Who writes this junk?

Share your memories of working at Marriott's GREAT AMERICA in Gurnee
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pjm8071
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Who writes this junk?

Post by pjm8071 »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Flags_Great_America

This is complete crap witten by people that still haven't grown up even 10 years later.
Sing it Rev Bolin... Can I get an AWW YEAH!
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that_guy
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Post by that_guy »

What's wrong with it?
The rides are GREAT, the shows are GREAT, the fun is GREAT, at Marriott's Great America! REMEMBER Marriott's GREAT AMERICA, REMEMBER Marriott's GREAT AMERICA!
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pjm8071
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Post by pjm8071 »

The ride was Manufactured by Schwarzkopf, and operated three summers in 1993-1995 under the management of Operations Lead and Director of Hometown Square Operations Keith Bell. During Bell's tenure, the ride underwent a complete overhaul where pieces were actually removed to increase the RPM output of the motor and increase the amount of force felt by riders.

The Condor took to the skies in 1991 in Orleans Place next to the Shockwave. Under the management of Rides Lead David "Patrick" Bolin, regular ridership of "The Condor" increased significantly, and was introduced with a new theme of "Awww Yeah.. The Condor!". While the name, "Awww Yeah.. The Condor!" only remained a formal name for 3 years, the popularity of the ride remains ubiquitous with the Six Flags "experience" to this day.

In September of 1995, Six Flags Great America Theme Park Rides Lead George Martin ordered the removal of The Rolling Thunder after a successful run in favor of the newly introduced "Southwest Territory", a western themed area which had been planned since the park's opening in 1976, but not actually constructed for twenty years. Big Top was moved in from County Fair and rethemed as Ricochet, and two new rides were added to the area. Following the removal of the Rolling Thunder in favor of the more profitable "Thunder", Mr. Martin was promoted to Rides Lead and Auxiliary Supervisor of County Fair Operations in 1996, where he successfully lobbied for the introduction of future rides such as "Giant Drop" and other successful rides. The Rolling Thunderhas since been relocated to Six Flags Great Escape.

Is this the official history?

As funny as this is, it's not true. But I used to work with these guys, and they haven't changed in 10 years.
Sing it Rev Bolin... Can I get an AWW YEAH!
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JW65
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Post by JW65 »

I think one of the members of our Forum wrote that article.
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jonrev
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Post by jonrev »

I wrote this "junk" awhile ago and then other people expanded it. Im not very happy with the way it is either.
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pjm8071
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Post by pjm8071 »

I am not talking about the real stuff on it. I think it is good. But some of the stuff that is meant to be a joke. It's funny but it also takes away the hard work you and others have put into it.
Sing it Rev Bolin... Can I get an AWW YEAH!
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RLAiello
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Post by RLAiello »

Well if you wrote it initially... I would think it's perfectly within your right to edit it back so that all those names aren't there. Who cares about them anyway? Just someone's lame idea of a joke.
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NotBill
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Post by NotBill »

I removed the names and some of the editorializing. I don't think any one person was responsible for Southwest Territory or ordered rides moved around. When I was there these were pretty big decisions that had to go through corporate before anything was even thought about. Maybe Rick could shed some more light on it.

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Post by NotBill »

Oh, and the "Awww yeah" thing was officially dead by the time I was Condor/Dodge ride lead in '92. I believe "Rev Bolin" may have been instrumental in Condor getting fitted with a STU in the '91 offseason because I'm pretty sure that's what it had when I was opening day lead in '92 (I try to purge Condor thoughts from my memory though!).

I know that my co-lead, who I went to high school with, would have had ZERO tolerance for that going on. Myself, I was prone to mic abuse now and then and probably would have ignored it.

I think you're right on both counts, some folks having some fun and messing around getting their names on Wikipedia. Good thing it can be edited! :D

--Guy
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pjm8071
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Post by pjm8071 »

I know who it was I worked with all of those guys. It wasn't Pat Bolin, but one of the other 2 guys mentioned by name... We joked around like that when we all worked at the park. Some of us grew up, and some of us didn't. I think it was my ex-co lead when I worked at Orbit.
Sing it Rev Bolin... Can I get an AWW YEAH!
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pjm8071
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Post by pjm8071 »

For the record Rev Bolin always used to say, "Awww Yeah welcome to the Almighty Condor." His reign at Condor was about 1994, 1995.
Sing it Rev Bolin... Can I get an AWW YEAH!
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Post by NotBill »

Ahh, the article had it earlier I thought, Condor's first year.

When I was at the park still Condor/Dodge was definitely not an envied assignment and it sounds like he had fun with the duty. Sounds like a guy I would have liked, I was chided many times for warning people about the Shockwave "parking lot monster".

There was one cool thing about Condor as I remember though -- it had an actual control booth and it was air conditioned I thought. Not many rides had that and air conditioning was everything on those brutally hot days.

--Guy
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pjm8071
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Post by pjm8071 »

Ah yes...and so did Powerdive. :D
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NotBill
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Post by NotBill »

pjm8071 wrote:Ah yes...and so did Powerdive. :D
Ah, veteran of "how many ride ops can we fit in Dive controls"? Hahaha. That one would hold quite a few people with the steps and everything, sometimes it seemed like half our crew was in the control booth on hot days!

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But really

Post by geostevphen »

did it have a 'green screen' television monitor with a 'square' bock diagram that when it stopped working one day, An**rs F--- walked up during a down time, punched the power, tore the Coax out of the back and said "Now it really doesn't work! You're back up". Before 'witnessed block checks (or the first year of them) ZForce was the epitome of a great idea gone bad.
"Get the hel* of that railing, it's already busted; Fat A**" Heard over the WWR PA System as I left the ride to go to lunch, July 1986
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