WildCat (Cedar Point)

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WildCat
CP-WildCat.jpg
Cedar Point
Location Cedar Point
Park section Celebration Plaza
Coordinates 41°28′54″N82°41′6″W / 41.48167°N 82.68500°W / 41.48167; -82.68500
StatusRemoved
Opening date1979 (1979)
Closing date2011 (2011)
Replaced Jumbo Jet
Replaced by Luminosity — Ignite the Night!
General statistics
Type Steel
Manufacturer Anton Schwarzkopf
Designer Werner Stengel
ModelWildcat/65m
Track layoutMetal track in an overlapping and interlocking figure-eight configuration
Lift/launch systemChain lift
Height50 ft (15 m)
Length1,837 ft (560 m)
Speed40 mph (64 km/h)
Inversions 0
Duration1:25
Capacity900 riders per hour
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
WildCat at RCDB

WildCat was a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Designed by Werner Stengel and manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf, the ride opened to the public in 1979. Cedar Point decided in 2012 to remove WildCat to allow for expansion of the Celebration Plaza, also citing that the coaster had reached the end of its service life. It was dismantled and scrapped. [1]

Contents

History

WildCat opened at Cedar Point in 1979. [2] It was the 65m variant of the Schwarzkopf Wildcat model where small cars (each holding four passengers) take many tight turns and small hills that produce negative g-forces as well as strong lateral forces. Riders were required to be at least 48" tall and be able to climb down vertical ladders in the case of an emergency evacuation. Riders were secured by a seatbelt and lap bar. At the end of the ride, riders were given a visual signal by the operator to extend their arms and hold on, as the train stops extremely quickly. [3] It was the second Cedar Point ride to use the WildCat name following the 1970 installation, Wildcat, which was an identical 65m Schwarzkopf Wildcat. [4] [5]

WildCat is the only roller coaster in Cedar Point that has been relocated since being built. WildCat had been in two previous places before settling in its final location, across from Iron Dragon. WildCat gave more than 25 million rides since its debut. [3] Although this figure-8 designed coaster was a park favorite, ridership declined over the years from over 500,000 riders in 1996 down to 300,000 riders in 2008. [3]

On May 2, 2012, Cedar Point announced the permanent removal and dismantling of the WildCat roller coaster prior to the opening of the 2012 season for the expansion of Celebration Plaza. [1] WildCat was demolished and scrapped before the season started.

Incidents

On May 16, 2008 during the opening weeks of the season, WildCat suffered a "roll back". A car traveling up the lift hill did not make it all the way up and rolled back down, hitting another car. This incident injured nine guests, of which eight were treated at the first aid station in the park, and one was treated and released at Firelands Memorial Hospital. [6] [7] Due to this accident, the ride was closed for a month. It reopened in late June 2008 after a section of track was replaced.

In the evening of June 5, 2011, two cars of WildCat collided, injuring seven people, none seriously. Three people were taken to Firelands Regional Medical Center as a precaution and four were released from the first aid station without further treatment. The crash was classified as an "incident" by the US Department of Agriculture. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement parks and travelling funfairs around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intamin</span> Liechtensteiner design and manufacturing company

Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein, best-known for designing and constructing thrill rides and roller coasters at dozens of international theme parks, amusement parks and other establishments. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement installations". The company has corporate offices across the world, including three in Europe, three in Asia, and two in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wicked Twister</span> Defunct roller coaster

Wicked Twister was an inverted roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. Designed by Werner Stengel, it was a second-generation, double-twisting Impulse model manufactured by Intamin. Wicked Twister opened as the tallest and fastest inverted coaster in the world on May 5, 2002. It was retired by the park on September 6, 2021, closed on September 7, and gave over 16 million rides during its lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corkscrew (Cedar Point)</span> Steel roller coaster at Cedar Point

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Rougarou, formerly known as Mantis, is a floorless roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Designed and built by Bolliger & Mabillard, the roller coaster originally opened in 1996 as a stand-up roller coaster called Mantis, which at the time was the tallest, fastest, and longest of its kind in the world. Cedar Point had planned to name the ride Banshee, but due to negative publicity following the announcement, the name was later changed to Mantis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raptor (Cedar Point)</span> Inverted roller coaster

