For years coaster fans have been asking the Ohio amusement park Cedar Point to convert their old, rough, wooden coaster ‘Mean Streak’ into a hybrid, which would allow it to become taller, faster, smoother, and an all around better experience. Now, we finally get our wish. The company doing the conversion is Rocky Mountain Construction, famous for rides such as Twisted Colossus, New Texas Giant, or the worlds first launched wooden roller coaster, Lightning Rod.
Storm Chaser, one of RMC”s fantastic creations.
There is not a bad ride among RMC’s portfolio. Everyone who rides one wants to get back in line and do it again, because they’re just that good. Now, we get a look at what will be RMC’s 13th roller coaster, which by the looks of it, will be one of the best, *if not* the best. Though the park is currently closed until May, we’ve managed to get a few photos of the upcoming ride, which simply put, looks phenomenal.
The first major element following the main drop
The picture above was taken this past February. Since then, an amazing amount of progress has been made, involving the complete removal of the old wooden track, and the placement of this new, steel track, on Mean Streaks first two turns.
Coaster fans have been watching the progress like a hawk, but it’s a little difficult since the public is not allowed on property while the park is closed. But as we get closer to a 2017 park opening, Cedar Point has dropped their first official tease for the 2018 creation:
This has been the first time the park has acknowledged Mean Streak since it closed last August (for more info on that, I encourage you to check out an earlier post of mine: RIP Mean Streak). What makes the teaser all the more interesting is the use of the hashtag #TheyreComing, possibly hinting at its new name.
I won’t go too in depth here on what I think “They’re Coming” means, but if you’re interested in hearing my thoughts on it, I did a video with my opinion on the matter:
What I do want to go over is the sheer brilliance of this teaser. Cedar Point must be having a blast watching all of us freaking out over the tease, trying to figure out what it means. I can see it now: all the park officials sitting back with a bucket of popcorn, enjoying the show.
If you haven’t seen the video, first of all, go watch it. It’s only 18 seconds long, and is filled with little easter eggs of information: RMC Mean Streak Teaser
What I love about this is it’s short and sweet, but still leaves us wanting more. It’s effective in that it’s got us talking — which is exactly what the park wants. Up until now, Cedar Point wouldn’t even acknowledge that something was going on back there. Anytime someone would ask about it, their comment would be ignored or disregarded. The Average Joe who goes to the park just thinks that Mean Streak was to be leveled, where the land would be used for something else. Now everyone who is a lover of coasters gets a little taste at what’s on the way to the worlds greatest amusement park.
The twist though, is that it was released on April Fools Day. Of course, by nature, there’s going to be some skeptical about the whole teaser, thinking it’s just a joke. After all, this is the same park who one year said they were going to put sharks in the water around Maverick. So if the video had to do with any other ride, I’d think it was a joke too. But this is no joke - ‘they’ really are coming!
Those who watched the teaser saw the few clips showcasing some of the jaw dropping elements to be featured on this massive ride. Not only are the hills ginormous, but they’re sure to give tons of airtime. By no means will the new Mean Streak be a ride for the faint of heart — we could be looking at quite possibly one of the best roller coasters in the world. And at a park like Cedar Point, which already has so many great ones, that’s a bold statement to make. But I only make it because I think it’s true. We have yet to see a POV animation of the full ride experience yet, so until then, all we have is this teaser and a few weeks to go before the park opens for the year. Only then will we be able to get a glimpse of it in person, and move us closer and closer to an official announcement date.
As for when the park will announce it, who’s to say? With the amount that enthusiasts are talking about it, “why advertise?”, when the coaster fans are doing plenty of that for free! By that logic, why not hold out just a little longer? Give us a few more teasers, and then when the time is right and we can't take it any more, that’s when you announce it. All aboard the 2018 hype train!
-Taylor
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