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SheiKra

Coordinates: 28°02′12″N 82°25′28″W / 28.03667°N 82.42444°W / 28.03667; -82.42444
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SheiKra
File:SheiKra Logo.jpg
SheiKra's logo (top), Part of Sheikra's layout (bottom)
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
LocationBusch Gardens Tampa Bay
Park sectionStanleyville
Coordinates28°02′12″N 82°25′28″W / 28.03667°N 82.42444°W / 28.03667; -82.42444
StatusOperating
Opening dateMay 21, 2005
CostUS$13,500,000
General statistics
TypeSteel – Dive Coaster
ManufacturerBolliger & Mabillard
ModelDive Coaster
Track layoutTwister
Lift/launch systemChain lift hill
Height200 ft (61 m)
Length3,188 ft (972 m)
Speed70 mph (110 km/h)
Inversions1
Duration2:20
Max vertical angle90°
Height restriction54 in (137 cm)
TrainsSeveral trains with 3 cars. Riders are arranged 8 across in a single row for a total of 24 riders per train.
Quick Queue available
SheiKra at RCDB

SheiKra (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈʃiːkrə/) is a steel Dive Coaster roller coaster manufactured by Bolliger & Mabillard at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay situated in the Stanleyville section of the park. The roller coaster was originally proposed by vice president of design and engineering for the park, Mark Rose. The height of the coaster was to be 160 feet (49 m), however, after being rejected by the park's executives, the height was changed to 200 feet (61 m). Sheikra reaches a maximum speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) and has a total track length of 3,188 feet (972 m). SheiKra first opened on May 21, 2005 and was converted to a floorless roller coaster two years later on June 16, 2007, following the opening of its sister Dive Coaster, Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg that year.

SheiKra was the first Dive Coaster to be constructed in North America and also broke three other records for longest, tallest, and fastest Dive Coaster in the world. However, when Girffon and Dive Coaster opened at Chime-Long Paradise, SheiKra lost the three records.[1][2][3] The name SheiKra is derived from a shikra, an Asian-African hawk that is known to dive straight down for its prey. SheiKra was voted the fourth best new steel roller coaster of 2005 (in a three-way tie) and 28th best steel roller coaster in 2005 by Amusement Today's annual Golden Ticket Awards. It was most recently voted as the 30th best steel roller coaster in 2012.

History

Original attraction (2005–2007)

Planning

SheiKra was originally proposed by Mark Rose, vice president of design and engineering at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. His original proposal was that the roller coaster would only be 160 feet (49 m) tall and that the experience would be like riding a barrel over Niagara Falls straight down into water. Busch Gardens executives rejected the proposal as, "Not compelling enough." Rose then revised the initial proposal by making the roller coaster 200 feet (61 m) tall and added everything that SheriKa is today. The executives approved the second proposal.[4]

On October 20, 2004, the day before the announcement of the ride, a trademark for the name "SheiKra" was filed by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.[5]

Rumours

Rumours of a new roller coaster being built at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay began after a roller coaster enthusiast emailed the park complaining about the lack of thrill rides the park had at the time.[6][7] In response, the park said that he would be a happy guest in 2005 and the project would be a roller coaster first.[6][7] After posting the email on the internet, news spread to the media where Busch Gardens then denied the claims.[6][7] Rumours progressed further as it was believed that the roller coaster first would be an inversion on Bolliger & Mabillard's Dive Coaster.[6]

Later in the season, part of Serengeti Express' track began to be removed.[8] Then, on April 26, 2004, construction permits were discovered which confirmed that a roller coaster, restaurant, and gift shop would be constructed.[8][9] In July 2004, Tiki mask's with quotes relating to the project were placed on the construction walls. Some of the quotes included; "I'm a bird with no feathers, a beast with no equal, a fall that never hits the ground. What am I?", "What is taller then 10 giraffes and faster than a charging Rhino?", and "What is too fast to see, but has a bird's eye view?".[8] Track and support pieces were later spotted in a large field which confirmed the new attraction would be a roller coaster.[8][10]

Announcement and opening

On October 27, 2004, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay announced North America's first Dive Coaster, SheiKra, as part of a deal with Bolliger & Mabillard.[11][12][13] Construction began in May 2004 and after testing was completed, the roller coaster opened to the public on May 21, 2005.[14][13] During SheiKra's first year of operation, its computer systems still had glitches which would strand riders on the roller coaster.[15]

Modified attraction (2007–present)

One of SheiKra's floorless train on display
One of SheiKra's floorless trains on display at the park.

