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TAMPA, Fla.—As a kid growing up in Stockton, Calif., Doug Martin's child-like view of the game of football was that it was little more than an aggressive, big boy's version of tag. That's why he always thought he'd be pretty good at it.
You see, Martin used to consider himself the best tag player in his neighborhood, and the way he figured it, if he could dominate a game of tag, he could probably dominate a game of football, too.
Turns out he might have been right.
With more than 60 of the family members and friends that he used to run away from during those games of tag cheering him on, the Buccaneers rookie running back ran into the NFL record books Sunday.
During a 42-32 victory over the Raiders at Oakland's O.co Coliseum, Martin ran 25 times for 251 yards and four touchdowns to become only the second player in the Super Bowl era to run for at least 250 yards and four touchdowns in a game.
He also became the first player in NFL history to score rushing TDs of 45, 67 and 70 yards in a single game, all while vaulting himself into contention for the NFL's rushing title, where he ranks third with 794 yards.
"I really just have to kind of take a step back and try to absorb it all," Martin said of his accomplishment. "It's really just kind of surreal. I mean, I'm just trying to do my job out there."
That running a football has become Martin's job is rather surreal in itself. After all, it wasn't until he was a freshman in high school that Martin even considered playing the game.
Far more interested in basketball, Martin didn't start playing football until some friends suggested he try putting the skills he used in those games of tag to some real use as a running back.
Never having paid much attention to the game, though, Martin had no idea how to play the position. So, in an effort to figure it all out he did what any other kid would have done: he went to his computer and did a Google search.
"A bunch of YouTube videos came up of running backs like Barry Sanders and Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith," Martin said. "So what I did was I just kind of tried to do what they did and take parts of their game and make them my own."
The tactic seems to have worked. In a few short years, the 31st pick in last April's draft has gone from football novice to a contender for the NFL's Rookie of the Year honors. Bucs coach Greg Schiano isn't surprised.
"He's a very patient runner with really good vision, and that's hard to teach," Schiano said. "The great backs I've been around, they all either have that or they don't.
"You can teach them plays and blocking schemes and all those things, but guys like Doug, they have a certain feel, a balance and strength, and when you have all those things, it's usually a pretty good package."
Martin's package of skills has been compared most often to Ravens running back Ray Rice. In recent weeks, though, Martin's style has been compared to that of an even more notable back, one he's rather familiar with.
"I've been saying since he first got here that he's got a little bit of Emmitt Smith in him," Bucs veteran defensive back Ronde Barber said. "He's got that shiftiness about him, for sure, that Emmitt had."
He's got a quick burst through the hole, too, and he used that along with his vision and balance to churn out those long gains against the Raiders, who are convinced they won't be the last team victimized by Martin's skill set.
"He's really shifty and he's got good speed and vision," linebacker Philip Wheeler said. "He's a good back and you're going to see a lot more of that out of him. He's just a really good back."
As good as he is, he's still learning, literally while on the run. Such was the case against the Raiders, whom Martin struggled to gain much ground against during the first half, largely because of a fundamental flaw.
While watching him run eight times for just 31 yards in that half, Schiano noticed that Martin was dropping his head as he ran through the hole, which was robbing him of the balance he needed to turn short runs into breakout gains.
Martin made the necessary adjustment at the half, and the game quickly changed as a result as he ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on his next three carries before breaking off the 67- and 70-yard TD runs that followed.
"I was getting to the line and stumbling on a few runs and so coach told me to, 'just keep your head up,' " Martin said. "After that, I did what he said and it helped me keep my balance and then, it was off to the races."
Martin's sudden surge in the race for the NFL's rushing title has put the Bucs back into the race for an NFC wild-card berth, and with Martin leading the offense, Barber likes his team's chances in that race.
"We have forever been the kind of team that just kind of stuck around and stuck around in games," Barber said. "But now we're scoring a lot of points, and that's huge.
