Thank You for Riding...

For every beginning there is an end; and for every end, a new beginning.

The 2009 season has come and gone, and what a season it was! Closing the park this year marked the end of my 10th season in the seasonal theme park industry, and I can honestly say that I've never experienced one as smooth and enjoyable as this one. I'd like to thank everyone for making it as fantastic as it was.

We have a lot to be proud of. For one, we led the company with our corporate audit score--a feat which is not to be taken lightly. In fact, the auditor that performed our audit said that she didn't think that she'd ever given out a score as high as the one she gave to us this season. Guys, that's huge! She's tough and has an incredible eye for detail.

Plus, you all got to cut my hair.

It's been requested requested that the end of season poem for the Rides department be posted, since we didn't get a chance to read it on closing night (except for a few of you that got a super-exclusive reading in the office), so here it is:

‘Twas the night before opening, when all through the park,
Jess Johnston was crying alone in the dark.
Trainings had been completed in each division with care,
In hopes that the guests soon would be there.
The team members clocked in on opening day,
In perfect grooming guidelines, in the Jen and Steve way.
Joker was back, down in DC,
And Blitz was open, for an additional fee.
But something was happening at the park’s premier coaster.
A villain had graffitied the golden ticket posters.
Suddenly Superman transformed to Bizarro.
It still won first place despite enthusiasts’ sorrow.
Up in the north, thirteen site controllers passed
On July 4th, Tomahawk opened at last.
Team South got slimed at Rides Dept. Double Dare.
A 99% corporate audit led to styling John’s hair.
The Wiffle Ball Tournament had just begun
And it really never finished, so everyone won.
It rained and it rained and it rained and it rained
Then it rained some more but no one complained
Because team members were friendlier than ever
Saying “Boo-woop” before each ride cycle, how clever.
The crews were efficient, faster than Flash.
At every ride – Batman, Skyway and Splash.
Excellent job 2009 rides.
Don’t forget to ATTACK park maps and guides.
That just happened.

Here are a few photos that I took throughout the night:

Skycoaster!

Joe spends a bit of time getting to know Superman!

Supervisor team 2009 (well, at least the ones who were there to open closing day).

 I wear my sunglasses at night.....

Cecil--and his glasses--at the Balloon Race.

Catie showing her true feelings for the Fun-O-Meter at Bizarro

Rawr.

Leroy at the Skyway

You guys should stuff that and mount it on a wall somewhere.

Nick is awfully happy here.

Anyway, thanks again for a fantastic season!  Work has already begun on getting ready for the 2010 season (in fact, we just finished up a conference call with New York about our budget) and we're excited to see all of you back again!

Also, we're still accepting applications for leadreship positions for the 2010 season, so if you're interested, and you haven't gotten to it yet, get those apps filled out!  The information and applications can be found in a post from a couple of weeks ago.

-John

End of the Season

It's that time of the year again. We're closing this weekend!!!! I can't believe it's flown by so quickly. It seems like just yesterday that Blitz! was rolling in and Bizarro was being painted purple.

Like we've been saying all season, this has been one of the best seasons for the SFNE Ride Department ever! We could never thank team members enough for all of their contributions this year. Don't forget to stop by the Rockville Gym on November 1, 2009 (closing night) for one last goodbye! I wrote a fantastic poem about the 2009 season, so make sure to come and hear it!

See you in 2010!

-Jen

I helped! -John

FrightFest 2009

Welcome to Frightfest 2009 everyone!

I took this picture of Scream from Crackaxle Canyon as I walked around the park today.

My purpose was to take a picture of a ride in our North End that got a makeover earlier in the week. Well, a partial makeover, as the paint job is scheduled to continue for the rest of the operating season. Here it is:

Flashback is being painted orangey-red and a golden yellow for 2010. It's really no secret since the park will be open in a few days anyway and it's RED.

Anyway, like John said, the season is coming to a close and there will be more updates.

-Jen

2010 Leadership Applications Now Online!

Applications and job descriptions for leadership positions in 2010 are now available online. Follow one of the links below to get started.

