The Gravity Group
{{Short description|American roller coaster manufacturer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = The Gravity Group
| logo = Gravity Group Logo.svg
| image = Cú Chulainn Coaster Arial View.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_caption = Cú Chulainn at Emerald Park, designed by The Gravity Group
| type =
| traded_as =
| genre =
| fate =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| foundation = {{Start date|2002|7}}
| founder = Former Custom Coasters International employees
| defunct =
| location_city = Cincinnati, Ohio
| location_country = United States
| location =
| locations =
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people =
| industry = Manufacturing
| products = Roller coasters, roller coaster trains
| services =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| aum =
| assets =
| equity =
| owner =
| num_employees =
| parent =
| divisions = Gravitykraft Corporation, Gravity Works, LLC
| subsid =
| homepage = {{URL|http://www.thegravitygroup.com}}
| footnotes =
| intl =
}}
The Gravity Group is a wooden roller coaster design firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm was founded in July 2002 by several members of the engineering team of the defunct Custom Coasters International following the latter's bankruptcy.{{Cite web |title=Meet The Gravity Group Team • The Gravity Group |url=https://thegravitygroup.com/about-us/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=The Gravity Group, LLC |language=en-US}} The core group of designers and engineers at The Gravity Group have backgrounds in civil, structural, and mechanical engineering. Their experience comes from work on over 40 different wooden roller coasters around the world.
Many of The Gravity Group's projects have been well-received by the amusement industry, including The Voyage,{{Cite web |date=September 2010 |title=Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters |url=http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2010gta/2010gta.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019221836/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2010gta/2010gta.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |access-date=February 26, 2025 |website=Amusement Today}} Hades 360,{{Cite web |date=September 2005 |title=Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters |url=http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2006gta/2006gta.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019220851/http://www.goldenticketawards.com/issuearchive/2006gta/2006gta.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2013 |access-date=February 26, 2025 |website=Amusement Today}} and Ravine Flyer II.{{Cite web |date=2016-09-11 |title=The Golden Ticket Awards {{!}} Presented by Amusement Today |url=https://goldenticketawards.com/2016-top-50-wooden-roller-coasters/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=The Golden Ticket Awards {{!}} Presented by Amusement Today |language=en-US}}
Roller coaster projects
The first coaster designed by The Gravity Group opened in 2005 as Hades at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It won Best New Ride of 2005 in Amusement Today
In 2007, The Gravity Group designed Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah Boardwalk, which opened as the only wooden coaster in the Greater Houston area.{{cite RCDB|coaster_name=Census for Texas|location=|rcdb_number=|accessdate=25 May 2013|url=http://rcdb.com/census.htm?l=21593}} The Gravity Group designed Ravine Flyer II at Waldameer & Water World in Erie, Pennsylvania, which opened in May 2008 and won Best New Ride of 2008, and has been acclaimed in years since as one of the world's best wooden coasters.{{cite web |title=Amusement Today — Golden Ticket Winners 2008 |url=http://www.amusementtoday.com/image/GoldenTicket8002.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911112639/http://www.amusementtoday.com/image/GoldenTicket8002.pdf |archive-date=September 11, 2008 |access-date=December 30, 2012 |publisher=Amusement Today}} In 2009, Wooden Coaster - Fireball opened at Happy Valley in China, becoming China's first wooden roller coaster.{{cite RCDB|coaster_name=Census for China: Wooden Coasters|location=|rcdb_number=|accessdate=25 May 2013|url=http://rcdb.com/r.htm?ot=2&pl=26380&ty=2&st=93}} In 2011, Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, Connecticut opened Wooden Warrior,{{cite web |date=24 April 2011 |title=Quassy coaster debuts despite rain |url=https://archives.rep-am.com/2011/04/24/quassy-coaster-debuts-despite-rain/ |access-date=10 December 2023 |website=Republican American Archives |publisher=Republican American}} the company's sixth wooden roller coaster. Also in 2011, The Gravity Group was involved in the recreation of Libertyland's Zippin Pippin at Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, Wisconsin,{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Matt |date=March 2, 2010 |title=City Council Approves Zippin Pippin Roller-coaster for Bay Beach |url=http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=12072970 |access-date=March 3, 2010 |work=WBAY-TV |location=Green Bay, WI}} as well as Twister at Gröna Lund in Sweden. In 2012, The Gravity Group designed Dauling Dragon in Happy Valley Wuhan, which opened as China's first racing coaster.{{cite RCDB|rcdb_number=3775|coaster_name=Dauling Dragon|location=Happy Valley|accessdate=May 24, 2013}} They designed Fjord Flying Dragon at China's Happy Valley Tianjin in 2013. In 2014, they designed Roar-O-Saurus at Story Land in Glen, New Hampshire,{{cite news |date=April 24, 2014 |title=Story Land gets ready to roll out the Roar-O-Saurus |url=https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/story-land-gets-ready-to-roll-out-the-roar-o-saurus/article_f1a1c45f-9011-51a1-bbd2-980f1d84e92a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114123856/https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/story-land-gets-ready-to-roll-out-the-roar-o-saurus/article_f1a1c45f-9011-51a1-bbd2-980f1d84e92a.html |archive-date=January 14, 2024 |access-date=January 6, 2024 |agency=The Conway Daily Sun}} and Time Travel at Hot Go Park in China.
