Gwazi is Florida's first double wooden coaster and the Southeast's largest and fastest wooden coaster.
Gwazi was an instant hit in 1999 with coaster fans and keeps Busch Gardens in the forefront of the latest trend at Florida's amusement parks -- big-investment, high-speed thrills. Though mega-coasters have been helping to rejuvenate amusement parks across the country since the 1970s, Florida's tourist parks had been slow to follow the trend.
That changed when Busch Gardens opened Kumba in 1993 and Montu in 1996. Both of those steel coasters ranked in the top 10 in the country in many coaster-enthusiasts' polls.
In Orlando, the Islands of Adventure park at Universal Studios Escape has two steel coasters, The Hulk Coaster and Dueling Dragons, as major centerpieces. Walt Disney World entered the coaster competition with the music-themed Rock 'n Roller coaster at Disney-MGM Studios.
More huge coasters are sure to come as Florida's parks compete for dollars in the nation's largest tourist market.
Gwazi stands out, though, because of its wood construction.
Wooden coasters have been around for more than a century, and they are part of many nostalgic memories of older summer parks such as Coney Island. But while "woodies" may look and sound old-fashioned and slower next to today's huge steel coasters, looks are deceiving.
In fact, most serious coaster fans favor wooden rides, said Bill Linkenheimer, president of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, a 5,800-member national organization.
"Wood coasters tend to be very different than steel coasters," Linkenheimer says. "They not only look different but they feel different when you ride them. Wood has a lot more character than steel."
No two rides on a wooden coaster are the same. The temperature, humidity, number of riders and time of day affect the wooden structure, causing a constantly-changing give and take.
"The clickety-clack, the smell of the wood, the thrill of getting air over hills ... it's a great feeling that's hard to describe to someone who has never been on a wood coaster," Linkenheimer said.
Gwazi is, in fact, two coasters. The yellow Gwazi Lion and the blue Gwazi Tiger leave the station at the same time and pass each other head-on six times. The Lion and the Tiger have different track layouts and they race to see which one is first to return to the station.
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