On February 2, 2021, the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced new Park President Richard Pretlow has taken the helm at Six Flags America (SFA) and Hurricane Harbor in Maryland. Pretlow takes over for Rick Howarth, who held the position for the last 10 years. Pretlow brings 11 years of experience in the amusement park industry which includes positions at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW) and Sesame Place (culinary operations), Crayola Experience (revenue manager), and the Six Flags Great Escape Resort (in-park services). With a background including culinary, revenue, and in-park services, I’m interested to see what kind of changes come with his promotion of park president at SFA.
Now for some wishful thinking on my part. I have been visiting this park since the late 80’s. Back then it was called Wild World and then later, Adventure World. Six Flags took ownership in 1999 and things looked to be on an upward swing with ride additions such as Joker’s Jinx (1999), Superman – Ride of Steel (2000), and Batwing (2001). Then… things just slowed down and have seemed pretty ho hum ever since.
There are some things I would love to see take place at this Maryland-based amusement park, located about an hour from where I live. Will these things happen? Maybe, but probably not. These are just one local enthusiasts dreams for the park. Add in the the industry took in 2020 and early here in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it makes these things even less likely to happen. Time will tell. Still, this is my wish list for things I would love to see at SFA, ranging from major (ride additions) to minor (merchandising).
A New Unique, Not Relocated Coaster
Okay, I’m putting out my biggest wish first. I know this is probably the least likely to happen, at least in the near future. Still, I want to start off strong. SFA needs a new coaster that is NOT a clone and NOT a relocation. From what I can gather through my research, even back to the days of Wild World (1982-93) and Adventure World (1994-98), this park has never had anything unique to the park when it comes to coasters. Everything was either a clone, cloned elsewhere, or a relocation from another park.
Every Coaster to Appear at Six Flags America
- Batwing: Clone
- Firebird/Apocalypse: Relocation, Six Flags Great America
- Great Alonzo’s Cannonball Coaster (defunct): Clone
- Great Chase: Clone
- Joker’s Jinx: Clone
- Mind Eraser: Clone
- Python (defunct): Clone/Relocation, Six Flags Great Adventure
- Ragin’ Cajun: Clone/Relocation, Six Flags Great America
- Roar: Cloned (clone has since been RMC’d)
- Superman – Ride of Steel: Mirrored Clone
- Two-Face – The Flip Side (relocated): Clone
- Ultra Twister (never built): Relocation, Six Flags AstroWorld
- Wild One: Relocation from Paragon Park
Coaster listing according to the Roller Coaster Database (RCDB).
As you can see, there has never been that one roller coaster that’s been truly unique to the park. I feel like this has hurt SFA’s identity as a whole. So many parks out there have that one, maybe two coasters in their line up that people remember – something you can only experience by going to that park. SFA has none.
A Different Story at Six Flag's Closest Sister Park, Great Adventure
Travel two and a half hours north to Six Flags Great Adventure (SFGAdv) in New Jersey. They have Nitro, Kingda Ka, and El Toro – all memorable, unique coasters. Meanwhile, those coasters are surrounded by clones and relocations that compliment those rides. Those rides are every bit as good, but Nitro, Kingda Ka, and El Toro are the ones you hear people talk about. For example, just a little over a week ago, the local news here in Baltimore covered the topping off of SFGAdv’s Jersey Devil Coaster. A unique coaster two and a half hours away getting attention. I can’t remember the last time I saw ride news on a local news channel for SFA on Baltimore news.
Am I by no means saying that SFA needs to install a bunch of rides of SFGAdv’s magnitude. I’m pretty sure they are afforded a larger budget based on their location and attendance. SFA, however, doesn’t need to build the world’s tallest coaster, an expensive Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M) hyper, or an Intamin pre-fab woodie. Not at all. SFA could build something like Six Flag New England’s (SFNE) Wicked Cyclone or Six Flags Fiesta Texas‘ (SFFT) Superman Krypton Coaster, which are both unique rides to those parks. Add something similar to SFA and you will easily have yourself the most popular ride at the park.