Job Descriptions (.pdf format)

2010 Leadership Application (MS Word 2003 format)

Completed applications can be:

• returned to the Operations Office at the park
• emailed to sfneops@gmail.com
• faxed back to the park at (413) 786-4682. The fax machine, however, tends to go unattended for weeks at a time, so faxing is far from the most reliable way to receive your information. If you do choose to fax an application to the office, please contact us first to let us know that we should expect an incoming fax.

If you have any questions, feel free to stop by the office, send an email to sfneops@gmail.com, or call us at (413) 786-9300 x.3333.

Also, we'll be starting regular updates to the blog once again as we move into the off season, so stay tuned!

-John

Double Dare 2009

The very first Rides Department Double Dare was held on Tuesday June 16, 2009 and it was a huge success. It was so huge in fact, that we will probably hold another Double Dare Competition at the end of the season, so stay tuned for more details!

At approximately 8:00 pm, two teams faced off in a head-to-head competition of strength, courage and of course, the main ingredient - SLIME.

North Team (from left to right): Michael Son, Nadine Pasterczyk, Andrew Easton, Barbara Everett

South Team (from left to right): Gladstone McKenzie, Cassandra (CJ) Niziolek, Derek (Deebs) Bialka, Keno Kerr

RULES OF THE GAME: “I'm going to ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, or think the other team hasn't got a clue, you can dare them to answer it for double the dollars. But be careful, because they can always double dare you back for four times the amount, and then you'll either have to answer the question or take the physical challenge.”

It was a wild and crazy two rounds full of water balloon trash can cymbal popping and pie pants throwing along with toilet paper mummy wrapping. The competition was so close that it had to be decided by one final head-to-head challenge where competitors filled a plastic cup by smashing raw eggs on their foreheads! In the end, the South Team was victorious and off to the Obstacle Course!

OBSTACLE COURSE PHOTOS

CJ pedals her way through the first obstacle. Derek is really digging in that nose to find that flag! Then before he knows it, he's in the slime tunnel!
Gladstone is looking for a flag in "Snakes in the Blizzard River Trough".
Keno flies down the slime slide to grab the last flag and the South Team wins!

If you have any pictures from the event that you would like to share on the blog, please feel free to e-mail them! Thank you to everyone who helped set up and those of you who participated in or watched the event. We will see you at the next event!

June 13, 2009

To All Six Flags Employees:

As employees of Six Flags, your talents and dedication have been the most critical factor in the success of our business. Thanks to your efforts, Six Flags has achieved tremendous operational milestones and we now stand ready to take the next necessary step to improve our overall financial health and position the company for continued growth and opportunity.

The turnaround strategy we began implementing in the spring of 2006 has come to fruition. Together, we cleaned-up our parks, enhanced the overall guest experience, repositioned the Six Flags brand by diversifying our product offering, and the company became free cash flow positive for the first time in its history. We delivered on our agenda and as a result, rebuilt the faith, trust and overall relationship with the consumer.

Pride in our company across the workforce has also been restored.

Unfortunately, however, as you know, we inherited an unsustainable $2.4 billion debt load from the previous management team. To put it into context, even if you have a record year and make approximately $275 million as we did last year, when you have to pay out approximately $175 million in interest expense on your debt and $100MM in park improvements to maintain and keep up with the business, that's a balancing act you just can't risk year in and year out. Furthermore, we have over $400 million of debt coming due within the next 12 months that cannot be refinanced in these financial markets.

That's our situation in a nutshell.

Today, we are moving to rectify our balance sheet once and for all. This morning, Six Flags announced it is seeking expedited approval from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware of its pre-negotiated plan of reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. The plan has unanimous support of the lenders’ Steering Committee and the Administrative Agent for the Company’s $1.1 billion senior secured credit facility. This support is evidenced by executed lock-up agreements.

We expect to proceed quickly and we intend to emerge from these proceedings in the coming months with a significantly improved balance sheet and greater operational and financial flexibility.

Our brand and our operations are on solid ground. This process is strictly a financial restructuring of our debt and that’s how you should view it and speak about it.

