2005
Golden Ticket Award Winners
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the complete list of winners!
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Park, individual, supplier each
recipents of
2005 Publisher’s Pick
Disneyland------Werner
Stengel ------Nick
Laskaris
Fifty
years later, Disneyland continues to
be a leader in the amusement industry
Walt
Disney was a dreamer. More than a half
century ago, this American visionary
refused to be dissuaded by so-called
experts who scoffed at his dream to transform
a 160-acre citrus grove in Southern California
into a Magic Kingdom. With almost preternatural
insight, he embarked on a project that
would eventually affect and shape the
world in ways he probably never imagined.
Utilizing the creative resources at his
movie studios, he brought to life his
films' characters and locations in a
way that really did seem quite magical.
As Disneyland marks its Golden anniversary,
fans from around the world are making the
pilgrimage to Anaheim to relive memories
of times spent at the Happiest Place on
Earth. An 18-month-long birthday promotion,
The Happiest Celebration on Earth, which
kicked off May 5, 2005, will see all ten
of the Disney theme parks introducing new
shows and attractions, including the Disney
Magic cruise ship relocating from Port
Canaveral, Florida, to Los Angeles for
a three-month stay.
Amusement Today chose Disneyland for its
2005 Publisher's Pick for obvious reasons.
Since the beginning in 1955, the Disney
Imagineers have set the industry standard
for theme parks. Back then, Disneyland's
inventive rides and attractions were
quite unlike anything the world had
ever seen. Walt Disney's fresh take
on the amusement park experience inspired
venues around the world to attempt
to create "something
like they have at Disneyland."
The Matterhorn, for example, paved the way
for an entirely new breed of steel roller
coaster. That ride's tubular track and soft
nylon composite wheels created by Arrow Development
have been emulated and expanded upon until
we still enjoy a coasters arms race that
seems to have no end in sight. And this all
because Walt Disney visited the Swiss Alps
and wanted to provide guests a bobsledding
adventure. Disneyland came into being at time
when the world needed an escape. The Cold War
was at hand and Walt wanted nothing more than
to offer Disneyland visitors the chance to
leave their cares behind and dare to dream.
And just as it was 50 years ago, Disneyland
manages to remain relevant and in tune with
the times. Though the 21st century has proven
to be a very scary place, it's good to know
that once you pass through the park's front
gate and begin your stroll down Main Street
USA, you can let go and allow the magic to
take you. And that was Walt's plan all along.
Happy 50th Birthday, Disneyland. Please accept
our 2005 Publisher's Pick with the honor
and grace you deserve. You are living proof
that good things really can happen When
You Wish Upon a Star...
Top
Werner
Stengel, a living legend and a master when
it comes to ride engineering for the amusement
industry
Werner
Stengel’s prolific career as a designer
and engineer for the amusement industry spans
more than four decades. The concepts and engaging
designs for which this amazingly talented German
and his team have been responsible have made
the world’s amusement parks both exciting
and extremely safe.
Over the last 40 years, Stengel has had a hand
in creating more than 490 roller coasters and
600 other moving structures at parks from Algeria
to the United States. Though he often remained
in the background, quietly calculating and perfecting
the ideas and dreams of others, his contribution
to the industry, especially in the field of steel
roller coaster design, is vast and unparalleled.
His firm’s work is quite simply art.
Stengel’s formal introduction to the business
of amusement rides began in 1963 when he worked
closely with the legendary Anton Schwarzkopf
on the first modern German steel coaster, the
Super Acht, which made history when it debuted
in 1965 at Munich’s Oktoberfest. Stengel
opened his own office (Ing.-Büro Werner
Stengel) that same year, and for the next four
decades he worked closely with Schwarzkopf (and
eventually numerous others) in developing many
concepts and industry firsts. These include the
first suspended coaster (Alpenflug, 1973), the
first modern vertical looping coaster (Magic
Mountain’s Revolution, 1975), and the first
horizontal launched Shuttle Loops (1976). Stengel’s
portfolio includes projects for a number of other
prestigious companies such as B&M, Gerstlauer,
Intamin, Mack, Maurer Soehne, Premier Rides,
Vekoma, Zamperla and Zierer, just to name a few.