With all that being said, here are my ideas for what kind of coasters SFA could add to fill this glaring need:
RMC Roar
Roar… In recent years I’ve come to call this ride “Sore.” Every so often I squeeze out a decent ride, but that’s starting to feel like the exception, not the rule. With Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (SFDK) turning to Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) to convert their Roar into the hybrid, Joker, in 2015, many enthusiasts call for SFA to do the same. Here’s the thing though. If it does happen, do NOT just clone Joker and stick it in SFA. Sure, it would be unique to the east coast and the best ride at the park, but it still wouldn’t be unique.
Seeing as the only clones currently coming out of RMC are the Raptor track prototype iterations, I think a conversion of Roar would most likely be unique. There is still that slight unknown, however, as to how RMC or Six Flags would tackle converting a wooden clone. To my knowledge, that has yet to happen. There have been similar discussions pertaining to the Carowinds version of Hurler. If converted, would it be a copy of Kings Dominion’s Twisted Timbers, a former Hurler? We have yet to see something like this take place.
Titan Track Roar
The second option for Roar is to have Great Coasters International (GCI) install its new Titan Track onto the ride. Now if they’re just going to re-track the ride, then you can file this under a quality of life upgrade for the park, not a unique coaster. Sure, it would be a unique hybrid version of Roar, but it still feels a little like, “Been there. Done that.” That’s exactly how many enthusiasts felt about Apocalypse’s conversion to Firebird a couple of years ago.
If the park decides to go the Titan Track method, I’d like for them to change the course. Install an inversion or stall moment somewhere in the ride. Just imagine if Roar was one of the first rides to feature these elements from GCI. It could serve as the start of something good, just like New Texas Giant did for Six Flags Over Texas (SFOT). I’d love to have a coaster here that started a wave like that.
Of course, that could all be a moot point if Six Flags Darien Lake (SFDL) adds these kinds of elements into Predator. We know the park is installing Titan Track, but no announcements have been made on what kind of changes, if any, are coming to the ride’s course. If it’s just a re-track, then let Roar be that next step. Fingers crossed!
A Ground Up Original
Over the last few years a handful of ground up unique coasters have been built at several Six Flags parks, such as West Coaster Racers at Six Flags Magic Mountain (SFMM) and Maxx Force at Six Flags Great America (SFGAm). Numerous others received S&S Sansei (S&S) 4D Free Spins. SFA has gotten neither. While I feel like SFA is more likely to get a 4D Free Spin, I keep my fingers crossed for something original. Plus, with SFGAdv and Kings Dominion either having, or soon to have, 4D Free Spins, this region doesn’t need another. Here are three possibilities I’ve come up with, trying to keep a smaller budget in mind.
Howdy Neighbor - Knocking on the Door of Premier Rides
For those who don’t know, Premier Rides is based out of Baltimore City, about an hour away from SFA. SFA is already home to one of their LIM models in Joker’s Jinx. Why not another? Premier has done recent work with Six Flags, debuting West Coast Racers in 2020. Although that ride faced delays, people seem to love the ride. Add the upcoming debut of Sea World Orlando’s (SWO) Ice Breaker and Premier is building some new, unique rides. Why not one here in their home state? It would also be great for Premier to have an example to show prospective clients so close to their base of operations.
If Premier is brought in to create a new coaster at SFA, I’m guessing it won’t be on the scale of West Coast Racers. It doesn’t have to be. I would prefer it to be bigger than Ice Breaker, but I do admit, that coaster does look fun.
As for where to put this Premier Rides coaster, Premier could get creative with the land behind Penguin’s Blizzard River and Wonder Woman Lasso of Truth. Just imagine looking down from Wonder Woman onto another coaster. It would also be close to its relative, Joker’s Jinx too.
A Single Rail - Intamin Preferred
In 2020 Intamin announced their take on the single rail concept called the Hot Racer. A few months later, Luna Park Sydney, in Australia, announced the addition of several new rides, including a Hot Racer they’re calling Big Dipper. If that ride is successful, I think adding one to SFA would be amazing.