"It's really fun to watch this team and to watch a guy like Doug Martin. All the praise he's getting he deserves because the kind of stuff he's doing right now, that's the stuff that gives a team a winning edge."


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Sleep Chic
"My travels inspired this room," says interior designer Betsy Burnham. "It's a big mix of styles: Asian accents, Mexican blankets, and the Union Jack!"
1. "The trick to mixing patterns is playing with fabrics and textures," says Burnham. Accents like embroidered pillows and a cotton blanket add dimension.
2. Burnham says this leafy green paint color "works best in a space with natural light and lots of white trim."
3. "One of my design tricks is to use a black wood finish against color," Burnham says of the bed. "It's classic and adds drama."
4. A white duvet is not boring: Think of it as a palate cleanser in a room as busy as this one.
Ground your look using this black-and-white-stripe rug from Ikea that Burnham loves: "I've used it in high-end and budget rooms," she says. "It goes almost anywhere." Stockholm Rand 6x8-foot rug, $299; ikea.com for stores.
23 Easy Organizing Ideas for Your Entire Life

subset: commoncrawl


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What role does he need to accept exactly? This team is currently ranked towards the bottom of the league offensively. We NEED another scorer, and so Idk what other role he would need to accept except to score the ball.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
He's the most accomplished scorer on the team. His style of offense (post ups, spot up 3's) will not interrupt Paul George's new offensive aggressiveness (most of his action comes with the ball in his hands, or running off screens)
Last year he played better defensively (with more effort) than he had in previous seasons.


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What do you feel is the central theme of the book?
Created: 09/24/12
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LOVE. Love of family and love of experiences found in a good book. Great love for both. Solid maturity in facing the inevitable using a tool (reading) to show love and continue experiencing a satisfactory life while it lasts.
The experience here was itself a "good ending".
Join Date: 03/13/12
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This book reinforces the importance of having quality time with a loved one for whom there is a definite final goodbye looming. Spending time with the loved one is very important. Those will be memories you will cherish. This book also shows that finding a common interest that is worthwhile and interesting (books!!) to talk about in this final stage of a loved one's life is valuable to all involved.
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Love and the capacity of literature to help you through life's darkest situations. Personally, books have helped me stay connected to many in my life, but they have really helped with my teenage sons and nephews. They are always amazed when I ask "What are you reading?" and I either have read the book or know the story. Talking about books has given us many great conversations and also provides a forum to discuss some of life's most difficult issues (and the occasional embarassing question!).
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Communication between people is so necessary and so difficult to do on more than a superficial level. Books can be a way to enter into those conversations in a non-threatening way, a way to share emotions when one isn't comfortable doing it openly.
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I'm only about a third of the way through the book, but it seems to me that communication is the main theme of this book, and the means of communication for Will and his mother, Mary Anne, is literature. In their "book club" discussions, their commonality is a shared love of books. It's easy for them to converse about the books they each love. Of course, entangled in the talks about the characters in their books are their own emotions, Will's and MaryAnne's, that is. Exposing their own feelings and fears directly would make them vulnerable. It's easier to talk about the feelings, hopes, dreams, etc. of fictional characters.
I wonder, though. It seems to me that Mary Anne would be able to talk openly to Will. Perhaps, she recognizes that Will needs the book club in order to communicate his feelings to her.
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SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Oliver Saunders is celebrating national recognition after being named as Young Swimmer of the Year at the Amateur Swimming Association Swimtastic Awards.
Saunders, who goes to Horningsham School on the Longleat estate, was honoured at a glittering Oscar-style ceremony at the Ponds Forge International Centre, rubbing shoulders with British swimming stars such as Ellie Simmonds, Hannah Miley and Kerri Anne Payne.
Saunders, who is a member of Frome Swimming Club, was nominated for his prestigious award by his swim teacher Simone Benhayon after becoming the youngest child in the country to complete the Aspire Channel Swim last year.
