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Ride Profile
A force to be reckoned with
T
hey say the difference between a wish and a goal is action. And for John Arie Jr., president and CEO of Fun Spot America, both came together as the first guests boarded his park’s newest roller coaster, ArieForce One.
Two years in the making, there is only one word to properly describe the project – HUGE. For 25 years, the family-owned Fun Spot America theme parks have been synonymous with safe, clean family fun experiences in Central Florida. With two locations, in Orlando and Kissimmee, Fun Spot has grown from action parks heavy on go-kart attractions to full-day destination experiences with classic family and kiddie rides, interactive arcades, thrilling attractions like the Sky Coaster, and even unique roller coasters, including the White Lightning and Freedom Flyer (in Orlando) and Mine Blower (in Kissimmee). The Mine Blower wooden coaster even features a Zero-G inversion! In 2017, Arie expanded the Fun Spot footprint, purchasing an existing park south of Atlanta, Fun Junction USA. From there, he rebranded it as Fun Spot America Atlanta and set out to bring the tradition of safe, clean fun to Georgia. The new park features the company’s largest four-storey go-kart track. With 25 rides and attractions, including a beautifully lit Ferris wheel, a large arcade, batting cages and more, Fun Spot America Atlanta also has something the Orlando parks don’t – space to grow. And lots of it. With the new park, Arie sees possibilities that are – here’s that word again – HUGE.
In 2020, as the world and the attractions industry was working through the impact of the global pandemic, Arie did not stop dreaming, or planning. He had the space, and the idea, to bring something special to the Georgia park. His plan was to not just return to business-as-usual post pandemic but to debut something incredible just in time for the company’s 25th anniversary in 2023.
“I reached out to RMC during the pandemic,” Arie shared. “And together we discussed creating a world-class coaster that would celebrate everything Fun Spot and my family has stood – and worked – for since my father began the company.” With its own history of being a family-owned and operated company, Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC), understood Arie’s desire to create a one-of-a- kind coaster that would be unique, memorable, and representative of Fun Spot’s brand. Two years later, ArieForce One is all of that and more. As park guests enter Fun Spot America Atlanta, the first thing they see is the behemoth tri-colored coaster. Complete with colourful steel ribbons of red and blue that twist, turn and flip inside an elaborate labyrinth of track, ArieForce One is a force to be reckoned with. Perfectly placed to maximise the park’s footprint and landscape, 3,400 feet of track make up the ArieForce One path. And while much of it is visible throughout the park, surprise twists and turns and
APRIL 2023
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