Superman: The Ride (/f)

Years ago, I was at the Six Flags in northern Illinois with three friends. We were in line for Superman: The Ride, which was a roller coaster which had you sitting in a seat, ankles locked and torso harnessed and then pitched forward. About halfway through the line, the ride broke down for a short spell, so we sat and waited, not knowing what was going on.

Then we got moving again, all the way to the coaster over the course of the next 45 minutes. When we got up to the platform, we were next in line when it broke down again, getting a group of passengers who had just gone through the ride stuck in the 'flying' position.

We milled about, waiting for the people to disembark so we could get on (though why we'd want to at that point was a bit of a mystery). One girl with curly, dirty-blonde hair towards the back had her shoes off (as many did). Her female friend, who I suppose had already gone on the ride, came up behind, said something and, you guessed it, started tickling the poor girl's feet.

It went on with her yelling and trying not to laugh for a bit, at which point a male came over and joined in, with several people standing and watching. I don't know what his story was, but the girl on the ride, who looked to be college-age, was now turning pink with embarassment and now couldn't help laughing. The best part was not only that people waiting for the ride were watching with approval, but that some of the barefoot people stuck on the ride were squirming uncomfortably wondering if they were next to be tickled.

It lasted about two minutes before a supervisor came up and shouted for everyone to get the hell away from the coaster, lest someone get hurt. About a minute after that, the seats swiveled back down, and the riders were freed. It took another 10 minutes for them to give the OK for us to get on. Not only that, but despite the calamity faced by that young woman, there was still a barefoot beauty in front of me when it was our turn.

Great moment in my memory, which was nearly zeroed out by the fact that the ride nearly scared the poop out of me when we finally got going.

Excellent story man – thanks for sharing!

great story thanks for sharing

I wish i could see what this ride looks like.

Here's one shot:

http://images.absoluteanime.com/admin/images/2003_chicago/superman_ultimate_flight.jpg

Note that it's different than the Superman: Ride of Steel coaster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_–_Ride_of_Steel

Great story, thanks for posting!

It would have been hilarious if those people who were afraid of being next had their fears come true.

Like you, they'd most likely never forget the experience.

lol, that would have been great. There were at least 8 to 10 people kicking off sandals and flip-flops before we got on, and rightly too. I was genuinely thinking I'd lose my wallet or keys as we were swooping, to say nothing about unsecured shoes (Not a concern for me as I was wearing sneakers).

I have no idea if the ride is even still there; I haven't been in that area since four years ago at the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Alas, no stories from that trip, though if anyone is in the Chicago/Milwaukee area, I'd recommend a visit to see the 'Dueling Swordsmen' if they are still around.

Fabulous story, great on descriptive detail! Thank you, Backstep!

Great story, Backstep. Thanks for posting the photo, too, so we can easily picture how vulnerable her bare feet were.