Beginning in 2006, speculation began that Busch Gardens Tampa Bay would be removing the floors off of SheiKra's trains.[16] At 10:30 am on January 31, 2007, the park confirmed the rumours through a press conference that was also broadcasted on the internet.[17][18][16]

On April 24, 2007, during the park's High School Journalism Day, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay unveiled the first floorless train for the roller coaster.[19][20]

In order for the conversion to take place, SheiKra closed on May 28, 2007.[17] Most of the coaster that was modified was the station because retractable floors had to be installed in order for riders to board and unload the trains as they no longer had floors.[21] Just under two weeks before the scheduled reopening, testing with the new trains began.[22] Three weeks after SheiKra closed, on June 16, 2007, the modified roller coaster soft-opened to 100 roller coaster enthusiasts, news reporters from 40 media outlets, and 37 radio broadcasters before opening to the public later that day.[18]

Promotions

In late April 2007, a month prior to the temporary closing of the roller coaster, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay placed billboards along Interstate 275 and advertisements in newspapers promoting that SheiKra's floors would soon be removed.[23] One of the billboards said, "SEEKING, One last fling while I've still got it. Sheikra (w/ floor)..."[23] At the end of the billboard a phone number was given and when people called it, a female voice began to speak saying sentences such as, "Hi, doll face", "its been a fun ride", and "one last fling-a-ding".[23]

Ride experience

SheiKra's layout.
The layout of SheiKra

And as it turns and dips, you're elevated or (dipping) depending on where you sit...It's like being (out on) the wing of a plane.[24]

— Walter Bolliger, president of Bolliger & Mabillard

Queue

SheiKra has two queues; standby and Quick Queue. The Quick Queue line is for guests who have paid to receive a pass that allows them to bypass all the lines for major attractions at the park, including SheiKra, while guest's who do not have the pass must wait in the standby/main queue.[25][26]

Layout

After the floors drop and the front gate opens, the train is dispatched from the station and makes a downward right turn immediately followed by a upward right turn which leads directly to the 45 degree inclined lift hill.[11] Once the train reaches the top of the 200-foot (61 m) lift, it makes a right turn into a holding brake where the train slowly moves over the first drop, stops for about four seconds[27] , and then released down the 90 degree drop. By the time the train reaches the bottom of the first drop, it reaches its maximum speed of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). Then, the train enters a 145-foot (44 m) immelmann loop before making a banked upward left turn into the mid course brake run. After the train slows down, it goes through a second 138-foot (42 m) 90 degree drop into an underground tunnel. Next, the train makes a right overbanked turn leading into a splashdown which sprays two 60-foot (18 m) lines of water in the air[4] (Guests who stand around the splashdown area while not riding can get wet by the water[28]). After rising back up, the train makes a downward right turn before entering the final brake run which leads directly back to the station.[29] Once cycle of the ride lasts about 2 minutes and 20 seconds.[14]

Characteristics

Track

The steel tubular track of SheiKra is 3,188 feet (972 m) in length and the height of the lift is approximately 200 feet (61 m).[14] The track is colored red while the supports are blue. In the event that a train must be evacuated while on the lift hill, the ride is equipped with an eight passenger elevator that can bring riders back down to ground level.[30][31] The track was manufactured by Clermont Steel Fabricators located in Batavia, Ohio, who manufacture Bolliger & Mabillard's roller coasters.[32][33] Also, unlike Bolliger & Mabillard's traditional roller coaster's, SheiKra's track is wider due to the extra weight of the trains (compared to Bolliger & Mabillard's 4 abreast cars).[34][35] On January 7, 2013, the roller coaster closed in order for it to be completely repainted (with the original colours). The attraction is expected to reopen on February 15, 2013.[12][36][37] At night, SheiKra's track is lit up with white lights.[38][39]

Trains

SheiKra operates with several steel and fiberglass trains which are all identical and are three times wider then the track.[13] Each train has three, eight-passenger cars, allowing for a maximum capacity of 24 riders per train.[14] Each seat has an individual over-the-shoulder restraint.[40]

Records

One of SheiKra's floorless trains going through the "splashdown" element
The "splashdown" is the first element of its kind on a Dive Coaster. Water is ejected through scoops located at the rear of each ride vehicle.

