Cedar Point announced today that the WildCat roller coaster is going to be removed before opening day. As is often the case in ride removals, the park cites “low ridership and increased maintenance costs” as reasons for its demolition. WildCat is a small Anton Schwarzkopf-designed roller coaster. It has been at Cedar Point since 1979. Here’s the official statement from the park:
[quote]Cedar Point has announced that it is expanding its new Celebration Plaza. As a part of that expansion, Cedar Point will be removing the WildCat roller coaster.
WildCat was coming to the end of its useful life. With the desired expansion of Celebration Plaza, coupled with the low ridership and increased maintenance costs, Cedar Point has decided to accelerate the removal of the ride. WildCat will be removed from the park prior to Opening Day and the materials will be sent to a recycling facility.
This expansion is one of several initiatives that will beautify the park midways and enhance guests’ experiences. Additional improvements include state-of-the-art lighting packages on Giant Wheel, Millennium Force and Power Tower, a new sound and lighting system along the park’s Main Midway and the re-painting of the Millennium Force and Blue Streak roller coasters.
Cedar Point remains committed to being the roller coaster capital of the world. New roller coasters, rides and attractions will always be a part of Cedar Point’s future.
– Cedar Point Press Release[/quote]
The mention of WildCat “coming to the end of its useful life” is very reminiscent of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s statement when it removed Bad Wolf. Will there be a similar outpouring of sadness as news of WildCat’s removal spreads? While coaster enthusiasts are likely to mourn the removal of any Schwarzkopf-designed coaster (his rides are often thought of as classics), I’d imagine that the general public will be more excited about the park’s future plans for the areas.
WildCat was one of the roller coasters that I wasn’t able to get to during my day at Cedar Point. So, I can’t speak to how good the ride was or wasn’t. So, I’ll leave that up to you. Are you sad to see the ride go or just looking forward to what takes its place? Is Cedar Point losing a classic or a clunker? Vote in the poll and leave a comment below.[poll id=”64″]
Check out The 5 Most Missed Defunct Roller Coasters
Also, read about other rides that have removed and relocated in the past: Ride Removals and Relocations
Image courtesy of CoasterImage.