The youngster, who lives in West Woodlands, near Frome, raised over £1,200 for people with spinal injuries by swimming over 100 lengths a week on his way to completing 22 miles, the equivalent of the English Channel.
"It was awesome," said the award-winning swimmer.
"I got to wear Ellie Simmonds' gold medals and to swim with her and other Olympians.
"They were all very friendly and we had really good fun."
Mum Karen added: "I think that it was a bit of a shock for him to win the award but it's such a nice bit of recognition for him.
"It was a really glamorous ceremony and he even got to have a swim with some of the famous swimmers before the awards, which I know he really enjoyed.
"When he first started swimming, he was just a natural and he would just do so many lengths when you let him go – his brother Finley, nine, swims too.
"Doing the Channel swim was something that he really said he wanted to do and it was an amazing achievement for him and I think it's what made him stand out.
"He was doing something like 118 lengths a week and I set up a blog for him that was being followed by some Olympic athletes, like Hannah Miley – it was brilliant."


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Flamingo Land is a combined Theme Park and Zoo in North Yorkshire. Their slogan is 'wild animals, wilder rides' which is a good way of describing it.
=Getting there=
Flamingo Land is about an hour away from York City Centre and about 20 minutes away from Malton town centre.
There is a bus (number 840) that goes from Leeds - Whitby via York, Malton and Kirby Misperton (the stop for Flamingo Land). It costs £10.30 return from York which is quite expensive on top on the admission price and ends up being a very expensive day out! There is no train station nearby - the closest one is Malton and you can either get a bus or a taxi although I don't know how much this would cost - not cheap I imagine!
There is a lot of parking on site and it's a very short walk to the admission gates. The Park is quite well signposted and it's through some narrow country roads so be careful.
Flamingo Land is quite a pricey place because you can only get entry to the theme park and the zoo combined.
Currently a single admission for anybody over the age of 4 is £30 (under 3s are free) with a discounted price of £20 for seniors and disabled guests - no discount for students though which is unusual!
A family day ticket (2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children) is £100 and you can get a discount per person if you are travelling in a group of 12 or more. It is also cheaper to book online so that might be worth a go if you know when you'll be visiting.
During the summer the park is open from 9.30am-6pm ( or 4pm or 5pm depending on seasonal conditions - there will be a sign at the gates saying what time the park will close that day) and it closes over the winter months from 3rd November this year.
=Theme Park=
Whenever I've gone I don't really go on many of the rides as I'm not a huge thrill seeker - I mainly go for the zoo.
There are about 40 rides ranging from scenic to extreme - they're probably not up there with Thorpe Park or Alton Towers, but they look pretty exciting and I'm sure anyone who's a fan of rollercoasters and similar rides will enjoy themselves.
There are also a lot of smaller rides appropriate for younger children - even toddlers so it's not all for adrenaline junkies. This place is excellent at catering for whole families!
The queues aren't ever outrageous. I have never seen a queue that looked like it would take more than 20 minutes and I've been on very busy days.
I study a lot of Ecology modules at University and have been invited to a few talks at Flamingo Land on the research they do for conservation. They are doing some really fantastic work and really know how to look after their animals and make the most of their facilities to improve conservation efforts. The staff really care about the animals which is nice.
They have quite a large collection of animals including lions, tigers, lemurs, kangaroos, alpacas, penguins, giraffes, zebras and rhinos. You can look at their website to see a full list of animals. The penguins are always hugely popular and the tiger enclosure is built fantastically with a walkway high above the enclosure that gives a great view of the tiger if she's sitting in her favourite spot.
The lions have a nice enclosure that is best viewed on the splash ride that goes round the 'savannah' with zebras and giraffes and then right above the lion enclosure before splashing down through water. There is a wallaby walk in which you can walk right through the wallaby enclosure with no bars between you and the animals - they have a large collection of albino wallabies which is something to see.
All the animals look happy, but if you are with young children it might be a bit frustrating at times because some animals are hardly visible. The enclosures have been built with places for the animals to 'hide' from public view which is important for their wellbeing, but not so fun when your kids want to see them!
