Rougarou (roller coaster)

History

On September 8, 1995, Cedar Point announced plans to build a new roller coaster, which would open as the tallest, fastest, and longest stand-up roller coaster in the world. The ride was to be named Banshee after the mythical wailing ghost in Irish folklore. In the days following the announcement, there was some negative reaction from the public regarding the term Banshee, which in the dictionary is described as a female spirit that warns of an impending family death. On November 14, 1995, Cedar Fair Entertainment Company filed a trademark for the name Mantis, which later became the ride's official name. As a result of the name change, its logo was also changed to resemble a mantis. The discarded logo would be repurposed by Dorney Park for use on Steel Force, while the Banshee name was eventually used for an inverted roller coaster that opened at Kings Island in 2014.

Construction on the new roller coaster began during the 1995-1996 off-season and was completed on January 9, 1996. More than 20% of the track was built over water. Cedar Point held a "Media Day" for Mantis on May 9, 1996, and the ride officially opened to the public on May 11, 1996.

Over the years, Mantis became known as a rough ride and its popularity began to decline. On September 2, 2014, after weeks of leaking clues that a major announcement was forthcoming, Cedar Point released a statement that Mantis would close on October 19, 2014. According to the park, the roller coaster had given over 22 million rides since its debut. However, Cedar Point revealed on September 18, 2014, that Mantis would not be removed, but instead would be converted into a floorless roller coaster complete with new trains, new colors, and a new theme. It reopened as Rougarou, the name of a legendary creature in French folklore that draws comparisons to the mythical werewolf, on May 9, 2015.

Ride experience

Layout

The ride starts with a slight left-turn and then the train begins to climb up the 145 ft chain lift hill. Once the train reaches the top and passes through the pre-drop, the track makes a 180-degree right turn, leading into the first drop. Riders then drop 137 ft at a 52-degree angle, reaching a top speed of 60 mph and enter a 119 ft vertical loop. This is immediately followed by a 103 ft dive loop, a non-inverting overbanked turn directly above the station, and an 83 ft left-leaning inclined loop. From here, the track makes an uphill right turn into the mid-course brake run. Off the midcourse brakes, the track drops into a Corkscrew, and finish off with a figure-eight turn. The train then enters the final brake run, and then makes a right turn, passing through the transfer track before returning to the station.

Trains

As Mantis, the ride operated with two steel and fiberglass trains. Each train had eight cars with four seats in a single row supporting a total capacity of 32 riders. Riders were secured by an over-the-shoulder harness. Following the closure of Mantis, a portion of the trains were retained for parts while the rest were scrapped.

For its transition to Rougarou, the ride received three new floorless trains which allows riders' legs to dangle freely above the track, as there is no floor between rows. Each has the same 32-rider configuration as the previous trains on Mantis. Riders are also secured by an over-the-shoulder harness with an interlocking seatbelt.

Records

Mantis set several records among stand-up roller coasters when it opened in 1996. It set the world record for height at 145 ft, speed at 60 mph, and length at 3900 ft. It was also the first stand-up roller coaster to feature a dive loop and an inclined loop.

References

References

1. "Mantis at Coaster-Net". Coaster-Net.
2. (November 19, 1995). "Cedar Point finds new name for roller coaster". Sunday Times-Sentinel.
3. (September 14, 1995). "Cedar Point changes coaster's name". The Bryan Times.
4. "Mantis Trademark". Legal Force.
5. "Mantis photo gallery at Ultimate Roller Coaster". Ultimate Roller Coaster.
6. {{Cite RCDB
7. "Largest Amusement & Waterpark in the Midwest {{!}} Kings Island".
8. (September 10, 2012). "Cedar Point Mantis Roller Coaster Top Off January 9, 1996". Cedar Point.
9. "Squashing the Mantis – The Observer".
10. Glaser, Susan. (September 2, 2014). "Cedar Point to close stand-up roller coaster Mantis; additional plans for 2015 will come later". The Plain Dealer.
11. Haidet, Ryan. (October 20, 2014). "Cedar Point closes Mantis roller coaster forever". WKYC.
12. Glaser, Susan. (September 18, 2014). "Rougarou floorless roller coaster will replace stand-up Mantis at Cedar Point in spring 2015". The Plain Dealer.
13. Creager, Ellen. (April 26, 2015). "Extreme ride: New Cedar Point coaster is floorless". Detroit Free Press.
14. (August 2, 2012}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links). "Mantis POV". Cedar Point.
15. {{Cite RCDB
16. "Mantis ACN review". American Coasters.
17. "Mantis at Top Coasters". Top Coasters.
18. "Cedar Point removes Mantis coaster trains from attraction - Ohio.com".
19. Glaser, Susan. (September 19, 2014). "The same Mantis track with new trains: Is Cedar Point's Rougarou roller coaster really new?". The Plain Dealer.
20. Marden, Duane. "Roller coasters with a Dive Loop". [[Roller Coaster DataBase]].
21. Marden, Duane. "Roller coasters with an Incline Loop". [[Roller Coaster DataBase]].