If SFA went for the dueling model, it could be themed to the Batmobile through Gotham City. You could call it, Batman & Robin – The Thriller! Too soon? Maybe that’s a bad omen. Yeah, stay away from that!
Anyhow, a dueling version would help with capacity, with two trains to load. That also means re-rideability. After you ride the Batman side, go back and ride on the Robin side – two rides in one. Intamin looks to have standard layouts for these Hot Racer models, but they do advertise that they can be custom designed to a park’s specifications. I have a feeling if SFA got one of these, they’d be more likely to stick to the standard layout to save on costs. Even if it was the first in the chain, I feel like you’d start to see clones popping up at other Six Flags parks soon thereafter – like the 4D Free Spins.
There is probably a greater chance of SFA getting a custom layout in this model by electing to go for the non-racing/dueling version. This could go in the same place as the Premier coaster, mentioned above, but I have a better spot. The plot between Superman – Ride of Steel and Batwing has been barren for ages. It would also give guests another reason to walk back past the Superman gift shop. More on that in a bit.
A Single Rail - RMC is Fine Too
I think the likelihood of one of the Intamin Hot Racers coming to SFA is slim to none, but still wish to see it happen. SFGAdv will soon open Jersey Devil Coaster, so I lean more toward SFA getting a RMC single rail coaster, if any. If that’s the case, I just hope it isn’t a clone of Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Coaster at SFFT or even Jersey Devil. While I’d love to have a version of of both rides at SFA, it still would put the park in the same boat as it’s always in – nothing unique.
A Ground Up RMC
In 2014 SFGAm opened Goliath, a custom built, ground up RMC wood coaster. While on the shorter side of the RMC coasters out there, something like Goliath at SFA would easily become the park’s star attraction. The ride could either be Topper Track or I-Box, it wouldn’t matter to me. I lean toward I-Box though what recent the re-tracking Dollywood’s Lightning Rod.
The place I want to see something like this built is behind Wild One. There is a good plot of land there and I’m sure the old Batman show building could also be removed. I prefer to keep a coaster of this magnitude out of the Gotham City section of the park. It could also be a whole new area, with the coaster being its star attraction. If that’s not an option, the plot of land between the helixes and loading station on Superman has plenty of room for creativity. It could even go over the pathways, using some of that land I proposed for the Hot Racer.
As for a theme, if kept out of Gotham City, I want the park to tap into local stories and legends just like SFGAdv did with Jersey Devil it would help tie the coaster to the region. If it ends up in Gotham, however, I’m sure it a DC character name is a given.
Oh, and one more thing. I hate when Six Flags park reuse the same names over and over for their coasters. You know, like Goliath? Just please… don’t call it that.
Ride Repaints
In my recent blog, “Modern Take: Influential Coasters of My Childhood – Wild One,” I discuss how Wild One, along with several other coasters, are in dire need of being repainted at SFA. Joker’s Jinx looked stunning in 2020 with its fresh green and purple. Firebird stands out with its bright red and orange following its 2019 rebranding. Now, some of the other coasters in the park need that same attention.
Superman - Ride of Steel
First and foremost, Superman – Ride of Steel. This is still the park’s main attraction. That red and blue looks weathered, along with the station, making the coaster look old, especially next to Joker’s Jinx. Joker’s Jinx faced the same issues with its faded paint and numerous rust spots. If you gave Superman some TLC, it too would stand tall and proud like something named after the Man of Steel should.
Wild One
Wild One, while not bad, will probably need some fresh paint before the end of the decade. It isn’t as pressing as Superman, or the park’s Vekoma SLC, Mind Eraser. Mind Eraser has always had an ugly paint scheme. The ride originally featured teal track and red supports from 1995-2005. In 2006 the yellow track with orange supports scheme was introduced and has remained ever since.
Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind seeing Mind Eraser given an entire new color scheme and renaming. SFNE did this with their Mind Eraser for 2018, giving it green track and yellow supports. They also renamed the ride to Riddler Revenge. But that wasn’t all…
Mind Eraser
Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind seeing Mind Eraser given an entire new color scheme and renaming. SFNE did this with their Mind Eraser for 2018, giving it green track and yellow supports. They also renamed the ride to Riddler Revenge. But that wasn’t all…
New Trains on Mind Eraser
SFNE’s Riddle Revenge, like Great Nor’Easter at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood, N.J. received new Vekoma trains with vest restraints. For many, this breathed new life into these aging rides. You can call me crazy, but I don’t absolutely detest Vekoma SLC’s like most enthusiasts. If new trains come to Mind Eraser, it will be a welcome update. I liken it to how Hersheypark put the new Vekoma trains on their Boomerang model, Sidewinder. I didn’t ride that for years. Now, I ride it on most visits. It makes the ride so much better. Many enthusiasts seem to say similar things about Riddler Revenge and Nor’Easter.
Quality of Life - The Walk of Lame
For anyone who has walked back to Batwing just to find it closed two, three, four, or more times in a visit, it sucks! Sometimes they’re nice enough to have a sign/rope blocking off the pathway next to the Superman gift shop. Other times, they don’t. Then you make that long walk back, just to find the ride closed. Then you make the long walk back just to get to Superman again. A lot of us have burned many calories and gotten in some good cardio making that walk. It’s become a meme itself in the coaster community.
With all that being said, the walk back to Superman, Wonder Woman, or Penguin’s Blizzard River to find them down or closed also sucks. The ride placement is sparse back in that region of the park. It feels like you have to go out of your way just to get to them. Until that area fills in with more rides, if you make that walk back there only to find your ride down/closed, then you have the long walk back into the main portion of the park to rides like Firebird, Roar, Wild One, etc.
My Solution - Info. Boards
I think it would be great if the park could install some kind of informational screens throughout the park with any ride closures or any other important park announcements. You could even list the park hours, any shows, temperature, or important information as well.
If placing these throughout the park seems excessive, maybe just place several of these in key places. My suggestion is one entering the water park, one in front of the theater after walking over the bridge into the dry park, and MOST importantly, one by the entrance to Gotham City passing under Wild One. If memory serves me right, there is already a sign stating what rides are located in the back section of the park. Make it digital and if a ride goes down, it could just say, “Closed” or “Temporarily Closed.” It would save lots of frustration. There isn’t much else to do back in that portion of the park for adults if one or more of the rides are closed. The same would hold true for guests entering the park initially or venturing into Hurricane Harbor. They’d have everything right there.
Two Birds, One Board?
If the park does go their route, can we also shift some of the advertisements to the boards along with it? I know Six Flags is notorious for placing ads on anything and everything – just see El Toro’s Kia train at SFGAdv or the 20-something (not an exaggeration) Takis ads in the queue and station for their Skull Mountain coaster. SFA, while not as bad, does have one ad I just want to see go. That’s right, I’m talking about the giant Snickers banner on Wild One. It looks tacky and as much as I like Snickers, can we please just not?
More Park & Ride Branded Merchandise... Please!
SFA severely lacks, in my opinion, in park and ride branded merchandise. Sure, with Firebird’s rebranding they put it on shirts, keychains, magnets, pins, and more. They put it in JUST the ride’s gift shop though. You can’t find those items in the stores up by the front gate at all. Why? I don’t know. What if you were on your way out of the park and wanted to pick up some Firebird merch before leaving. If you’re nowhere around Firebird, you’re probably going to say screw it. Missed opportunity.
Then there is the question, what if I like one of the other coasters or rides? It’s like SFA put all its eggs in one basket and said, “Don’t you just love Firebird?” Well, even as a B&M fan, not really, SFA. I prefer Mind Eraser, Batwing, Superman, Joker’s Jinx, and Wild One more. So I and anyone who love those other rides are not buying anything before leaving. Another missed opportunity.
Merchandise & Identity at Six Flags America
Throughout this article I have used the term “identity.” I feel SFA has been void of any kind of identity for years. Nothing screams that more than the generic Justice League T-shirt with a small Six Flags logo on the bottom. Do they even say “America” anywhere on it? I don’t think so. Even if it did, are people going to look hard enough to find it or even pay attention that it came from the park? Nope. It’s a DC Comics shirt and one probably sold at every Six Flags park in the chain. Anyone who sees it will probably see it as just some cool comic book shirt and not even associate it with the park or Six Flags brand.
