2009 Coaster Draft -- General Info, Questions, and Comments thread

[Jerry S]

San Diego, CA - Groundbreaking began yesterday for the new proposed theme park in San Diego County. The location of the park is on Carmel Valley road, just south of the North Inland Neighborhood called Rancho Bernardo. The project, operated by Eagle Amusements, is estimated to be completed by March 2010, and is currently stated that it will be as big as Six Flags Magic Mountain, a regional theme park located north of Los Angeles.

As part of previous negotiations, the park will be able to provide education as well as fun for the whole family, "We plan to incorporate the learning right into the rides, so our guests will leave with the most important souvenir of all, knowledge" Eagle CEO Jerry Swinger told the press. He went on to explain exactly what kind of 'education' they will provide the guests with during their stay.

"Most public schools nowadays have incorporated driver education and safety, sexual education, and drug and alcohol abuse safety into their curriculum. One subject that you rarely heard of is education about natural hazard safety. For example, Southern California suffers from frequent wildfires, so what do we plan to do about it?" Swinger than proceeded to show the media several digital renderings for a new steel mega-looper, named Wildfire. "Surrounding each roller coaster will be interactive learning modules to teach people about safety procedures, facts and myths, and various other fun miscellaneous activities involving the subject matter. We will have Wildfire in the back of the park, ironically located on the outskirts, rushing through a densely wooded area."

The CEO of Eagle Amusements went on to show a concept map of the park. Unfortunately, this reporter couldn't get a picture of it, but from the looks of it, there were at least seven major roller coasters. Each major coaster will be the centerpiece of its respectively themed 'micro-zone,' involving themes such as the Wildfire theme that Swinger described, as well as one for earthquakes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and it even looked like there would be a volcano themed section.

At the time of the report, surveyors for GCII, Intamin, and B&M were all spotted in various parts of the park, though the B&M surveyors were no where near the back of the park, where their Wildfire coaster will be, which leads this reporter to think that B&M will be building at least one other coaster here at Eagle Amusements' new theme park.

[markham2020]

^ That is pretty interesting!

Hey Rckrazy06, you just picked an amazingly unique and personally one of my favorite steel coasters in the world... Wicked!

[rckrazy06]

Yeah, thats one of the reasons i picked it, because it's so diferent and unique.

[Leo C]

Markham, I think I would turn the offer down. B:TR is a rapid fire potent shooter. Talon is a good B&M version of a SLC.

[Leo C]

Katie, I'm not sure if your pap sang that to you in the tone of "Chi-chi-chiya."

[Katie]

Not like the chi-chi-chia. It was more like Ka-Ka-ka-katie.

[Leo C]

Check out G.I.Jerry cutting off Cobra Commander there.

[Andrew P]

Aurora, OH - After several days of speculation, the damage to the park from 2 separate fires has been released to the public, and upsetting many local people. The coaster formerly known as Raging Wolf Bobs was in the process of being dismantled when it was struck by lightning. Area fire departments were called in to extinguish the blaze, but Deviant Entertainment C.E.O. Andrew Polcyn told them to simply let it burn down to rubble. The other fire on Big Dipper, we learned, was set. Mr. Polcyn was hosting an event for many fire departments in the state to provide better training in the event of a catastrophic fire anywhere at any amusement park. While those outside the gates protested that Mr. Polcyn was destroying a (national?) local icon, he was quick to respond that portions of Big Dipper's trains and track were donated to the Historical Societies of Portage, Summit, Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties. He also attempted to donate part of the coaster to A.C.E, but they wanted the entire thing...obviously they didn't as during the auction last year, they made no bid on the coaster. The Big Dipper acquired from Camden Park was en route to the park and not damaged.

In other news, celebrities are being invited for opening day. President Obama, the First Lady Michelle and their two kids will be in attendance. Also invited are former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush. Members of the Cleveland Indians, Cavaliers and Browns have been sent invitations, as well as those from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Red Wings. Drew Carey has been invited and will cut the ribbon with Obama. Cedar Fair C.E.O. Dick Kinzel has been asked to attend, as has Will Koch, the owner of Holiday World. But given the bad press Mr. Polcyn has given rides at Holiday World in the past, Koch's attendance looks to be slim to none.