Raptor is a steel inverted roller coaster designed by Bolliger & Mabillard at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. The coaster, which broke many records upon its opening in 1994, differs from previous inverted coasters. Instead of having a short layout designed to fit into a compact area like Batman: The Ride, Raptor was designed with a larger, 3,790-foot (1,160 m) layout, making it the tallest, fastest and longest inverted roller coaster in the world when it opened. It features six inversions, including a cobra roll, a first for inverted roller coasters. The ride is themed as a bird of prey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Dragon (roller coaster)</span> Suspended coaster at Cedar Point

Iron Dragon is a suspended roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Built in 1987 by Arrow Dynamics, it is located in the Celebration Plaza section of the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel Vengeance</span> Roller coaster at Cedar Point

Steel Vengeance, formerly known as Mean Streak, is a steel roller coaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. The roller coaster, originally constructed by Dinn Corporation as a wooden roller coaster, was rebuilt by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) and opened to the public on May 5, 2018. It is a hybrid coaster, using RMC's steel I-Box track and a significant portion of Mean Streak's former support structure. Upon completion, Steel Vengeance set 10 world records, including those for the tallest, fastest, and longest hybrid roller coaster.

WildCat (roller coaster) may refer to:

This is a summary of notable incidents that have taken place at amusement parks, water parks, or theme parks that are currently owned or operated by Six Flags. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of every such event, but only those that had a significant impact on the parks or park operations, or are otherwise significantly newsworthy. The term incidents refers to major accidents, injuries, or deaths that occur at a park. These incidents were required to be reported to regulatory authorities due to where they occurred. They usually fall into one of the following categories:

  1. Negligence on the part of the guest, such as refusal to follow specific ride safety instructions.
  2. A guest deliberately breaking park rules.
  3. A guest's known, or unknown, health issues.
  4. Negligence on the part of the park, either by a ride operator or maintenance staff.
  5. Negligence on the part of the attraction's manufacturer
  6. An Act of God or a generic accident that is not a direct result of an action or inaction on anybody's part.
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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luminosity – Ignite the Night!</span> Nighttime show performed by Cedar Point

Luminosity – Ignite the Night!, often shortened to Luminosity,, was a nighttime show performed nightly at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. It replaced American Portrait and the WildCat roller coaster. The show opened for previews on June 1, 2012 and held its grand-opening one week later. It ran nightly at 9:15 pm until August 19. From 2013 to 2017, the show ran every night at 9:30 pm except Tuesdays from May 31 – August 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GateKeeper (roller coaster)</span> Steel wing roller coaster at Cedar Point

GateKeeper is a steel roller coaster located at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), it was the fifth Wing Coaster installation in the world. The ride opened on May 11, 2013, on the most successful opening weekend to date in the park's history. GateKeeper featured the highest inversion in the world when it opened, with its 170-foot (52 m) Wing Over drop. It also broke several Wing Coaster records, including those for height, speed, track length, drop height and number of inversions. The coaster has a 170 ft (52 m), 40-degree inclined lift hill with a 164 ft (50 m) drop and features two support towers with keyhole elements that the trains travel through. Its maximum speed is approximately 67 mph (108 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valravn (roller coaster)</span> Roller coaster at Cedar Point

Valravn is a steel roller coaster at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Built and designed by Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), it is the first Dive Coaster model in the Cedar Fair chain of parks and opened on May 7, 2016, as the tallest, fastest, and longest of its kind in the world. It remains the tallest, sharing its height record with Yukon Striker at Canada's Wonderland. Valravn is also the first Dive Coaster to use B&M's vest-style, over-the-shoulder restraints and the third Dive Coaster overall to open in the United States. The installation marked the hundredth roller coaster from B&M, dating back to the company's founding in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildcat (Jolly Roger Amusement Park)</span> Steel roller coaster

Wildcat is a roller coaster manufactured by Anton Schwarzkopf, currently operating at Jolly Roger Amusement Park in Ocean City, Maryland. The ride has also operated at other parks such as Cedar Point and Valleyfair.

References

  1. 1 2 "Celebration Plaza Expansion". Cedar Point. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  2. Marden, Duane. "Wildcat  (Cedar Point)". Roller Coaster DataBase . Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "Wildcat". Cedar Point. Retrieved May 2, 2012.
  4. "List of Cedar Point roller coasters".
  5. RCDB.com listing for 1970 Wildcat
  6. "WildCat closed after several guests were injured". The Point Online/Sandusky Register . May 22, 2008. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
  7. "Nine Park Goers Have Wild Ride on Wildcat". The Morning Journal . May 24, 2008.
  8. "Cedar Point's WildCat reopens". Sandusky Register. June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2012.