I’m sure a lot of the DC, Warner Bros., and Looney Toons branding comes from corporate, so SFA might have little to no control over this. I just want to see something more personal to SFA being offered. SFGAdv sells numerous shirt designs of some of their coasters (not DC branded, except for the Joker 4D Free Spin). Same goes with keychains, magnets, and a personal favorite of mine, pins. I have four pins from SFA. Two of those pins are just cookie cutter Six Flags branded pins. I have a bunch more from SFGAdv and even more from the likes of SFMM and SFGAm, two parks I’ve never even been to. All thanks eBay!
Relying on eBay to Purchase Old Merch?
Speaking of eBay, I have better luck finding SFA branded merch that site. Is it usually older? Yes, but it does say “America” or features rides other than just Firebird. Take my Batwing pin I recently picked up. I was shocked when I saw that. Not only because I found one from SFA, but one with DC branding on it too. I don’t think I’ve seen anything branded to that ride at the park in years. Now if I could just get one for Superman and Joker’s Jinx, or my ultimate prize, Wild One. How can the park’s historic woodie not have a pin, or any merchandise really? To me, that’s a huge oversight.
I’m sure I wouldn’t be the only person who’d buy some Wild One merch. The park pays tribute to the ride’s history at the ride station. Why not with some merchandise? I feel like I will ultimately see one on eBay long before I will at the park and that’s sad.
Buying From & Supporting the Park
I prefer to buy my merch straight from the park. It seems like the merch I’m interested in isn’t sold at SFA however, or hasn’t been in years. If I could cut out eBay to buy from SFA to support them, I would in a heartbeat. I spent hundreds of dollars on shirts and pins from SFGAdv, Knoebels, Hersheypark, BGW, and even Dorney Park in 2020. That’s all of SFA’s closest competition, minus Kings Dominion, which didn’t open until Christmas. That being said, in 2019 I cleaned up on pins during two visits.
How much did I buy at SFA in merch in 2020, you ask? Five bucks, maybe? I found a post card/pin set for sale way back in the Superman store by chance. I visited every gift shop in the park that day after finding that pin to see if there was anything stashed away that I’ve been missing. Not only did I not find anything of interest, but the postcard/pin set wasn’t even in any store other than the Superman one. The main store on Main Street should have everything, or close to it. Get those people as they leave the park and want something to remember the visit. Missed opportunities.
Merchandise & Identity at Nearby Parks
Drive a little over two hours north and you can see the opposite at Hersheypark, one of SFA’s nearest competitors. They sold a wide variety of coaster shirts last season including: Fahrenheit, Sky Rush, Great Bear, and Candymonium. There was also one featuring Wildcat, Lightning Racer, and Comet together, with a headline about wooden coasters. Those shirts were gone off their shelves in a month’s time. I should know, I decided to wait to buy them on my next trip after I saw them and they were already gone. That’s not even mentioning the classic “I Survived the SooperDooperLooper” shirt the park has been selling since I was a kid. History… Identity… Thrills… All that from just the ride shirts.
Those aren’t all the park offers however. They make use of their identity so well. During my 13 visits to the park in 2020, I saw a handful of shirts featuring their logo, some historic distressed shirts showing the park’s longevity, a few for their new Chocolatetown addition, and of course, their candy brands. Tell me how a generic Justice League shirt portrays that same identity? It just doesn’t. This also coming from a major comic book fan.
Wishing on My Wish List
I knew this list would become long winded. I tried my best to keep things realistic, yet a bit hopeful. I want to see this park succeed. I want to see a park located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. draw in the crowds and be considered a contender in this region. For many years the park has been an after thought and sadly, the butt of many jokes among enthusiasts. I’m going to keep wishing some of these things on my wish list come true. Then again, maybe Pretlow has his own visions for the park and some tricks up his sleeve that will be even better. Only time will tell, but I’m here for the ride… or is that rides?