No one should be confused about what a bankruptcy process means for Six Flags. Following a record year of performance in 2008, which completed the three-year turnaround of our system-wide park operation, this action to clean up the balance sheet paves the way for a full revival of the company. Believe me when I say we will emerge from this process stronger and more competitive than ever.

This was a difficult decision for management and the Board of Directors, but it is the right thing to do for Six Flags. It is critical that you - and our guests, suppliers, families, and friends - know that every park is open and operating today and will continue with normal operations this summer and for years to come. This restructuring process is strictly a “back of the house” effort to address and ensure the longstanding financial stability of Six Flags.

To address what must be foremost on your mind: ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES WILL CONTINUE TO BE PAID IN FULL AND ON TIME. YOUR BENEFITS WILL CONTINUE. NO REDUCTION IN WORK FORCE WILL ARISE OUT OF THIS FILING.

Our suppliers and other partners will continue to be paid for their goods and services so our product and entertainment offerings will not suffer.

As the face of Six Flags, none of us can allow the distraction of this parent company issue to tarnish what we all have worked so hard to accomplish these past three years. That said, it is up to you to ensure that our guests continue to enjoy the high quality entertainment experience they have come to expect from us. We know from years of experience and research that the single most important factor in providing our guests a memorable experience is their positive interaction with our employees. Particularly in this difficult economic environment, all of us at Six Flags must re-dedicate ourselves to providing the friendly, clean, fast and safe service our customers now expect, and deserve. More than ever, consumers are gravitating toward experiences they know and trust. Six Flags has been a favorite family destination for almost a half century. Our reorganization will ensure that our parks will continue to entertain millions of guests for another 50 years.

With your continued efforts, these proceedings will allow us to emerge as a healthier, more dynamic company with a whole new world of opportunities. When this financial procedure is completed, Six Flags will have shed the greater part of a burden that threatened to undermine all our success. So, keep working hard and stay focused. At the same time, spread the word about what we've accomplished, what we're now doing and why. As an ambassador of the company, educate anyone and everyone around you. Feel free to share this note with your own social network – family, friends, neighbors, blogs, etc. Get the word out. People want to be informed.

As such, I will continue to relay pertinent information as it becomes available. In the meantime, I'd like to thank you for your continued support as we re-build the road to future success.

Sincerely,

Mark Shapiro

President and Chief Executive Officer

Six Flags, Inc.

Bizarro @ night!

I thought it a good time to put up a few shots of the time of day when Bizarro really shines--after the sun goes down.  If you haven't been on this beast after dark, you're missing out on one fantastic experience!

FIRE!!

The shields at night.  They change color very, very quickly, and create a really nifty 'swirling tunnel' effect from time to time.  Very cool.

-John

Bizarro!

Wow! It's been quite some time since the last post from pre-season. Over the weekend, our premiere attraction Bizarro opened! Thousands of guests "braved the twisted world" over this weekend alone. Below are a few pictures from Media Day for Bizarro on May 22, 2009.

Here you can see what the DC Superhero Area looks like at 8AM:

The cool shield tunnel by the Kodak photo booth:

Near the end of the ride, the second tunnel is full of mist and lights. Oooooh! Aaaaaah!

And of course, the flames in the Spaghetti Bowl are quite the site. You can feel the warmth from them inside the station!

So all in all, Bizarro had a memorable opening weekend! The Rides Department has been doing a fantastic job! Keep up the good work. Make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming team member events.

Upcoming Events: Cure Kids Cancer Walk on June 14, 2009 See www.walkintheparks.org for more details on how to donate or to sign up!

Blitz Arrives!

It's always exciting when a new attraction arrives at the park, and the past couple of days have been no exception.  On Monday, Blitz rolled into the Team Member parking lot, and in just two short days was already set up and cycling, slowly, up and down.  We plan to commission the ride this afternoon or sometime tomorrow, which is basically a fancy term for accepting the ride from the manufacturer and saying "ok, we'll take it."  ...kind of like driving a new car off of the lot.  The area in front of the ride is a big cement pad at the moment, but that will change before park opening--we're installing astroturf on the existing football field, so we don't have to worry about any drainage issues any longer.