Five Gravity Group coasters opened in 2015, most notably The Cú Chulainn Coaster at Emerald Park in Ireland,{{cite web |title=Tayto Park to debut Europe's largest inverted wooden rollercoaster summer 2015 |url=http://www.taytocrisps.ie/park/events/news/press-release-2015/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504125031/http://www.taytocrisps.ie/park/events/news/press-release-2015/ |archivedate=4 May 2015 |accessdate=7 May 2015}} and Switchback at ZDT's Amusement Park in Seguin, Texas, the latter of which is the only wooden shuttle coaster in existence.{{Cite web |title=Switchback Roller Coaster |url=https://www.zdtamusement.com/products/switchback |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=ZDT's Amusement Park}} Three coasters named Jungle Trailblazer opened in 2015 as well at various Fantawild parks in China, two of which contain inversions, a rarity on wooden coasters. In 2016, three Gravity Group coasters opened, including two more under the name Jungle Trailblazer (one of which has an inversion) at Chinese Fantawild parks, and one called Timber at Walibi Rhône-Alpes in France. In 2017, The Gravity Group designed another coaster named Jungle Trailblazer in China, and Mine Blower at Fun Spot America – Kissimmee in Florida, the latter of which has a unique inversion.{{cite news |last=Tittle |first=Brittani |date=June 24, 2017 |title='Mine Blower' wooden coaster now open at Fun Spot Kissimmee |url=http://attractionsmagazine.com/mine-blower-fun-spot-kissimmee/ |access-date=August 31, 2018 |publisher=Attractions Magazine}}
In 2018, The Gravity Group worked with Sesame Place Philadelphia to install Oscar's Wacky Taxi.{{Cite web |title=New Roller Coaster | Oscar's Wacky Taxi | Sesame Place Philadelphia |url=https://sesameplace.com/philadelphia/rides/oscars-wacky-taxi/}} Also in 2018, their most recent Jungle Trailblazer opened in China, as well as a coaster called Wood Express at Parc Saint Paul in France. In 2019, the company designed Kentucky Flyer, which opened at Kentucky Kingdom as a celebration of the park's 30th anniversary.{{Cite web |last=Hayden |first=Courtney |date=October 2, 2018 |title=Kentucky Kingdom celebrates 30th anniversary, announces new ride for 2019 |url=https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/kentucky-kingdom-celebrates-30th-anniversary-announces-new-ride-for-2019/417-600114576 |access-date=January 5, 2021 |website=WHAS11}} They also designed Wooden Dragons Roller Coaster, which opened in 2021 at Sunac Jinan in China. In 2022, The Gravity Group designed Leviathan, which opened at Sea World Gold Coast Australia as Australia's first new wooden coaster in 35 years.{{Cite web |title=Leviathan - The New Atlantis precinct |url=https://seaworld.com.au/attractions/rides-and-precincts/the-new-atlantis/leviathan |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=seaworld.com.au}} The company's most recent roller coaster, The Bobcat, opened at Six Flags Great Escape and Hurricane Harbor in 2024.{{Cite web |date=June 7, 2024 |title=The Bobcat wooden roller coaster now open at Six Flags Great Escape |url=https://attractionsmagazine.com/bobcat-wooden-roller-coaster-six-flags-great-escape/ |access-date=July 17, 2024 |website=Attractions Magazine |language=en-US}}
Timberliner trains
