Winter 2010

For those of you who read the blog regularly, you'll notice that the Rides Department twitter updates have made their way onto the blog.  It's the hip thing to do to have a twitter account and so it only made sense for the Rides Department to have one to update team members on a daily basis.  Check it out.   www.twitter.com/sfnerides2010 Tell your friends that work at the park.  There will be many updates throughout the off-season and once the season gets started. 

There was a good turn out to the Slumber Party last night.  For those of you who couldn't make it, fear not, there will be other events coming up, namely, the rehire event. 

Rehire Job Fair

January 29th 3PM - 8PM

January 30th 9AM - 5PM

(All interviews will be by appointment ONLY.

Please call 786-9300 ext. 3333 to set one up.)

At Human Resources

* Please come prepared with two forms of I.D.*

Have a friend that’s interested in

working at the park?

Have them apply at sixflagsjobs.com!

Note: You must be in good rehire

standing to attend the rehire event.

And that is the very first event that will be coming up this off-season.  Make sure to get rehired and processed in A.S.A.P. because classes will be filling up quickly.

With that I will leave you with a picture.  I like to call it a "Wiggley" Winter Wonderland.

Until next time, make sure to check out the twitter for more frequent updates!

-Jen

Slumber Party

The 2010 season is upon us and everyone knows what that means!  Lots of cold weather, snow and the Slumber Party for the Rides, Park Services and Parking Lot Departments is almost here to kick off what is sure to be a stupendous year!  The party is on Wednesday, January 6th from 6pm - 9pm.  Make sure to come dressed appropriately ( pajamas, pillows, stuffed animal, etc.).  I know that I will be wearing a pink snuggie that I recently received over the holidays.  There will be food, drinks, entertainment and a raffle.  The event is also a "Bring a friend free event", so those team members who received invites can bring someone to the party!

Updates around the park:  Firstly, it's really cold and no one is leaving their offices, so there's not much going on inside the park.  Secondly, we just got back from out winter break and have been organizing things to get the 2010 season rolling.  Thirdly, I just finished destroying the out of service Skycoaster suits and this is all that remains:

As you can see, it's only a few clips, the front logos and some back straps that remain.

Stay tuned to this blog for more updates on the upcoming 2010 season which will include information about job fairs, pre-season training, and team member parties.  Also, follow the Rides Department on twitter @sfnerides2010 for all the latest exciting happenings throughout Six Flags New England!  See you soon.

-Jen

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!