Anton Schwarzkopf really knew how to make roller coasters. He might not have been the best businessman, but he knew how to make a coaster work and last. As for the best aspect, it is coming out of the double loops into the first turn around because you get this great moment of air time only to dive to the right.
When I rode this as a kid I used to make the lap bar as loose as absolutely possible and pretty much feel like I was going to fly out. Still a classic coaster
The shockwave is important to me it was the first upside down rollercoaster I went on and what an entry it’s so fun it feels like it’s only 15 seconds long
Excellent video! In 1979, at 11 years old, I stood with my arms wrapped around a Shock Wave support pole as my older brother (20 years old) tried to talk me into riding. He called exiting kids over younger than me to tell me how fun it was, and to shame me a bit! It took perhaps 30 minutes and the promise he'd win me a stuffed animal. I was terrified, cried the whole way, but when we hit the brake run something happened inside of me...I wanted to ride again! Roller coasters are my hobby ever since. I've ridden every U.S. wood coaster & been to every park in the U.S. I've been on Shock Wave hundreds of times. I'm mostly a wooden roller coaster fan, but a few steel coasters are very special. Shock Wave is one! At 46 years old it's still smooth as glass. The loops have incredibly strong positive G forces. The airtime in the back seats is some of the most intense & insane you'll ever experience. All 3 drops do this & there's even airtime going into the last turn and into the brakes. All this with a thin lap bar. Shock Wave is a fantastic coaster, my favorite at Six Flags. It'll be 50 years old in 2028!
Way WAAAY back in ole days, Six Flags used to host overnight events, high school..etc I'll never ever forget riding the shockwave at 3am in the morning!!....
I’ve ridden this many times over the years. I still feel it’s a staple of the park even if it’s not a popular as it once was. It was my 9 year old son’s first inversion coaster and I’m grateful he’ll remember it as fondly as I do, and my parents before.
i practically grew up at SFoT and never knew the significance of this ride!! it was my first looping ride i ever went on as a kid & the best part is hands-down that airtime hill that passes by the station
I've ridden much larger and faster coasters, but I still think Shockwave is a solid coaster. I may no longer compete with today's record-breaking coasters, but it packs a respectable punch given its age.
Love the coaster. I’ve rode more times than I can remember. My favorite part is the feeling after the second loop. To me this is iconic of the park and I hope that SFOT can repeat this success with a new coaster sooner than later.
Thank you JB for all of your informative videos throughout the years… especially this one! I really appreciate your research, knowledge, & love for this park, & it’s history. I’m 49 now, & have always loved Shockwave since childhood! I’ve had the pleasure of sharing this beloved ride with my son as soon as he hit 42” in height a couple years ago… & it’s been his favorite ever since! (Although he JUST reached 48” & as of this past weekend, has now ridden the Giant, & Titan… so, a NEW favorite may be coming LOL! But I know he will always have a special place on his heart, as do I, for our first favorite coaster ever… Shockwave! ☺️
Enjoyed this video. Have not been to SFOT since 2008. Visited in February and my 21 year old daughter got to experience the shock wave with me. It was more fun than I remembered! So glad she was able to enjoy it with me!
Yo what's up JB? Shock wave is an amazing historic coaster that often never gets the recognition it well rightfully deserves..I make it a must ride when I visit..I love shock wave and six flags over tx. And I have a feeling that one day soon SFOT will be back in the talks of all coaster enthusiasts..
When I got my driver's license and I had a part time job, I went to Six Flags on a Wednesday to ride Shock Wave. I got to ride in the very back car. The g-forces made my vision go grey. Best ride EVER. Also Runaway Mine Train did go under the water way of a ride called La'Salle's River Ride. Unfortunately La'Salle is gone thanks to the collaboration with WB.
I rode it a couple of months ago. It was so much fun. I knew it was one of the oldest rides but I never knew the history. I highly recommend it. You wil love it
i rode this ride in 2019 for the first time, and i did NOT like it. we finally bought season passes to Over Texas again this year. i rode it again and it was amazing!
I rode the Shock Wave on Grand Opening day - I was in the 2nd seat, and the kid in the front seat was too scared so he traded with me, and I rode in the FRONT SEAT my very first time. (This was after a 4 HOUR WAIT in the hot Texas sun!) Well, anyway, I would NEVER compare this to the awesome Revolution at Magic Mountain because I always thought the Shock Wave layout was kinda... boring. And it never seemed like a wild ride to me, although I blacked out during the 2nd loop probably every time, as I recall. But the Revolution was FAR better.
People give riddler's mindbender all the credit. Even has a ACE landmark. Yet Shockwave gets no love Also B&M made the trains for mindbender. Premier did the track. But they actually made it worse. There's a jolt in the swooping turn that wasn't there before. And of course the trim brakes being added which ruined how good the ride was before
It’s very nice except for one problem, King Cobra at Kings Dominion opened a year earlier and is 22’ taller than Shockwave. Therefore it wasn’t the tallest.
Anton Schwarzkopf really knew how to make roller coasters. He might not have been the best businessman, but he knew how to make a coaster work and last. As for the best aspect, it is coming out of the double loops into the first turn around because you get this great moment of air time only to dive to the right.
I was there at the grand opening. I was in the quelines. Remember seeing the train with the balloons.