In 2008, The Gravity Group announced the development of their own wooden coaster trains called Timberliners. They are produced by Gravitykraft Corporation, a sister company to The Gravity Group. The Gravity Group promotes their trains as wooden coaster trains capable of steering smoothly through curves, resulting in a more comfortable and maintenance-friendly ride. Timberliners were planned to debut on The Voyage at Holiday World for the 2010 season, but after three years of delays and issues, Holiday World officially cancelled the project on August 16, 2013.{{Cite web |date=July 9, 2010 |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/share/1JW3s6PaRD/ |access-date=February 26, 2025 |website=Facebook}} However, in 2011, Timberliners instead debuted on Wooden Warrior and Twister. In 2013, Timberliners were installed on Hades as part of its transformation to Hades 360.{{Cite web |title=Hades Extreme Wooden Roller Coaster - Wisconsin Dells Theme Park |url=http://www.mtolympuspark.com/attractions/wisconsin-dells-outdoor-theme-park/hades |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628092811/http://www.mtolympuspark.com/attractions/wisconsin-dells-outdoor-theme-park/hades |archive-date=2013-06-28 |access-date=2013-06-24}}{{Cite web |date=2012-12-05 |title=Mt. Olympus begins Hades 360 Transformation - Coaster101 |url=https://www.coaster101.com/2012/12/05/mt-olympus-begins-hades-360-transformation/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |language=en-US}}
The Gravity Group's Timberliner trains have since appeared on Roar-O-Saurus and Time Travel in 2014, Cú Chulainn, Jungle Trailblazer (Oriental Heritage Jinan), Jungle Trailblazer (Fantawild Dreamland), Jungle Trailblazer (Oriential Heritage Wuhu), and Switchback in 2015, Timber and Jungle Trailblazer (Oriental Heritage Ningbo) in 2016, Jungle Trailblazer (Oriental Heritage Xiamen) and Mine Blower in 2017, Oscar's Wacky Taxi, Wood Express, and Jungle Trailblazer (Fantawild Asian Legend) in 2018, Kentucky Flyer in 2019, Wooden Dragons Roller Coaster in 2021, Leviathan and Tonnerre 2 Zeus in 2022, and The Bobcat in 2024.{{Cite web |title=Roller Coaster Search Results |url=https://rcdb.com/r.htm?order=8&ot=2&ii&cr=130&co=7345 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20221114183134/https://rcdb.com/r.htm?order=8&ot=2&ii&cr=130&co=7345 |archive-date=2022-11-14 |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=rcdb.com |language=en}}
Precut track and retracking projects
The Gravity Group often retracks wooden roller coasters with their engineered precut track, sometimes on rides they did not initially design. They received the award for Innovation of the Year at the 2021 Golden Ticket Awards for their precut track.{{Cite web |title=Engineered Precut Track • The Gravity Group, LLC |url=https://thegravitygroup.com/home/engineered-precut-track/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=The Gravity Group, LLC |language=en-US}}
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Name !Park !Country !Year of retrack !Ref |
| Tonnerre 2 Zeus
|{{flagicon|France}} France |2019-22 |
| The Racer
|{{flagicon|USA}} United States |2021 |
| The Beast
|{{flagicon|USA}} United States |2021-22 |
| Grizzly
|{{flagicon|USA}} United States |2022-23 |
| Wildcat
|{{flagicon|USA}} United States |2023 |
| Megafobia
|{{flagicon|United Kingdom}} United Kingdom |2023 |
| Mighty Canadian Minebuster
|{{flagicon|Canada}} Canada |2025 |
| Raven
|Holiday World & Splashin' Safari |{{flagicon|USA}} United States |2025 |
List of roller coasters
As of 2025, The Gravity Group has designed 29 roller coasters around the world.[https://rcdb.com/7345.htm The Gravity Group - rcdb.com]
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- [http://www.thegravitygroup.com The Gravity Group]
- {{RCDB|7345}}
{{Roller coaster manufacturers}}
{{Amusement rides}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravity Group, The}}
Category:Roller coaster manufacturers
Category:American companies established in 2002
Category:Manufacturing companies established in 2002
Category:Manufacturing companies based in Cincinnati
Category:2002 establishments in Ohio
Category:Culture of Cincinnati