August, 2011.
We waited in line for only 45 minutes, which is a short wait for the Maverick. This was our first time riding, and I was with two excited 14-year-olds. While waiting in line, A curious sign caught my attention while queuing: “Please remove earrings.” It left me wondering about the connection between earrings and roller coasters.
Finally, we got on the 70-mile-per-hour coaster and shot up the first 105-foot hill. It immediately took a sharp turn, and there was a twist in the track. The ride proved jarring, with my head repeatedly striking the hard plastic of the harness. This painful experience illuminated the purpose of the earring warning. Despite attempts to mitigate the discomfort by adjusting my position, the ear-banging persisted. A tip for shorter riders: sitting as upright and tall as possible may help position your ears above the harness, potentially offering some relief. Interestingly, this issue seems not to affect everyone; conversations with four other riders revealed no complaints of head-banging.
After the ride, the kids declared that Maverick was better than the Millennium Force. I disagree. I never left the Millennium Force feeling as if someone had twisted my ears with pliers.
A humorous discovery was made later regarding the Maverick t-shirt bought for my son; the depicted bullet holes were indeed actual holes, providing a good laugh.
Maverick Facts:
– Maverick is the seventeenth roller coaster at Cedar Point, following the opening of the Blue Streak in 1964.
– It reaches a top speed of 70 mph.
– Features eight airtime-filled hills.
– Includes 10 banked turns ranging from 62 to 92 degrees.
– Boasts a 400-foot tunnel equipped with LED lights and special effects.
– Introduces the unique “Twisted Horseshoe Roll.”
– Constructed by Intamin, Maverick is a linear synchronous motor-launched blitz steel roller coaster.
– The coaster’s 4,450-foot track is the fourth longest at Cedar Point.
– Opened on May 26, 2007.
– Initial testing identified a heartline roll as excessively intense, necessitating modifications before opening.
– It is the fourth coaster at Cedar Point to include inversions.
– Features six trains with three cars each, seating twelve passengers per train in tiered seating. The trains are colored brass, copper, gold, gunmetal, iron, and silver.
– Has the steepest drop among Cedar Point coasters, with a 95-degree angle.
– The tallest point of Maverick is 105 feet.
– The ride experience includes a rapid ascent, followed by a series of twists, turns, airtime hills, a “Twisted Horseshoe Roll,” and a high-speed launch through a dark tunnel.