One bad thing about the zoo is that a lot of people there aren't there to see the animals - they have come for the rides and are just doing a quick walk round the zoo. These people are often very disrespectful towards the animals and it makes me really cross. I am very passionate about conservation and animals in general and the way some of the visitors treat the animals is appalling. I've never seen it at another zoo because at other zoos people are going purely to see the animals. I've seen people throw cigarette butts into enclosures, shout at the animals and throw food such as crisps into the enclosures which can be very damaging to the animals' health. I know a lot of work is going on to sort this problem out and it's not really a reflection on the zoo itself as they do have signs up, but for me it does ruin the experience.
=General Facilities=
There are a number of food outlets serving baguettes, paninis, fish and chips etc, but I always take my own food and have not had a chance to try any of the outlets. It's not outrageously priced, but still more expensive than a home-made sandwich. There are vending machines dotted all around with soft drinks and chocolate bars. There is also an 18+ Sports Bar if you fancy an alcoholic beverage.
There are plenty of toilets, but perhaps not as many as there should be. I often find myself wondering for a long time before finding any!
The Gift Shop is the same as any other Zoo Gift shop with lots of nice animal themed gifts that your children will beg you for! This gift shop does, however have a nifty photo area where you can have your picture taken with your family and then superimposed onto fun backgrounds - a nice souvenir.
Overall I'm going to give it 3/5. I love the zoo, but I think it's a bit silly you don't have the option to only visit the zoo (or only visit the theme park) so you end up paying a lot of money and being around people who treat the animals badly. If, however, you do enjoy both parts this is excellent value for money as you get two days out in one. To access via public transport is a pain and very expensive so it's best to drive where possible
In my teenage years I used to visit this theme park several times a year and would hop on a coastliner bus from York which took about 30 minutes. I hadn't visited for a few years until earlier this year when a friend and I took her teenage sister and her friend for a day out. I was shocked to find out that the price has increased a lot since I was last there and they no longer sell childrens tickets, they must pay the adult price. This is for children over 4 which I think is ridiculous as a 4 or 5 year old would not be allowed on the majority of the rides as there are height restrictions in place. There doesn't seem to be offers as there are at other theme parks, Alton Towers is now cheaper than Flamingoland and there is much more to see and do for your money. Lightwater Valley has free entry for those under 1m in height which is a very good idea as the larger rides are only for people over this height.
The park is open from 10.00am - 6.00pm
We purchased the family ticket which was £95 for 2 adults + 2 children.
The single price for adults or children over 4 is £28.50
Disabled people or senior citizens - £19
Season Ticket (1 adult) - £100 - Unlimited entry for a year
Family Season Ticket (2 adults + 2 children or 1 adult + 3 children)
Group prices are also available for large groups.
Located off the A169 in Malton, the theme park can be reached by the coastline bus, national express bus, car or if travelling by train the nearest station is Malton.
The park is on flat ground, it isn't huge and you could walk around it easily in an hour or so without stopping to go on rides, it is suitable for those with walking difficulties and disabilities.
The zoo has plenty of animals including unsurprisingly, Flamingoes. There are regular parrot shows throughout the day.
There is a section housing farm animals including ponies, goats, chickens and rabbits.
There are snakes,frogs, tortoises, giraffes, tigers, monkeys, lions, hippos, penguins and much more and you could walk around looking at the animals for an hour or two.
The park has a good mixture of scenic rides, childrens rides, short rollercoasters and thrill rides.
They have all the standard rides you would expect at a theme park such as a pirate ship, log flume, dodgems, carousels, wildmouse and corkscrew along with some unique coasters.
I'm a bit of a coaster wimp and looking at some of the tracks wobbling around the place didn't help much so I kindly offered to hold the coats and bags for half the day!