In 2001, Werner Stengel was honored by the Munich
city-museum with a one-year exhibition of his
life, while Klaus Schützmannsky published
a top-selling book about the legacy of this talented
artisan. Stengel has received a large number
of awards and recognitions including the coveted
German VDV “Verband der Deutschen Vergnügungsanlagenhersteller”.
Though he retired from his firm’s daily
operations in 2001, Stengel still works as an
industry consultant, and he remains involved
in research that focuses on the strains of roller
coasters on the human body.
During an October 22 ceremony, Stengel will be
awarded an honorary doctorate by the Faculty
of Science at Sweden’s Göteborg University
For “his inexhaustible creativity in linking
physics and design to the experience of the body
in roller coasters and other rides.”
So,
Herr Stengel, congratulations from the staff
of Amusement Today on your life’s work.
For many years to come, your phenomenal legacy
will be appreciated and enjoyed by park guests
and roller coaster fans around the world.
Top
From
simple go-kart beginnings, Nick Laskaris
becomes a survivor, creates unique park
in The Dells
Go ahead and admit it. Everyone at one time
or another has taken a ride on a gokart
and, chances are, you enjoyed it and probably
took many more rides. Go-karts are unique
in that their ridership doesn’t age.
From your first ride in the pre-teen years
to a ride as an adult, the sounds, look,
feel and ride of those speedy little carts
never change.
In 1970 Jim Laskaris moved his family from
Chicago to The Dells and opened a small restaurant
named Big Chief. It was at the restaurant that
he put his two children went to work peeling
potatoes for french fries. As time went on,
Jim decided it would be best to open a go-kart
track. His son Nick, at the young age of 8,
was made the main mechanic of the eight go-karts.
The track, located on leased land, was the
first in The Dells to feature a bridge.
Five years after opening the track, Jim decided
it would be best to move the go-kart business
to land the family owned. It was there they
built the only track that looked like a cloverleaf
and had a portion of the track going up a man-made
hillside. Also in 1980, they started manufacturing
their own go-karts for the Big Chief park and
sold karts to other parks in the country.
Along the way, Nick became very involved in
the design and engineering of multi-level tracks,
which, at the time, were the only ones in the
world. Between Nick and Jim, they developed
the elevated go-kart tracks, which have now
become a standard for tracks all over the world.
Ten years later, another move was in store.
This time, they went back to the main strip
of Wisconsin Dells Parkway. There the two created
a course on a hillside with many tiers of elevated
track that featured a waterfall in which the
karts passed through.
The mid-1990s saw the installation of three
wooden coasters in three years – Cyclops,
Pegasus and Zeus. Nick continued to paint a
picture of go-karting history– this
time in the form of Poseidon, a wooden track
that stood 60 feet tall, featuring an underwater
tunnel and a suspension bridge. It is still
a world-record holder.
The work ethic and drive that Nick learned
from his Dad, and the love for his family
is what would keep him motivated and alive.
At age 25, Nick was diagnosed with brain
cancer and given three months to live. A
strong willed Nick beat the disease only
to see it return 10 years later. Brain surgery
and two stem cell transplants later, Nick
was back at it again, designing go-karts.
However, Nick’s
will would be tested once again, this time
with the tragic loss of his father following
the 2003 IAAPA trade show.
The two dreamed of one day operating the
only theme park in The Dells. As a tribute
to his dad, Nick made the dream a reality
this season thanks to the merger of two neighboring
waterparks, which created Mt. Olympus Water & Theme
Park. $10 million in new rides, including the
record-setting Hades wooden coaster and the
Triton waterslide complex, were added to help
create a park that now spans 156 acres, features
37 waterslides in outdoor and indoor environments,
wave pool, eight go-kart tracks, six roller
coasters, 10 kiddie rides, mini golf, a hotel
and much more – all for a single day
gate admission of $32.00.
For that, Nick Laskaris, is presented with
this Publisher’s Pick for his strong
will and in the memory of his dad Jim, who
was Amusement Today’s first paid subscriber.!
View
the complete list of winners!
Click here to download
2005 Golden Ticket Awards Bonus Section PDF
file (4.6 mb)
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