Nick Speach

NY raised, Villanova grad, stopped in FL for a bit, now a proud Annapolitan

[Nova Starting 5 @NovaStarting5]

This is a phenomenal article.

Give it a read!
https://t.co/uXlOX2p5gu

[New England Patriots @Patriots]

ONE MORE TIME FOR THE WARRIORS.

[Trilly Donovan @trillydonovan]

12 Days of Hoopsmas: Day 2!

I’m giving away random college basketball gifts every day until Christmas.

Up next, this hand drawn word art of The Palestra!

All you have to do is RT to enter. Good luck!

[ESPN @espn]

RT for a chance to win one of 30 exclusive Lee Corso collectibles in honor of Coach’s final College GameDay 🧡

[Wake Up NJ 🇺🇸 New Jersey @wakeupnj]

How many of you remember Action Park that was located in Vernon Township, New Jersey?

Tell us your stories of the park, memories, and most guaranteed bruises you endured

Found this article I'd like to share with you......

You know when your stomach flips as you reach the apex of a rollercoaster? How about that rushing sensation that accompanies a trip down a waterslide?

Part of the reason why we feel so exhilarated after an amusement park ride is that our bodies didn’t exactly realize they weren’t in danger. There’s real adrenaline pumping through our veins at Six Flags. We just happen to know that the rides are safe.

But what if the rides weren’t guaranteed to be safe? What if the adrenaline inspired by one of these rides was very, very merited? Well, allow us to introduce you to the thrill and the threat offered by Action Park in Vernon, New Jersey. Now the stuff of NJ lore, Action Park was nicknamed “Class Action Park” due to its many reported injuries and deaths.

The park closed in 1996 but remained a distinctive memory for all those that spent their summers risking their lives down those water slides. In that spirit, let’s take a look back at what made Action Park such a dangerous, albeit unforgettable, establishment.

If you’re a New Jersey local looking to rep your love for state gems like Action Park, check out our New Jersey t-shirts, apparel, and home decor.

What Was Action Park?
Let’s start at the beginning. Founded in 1978 by Gene Mulvihill, Action Park was sold as a new amusement park experience. Mulvihill envisioned a type of park that put the power in the patrons’ hands, building rides and slides that defied safety laws and for that matter, physics.

Mulvihill was a stockbroker and theme park enthusiast. He purchased the land for Action Park from a ski resort and converted the grounds into an attraction that could run year-round.

The park officially opened on July 4, 1978, and would spend its first few years under heavy construction as it attempted to draw crowds. Mulvihill didn’t want the same old rides people could try everywhere else. He was looking to embody the same thrill of skiing, adding just the right amount of risk to get people’s hearts pumping.

Like Walt Disney on X-Games mode, Mulvihill built relentlessly, sometimes even paying his employees to test out rides before they were deemed safe for the public. Ultimately, Gene Mulvihill remains a complicated New Jersey legend. He worked tirelessly to achieve his vision for an amusement park but skirted important safety measures to get there, putting people at risk. In the end, those missteps would be Action Park’s undoing. We’ll get to that later.

The Rides
Firmly cemented in the memories of New Jersey locals, the rides and experiences at Action Park were the main attraction, precisely because they were so off-the-wall. Let’s review some of the most insane.

The Alpine Slide

Action Park’s first attraction, the Alpine Slide, was made of fiberglass, asbestos, and concrete. Participants would ride a ski lift up to the top of a hill, grab a cart, and hope for the best as they slid down the 2,700 foot-long track. This turned out to be more tricky than one might expect. A small adjustment to the way a person was leaning could cause them to fly off the track, leading to, at best, a skinned knee and, at worse, death. A 19-year-old suffered a traumatic and fatal brain injury after hitting his head on the Alpine Slide.

The Cannonball Loop
The Cannonball Loop was dreamt up soon after Action Park opened its Waterworld area, one of the biggest waterparks in New Jersey. The ride would never stay open long, as the physics of the slide was fundamentally flawed. The ride was a straight-shot water slide with a 360-degree loop at the end. Riders would frequently end up falling from the slide in the loop, resulting in more than a few broken noses. One former Action Park employee said, “We called it a monument to stupidity.” 🧵 1

https://t.co/6CpYJX7gMP

[Randy Cruz @randyjcruz]

Jalen Brunson series winner x Nas “Hate Me Now” 🔥🔥🔥

[Tommy Godin @tommygodinjr]

Donte Divincenzo is reunited with the Nova Knicks in this new AT&T March Madness commercial �

[Nick Speach @speach24]

@patspulpit *Villanova legend Ross Ventrone

[Max Fried @MaxFried32]

When it's meant to be. It's meant to be #RE2PECT

[Super 70s Sports @Super70sSports]

When I was growing up, a solid 40% of college basketball coaches looked like dudes who got whacked in Goodfellas.

[MLB @MLB]

A curtain call for @Yankees rookie Ben Rice, who has a 3-homer day!

[Chef José Andrés 🕊️🥘🍳 @chefjoseandres]

Today is Bourdain Day, my late friend Anthony Bourdain’s 68th birthday. My friend @ericripert and I began this holiday to celebrate everything Tony did for the world, and how he used food to break down walls and build longer tables. He will always be missed terribly by all of us…but we can honor his legacy as we continue to do actions big and small to create a better world. I hope you will join us in celebrating Bourdain Day in a way that is meaningful to you! ❤️🙏

[Annapolis Blues FC @AnnapolisBlues]

Who else but Jackson Ruckman🥶

1-0 Blues going into halftime

[🅰️RAY @ARayfor3]

Josh Hart in Ryan’s Nova Jersey….
That’s tough 😤😤😤

[Kyle Neptune @kyleneptune]

Battling it out just like old times in the Davis Center! @jalenbrunson1 @joshhart https://t.co/5ESSYN5a0n

[ESPN F1 @ESPNF1]

Daniel Ricciardo turns 34 today...

Any excuse to watch him do parkour again 😅🤸‍♂️

[Terrible Maps @TerribleMaps]

Pizza in America

[Jimmy Randazzo @JimmyRandazzo]

If Aaron Judge hits a HR today someone who retweets and is following is winning a shirt. Comment your size. Let’s go Yankees.

[TuscanVines ® @JohnMFodera]

Sitting outside with no jacket. It’s about 55 and a breeze. The Italian men at this bar are bundled head to toe. I think I am triggering them. #Tuscanvines

[Super 70s Sports @Super70sSports]

Thurman Munson should be in the goddamn Hall of Fame. Higher career WAR than obvious future HOFer Buster Posey despite his tragic death at age 32. Yankee captain, AL MVP, and looks more like a catcher should fucking look than maybe anyone ever. A travesty he’s not in. Pass it on.