This is Cedarpoint_Mark reporting for the AAP.

[Jerry S]

^^Leo, he already took one of the three Vipers available on this draft. Although mine is better than either of those two arrow multi-loopers.

Also, I found a post on another coaster site that might have to do with a new park in San Diego:

I was on my way to pick up my brother from soccer camp, and I saw three trucks with coaster track, heading West on I-10 (I live in Tempe, AZ). Anyway, the track was blue B&M track, and judging by the crossties, it was either invert or flyer track. I got right behind the flatbed and noticed the label may have said something like EAGL, but then I had to pay attention to the road before swerving into the shoulder.

EAGL might stand for the Eagle Amusements, a company that is building a new park in San Diego. And given the direction it was headed, this is very likely another coaster that they're getting. So that means a new invert or flyer is going to San Diego.

[Wes]

PRESS RELEASE: Charlotte, NC - Wes, park owner and operator of Parc Zooropa is offering a trade of the now world famous Diamondback roller coaster!

Qualifications for trades to be considered:

1- Your coaster can not suck.
2- Your coaster must have been built originally between 1972 - 1982.

Contact Wes by PM with any questions or possible trade offers.

[Leo C]

Racer, don't make me scream "Cobra Commander!" at SFOG to find you.

[Racer]

I might. Except that this is Diamondback. You'll probably be mad at me by the end of the draft because of my planned last two picks. For a hint, refer back when I first proposed the trade for Diamondback. (What Jimmy said)

[Andrew P]

How much did Diamondback cost to build this year?

[Katie]

$22 million dollars per kidiamondback.com

[markham2020]

Well, it is your turn Jimmy B, but I guess you can wait for apsterling if you wish!

Something very strange happened today though. I had driven up to the MPI land to take some contruction photos of Patriot and Griffon, when I noticed, very much like Jerry S, a truck driving down in front of me. I did not think anything of it until it drove right into the park and when a cover was lifted off, some mysterious supports. I can't tell what the supports would be for as the only thing noticable was their cylindrical shape. No word yet on any announcements, but for now, enjoy some construction pictures of Griffon and Patriot as well as some more animated pictures of Patriot:











More updates comming soon as well as hopefully the chance to reveal that mysterious next new coaster soon!

[Wes]

Markham2020 has a little announcement to make. I'll let him spill the beans here.

[Leo C]

Markham told me only the SLC's and B&M's were left for inverts. Jimmy proved Deja Vu was still out there. I'm not a boomerang person at all actually though.

[Racer]

I'm still upset about SFOG's Deja Vu, which I heard was still in the back of the employee parking lot. I haven't had a chance to see for myself.

[markham2020]

Originally Posted by Wes

Markham2020 has a little announcement to make. I'll let him spill the beans here.

Yes, true, but this will come with my next pick! Meanwhile, MPI has just released the name of the park with its new logo!



Though, if it will stop the possability of Wes getting loaded with PM's I can release a picture I took near the mysterious supports:

[The Toader]

I'm putting Great bear and Bizzaro on my "Trade list" If you are interested, please PM me.

[markham2020]

ORLANDO, FL- MPI's Worlds of Adventure has just gone where no coaster enthusiast would think possible. WOA announced it would choose Space Mountain from Disneyland, a roller coaster which had no fit the WOA's theme, and then traded it for Diamondback, the second pick of the 2009 Coaster Draft! Though folks, this was not a random offer for a trade but a trade carefully planned out just yesterday. Parc Zooropa's CEO Wes released the statement:

Yes, it is true that Parc Zooropa has decided to hand over the Diamondback project in exchange for Space Mountain.

Folks, I know this is hard to believe, but Worlds of Adventure should definitely turn out to be one of the world's greatest theme park destinations and will have the capability to compete with Universal Orlando, Sea World Orlando, and Walt Disney World Resort with great ease.

