Amusement Park tales

That’s a more polite way of saying something that I meant to add: the operator might be a moron.

 

But at the amusement park the operator might be an 18-year-old kid who stayed up until 4 a.m. the night before. The person checking your lap bar might have passed their 10-question attendant's test an hour ago because the section is short handed and they needed someone to cover a break.
Having the methed-up carnie pressing the button might be a wash in some cases.

 

Yeah, that’s why I originally left that comment out - I didn’t want to offend any of you!

 

Well, I like to think I was reasonably intelligent and took my job seriously. Most of my friends did, too, at least to the point they knew people (including themselves) could be seriously injured or die if they screwed around. But, looking back, it does amaze me how quickly they entrusted a bunch of teenagers with the operation of multi-million dollar equipment and the safety of hundreds of passengers per day.
I started working on my ride in late May, having never worked a ride in my life, although I did know a few things from hanging out with rides people for a couple of years before that. By the time I left to go back to school in early August I was certified to train other people how to attend and operate the ride, cross-trained as an attendant on a neighboring rollercoaster, and serving as the shift manager a lot of the time. I don't know if that's a tribute to my own ability, how idiot-proof these rides really are to operate, or the lax standards employed by Six Flags.

 

The truly certifiable people were the career costume characters. Career is the qualifier here.

 

Yeah, but that’s not really the issue. That 18 year old didn’t assemble the amusement park ride the night before with a wrench and some duct tape while high as a kite.

The ride operator at the park has a pretty limited safety responsibility. That carnival roller coaster that was on the back of a truck yesterday? I’m not going near that.

 

At least at Disneyland the characters fell into two categories: crazy people and Little People.

I used to do “guest control” during the Electrical Parade, so I’d frequently be standing along the parade route. An old high school friend of mine was sometimes Tigger in the parade. I’d know he was working if Tigger slapped my head when I wasn’t looking.

 

Oh, I agree completely. The permanent rides at the park have an entire maintenance team inspecting them daily and multiple layers of checks and accountability. The carnival rides probably get a quick look-over while being assembled, but I'm guessing there's also plenty of, "Eh, that'll do," and not a huge budget to fix any lingering issues.

 

I have always loved rollercoasters and thrill rides; many times only ones were at the County Fair; so don’t want to think about how lucky I was back then. Love Disneyland in LA, still do.