Running in the Park?

I'm posting this because of a very bad experience at KI this past weekend, but since it's really a Cedar Fair policy in question, I thought it belonged here.

Friday, I had the pleasure of taking my brother, father, and an in-law for their first trip to KI. We got there at 9:10AM to be the first ones in line for early entry at 9:30. I was excited to see their reaction to Diamondback, which is a top-3 ride on my list.

After getting through the main gate, we had to wait about 60 seconds at the Platinum/Gold archway entrance because it was not yet 9:30. We were the first ones there. Now I have done this many, many times before and enjoy being the first person to the Diamondback station so I can claim front seat, followed by 8-12 subsequent rides without ever leaving the station thanks to KI's generous re-ride policy.

The security guard (white shirt) said "You guys sure got here fast" and I said "Yeah, this is our exercise for the day, I like being the first one back to DB". Well, as 9:30 approached he gave us the "On your mark, get set, GO!" after which, we started running. Normally I would sprint but my family is not in the greatest of shape so it was nothing more than a mild jog. I was still far out ahead of the rest of the crowd.

In the past, on occasion, I have had a sweep, or food service worker, or security person yell "WALK!" to all the runners, which usually gets ignored, or followed only for a brief moment. But this day, a security guard (brown shirt, with gun) yelled walk, and we all ignored him, most of us because we could not hear over the BLARING music they were playing.

As I rounded the turn towards the DB station near planet snoopy, another security guard flags me down (but not the rest of the crowd), and says the police guy wanted me stopped and to have a seat, he would be over in a minute.

Minutes pass and I'm beyond angry, but still manage to be cool and polite to the security guy who stopped me. He sent me down to where the other police guy was, and this jerk gets totally up in my face, telling me he "has the power to throw me out of the park and destroy my season pass". I calmly explained that I was encouraged to run by another security officer, and he says "I don't care what he told you. YOU WILL FOLLOW THE RULES AND REGULATIONS!!"

By now my blood is boiling but he's still yelling at me. This old man was on a serious power trip. I was about ready to pistol whip him with his own firearm. Not really, but you know what I mean. He tells me that "It's YOUR (my) problem that there are two sets of rules" and "when he tells me to do something I damn well better do it".

Finally he lets me go and I arrive at DB about 15 minutes later, at which point my family had already ridden the ride 3 times and I completely missed their reaction.

I went to the customer relations office later to complain about that cop. It's not that he was doing his job, it's that he was rude, disrespectful, and had shown me (IMO) discrimination and was harrassing me. I never mouthed off to him, I was polite the entire time, and yet he had to yell in my face.

I've been running for rides all my life. It happens at CP, KI, and all the other Cedar Fair parks I've been to. I'm so angry at this tool of a cop and would love to get him in trouble, but that's probably not happening. So from now on I guess I'll walk, but it sure doesn't seem fair for me to have to walk while everyone else runs?

My beef here is that:

1. Policies like no running are not only randomly enforced, but sometimes the opposite is encouraged. I've been encouraged to run many times by CF employees at various parks.

2. The way I was treated by the cop was inappropriate, offensive, and after hearing my side of the story, really didn't give a rip and proceeded to tell me how much power over me he has.

Has anyone else had a similar experience, or is it just me??

I know there are quite a few parks that enforce walking, even CP enforces it at the beginning of the day. It was definitely inappropriate on how you were treated, but running is sometimes safety hazard.

I think what happened to you, and the rule in general, is complete BS. I keep it to a mild jog usually, but I don't see any issue with wanting to get to your favorite ride before everybody else.

You were treated very rudely. I would continue writing letters and making phone calls until you get at least an apology.

It is my understanding that the security guy in question is not part of the regular KI security (white shirt guys, no weapons). This guy was a gun toting, brown shirt guy with a star shaped badge (like a Sheriff). His badge said something about Mason (the city where KI is located). I'm wondering if they (KI) contract out off-duty Mason police for additional security in the park? I don't see many of the brown shirt guys, but they all have guns. In that context, my situation makes a little more sense (ie, letter-of-the-law, real cop, non CF employee vs the white shirt, $9.50 an hour CF security staff). If that's the case, it explains the disconnect a little. But his rudeness was way out of line. Borderline threatening.

Cedar Point might not allow running in the park but apparently they are totally cool with Segways cruising the crowded midways.

I start to get a little worried when guys in brown shirts start pushing people around. History and all, you know...

On one of my trips to Kings Island I remember being told to walk before entering the gold pass gate. But when the rope dropped by the Beast at 10am it was like a Cedar Point running of the bulls all the way to FireHawk.

I usually take part in the running of the bulls during early entry at CP, and I have never been told to walk by any employee.

Cops are just bullies that had nothing to do after high school. So they continue to bully people after school by becoming a cop. Of course not all are like this, but the majority that I have seen are complete dicks.

Whats weird to me is that I have seen people that come to King's Island just to run. They have an Ipod armband and just come because its a beautiful place to exercise. Kinda like mall walkers, but park runners. ;)

Never seen them stopped by a cop...

So you admit to blatantly and repeatedly disregarding instructions given to you by park employees, and are confused that you got nailed for it?

As others have mentioned, the brown shirt cops are the "real" police, most likely from Mason, not park employees. What do you think would happen if you were anywhere other than KI and a cop asked you to stop and you ran from them? Getting yelled at would be the least of your problems.

MagnumFan said:
Normally I would sprint...
...on occasion, I have had a sweep, or food service worker, or security person yell "WALK!" to all the runners, which usually gets ignored...
...we all ignored him...

