The Signal from Santa Clarita, California · 46

Up, Down, Up, Down, Up, Down Round n Round It's 6T Scream!' the newest addition to Six Flags lineup of 'X-treme' fun opens for Spring Break. G et ready to raise some 'YELL this weekend as Six Flans Maine Mountain debuts its latest 'Xtreme' roller coaster "Scream!" Breaking its own Guinness Book world record of having the most coasters on the planet. Magic Mountain w ill herald in its sweet 16th coaster in style on Saturday, just in time for Spring Break. The park will open at 10 am. and will be Afy'f 'a HI K III 4 r ESCAPE, THE SIGNAL. Fnday, April 1 1 , 2003 o 5v Margie ( $p IH JT Anne Clark V Jr wU v( X See SCREAM!, oaae E10 T ' ' II M ' i l 1 LU - ... -Vk. 11,-7 -J WW L ... r' ' A A . Hf gJWUih mm m vx. -s. i m ..-ir i r r v - f v w ft . . v:-'.-?y? m open until 10 p.m giving coaster enthusiasts plenty of time to ride Scream! If thrills are w hat you're looking for then Scream! is the coaster for you. I w as lucky enough to get in on the fun of riding Scream! during a sneak media preview on April 3. Suspense was in the air as I joined an elite group of thrill seekers w ho waited in eager anticipation to be among the first to ride Southern California's first floor-less mega-coaster. As I watched the flying maroon and yellow colored flying chairs race around the track at speeds of 65 miles per hour I wondered if w hat it would be like to take on that first 150 foot-tall first drop, only to find myself swept up into a huge 128 foot vertical loop. When I found myself strapped into the seats I knew I was in for three- minute long ride of twisting and turning proportions. Seated next to me was Meadows elementary sixth grade student Michael Morris, who had the good fortune of being "off track" for the month of April. He soon found himself on back on track and on 'Scream! after being chosen to ride Scream! from among the guests attending the park for the day. Morris, 1 1, said he had some trepidation about getting on Scream!, but was glad he took the ride. "I liked it a lot and it's now my favorite ride in the park, Morris said. "I liked the smooth moves and being upside down," he said, adding, "The ending corkscrew is the best part." Morris said he would advise his friends to be sure to eat lunch well in advance of going on the ride. He said he also liked the seating features w hich allows up to four passengers to be seated together. "You should plan on getting there early so you can be in the front seat," Morris advised "It's a nice long ride with a lot of twists and turns and it makes you feel like you don't know where you're going," he added. Coaster enthusiast, Joshua De La Torre of Anaheim made the trek to Valencia to take the ride with his w ife Kelly who is also an avid coaster enthusiast "It looks scarier than marriage," De La Torre said as he f . Si--"' ;r: -- - ; v L -y ? 1 The newest addition to the Six Flags Magic Mountain "X-Treme Park" roller coaster lineup is Scream! (i in action above). Scream! is a three minute ride that travels at 65 miles per hour and includes a 1 50-foot drop, zero gravity roll, 96-foot tall dive loop, 128-foot tall vertical giant loop, interlocking corkscrews and cobra rod with two 78 foot-tall inversions. There is also one high-speed helix horizontal loop with an 89-degree i - . - . Friday, April 1 1 , 2003. ESCAPE. THE SIGNAL J