When SheiKra opened in 2005, it introduced two new roller coaster elements to the Dive Coaster. The first is called a splashdown where the train comes in contact with water through "scoops" located on the last car of each train.[41][42] The second element is a immelmann loop, an element where the train enters a half loop followed by a half twist and curve out in the opposite direction in which the train came. The loop was also the first inversion used on any Dive Coaster.[43][44] Since SheiKra, all Dive Coaster's manufactured after it along with other Bolliger & Mabillard roller coaster models have also had a splashdown and at least one immelmann loop.[41][45] SheiKra was also the first Dive Coaster to feature at least one 90 degree drop.[14] In 2005, there were only two other Dive Coaster's operating in the world that had either a 87 or 87.5 degree drop.[43][44] Additionally, when the roller coaster first opened, it was the tallest, fastest, and longest Dive Coaster ever built; as well as the first Dive Coaster in North America. However, in 2007 when Griffon opened at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, SheiKra lost the height and speed records.[1][2] When Dive Coaster opened at Chime-Long Paradise in 2008, it took the length record.[3]

Reception

One of SheiKra's trains going over the drop
One of Sheikra's trains hanging over the first drop.

SheiKra was mostly well-received from the public and critics. Arthur Levine from About.com rating the roller coaster four and a half stars out of five. He also gave the ride a thrill rating of eight and half out of ten, "It's an unapologetic thrill ride that coaster lovers will adore and coaster wimps will avoid."[35] Joel Bullock from Coaster Critic gave SheiKra a seven and a half out of ten and a thrill rating of four out of five. He mentions that the coaster was over-hyped, it is a short ride, and that the coaster is not perfect, "Overall, I have to say SheiKra didn’t live up to the hype. It reminded me of Superman Ultimate Flight at SFoGA (another first generation B&M coaster) in terms of its short length...Overall, SheiKra’s no masterpiece, but is still an experience." However, he did praise the Immelmann loop on SheiKra, " The highlight of the ride for me was the extreme Immelman where the track goes straight up for what feels like a long time before inverting and finishing the maneuver. Very cool."[46] Jeremy Thompson from Roller Coaster Philosophy gave the coaster a "B" as he believed that the roller coaster was more of a visual experience whether riding or not, "...riding the coaster is all about the visual experience..." Jeremy also related SheiKra to a romantic period opera and didn't believe that Busch Gardens had a different intended audience then him, "Yet in the end my feelings toward SheiKra are a bit like watching a Romantic period opera: perfect technique that I could admire all day long, yet I can’t help but feel that I wasn’t the intended audience."[47]

An unknown editor from the Tampa Bay Times mentioned that guests should expect the worst for the wait time to ride though the length of the ride balances the ratio, "Expect the worst (for the queue line). On the plus side, SheiKra may draw riders away from other coasters, freeing up space on the Montu or Kumba...The wait will be long, but so is the ride. Probably a fair tradeoff." The editor also says that the front row is the best, mainly for the first drop, "Gotta go with the front, if only for the head-on glimpse of the bottom when your train halts on the precipice." Overall, the editor advises that SheiKra isn't the greatest coaster but is still one-of-a-kind, "Don't walk into SheiKra thinking it's the be-all, end-all greatest roller coaster in the galaxy...a majestic, one-of-a-kind roller coaster experience..."[48] Jay Cridlin also from the Tampa Bay Times mostly praises the 90 degree drop though he believes some people can debate whether the roller coaster is the best, "Despite its sheer size and dominance of the Busch Gardens landscape...the coaster likely will still inspire debate among park visitors."[42] Eric Michael from Orlando Sentinel praised the 90 degree drop and how the train stops just before going down the first drop, "The 200-foot monster, Florida's tallest, wins my vote for best drop, straight down at 90-degrees, and most shameless tease (riders hang at the top for a few seconds)."[49]

In 2007, SheiKra was featured on Discovery Channel's Build It Bigger television series.[50][51]

Awards

Golden Ticket Awards: Best New Ride for 2005
Ranking
4 (3-way tie)[52]
Golden Ticket Awards: Top Steel Roller Coasters
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Ranking
28[52]
13[53]
16[54]
19[55]
18[56]
19[nb 1]
22[58]
30[59]
Mitch Hawker's Best Roller Coaster Poll: Best Steel-Tracked Roller Coaster
Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Ranking
10[60]
11[60]
11[60]
11[60]
24[60]
23[60]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Tied with Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.[57]