OK, so you don't feel rules apply to you. Got it. Let's continue...

Finally he lets me go and I arrive at DB about 15 minutes later, at which point my family had already ridden the ride 3 times and I completely missed their reaction.

So, you blatantly broke the rules, which caused you to miss 3 rides. But hey, they didn't boot you from the park, so that's not bad. Go on...

...discrimination...

I'm sorry, what?!? I don't think being singled out because you broke the rules counts as discrimination. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not discrimination at all.

I've been running for rides all my life.

I used to speed a lot (almost constantly), and I didn't get a ticket each and every time. That doesn't mean I was "discriminated" against on the occasions where I was pulled over and cited.

...it sure doesn't seem fair for me to have to walk...

Welcome to life.

Yes, it's a bad idea to blatantly ignore rules, especially when those rules are literally being shouted to you as you're breaking them. You got in trouble, and it broke your heart that you lost 3 whole rides on a rolley coaster. There will be many times in life where you'll witness others breaking rules without being caught or punished. That doesn't mean you have the right to whine when you get caught breaking them.

This post prompted me to relate an incident that happened one morning during my visit to CP this summer in late June.

My wife and I were waiting at the park entrance near Soak City for early entry (we were staying at the Breakers). We were allowed through the gate just before 9:00 am., but were blocked from proceeding by rope and several employees keeping everyone back until the national anthem plays and the park officially opens.

The crowd was a mix of young and old, but mostly younger folks who looked ready for a run to either Maverick or Millenium. My wife and I held back as we knew well of the "running of the bulls" and didn't want to get in the middle of it. When the anthem finished and the rope and employees moved, the runners were off. However, because the midway at that point is rather constricted, there was a lot of congestion (people who don't run) in the way. My wife and I start walking and the next thing we see is a woman lying on the pavement in a fetal position with her boyfriend hovering over her asking if she is ok and trying to pick her up and move her to a bench. She had gotten caught up in the running crowd and fallen or been accidently knocked down. Regardless, she was not looking well at all, probably having hit her head on the pavement. Fortunately, park employees were there and quick to act.

I mention this because, as much as I too would like to be the first in line at any ride, it truly is unsafe to run in these parks in the mob setting that is present at opening. Even though we walked, we still got on the ride quickly and several times before 10:00 am.

The no running rule is a good one and should be enforced.

Cops can have their power trips but.......

Adults running to rides they've ridden possibly hundreds of times before? Really?? Wasn't there a thread on too much riding causing a mental condition?

Rule violation or not, there are a couple of things that stand out:

1. It seems that the park needs to get its staff together for a policy refresher. To have one security guard encourage running, only to have another take a hard-line approach, is unacceptable. You can't set up the expectation that it's tolerated, then think a hardcore spot check is OK.

2. Taking MagnumFan's account at face value, the officer most certainly overreacted. Again, whether the rule was broken or not isn't what I'm arguing. The officer appeared to be frustrated and decided to single out one person to take it out on. If I was pulled over for doing 75 in a 65, I would expect a ticket. But if the officer berated me like that, you better believe the mayor, the police chief, and anyone I could find at City Hall would hear about it.

Your mom is to fat to ride TTD. said:
Cops are just bullies that had nothing to do after high school.

What an absurd statement. To label 99% for the actions of 1% is senseless.

Walt said:
If I was pulled over for doing 75 in a 65, I would expect a ticket. But if the officer berated me like that, you better believe the mayor, the police chief, and anyone I could find at City Hall would hear about it.

I think that fact that the guy admittedly kept running after the officer asked him to stop makes a pretty huge difference. It would be like getting pulled over for doing 75, but instead of pulling over you just keep driving.

I'm certainly not a fan of cops going on power trips, but even in this guy's own words it sounds like his fault. If he didn't run from the cop and the cop still berated him, then it would be a totally different story.

Plus, the fact that he claimed he was "discriminated" against makes me put less weight to the accuracy of his version of the story.

I see what you're saying. I guess it just feels like an extreme reaction to something that seems to be so much a part of the park's culture.

Heres my problem...is this a posted rule in the park? I for one have never seen anywhere where it says that running is not permitted. If this is the case, then any park official or cop or ride op or anyone cant just make up rules and enforce them. Rules are posted for a reason and if there is no posting people just cant make them up. I too was yelled at at KI for running last year despite it not being posted anywhere. My 20 year experience at CP in the morning is that running is allowed and encouraged through words and park policies (such as moving up the barriers and allowing people to enter with tickets into the physical park before opening).

Coming from the perspective of a sweep who had to scream at runners every morning last season...

I get it. You left your house at 5 in the morning, and waited outside for 3 hours so that you could be the first rider on the Millennium Force. You prepped your friends on the drill, and mapped it out. You studied the map so that you wouldn't make a wrong turn, assuring your spot as first in line. It's a coaster fanatic's dream to get the first ride of the day on MF. And no dumb old sweep is going to take that right away from you.

Yeah, I empathize. BUT. As a sweep, we are supposed to ensure the safety of the guests at CP. Running is not safe. Not when you're blindly booking it. Time and time again I have had to assist guests who have fallen. The pavement is not forgiving.

If you get in early, you're going to still ride MF. I promise you, the roller coaster is not going to unearth itself and walk away if you don't run fast enough.

But is it a stated rule in the park and/or are you told specifically by your supervisors to tell people not to run in the morning?