One of he rides I did brave was the Cliffhanger, a bit like the Playstation they had at Blackpool (long time since I was there not sure if it's still there). On this ride you sit with your back to the tower and get launched 180 ft into the air to the top of the tower, I opened my eyes briefly and it's a great view of the park and surrounding areas you get from up there but I wasn't long closing them again, they then drop you back down again and up and down a couple of times. My stomach was all over the place getting off this one but it was fun all the same.
The log flume is an enjoyable family ride in the summer, though you might need to purchase the plastic raincoat things if the weathers not great. We got wet but not absolutely soaked through and had a good laugh at my friend and her wet white outfit!
For those who want something more extreme Mumbo Jumbo is probably the one for you, the worlds steepest steel rollercoaster drop, needless to say I couldn't even look as my friends were about to veer over the edge and I'm stood watching from afar, they went on a couple of times and loved it.
If you want to stay for a few nights there is also a holiday park. I think that a day or two at the most is enough to see everything in the theme park and zoo itself, there are a few more facilities available for those staying in the resort if you want to extend your stay for a few nights. These facilities include:
Angling - You will need to take a rod for this or buy/hire them. You must also pay a rod license of £2 per day and buy tackle and bait in the shop on site.
Golf - A 9 hole course, cost of £5 per day plus hiring clubs and balls if you don't have your own.
Gym, sauna and pool with slide.
Cabaret, comedy and dancing in The Club each evening.
There is a choice of caravan, log cabin or lodge ranging in price from around £600 - £1400 for 6 people for a week including park entry. The prices vary depending on which accommodation you select and at what time of year you visit. 3 and 4 night stays are available for bank holiday weekends for between £600-£700.
I think a week would be too long unless you want to kick back and relax for most of the week. It would be much more cost effective to stay nearby and pay the park entry fee.
There is a bar with shows family shows open throughout the day, it is also on an evening for those staying in the holiday park.
There is also a sweet shop and souvenir shop and a couple of fast food shops.
We got baguettes and drinks in the Muddy Duck cafe which is located in the zoo area. We were expecting it to be more expensive than normal but thought £30 for 4 baguettes and drink was a bit excessive and they weren't that nice. They offer packed lunches for children but I didn't see how much they were as we were a bit old for them.
We were hungry again a couple of hours later and spent another £20 on portions of chips and drinks.
The bar was about average price for drinks at around £2.80 for a pint of lager which seems to be about the going rate it this area.
The queues weren't as bad as I remembered them being years ago but perhaps this was due to us visiting on a weekday.
There is a good range of rides and the zoo is fun, there are a good few newer rides now, there's still the odd couple that have been there for as long as I can remember and could really do with updating. To be honest I thought in comparison with other theme parks this one was quite costly, it was nearly £100 for the entry alone on top of the cost of getting there. We then spent over £50 on food and drink which could have easily been more if we had bothered with any souvenirs etc.
Quite a few things seem to be getting worn and closed for maintenance such as the cable cars. Overall it's a decent park but just a bit pricey in my opinion
We visited Flamingoland last week on the way back from our holiday in Yorkshire. Flamingoland is based in North Yorkshire on a very large site, situated off the A169 Malton to Pickering Road . It is basically a theme park and a zoo in the same place. It is very easy to spot as you can see the rides before you approach the park.
Whilst the exact dates vary, the park opens late March until October. The park is open until 4pm in winter, and 6pm in the other seasons. It opens at 9.30am, although a lot of the rides do not open until 10am or 10.30am depending on the ride. When we arrived it was 10:45am and a lot of the rides hadn't yet opened which was a bit annoying!
It is quite expensive though not as expensive as other theme parks or attractions. You can get half price vouchers on eBay for approx £5, and anyone who visits the park gets half price vouchers (one per person) for another visit. The typical prices without discount are:
Adults and children over 4: £27
Children 3 years and under: Free
OAPs and Disabled plus carer: £18
Family ticket (2 adults and 2 kids or 1 adult and 3 kids): £95 which saves you £13.
