r/rollercoasters

I’ll just join in and echo what everybody else has been saying, the coaster is still excellent and is running really well

The pothole is indeed gone and the coaster glides through the valley and the following hill. That section was always kind of bouncy so it’s really cool to get some bonafide floater airtime now. “The drop” benifits from some extra speed now, and the finale is as good as ever

As far as the first half, it’s not butter smooth per se, but I thought it was running really well. The coaster is absolutely up and down better than it was in 2023, and I really left pleasantly surprised.

The park itself was as nice as I’ve ever seen it, with plenty of people out in the amusement park and excited to ride the wooden coaster. There were enough people in the park (7/2-7-3) for the coaster to keep a steady line through the afternoon, truly a sight to behold.

Overall impressions though, I had an absolute blast. I had been itching to get back on this thing for years and it absolutely delivered. To everybody I ran into, thanks! I really enjoyed everybody’s company and can’t wait to get back!

Kid Flash has been removed. I wonder if the management has any plans to reuse that space.

The gondola on Georgia Gold Rusher is missing its seats. I’m curious what issue(s) require the ride to be closed the rest of the season.

I forgot to take one more photo: Georgia Scorcher had both trains on the track when I first arrived. That was the first time this year I saw both trains.

A Mack rides crate was spotted under Skyrush today by a friend! Could this be just parts for something or could it mean a new addition is coming… we will have to wait and see! Thank you mikuwifirush for the photo!

At HersheyPark for Candymonium 6th birthday they put these restraints for sale in the “Coaster Collectibles” shop, thoughts?

Rolled the dice and drove up from Austin this afternoon in hopes of hopefully snagging at least one ride on Tormenta. I had a bit of a scare as the ride had no signs of life as I entered the park, after killing some time on Titan and the sky screamer, I caught the ride testing and bolted to the entrance. After waiting a handful of cycles they let the line in and I got my first ride, front row far right side. A few first impressions, wow that drop is SPECTACULAR, like a super sized version of Dr. Diabolical where you definitely feel the beyond 90⁰ angle but sized up to something akin to the traditional B&M gigas. My second observation was my god is this thing forceful or what. Admittedly I was probably a bit dehydrated and it was hot as hell but I was graying out all over the place on this ride, especially the first half, this was consistent throughout all my rides. My third observation is that this thing is thankfully pretty smooth for the most part, I'd say it's probably the smoothest B&M I've been on since maybe Valravn? I'm missing a couple of their newer installations but have experienced the less than smooth coasters such as Dr Diabolical, Rapterra, Wrath and the worst offender Barracuda Strike, while not perfect it seems like this is hopefully a step back in the right direction. Another observation is that the while the ride was operational (It did go down a couple times here and there today) the ops were KILLING it, it felt like the line never stopped moving and trains were pretty consistently rolling aside from new ride hiccups. All and all I ended up with 6 rides on Tormenta, two in the front and four in the back, usually I'm a back row guy for dive coasters but U think I prefer the front on this one just a hair. Jury's still out on whether it's the best ride in the park for me but I'm thinking it might be recency bias aside.

Wow. Did not expect it to be as unhinged as it was. I have a new #1

Until yesterday, every time we went to Knoebels, Flying Turns wasn’t open. Yesterday we finally got to ride it! The heat was terrible, and it’s the only thing we rode before we bailed out of Elysburg for the AC. Totally worth it!

Photo taken march 31st 2026
Very underrated RMC

There was no more than 100 people in the entire park

Strickers Grove was opened in 1924, a family owned and operated park. Originally it was built in Mt. Healthy but was later relocated to its current location in Ross, Ohio. They feature 2 family coasters along with a handful of other flat rides. The park is only opened to the public between 4-8 times a year, with many of the season being rented out for private events and weddings.

The coasters were built by Ralph Stricker, with The Tornado being a mirror image of the John C Allen designed Jet Coaster. The Teddy Bear is a copy off blueprints from The Teddy Bear from Coney Island (Cincinnati Ohio)

We had the fortune of stopping in today for their Fourth of July festival today and I got my chance to claim both ride credits today, along with my coaster enthusiast kids (5years old).

Rating:

The Tornado: a solid 7/10. We frequent the local Kings Island many times a week, so coasters aren’t anything new. Hopped in the back row expecting a “Woodstock Express” experience, and left with a “holy sh*t that was.. something else” experience. The wood? Showing age. The seats? Peeling and barely there. The track? Maybe nonexistent at certain points. But the “airtime” was, impressive for a coaster that size. We snagged the last row, but those last 2 hills/hops, had me out of my seat and then some. Not sure how rough it’s supposed to ride, but it was for sure an old wooden coaster ride. I definitely left with a smile on my face and both kids begging to ride again.

The Teddy Bear: a good 5/10. It was more what I expected “The Tornado” to be, nothing extreme or to rave about but again, the novelty of it all was nice and it is an ACE recognized classic. Had a nice lay out, good coaster for kiddos who may be scared of coasters in general. Much more tame than what Woodstock express feels like in comparison.

Overall had an enjoyable visit and hope to be able to ride these coasters again as the unique experience adds so much to the ride and loved it

any faces covered for privacy

This book can be found online for roughly $80-100, which is far cheaper and easier to acquire than the Werner Stengel book I posted yesterday. Nevertheless, I know that’s still out of reach for many people, so here it is in all its digital glory for anyone to view. See comments for the download link.

Just got off the first train of the day after making a beeline to the park after hearing about early access for pass holders yesterday. What a phenomenal ride. Yes there was a slight rattle in a couple spots but I guarantee the GP won’t give a damn. Heading back for a second ride now. What a hit for Over Texas in a year full of misses. Bonus: lizard