While writing the first installment of the Influential Coasters of My Childhood series, I began to insert a “modern take” section at the conclusion of the blog. The more I thought about it, the more I decided I wanted that portion to be its own blog as well. So here you have my modern takes on those coasters I once loved as a child. Have my views changed? Find out…
Related Article: “Influential Coasters of My Childhood – Wild One” – January 11, 2021
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been riding Wild One at Six Flags America (SFA) for over 30 years now. It seems like it was only a short time ago that the park was called Wild World and was little more than a water park, a few flat rides, and a 98 foot tall wooden coaster. My, how things have changed. Not only did the park’s name change twice, but with the changes of ownership came growth and even alterations to Wild One itself. Were those changes for the best, or did it ruin one of my favorite coasters growing up?
If you read this blog’s predecessor (link above) than you are aware that Wild One used to be found at the back end of Wild World in the late 80’s. There was nothing else around it other than grass, bushes, and some trees. While many would say that is a good thing, it was honestly too barren. This wasn’t a coaster like Grizzly down in Kings Dominion, that made use of a wooded area. Wild One just felt plopped down in the middle of a grass field
Walking Further Back Than Ever Before
Today, with the park’s growth over the last three decades, Wild One is surrounded by countless rides, buildings, and landscaping. The ride is no longer at the rear of the park. Gotham City, Whistlestop Park, and picnic pavilions can all be found behind the ride. In order to get to them, you must walk through one of two walkways constructed under Wild One itself. The main walkway takes you from the Chesapeake section of the park to Gotham City. The second, smaller walkway, goes from Mardi Gras into Gotham City. Both walkways offer some great interactions with the ride. These never existed before Six Flags took over the park. In the photo above, you can see the main walkway from from Gotham City.
The Park Expands All Around Wild One
My first rides on Wild One back in the mid to late 80’s had a ride where you were out in the middle of nowhere. You didn’t interact with any other rides that crossed over the ride or ran alongside it. You were out in the middle of a field and all you had was Wild One for the experience. That changed in the late 90’s.
Typhoon Sea Coaster (Skull Mountain) Installment
One of the biggest changes came in 1997. The park was called Adventure World at the time and they debuted an Intamin water ride called Typhoon Sea Coaster. Six Flags would later rename the ride to Skull Mountain. Skull Mountain would be built right next to Wild One. Its final drop, which took place after a turn table element, came splashing out of a large skull on a rock facade. You can see this on the Theme Park James website’s Skull Mountain page.
Skull Mountain’s final drop element would add an all new element to Wild One – a head chopper. The airtime hills where Skull Mountain’s drop was installed, saw riders zip through the metal ride structure and dive underneath its track. I remember experiencing that for the first time and loving it.
Apocalypse (Firebird) Installment
Fast forward to 2011 and Skull Mountain would be removed to make way for the Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) stand-up coaster, Apocalypse. Apocalypse was a relocation of Iron Wolf from Six Flags Great America (SFGAm). The park would elect incorporate the existing rock facade from Skull Mountain into the theming of Apocalypse, adding a crashed plane to the wall. Skull Mountain’s drop and turntable would also remain behind the facade.
I’m not sure why this portion of the ride was kept, but I have several theories. The first one is for the head chopper effect. The second is to pay homage to the ride. Third is for structural reasons. And last is costs. I’m sure it would be cheaper in the long run to leave it.
No matter the reason, I enjoy the head chopper effect and have ever since its introduction. It does add to the ride , so I’m glad it still remains. I’m sure some people might think it looks like an eyesore from the back, like in the photo above. I understand that as well.
In 2019, when Six Flags decided to rename and retheme Apocalypse into Firebird, the plane was removed from the rock facade, but nothing else seems to have changed on that structure. I’m certain the Skull Mountain head chopper element is here to stay, sort of like the remains of Rolling Thunder under El Toro at SFGAdv.
Ride Modifications
While on the subject of the ride experience, a few modifications have been made to Wild One since 1986. Both the bottom of the first drop and the turn around have seen some reprofiling. The thing is, I don’t have any vivid memories of how the ride ran before the changes.
The drop certainly doesn’t feel much different to me, but there is a part of me that does feel like the ride used to whip around the turn around more aggressively than it does now. Had I not known of the reprofiling, though, I probably would have just attributed it to age and/or a change in trains. I was too young to really remember the coaster’s layout in that much detail in the late 80’s.
If you’d like to see the difference between Wild One’s turn around today (photo above) and how it was in 1997, check out the YouTube video “Wild One POV at Adventure World in Upper Marlboro MD in 1997,” from the channel, Loopyguy. You can clearly see that the turn around was not leveled off, as it is currently stands. I might be mistaken, but it looks like additional structure was added above where the old downward course used to run. The downward sloped wooden beams are probably where the track once stood. If anyone knows for sure, please let me know.
The Ugly Side of Wild One
Now I want to bring up a couple of nitpick items with this coaster. In no way do either one of these impact the amazing ride that Wild One gives, but they do stick out to me and something I’d love to see addressed. I honestly doubt either of these will, but I’m brining them up nonetheless.
Advertise Elsewhere, Please...
I absolutely hate seeing Wild One used as a giant billboard. Over the last few years the park has plastered a massive Snickers advertisement on the ride’s first drop. On a few of my visits it’s not been there, but it always finds its way back up there eventually before the end of the season. I just hate it. Build a large digital billboard, or heck, place the ad on the stunt show building behind the ride. It’s not like it’s used for anything other than storage these days. I just hate seeing a classic coaster used in this manner. At least they haven’t turned the trains into Kia cars like El Toro up at Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv). Don’t get me started on that one!
A Fresh Coat of Paint
The second thing I want to bring up is the paint job. I’ll be the first to admit that while the white paint scheme found on many older coasters has its place, it’s never been a favorite of mine. I prefer natural wood, or some of the wilder colors found on coasters such as Kingdom Coaster at Dutch Wonderland. Now, before you go getting all uptight and wanting to curse at me, I’m not suggesting Six Flags paint Wild One teal and purple. Not at all. White paint screams classic and Wild One, after all, is classic. It should stay that way.
The reason I bring this up is because it’s getting to be about that time where Wild One is going to need some fresh paint and TLC, especially since it’s sandwiched between two coasters at the park with recent paint jobs over the last two years – Firebird and Joker’s Jinx. Just imagine how nice Wild One would look with a fresh coat of white paint running just behind that bright red and orange of Firebird. I can and it looks amazing. On a side note, while they’re at it, Superman Ride of Steel, Batwing, and Mind Eraser are quite faded too.
Wild One - The Final Take
Ultimately I feel like the changes made to Wild One and the nitpicks above haven’t caused me to change my feelings about this ride at all. It’s still an amazing ride and one I insist on riding each and every visit. Well, unless a raccoon kills my plans by hanging out in the ride station, shutting it down. True story! Ask Sam.
I may have gone on to ride many more wooden coasters since that first ride on Wild One, but it will always hold a special place in my heart as an enthusiast. All those rides with my Aunt Cheryl throughout the 80’s and 90’s, and with friends in the years since, will be ones I cherish forever. Memories like being smashed to side of the train with Elaina on the helix and laughing our asses off. Or recent ones like getting to ride a classic coaster with Greg the first time we hung out together. It’s one of those rides where the memories keep coming. And much like with the first installment of this blog series with Kings Dominion’s Anaconda, I find myself really wanting to jump on the ride right now as I write this. That’s honestly been one of my favorite parts of this new series and one I hope happens with all the future installments. I have a funny feeling it will.