Awesome ride I love the front seat
When I rode this as a kid I used to make the lap bar as loose as absolutely possible and pretty much feel like I was going to fly out. Still a classic coaster
The shockwave is important to me it was the first upside down rollercoaster I went on and what an entry it’s so fun it feels like it’s only 15 seconds long
Excellent video! In 1979, at 11 years old, I stood with my arms wrapped around a Shock Wave support pole as my older brother (20 years old) tried to talk me into riding. He called exiting kids over younger than me to tell me how fun it was, and to shame me a bit! It took perhaps 30 minutes and the promise he'd win me a stuffed animal. I was terrified, cried the whole way, but when we hit the brake run something happened inside of me...I wanted to ride again! Roller coasters are my hobby ever since. I've ridden every U.S. wood coaster & been to every park in the U.S. I've been on Shock Wave hundreds of times. I'm mostly a wooden roller coaster fan, but a few steel coasters are very special. Shock Wave is one! At 46 years old it's still smooth as glass. The loops have incredibly strong positive G forces. The airtime in the back seats is some of the most intense & insane you'll ever experience. All 3 drops do this & there's even airtime going into the last turn and into the brakes. All this with a thin lap bar. Shock Wave is a fantastic coaster, my favorite at Six Flags. It'll be 50 years old in 2028!
Way WAAAY back in ole days, Six Flags used to host overnight events, high school..etc I'll never ever forget riding the shockwave at 3am in the morning!!....
That’s my dream bro.
I’ve ridden this many times over the years. I still feel it’s a staple of the park even if it’s not a popular as it once was. It was my 9 year old son’s first inversion coaster and I’m grateful he’ll remember it as fondly as I do, and my parents before.
i practically grew up at SFoT and never knew the significance of this ride!! it was my first looping ride i ever went on as a kid & the best part is hands-down that airtime hill that passes by the station
I've ridden much larger and faster coasters, but I still think Shockwave is a solid coaster. I may no longer compete with today's record-breaking coasters, but it packs a respectable punch given its age.
@@Marchant2 right? It hardly ever has a wait now which is crazy considering how iconic it used to be; an underrated gem
Love the coaster. I’ve rode more times than I can remember. My favorite part is the feeling after the second loop. To me this is iconic of the park and I hope that SFOT can repeat this success with a new coaster sooner than later.
Thank you JB for all of your informative videos throughout the years… especially this one! I really appreciate your research, knowledge, & love for this park, & it’s history. I’m 49 now, & have always loved Shockwave since childhood! I’ve had the pleasure of sharing this beloved ride with my son as soon as he hit 42” in height a couple years ago… & it’s been his favorite ever since! (Although he JUST reached 48” & as of this past weekend, has now ridden the Giant, & Titan… so, a NEW favorite may be coming LOL! But I know he will always have a special place on his heart, as do I, for our first favorite coaster ever… Shockwave! ☺️
@@KANGKONG_ thank you for that! So glad you got to watch this video 🙏🏽
Only 16 views? Literally a crime, your channel is so good.
Appreciate it 🫶 I strive to make top quality even if I don’t get all the views
Enjoyed this video. Have not been to SFOT since 2008. Visited in February and my 21 year old daughter got to experience the shock wave with me. It was more fun than I remembered! So glad she was able to enjoy it with me!
I remember riding “ Shockwave “ with the VR …. 9:40 👌🏼
🗣️JBTRILLS … good stuff 🤙🏼!! Shockwave 👌🏼 7:27
I used to work at six flags in the shockwave ride when they did the VR adition to the ride.
Yo what's up JB? Shock wave is an amazing historic coaster that often never gets the recognition it well rightfully deserves..I make it a must ride when I visit..I love shock wave and six flags over tx. And I have a feeling that one day soon SFOT will be back in the talks of all coaster enthusiasts..
When I got my driver's license and I had a part time job, I went to Six Flags on a Wednesday to ride Shock Wave. I got to ride in the very back car. The g-forces made my vision go grey. Best ride EVER. Also Runaway Mine Train did go under the water way of a ride called La'Salle's River Ride. Unfortunately La'Salle is gone thanks to the collaboration with WB.
So do you think that Shockwave at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington Texas could become a national historic landmark from American Coaster Enthusiasts.
Could be depends
I rode it a couple of months ago. It was so much fun. I knew it was one of the oldest rides but I never knew the history. I highly recommend it. You wil love it
Shockwave opened 2 months before I was born….it’s always was always is my favorite coaster
The fact that this used to be my favorite ride
I had the privilege of operating this ride for a season.
i rode this ride in 2019 for the first time, and i did NOT like it. we finally bought season passes to Over Texas again this year. i rode it again and it was amazing!
Woo! Lets do it!
Great video
I rode the Shock Wave on Grand Opening day - I was in the 2nd seat, and the kid in the front seat was too scared so he traded with me, and I rode in the FRONT SEAT my very first time. (This was after a 4 HOUR WAIT in the hot Texas sun!) Well, anyway, I would NEVER compare this to the awesome Revolution at Magic Mountain because I always thought the Shock Wave layout was kinda... boring. And it never seemed like a wild ride to me, although I blacked out during the 2nd loop probably every time, as I recall. But the Revolution was FAR better.
People give riddler's mindbender all the credit. Even has a ACE landmark. Yet Shockwave gets no love
Also B&M made the trains for mindbender. Premier did the track. But they actually made it worse. There's a jolt in the swooping turn that wasn't there before. And of course the trim brakes being added which ruined how good the ride was before
I’ve ridden over 600 coasters and Shockwave still sits in my top 25 steel coasters.
It’s very nice except for one problem, King Cobra at Kings Dominion opened a year earlier and is 22’ taller than Shockwave. Therefore it wasn’t the tallest.
Internet says the Shockwave opened in 1978 and the King Cobra in 1984?
@@CptJistuce 1977
rcdb.com/637.htm
Good ride but the Bad part of shockwave it’s the end… very rough
What was the 1st roller coaster to come in SFOT
That’d be the Mine Train. 1966
Mine Train.
So forceful