The One About Cedar Point

By: William Supko

Good day to you, Crew,

We will get right to the point.  Many of you may have heard this already.  We are sorry to say but we are no longer an officially recognized club for Cedar Point's Coastermania.  We are very saddened by the decision of the park to remove us from that list.  This decision is final!  Please DO NOT contact the park regarding their decision!  The Coaster Crew staff

The One About Changes and Events

By William Supko

Hello Crew!

What a roller coaster ride it has been over the past year.  Get it, roller coaster ride and we're roller coaster enthusiasts.  I hear crickets so I guess it's time to move on.  Over the past year some things have changed for the better.  We saw the Coaster Crew and In the Loop split and membership options for the club have changed.

Coaster Crew and In the Loop are now separate entities.  What sounds like sad news is actually for the best.  The enthusiast group and podcast were heading in two different  

The One About Enthusiasts

By William Supko

Hey Crew!

Fun Fact
Did you know The Coaster Crew is about more than just Coasters?  Did that just blow your mind?  We love tall ride, small rides, fat rides, flat rides, train rides, water rides, and even water slides.  Heck, if you put us on a tram that's fast and bumpy enough we love that too!

Now that I got that out of the way . . .

As I sit here and write and write this blog I wonder who I am trying to appeal to.  Inspiration hits me at random and from time to time I struggle for blog ideas.  Other times I get a crazy idea, like requesting detailed information from a park about light bulb usage, and I wonder two things.  First off, am I crazy?  The magic eight ball says definitely.  Secondly, I

The One About Amusement Park Pricing

By: William Supko

You pull into the toll plaza so you can pay $15.00 for the privilege of parking.  Not even to the gate yet and you're starting to feel ripped off.  Why in the world do we have to spend an arm, two legs, and an earlobe just to get into the gates of an amusement park?  How can a family owned amusement park charge less than a corporate owned amusement park?  How can a family entertainment center charge less than a family owned amusement park?  We'll take a look at some things including the economy, labor costs and upkeep expenses.

Supply and Demand

One of the biggest factors in amusement park pricing is supply and demand.  There is a high demand by adrenaline junkies, families and teenagers looking for fun.  Price and long

The One About What Not to Do

By: William Supko

These opinions are my own and may not necessarily reflect those of The Coaster Crew.

Hello Coaster Crew members, fans and friends!

Great news, the blog is coming back and it will soon have a new home on the Coaster Crew website. We will start posting new blogs on here until the new space is ready. We hope to bring you at least one new blog a week. If you'd have an idea for a blog or you'd like to contribute as a guest blogger please send us a message at coastercrewblog@gmail.com.  And now, on with the show.

Here are some things we should stop doing ASAP.

1. Please Stop Comparing Everything to Disney

Seasonal amusement parks around the country do not have the budget to put in highly themed queues and rides. They also don't have the budget or time to have a highly trained staff. While every park should strive for good, clean, safe fun, there is no way it will entertain and delight in Disney fashion.   That is great. Diversity and variety are the spices of life.  Also there are no 200 foot plus roller coasters on a Disney property and a Disney ticket on average is $40 more than most major theme parks.

2. Please Stop Complaining About the Prices

Understand that there is a lot that goes into an amusement park pricing (so much so that we'll go into that on another blog soon). Ticket prices and food prices average out to around the same amount in parks of the same class. Do your research before heading to the park. Very few people pay full price

For the Love of Amusement Parks

By: William Supko
03/28/2014

It’s nearing April and winter is starting finally disappear!  This means one thing, amusement parks will slowly start to wake from their slumber across the US.  Kings Dominion will welcome general admission visitors in a little over a week.  This is like Christmas time for me and next Friday I will hardly sleep a wink.  I will not so patiently wait to enter those gates and unwrap my gift that is the opening day.  I’m anxious to see all of the changes that took place during the off season to celebrate 40 years of Kings Dominion.  I’m also excited to add Intimidator 305 to my coaster count as it was closed during my visit last year.

SooperDooperLooper at Hersheypark

As the coaster/ride season approaches it takes me back to my first coaster, the Trailblazer at Hersheypark.  It was an awesome ride for a then 5 year old.  I loved it so much my mom decided to take me for a ride on the SooperDooperLooper.  That’s where it all went terribly wrong.  I was a little nervous (okay, A LOT nervous) as the train left the station.  The anticipation built as the train climbed higher and higher.  I was sure we were nearing the edge of outer space.  The cars disengaged from the lift and we headed down the first drop.  We spun half way through the loop and that’s when it happened, that is when I inhaled a bug.  I began choking and coughing.  I was grossed out and concentrating so much on what happened that the rest of the rides was a blur.  As we approached the station I had tears in my eyes.

Dominator at Kings Dominion

That is when my big bad coaster riding career came to a halt.  That was also the first and last time we as a family would visit Hersheypark.  We would instead visit Knoebels Grove (now Knoebels Amusement Resort) every year so that those of us who wouldn’t ride didn’t have to pay.  I finally decided to get over my fear of weird things happening and hopped on the Jet Star, a 70’s Schwarzkopf coaster that now operates in France. I fell in love with coasters again and spent hours riding it over and over.  When me and my best friend returned in 93 to find the ride gone and a new to the park Vekoma coaster in its place.  We were saddened by the loss of a really fun coaster but excited that Knoebels had introduced some inversions with the Whirlwind coaster.  The coaster would leave the park in 2004.

Cut to 1995, after a year of flipping burgers I heard an announcement at school that Hersheypark was looking for employees and I ran to the office to grab an application.  I went through the interview and orientation and began my career as ride operator.  My ride area included the now defunct Canyon River Rapids, Rodeo and Conestoga along with Sidewinder and Tidal Force.  One of the perks of working in the rides department was the occasional offering of last ride of the night on a select attraction.  I offered to operate the Sidewinder on the first night it came up in the rotation.  This big and bad ride was cutting edge at the time and I had no interest in climbing aboard.  Fortunately I succumbed to the peer pressure of my fellow employees and hopped on board.  I remember a combination of asking what I’d gotten myself into and praying I didn’t create a protein spill (amusement park lingo for losing your lunch).

Steel Force at Dorney Park - My first Mega Coaster

I felt exhilarated and ready to conquer anything as the ride screeched to a halt.  I wanted more!  It was then and there that I became an amusement park junky.  I was ready to explore this wild side, to find some hard core scream machines.

What was your first coaster?  Do you have a great story to share?  Let us know in the comments below or send an email to coastercrewblog@gmail.com if you would like to be featured on the coaster crew blog.

If this is your first visit to the blog be sure to read the rules before posting a comment.  If you’re free on April 5 be sure to join us at the opening day meet up at Kings Dominion.

Thank You for Chasing Fire with The Coaster Crew, G.O.C.C. and Dolly!

Today we give a huge thanks to all of you that attended Coaster Crew & G.O.C.C. Chase Fire with Dolly!  We hope you had a great time.  Awesome events like these would not be possible without your support.  Thank you also for taking the time to post pictures and updates throughout the day for those of us that could only be there in spirit.