 

The Thomas Town pop-jet fountain is also coming along, and. contrary to previous reports that it was going to be installed next to Harold the Helicopter, it's being plopped down right in the middle of the Thomas Town area.  The pavillion that used to reside in that spot has been moved to a location next to the Carousel to house a new set of lockers that are coming in for this year.  

Ride training is well underway, although we still have a lot to do.  Jen and I are both working 70+ hours a week right now--and with Opening Day less than three weeks away, I'm sure that number will increase even more fairly soon.  In fact, as I'm writing this, Restricted Area training is going on at Batman, and Jen and I are about to head down there to get the trainers trained on Attendant and Operator positions.  

Ok, it's training time. 

-John

Gen Cert!

We had a great turnout for Gen Cert tonight, with over 40 people showing up! That's fantastic! After tonight (I'm sitting in the back of the room typing this), we'll have our first group of people ready for ride training!

Speaking of ride training, we're going to start training on rides next week, beginning on Monday, March 16. You'll be notified if and when you need to be here, but we're planning on getting started with training on Mind Eraser and Teacups on Monday; Carousel, Bertie, and Harold on Tuesday; Crime Wave on Wednesday; and Looney Tunes Movie Town on Thursday. By the end of the week, every division besides D2 and D5 will be training.

...Speaking of Division 5--Funtime, the manufacturer of Blitz!, will be here to start certifying site controllers so that we can start training on the ride. We're all pretty excited about that. Opening new rides is always a good time, especially one as cool as the Slingshot.

We're about to begin rolling on Skycoaster training, as well. What does that mean for those of you who are not on the Skycoaster crew? Well, free flights, to put it simply. We need flyers in order to train on the ride, so we generally will let people come up during other ride training sessions to fly once or twice. Keep an ear out for the opportunity to fly while you're here getting trained on your ride!

Construction has begun on some of the "special" elements on Superman. That's all I can say about that. Oh, and one of the trains is here, hiding in the maintenance shop. They're pretty cool looking. That's all I can say about that, too :)

Joker is just about entirely installed and nearly ready to go. It looks great in Nightwing's old spot!

I'll post some pictures of this stuff and more in the coming days. Keep an eye out, and have a Six Flags Day!!

-John

Welcome to the Team!

As we get closer and closer to opening day, it's my pleasure to announce the following additions to our 2009 Rides Supervisor staff (in no particular order and, as usual, last names are omitted):

• Kevin M.--Last season, he worked as a Team Lead in Division 1.
• Matt C.--Also worked as a Team Lead in Division 1 for the 2008 season.
• Jessica J.--Team Lead in Division 5 for the 2008 season.
• Erin J.--Division 5 Team Lead for the 2008 season.
• Derek W.--Division 5 Team Lead during the 2008 season.
• Matt H.--Division 3 Team Lead during the 2008 season.

Congratulations to all of our newest supervisors!  

Busy, busy

It's been a busy month.

We've been kicking things into high gear lately, in preparation for Opening Day, which is only 7 short weeks away!  Supplies are getting ordered.  Training materials are being finalized.  Today, I sent out the final proofs for our certification cards so that they can get printed, and ordered some supplies for a couple of new initiatives for our "Speak First" campaign we have going on this season.  Don't worry, you'll hear all about it soon enough.

Construction is moving along at a steady pace down in the DC area---and I'm not just talking about Superman.  In case you haven't heard, we have 2 new attractions coming into the park for 2009, and both of them are being installed in the DC area of the park.  

First, after a long run here at Six Flags New England, we have decided to bid farewell to Nightwing and bring back the Joker's Wild Card in its place.  The ride was installed in the current Hall of Justice building until 2006, when it was removed so that the Hall of Justice character meeting was installed.  For those of you not familiar with the ride, it's a fine example of a Chance Wipeout attraction (you can check out a spec sheet for the ride on the Chance website here.) 

 

As you can see, the hub of the ride has already been installed, and new decking is being installed to, you know, cover the GIANT HOLE left in the ground from Nightwing's enormous footprint.

