JACKSON – Six Flags Great Adventure has officially launched its latest flashy roller coaster and this one is named after the scarlet speedster of DC Comics fame.
The Flash Vertical Velocity got its debut recently. Park management invited the media and coaster enthusiasts to a preview a few days prior to the public’s general admission.
Riders noted that while the ride lasts around 60 seconds the adventure isn’t gone in a “flash” as the memory of lingers for a whole lot longer. You need to be at least 48 inches to ride which is actually smaller than some of the other Six Flags coasters. It has a maximum height restriction which this 6’2” reporter cleared and reached the head rest and met all other safety protocols for what was an exhilarating ride on 1,400 feet of track.
American Coaster Enthusiasts is a national organization whose members were well represented during the day. Matthew and Lauren Kaiser of Monmouth County rode during the commercial shoot and also during the preview.
Lauren, the group’s assistant regional representative for New Jersey, said “The company who developed (the roller coaster) is from the Netherlands. They have a really popular roller coaster model called the Boomerang and that is kind of roller coaster you saw at smaller parks across the country. There are a ton of those.”
“This is their evolution on that as a super Boomerang and much, much better. The company overall has really changed. Their coasters are so smooth now compared to before. This was super smooth and gives you great bank time on the first element of the station where you hang upside down for just so long,” added Matthew, who serves as the Regional Representative for New Jersey.
He said, “it is really interesting because it has a kind of linear footprint here. There aren’t too many turns as it is side to side and you do rolls and whips. The coaster is kind of built on top of itself here so it has an interesting design constraint now.”
Lauren described The Flash saying, “I loved it. It was a lot of fun. I was very pleasantly surprised by it. I think a lot of people were concerned about the fact that it is a shuttle coaster and that it goes out and back, but I was surprised – especially about the hang time specifically right after you come out of the station there after the launch.”
“That experience of going backwards is also very cool. Everything you get to feel forward you get to experience backwards as well which is a whole new perspective. When you are going backwards you are not expecting because you can’t see it so I think it adds that whole element of surprise,” she said.
The couple met while at a Great Adventure event. “I did work here a long time ago and my boss introduced us. He brought his friend Matt to Fright Fest and so we hung out and it went from there. He proposed to me in front of the Nitro rollercoaster.”
The organization’s president Elizabeth Ringas said the group has a membership of “just over 7,000 members now worldwide. We are the largest amusement enthusiast related organization, and we just like to keep bringing people together to share their hobby and have fun for a healthy lifestyle. Our biggest mission is preservation. We want to make sure the coasters keep rolling. particularly at small family-owned parks.”
“That is why we come out to support something like this. We love helping and this is reminding people to come out and make special memories with their families,” Ringas added.
Another new attraction at the amusement park involves the food. Jeremy Hacker is the park’s first Executive Chef in an effort to elevate customers’ dining experience this year.
Hacker is known for his skill in seafood and Italian cuisine. He will lead the park’s culinary team to offer a variety of exciting dining options that complement the park’s world-class attractions.
“I am obviously super excited to be working at a theme park which is a great place to work,” the new chef said during the afternoon while roller coaster enthusiasts had the opportunity to try some of his Flash cupcakes – complete with lighting streak icing – and a variety of sweet treats.
“Whether it’s introducing new offerings or elevating classic dishes, my goal is to offer guests a memorable dining experience that matches the thrill of the park,” Hacker added.
“We have to keep innovating and keeping it fresh,” Fitzgerald said. “We think forward.”
She noted that future plans will be announced in August regarding park expansion projects. The theme park was ready to flash forward with all its attractions this summer season and into the fall with a fresh scare on Fright Fest.