Meanwhile, we have the logo for Diamondback as well as the first of its soon to be several animations.










Whatever is up MPI's sleeve next, other theme park owners should definitely watch out!

[Racer]

What just happened?

[Andrew P]

^Apparently there was some big blockbuster trade...but we here at Deviant Entertainment could give a **** about it. We admittedly have splurged on a few coasters, but we will be back to our roots for our last two. As it stands, Holiday World and Cedar Point have NOTHING on what the new Geauga Lake will deliver to the riding public. We have leaked information to the Associated Press that line jumping will not be dealt with lightly. Merely kicking people out of the park lets them try again the next day. What we, at Deviant Entertainment, have decided, we will have snipers stationed throughout the queues. One non-lethal warning shot to the leg should be enough. If not, there will be bloodshed. And Deviant Entertainment will not be held responsible.

[Jerry S]

San Diego, CA - This morning, Jerry Swinger, the CEO of San Diego's newest theme park's parent company, Eagle Amusements, spoke to the press this morning about several new announcements regarding the new park currently being built. These announcements included details on the themed sections that the park will open with next spring. "We currently plan to have eight themed sections in the theme park, each with a roller coaster and one or two flat rides. We want the flat rides to complement the coasters as well, both in theme and intensity. For example, our multi-looping coaster, Wildfire, is going to be a pretty scary, and will have a 54" height restriction, so we wanted a small family ride in that area as well, so that guests who might not want to ride the Wildfire will still have a reason to come to the 'Wildfire' themed section. After all, anybody in So Cal should educate themselves on wildfires, so why not do it at [Eagle Amusements'] theme park?"

Swinger went on to tell about the other sections, "So we had some big name coaster companies come out here, such as B&M, Intamin, and GCII, and had them go to work on the plots of land that we gave them. It's a lot easier to design a coaster exactly the way we want it when there isn't already an existing theme park in the way. We just get the rides built, then fill in the empty space," he explained, "What are the themes you ask? Well, aside from the B&M multi-looper in the Wildfire section, we will also have an earthquake themed section right next to it with a wooden coaster called Tremors. We want to have California's biggest dangers in one place, so that if you walk into one, you'll notice the other ones nearby."

Swinger pointed behind him at what looked like five different roller coasters being built, "You can see that dark red steel tracked lift hill, that's Wildfire. And that wooden construction right next to it is Tremors. Tremors is being built by a private contractor, as the park was able to obtain the plans for it without hiring the now defunct company who originally designed it. That same private contractor is building those other two wooden coasters. The one on the other side of Wildfire from Tremors is Viper. That will be in a section themed to...you guessed it, snakes. And that third wooden one, way offset from the first three coasters I pointed to, is called Twister. Tornadoes aren't too common here in California, but San Diego gets plenty of tourists, and we do live in the nation that by far has the most tornadoes in the world."

"That dark cone shaped thing close to the middle, but also near Tremors, will be our volcano themed coaster. This one's my favorite; it will be a magnet launched coaster built by Intamin, which will blast you right out the top of a volcano. The other three sections haven't quite been fully planned out yet, so we're keeping them quiet for now, but I can say that there is another B&M planned for one of them, and we have GCII finalizing the plans for another section, so stay tuned for more information."

[markham2020]

^ Well, that sounds like a very interesting park! It would be a great excuse for kids eager to ride coasters to go on a field trip!
Hey, just noticed you picked the best spinning coaster in the world Spider, and it s even from my home park! If you haven't ridden it yet, you have got to make your way over to Lagoon for the amazing Spider and Wicked!, as well as their six other good coasters!

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ORLANDO, FL- So, today, after the big announcement of Diamondback, we went back to take some construction pictures of Patriot and Diamondback while Griffon and SheiKra were testing their unique dueling feature! While taking pictures we got to talk with head of MPI and we have found out that there will be no more B&M coasters to be built (though they do have 4!) but there last three picks should be highly anticipated! After that Diamondback trade, anything is possible. He also stated that there is a chance we might finally hear some news about Talon being traded off but no word yet about what for. So, here are some construction pictures:















We will finish this off with an Animation Flyaround of Patriot as well as an animated POV of Patriot:

[Jerry S]

Yea, actually Lagoon looks like a really good park. It has fun looking rides, including the closest thing to Dorney's Laser.