Also, we're installing a type of attraction that Six Flags New England has never seen before.  Blitz will blast riders up to a height of 197' and subject them to launch forces as high as 5 g's!  Located at the far end of the Gridiron Challenge field, Blitz will make an exciting addition to the DC skyline.  Since I'm sure I wouldn't explain the thing very well, you can get all the info you want about the style of ride at Funtime's website, here.  

In any case, you can see the cement pad that was hiding under the Gridiron challenge field all year, which will be used as the foundation for the attraction when it shows up at the park in early March.  

Finally, Clawshun Industries has released some photos of the Superman: Ride of Steel transformation which you can see here.

It's purple.

...and I see it's snowing, again.  Fantastic.

-John

Supervillain Attacks Six Flags New England

Agawam, MA--One can only imagine the suprise on the faces of those who work at Six Flags New England as they arrived at work on Monday morning, only to realize that the park had been locked beneath a thick layer of snow and ice by a supervillain known as "Mr. Freeze," who, according to sources, reportedly escaped from the Arkham Asylum sometime last week.  When asked about their feelings on the attack, employees reported feeling "shocked," "unnerved," and, "really, really cold."  

Other employees expressed something akin to disappointment.  Said one manager, "This isn't the first time that we've been attacked by a supervillain.  Actually, we're dealing with a situation with Lex Luthor at the moment in our DC area.  At least Lex has the decency to be cunning and evil.  Mr. Freeze is, well, just kind of annoying.  I mean, I hate scraping ice off my car, and earlier today I slipped on the way to my office and spilled my coffee.  My coffee!"

 

TOP: Buzzsaw under a thick layer of snow and ice.   BOTTOM: Pandemonim won't be thawed out for quite awhile.

Another employee expressed her annoyance with Mr. Freeze's methods, saying, "It's pretty irritating having to bundle up like the little kid from A Christmas Story every time I have to go outside, you know, just in case that stupid Freeze jumps out from behind a tree with his freeze gun or something.  It's uncomfortable and time consuming.  Thank God his gloves are too bulky for him to operate doorknobs, or he might get into the offices and I might never get to take this coat off!"

Scenes of frigid villainy abound at the Agawam, MA-based Six Flags park.  TOP: The clock near Shipwreck Falls.  BOTTOM: Main Street is a sheet of ice after Mr. Freeze's rampage through the park

TOP: I would recommend dressing warmly if you're planning on flying on Skycoaster in the near future.  BOTTOM: Not even the mighty Great White could escape the icy embrace of Freeze's malice.

Local authorities have, so far, been unable to apprehend the fugitive supervillian.  However, they ask that, if anyone has any information as to his whereabouts, they contact the administrator of this blog at sfneops@gmail.com, since, quite frankly, they've got more important things to do besides worry about some guy with the equivalent of a cold water gun.

-John

Winter Carnival!

First of all, I'd like to say that it was great to see everyone that came to the Winter Carnival on Tuesday night!  If you weren't there, you missed out on a good time.  There were games, food, raffle prizes, and, most importantly, serenades from some of your fellow Operations folks as they strutted their stuff with the American Idol Karaoke game on the Wii.  

Maggie and Todd wow the crowd with their rendition of "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. 

Debbie concentrates on defeating the Wizard and his dastardly wire...

Kyle was an impressve 2 for 46 at the Ring Toss.

Hammer Time!

If you didn't get a chance to make it to the Winter Carnival, don't fret!  You'll still have an opportunity to catch up with everyone at the Rehire Job Fair.  They are on:

Friday, January 23  1:00pm-7:00pm

Saturday, January 24  10:00am-3:00pm

Come early and get all of your paperwork out of the way!

-John

Tonight, Tonight

A quick reminder to everyone out there who received an invitation, the Opertations Winter Carnival (aka the Holiday Party) is TONIGHT at 6pm in Human Resources!  

Happy New Year!

Good evening, everyone!  I just wanted to write a note wishing everyone a happy new year.  I hope everyone's holiday season was safe, fun, and at least somewhat relaxing.

Speaking of relaxing, my vacation is just about over, so you can expect a full update in the coming days.  

Here's to a great 2009!

-John