Ugh...dont know why Im responding, but I guess some questions are best left to my ever growing imagination.
Knotts is a prime example of a missed opportunity and mild disregard. Being one of the earlier acquired parks, it has had more time to gain the same type of attention Cedar Point has had. It is in a prime spot to garner some better attendance, but a slew of rides that had started out as a competitor to go against Magic Mountain has suddenly stopped, and now it has recieved a more family friendly atmosphere to try to compete with the King of all things Family: Disney. Granted, the family atmosphere isnt unwelcomed, it was still an odd move to go from the easier competitor to the harder one when his answer to all things kid friendly was a mass of Planet Snoopy additions.
Second missed opportunity I will amass into one: Ohio. He had the VERY rare chance to turn Ohio into a figurative juggernaut in regards to the amusement industry. Kings Island was pulling in the crowds from Kentucky Kingdom, and Geauga Lake could have potentially been the largest threat to Kennywood and Waldameer. Instead of taking what could have been the best investment of his entire career, he opted to nix the idea, possibly due to the near falling under the acquiring of the Paramount Parks caused. We all know the sad story of Geauga Lake, but it was never really meant to thrive as a thrill park. Instead of turning the park back into what it once was, a family park, he nabbed what was of use and tossed the ride side, opting to keep the Waterpark (which has not seen much TLC either). The attendance figures were beginning to rise again, so why nix the park when it was beginning to generate revenue for the company? Kings island is a bt different since it was bought in the Maverick era, so its use in this argument is small, but still useful. The park has what it takes to be a king of the southern part of Ohio. It draws in the crowds and had a mild stellar line-up of attractions when it was bought. So why didnt the park flourish like Cedar Point has? Out of all the parks Kinzel gained, I honestly think one has recieved the most attention. It may not have gained the most in new attractions, but it was "prettied up" the best. The three parks, as a whole, would have turned Ohio into a state to be reckoned with in the amusement park tourism industry. Guess we will never know.
Dorney is another missed out mainly due to it not being given the proper attention and care to pull against Hershey and Great Adventure. How about Worlds of Fun and Californias Great America? The surrounding parks have been growing fairly well, with those two just kind of being there. Gold Striker is coming to CGA, but what about WoF? What is going to help it draw a crowd from SDC and SFStL?
Kinzel did wonders for Cedar Fair and gained an empire anyone would be proud of. He helped the company grow and did plenty of good for Cedar Point, creating it into the park it is today. Yet, the few other parks that should be as near ro marvelous as Cedar Point, arent due to his decisions. He has made bad choices that didnt ruin the company, it only affected the other parks with competition near them.