But Spider has four clones in the US, I chose that one from the rest because of the name. But the layouts of Maurer spinning coasters look much better than the Gerstlauer ones to begin with, even though the Mack ones look pretty good.

Unfortunately, Utah isn't very close to New Jersey, so I don't know when I'll get there. But one day.

[markham2020]

Originally Posted by Jerry S

Yea, actually Lagoon looks like a really good park. It has fun looking rides, including the closest thing to Dorney's Laser.

But Spider has four clones in the US, I chose that one from the rest because of the name. But the layouts of Maurer spinning coasters look much better than the Gerstlauer ones to begin with, even though the Mack ones look pretty good.

Unfortunately, Utah isn't very close to New Jersey, so I don't know when I'll get there. But one day.

Well, since I live about a half hour away, I will be posting many PTR's of Lagoon this summer!
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ORLANDO, FL-Well, when I had talked with the head of MPI this morning about an announcement soon about a Talon trade, I had no idea it was going to be this soon! Markham Parks Incorperated has announced that they have traded Talon to a group owned by a man named Martin for an Intamin coaster. Well folks, get ready for a blast from the past as you read part of the Press Release:

What's the tale, nightingale? From the minute you enter the chrome and glass station, you're transported back to the time of greasers, beatniks, and cubes. Step up to the platform and fasten yourself into one of XCELERATOR(SM)'s yellow and orange flame-emblazoned, candy-apple red or purple fin-tailed hot rods. You are now in the passenger seat and the driver is racing for pink slips. Hold on tight and make sure your knuckles are white because this baby burns rubber across 2,202 feet of cool coral track.
XCELERATOR(SM) hydraulically launches you off the line at an electrifying top speed of 82 mph in 2.3 seconds through an exhilarating 205-foot ascent and immediate descent at a 90-degree angle. And you thought playing back seat bingo at the local passion pit made your heart race! It's no sweat for the two trains, with a capacity of 20 people per train, to mess the nests of 1,330 guests per hour. This hopped up screamer is a 62-second blast from the past for everyone from ankle biters to Big Daddys!

We have some pictures of the track which reportedly was being built over the weekend. MPI had planned on releasing the info of Diamondback just at the right time so that they could secretly begin construction while all of the media and public attention was directed towards the other side of the park!

[Jimmy B]

Racer, where is B-rad? You've selected for him the last couple of rounds at least; did this player go on a long vacation or something?


And if apsterling misses this pick, it would be three consecutive missed -- I will take him out of the draft and put in an alternate in his place. I really hate to do this to him, but there was no reason for that to happen.

[Racer]

^No, he just hasn't been near a computer lately. Hopefully he'll be back soon.

[coasterlove]

Originally Posted by Jimmy B

And if apsterling misses this pick, it would be three consecutive missed -- I will take him out of the draft and put in an alternate in his place. I really hate to do this to him, but there was no reason for that to happen.

I don't know if it would be worth it. If he or the alternate who takes his place is short three coasters, do they even have a chance to win? It's upsetting for a few reasons. One is that it just slows down the process and makes the Coaster Draft boring which is a big reason I didn't compete last year or even want anything to do with it and sadly, why I'm not sure if I will again in the future. The second reason is that he picked an amazing coaster Millennium Force that will essentially go to waste now. And that ties into my third reason which is a more personal one. If he hadn't taken MF, I know that you Jimmy wouldn't have picked it leaving it for me which I would have swooped up and taken.


Forgetting about the third reason or any of them actually, it might just be too late for an alternate to come in unless they really wanted to. I just feel that the "park" wouldn't get many votes and not have a good chance of winning. Also, the alternate would only be able to make two picks. Add that to the fact of not having a good chance at winning, where's the fun in that?

Sadly, I think the only real option is eleiminating apsterling if he misses this next pick and seeing the coasters he picked go to waste.