Roller Soaker
Roller Soaker | |
---|---|
Sprayground Breakers Edge Water Coaster | |
General statistics | |
Type | Steel – Suspended |
Manufacturer | Setpoint Inc. |
Model | Swing Thing |
Lift/launch system | Chain lift hill |
Height | 70 ft (21 m) |
Length | 1,300 ft (400 m) |
Speed | 20.5 mph (33.0 km/h) |
Restraint Style | Lap bar |
Trains | 9 trains with a single car. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 4 riders per train. |
Roller Soaker at RCDB |
Roller Soaker was a suspended roller coaster at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States. Manufactured by Setpoint Inc., the roller coaster was announced on August 8, 2001, and opened to the public on May 11, 2002. The Roller Soaker was located in the Boardwalk section at the park and cost $7.5 million to $8 million to construct. In December 2012, Hersheypark announced that the Roller Soaker would be removed to make way for new water attractions in 2013. The roller coaster's station was reused by Breakers Edge Water Coaster, a water coaster added in 2018.
The Roller Soaker was the second Swing Thing model to be built by Setpoint Inc., following the Flying Super Saturator at Carowinds. The roller coaster reached a maximum height of 70 feet (21 m), with a maximum speed of 20.5 miles per hour (33.0 km/h), and a total track length of 1,300 feet (400 m). The encompassing section of the Roller Soaker featured various interactive water elements, such as water sprayers as well as geysers and fountains. Upon opening, the roller coaster received generally positive reviews.
History
Prior to the construction of what later became the Roller Soaker, Hersheypark had built a wooden roller coaster named Lightning Racer, which began operating in May 2000 as the park's eighth roller coaster.[1] Planning for the new attraction began two and a half years before its opening.[2] The park chose Setpoint's suspended roller coaster model based on a visit by Hershey executives to Carowinds, an amusement park in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Flying Super Saturator was located.[3] The park liked the concept of the suspended roller coaster, as it would appeal to a wider guest demographic, instead of trying to entice visitors through constructing taller or faster roller coasters as other theme parks were.[2] The roller coaster was redesigned eight times throughout its planning process as to navigate around obstacles within the park and existing utilities.[4]
The park announced on August 8, 2001 that it would add a new roller coaster for the 2002 season. The attraction would incorporate elements of a water ride and a suspended roller coaster. The roller coaster would interact with the nearby Canyon River Rapids and park visitors through various water stations. Plans for the attraction were being finalized during the announcement with an expected opening date of May 2002. A contest was held to determine the roller coaster's name.[5][6] Seven thousand entrants submitted 10,000 names; the park ultimately selected the name "Roller Soaker", which was announced at the roller coaster's groundbreaking ceremony.[7][8]
Construction of the Roller Soaker began in November 2001.[2] The park planned to open the Roller Soaker the day after the majority of water rides opened for the season.[9][10] A media day was hosted for the Roller Soaker on May 7,[4][11] later opening to the general public on May 11 during the park's 95th operating season.[2][12] Along with the roller coaster, the park constructed a gift shop, lockers, and restroom. In addition, the plaza included a children's area.[2]
Rumors of the Roller Soaker's sale began to spread when it was listed on the attraction e-commerce website "Rides4U" in August 2012.
Characteristics
The roller coaster was located in the northwest region of the park in the
The Roller Soaker was a custom designed Swing Thing model manufactured by Setpoint Inc.[12][21] The Roller Soaker was the second Swing Thing model to be built after the Flying Super Saturator.[4][22] The suspended roller coaster's steel, tubular track had a length of 1,300 feet (400 m).[2][12] The roller coaster reached a maximum height of 70 feet (21 m) and reached a maximum speed of 20.5 miles per hour (33.0 km/h).[12] The Roller Soaker navigated through several wide turns, taking about a minute and a half to complete.[4][11] The track was colored a light blue with the supports a sandy yellow.[20] The Roller Soaker was the park's first attraction to feature characters that depicted Hershey products.[20] It cost around $7.5 to $8 million and was the ninth roller coaster in operation at the park.[3][20]
To conserve water, the park used its own
Reception
Upon opening at the park, the Roller Soaker received generally positive reviews from guests and critics. Lyford M. Moore, writer for the
See also
- Canopy Flyer, another Setpoint Swing Thing model roller coaster
References
- Lancaster New Era. p. 4. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kolus, Howard (May 12, 2002). "Soaking Up The Fun". Lebanon Daily News. pp. 1B, 4B. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f M. Moore, Lyford (June 21, 2002). "Riders get thrills and splashes". Courier-Post. p. 14T. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Cronin, Jeff (May 8, 2002). "Reporter: Park ride truly wet and wild". The Sentinel. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved August 26, 2002 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ S. Ross, Timberly (August 9, 2001). "Amusement park to add water coaster in 2002". Lebanon Daily News. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Cronin, Jeff (August 9, 2001). "Water roller coaster coming to Hersheypark". The Sentinel. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Press Enterprise. November 10, 2001. p. 3. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kraft, Randy (November 11, 2001). "Roller Soaker". The Morning Call. p. F4. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Staff (April 12, 2002). "Ready to roll". York Daily Record. p. 2. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff (April 25, 2002). "Hershey, Sesame welcome summer crowds". The Daily Journal. p. 8. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e Holahan, Jane (May 8, 2002). "Drenched: Hershey unveils aptly named Roller Soaker". Lancaster New Era. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Marden, Duane. "Roller Soaker - Hersheypark (Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ a b Gleiter, Sue (December 20, 2012). "Hersheypark will replace Roller Soaker with sprayground". The Patriot-News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022.
- ^ John (August 22, 2012). "Hersheypark's Roller Soaker For Sale". Coaster101. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "Website mistakenly reports Hersheypark's Roller Soaker is for sale". Daily Local News. August 24, 2012. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
- ^ a b Gleiter, Sue (December 19, 2012). "Hersheypark announces Roller Soaker water ride to be removed". The Patriot-News. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- Sunday News. pp. B1, B2. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Shaw, B. Derek (July 2018). "The Boardwalk at Hersheypark adds mat racer, water coaster" (PDF). Amusement Today. 22 (4): 23.
- ^ Wolf, Susan (November 11, 2001). "All wet about his latest project". Lebanon Daily News. p. 15A. Retrieved August 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Kraft, Randy (June 2, 2002). "Larks in the parks". The Morning Call. pp. 63, 65. Retrieved August 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ ISSN 0032-4558.
- ^ Marden, Duane. "Flying Super Saturator - Carowinds (Charlotte, North Carolina, United States)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ "Environment". Funworld Magazine. 22 (1–6): 58. 2006.