References

  1. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Bolliger & Mabillard Coaster's By Speed". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Bolliger & Mabillard Coaster's By Height". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Bolliger & Mabillard Coaster's By Length". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Albright, Mark (April 3, 2011). "Busch Gardens engineer found his calling designing thrills". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  5. ^ "SHEIKRA". Legal Force / Trademarkia. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d "BGT - Finally a ray of hope for 2005". Thrill Network. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Mervine, Bob (February 8, 2004). "New thrills in Tampa? Busch says no". MSNBC. Archived from the original on February 12, 2004. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c d "SheiKra Construction Diary". BGTGuide. Archived from the original on March 27, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  9. ^ "Project 248306 Summary". City Of Tampa. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  10. ^ "Track Pieces". BGTGuide. Archived from the original on March 27, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  11. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "SheiKra Announcement  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  12. ^ a b "SheiKra at Busch Gardens closed for repainting". Tampa Bay Times. January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  13. ^ a b c Albright, Mark (October 28, 2004). "A sky-high nose dive". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  14. ^ a b c d e Marden, Duane. "SheiKra  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  15. ^ Dennis, Brady (November 1, 2005). "SheiKra strands riders for second time in a month". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 16, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Busch Gardens to announce makeover of Tampa thrill ride". Orlando Business Journal. January 30, 2007. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "SheiKra Floorless Announcement  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  18. ^ a b Albright, Mark (June 16, 2007). "SheiKra ups shriek factor". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 21, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  19. ^ "SheiKra's Floorless Train Unveiling". Johnny Upside Down. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  20. ^ "SheiKra first floorless train unveiling". Derkeiler. April 24, 2007. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  21. ^ ""Floorless" SheiKra Raises the Bar on Thrills as the Bottom Drops Out On America's First Dive Coaster". Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. June 15, 2007. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  22. ^ "And Then The Bottom Drops Out". St. Petersburg Times. June 6, 2007. p. 8B. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  23. ^ a b c Thrash, Rodney (May 12, 2007). "SheiKra shows her sexy side". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  24. ^ Gershman, Rick (May 5, 2005). "Everybody has something to celebrate". Tampa Bay Times/St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on June 11, 2005. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  25. ^ Fodor. "Quick Queue Review". Fox News. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  26. ^ "All Extras". Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  27. ^ Albright, Mark (January 31, 2007). "Summer could be one long scream". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  28. ^ Albright, Mark (April 29, 2012). "Work schedule flexibility is a major attraction at Busch Gardens". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  29. ^ "SheiKra Front Seat on-ride HD POV Busch Gardens Tampa". wwwCOASTERFORCEcom. November 24, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  30. ^ Albright, Mark (January 7, 2005). "Get into Busch Gardens in a flash". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  31. ^ Albright, Mark (August 14, 2005). "King of the thill". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  32. ^ "Typical Clermont Steel Fabricators". Clermont Steel Fabricators. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  33. ^ Guido, Anna (November 7, 2005). "Steel plant's business on fast track". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2006. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  34. ^ "Scott & Carol Present: Getting On Track With B&M". NewsPlusNotes. December 11, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  35. ^ a b Levine, Arthur. "SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Roller Coaster Review". About.com. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  36. ^ "Busch Gardens closing SheiKra roller coaster temporarily". Tampa Bay Online. January 4, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  37. ^ "SheiKra". Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  38. ^ Marden, Duane. "SheiKra At Night  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  39. ^ Marden, Duane. "SheiKra At Night (2)  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  40. ^ Marden, Duane. "SheiKra Car  (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  41. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Splashdown". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  42. ^ a b Cridlin, Jay (May 21, 2005). "Built to thrill". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  43. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Oblivion  (Alton Towers)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  44. ^ a b Marden, Duane. "Diving Machine G5  (Janfusun Fancyworld)". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  45. ^ Marden, Duane. "Immelmann Loops On B&M Sit-Down's". Roller Coaster DataBase. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  46. ^ Bullock, Joel (May 20, 2006). "SheiKra @ Busch Gardens Tampa - Coaster Review". The Coaster Critic. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  47. ^ Thompson, Jeremy. "Busch Gardens Tampa Capsule Resviews". Roller Coaster Philosophy. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  48. ^ "Which is the best rollercoaster at Busch Gardens?". Tampa Bay Times. December 14, 2008. Archived from the original on February 3, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  49. ^ Michael, Eric (March 31, 2006). "Coast through life". Orlando Sentinel. p. 3. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  50. ^ "Build It Bigger - Behind the Scenes of Sheikra". DiscoveryNetworks (YouTube). June 21, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  51. ^ "BGA, Valleyfair featured on Discovery Channel's 'Build It Bigger'". Coaster-Net. July 5, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  52. ^ a b "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2005" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 27, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  53. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2006" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2006. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  54. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2007" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 30, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  55. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2008" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; September 11, 2008 suggested (help)
  56. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2009" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 20, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  57. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2010" (PDF). Amusement Today. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2013. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; July 24, 2011 suggested (help)
  58. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2011" (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  59. ^ "Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2012" (PDF). Amusement Today. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  60. ^ a b c d e f "Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll 11 year results table". BestRollerCoasterPoll.com. Retrieved January 31, 2013.

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