing a new scrunch element for the woodie.
Still, while the enthusiasts will effectively have a new Legend to visit,
and the Kochs have forged a strong bond with coaster fans, Will is glad to be
"talking waterpark again," he said. "It's been since 1998 that we did anything
in the waterpark, and this will enable us to move the focus back to Splashin'
Safari again. Not that it's bad talking about new roller coasters, but it's
time to do something else."