Children who are 3 or under but look older are asked to bring photo ID (how ridiculous, a kid's passport is £50 anyway)
The site is massive and there is ample parking (which is free). There are also ample disabled parking bays at the front. There shouldn't be far to walk from where you park unless it is full, as the car park is very wide and right at the entrance. You pay at a booth and are given a map of the site and vouchers. You then hand your ticket to a member of staff and enter via a turnstile.
There are free shows shown at various times throughout the day, at least 3 times. There is a sea lion show, a bongo warriors show and a bird show. We saw the bird show and it was amazing - the birds were really close and well trained. The arena was massive too. There is usually a star show too, like Postman Pat for example - however we went last week (beginning of October) and there was no show on.
There are a couple of gift shops which sell the usual overpriced tacky souvenirs. You can also have your photo added to a backdrop of your choice, like a lion's cage, which actually looks quite good! There's a Starbucks which serves coffee and a few snacks like sausage rolls. There are various ice-cream cabins too. There's a pub which serves nice but expensive food, and various other outlets and cafes for food, hot dogs etc. All of them are overpriced but you expect it!
There are the usual 'skill' games like shooting targets etc. that you expect at a fairground. There are 7 extreme rides too: Corkscrew (rollercoaster that well, corkscrews!), Cliffhanger (180 feet high, shoots you up and then down, very scary and I didn't dare try it, it's one of the highest rides in Europe) Flip Flop (one of those two and fro type rides), Sky Flyers (two carriages that criss cross at the top and go round in circles), Velocity (a motorbike simulator ride), Mumbo Jumbo (the steepest rollercoaster in the world) and finally Kumali (a suspension rollercoaster, suspended from the top not the bottom). Needless to say I didn't have the stomach for any of these after watching them!!
There's a giant log flume that soaks you and a water 'splash' zone with lots of wet rides suitable for all ages really (if supervised) including a water pistol that you can squirt at anyone (it's massive).
My daughter is just under 2 so we weren't expecting to spend long at Flamingoland as we didn't anticipate there being much she could do apart from the zoo. However we were pleasantly surprised at the number of young children's rides like carousels, spinning helicopters etc. We spent all day there and didn't leave until closing. There were a few runalong trains that we were able to go on, and a few mini rollercoaster train type rides too. My daughter absolutely loved all the rides! She especially loved 'driving' the trains lol. There aren't loads of baby rides but there are a few. The rides are categorised as 'children only' (more suited to over 3s), "adults only", "height restricted" (42 inches tall) or "height restricted unless with an adult" and the rides have coloured logos so you know which is which. This meant that my daughter could actually go on a lot more rides than expected as we were with her.
A good ride was the children's haunted house - not very spooky of course but a good giggle!
There are no dedicated pushchair parking zones but we were able to leave the pushchair outside the rides (taking all valuables with us of course) and everyone else seemed to do this too.
All in all, a great theme park for all ages really!
This was the part I was most looking forward to but it was slightly disappointing. It is on a massive site so it is a very long walk which I don't like lol. It meant that we had to take the pushchair as it would be far too much walking for a toddler.
The zoo has a reptile house which was pretty much empty when we went as they were relocating it - but there were a few snakes, lizards, turtles etc. There is an aquarium which was rather disappointing - a few tanks of big fish and then a few of 'normal' fish like guppies etc. There's a children's part which has pigs, cows and the usual farm animals, and there are 16 different types of bird.
The other animals include: lions, camels, Tapir, Sea Lions, Chimpanzee, Giraffe, Baboon, Hippo, Lechwe, Lemurs, Mangabey, Meerkats, Mara, Kangeroo, Wallerby, Bat, Onyx, Tiger, Vicugna, Saki and Rhino.
The namesake flamingos were hard to spot - and so far away it was hard to photograph them, yet there was no close access or any alternative other than to try and spot them from the bridge. A bit of a disappointment!
The lion enclosure is in the middle of the log flume ride, so if you don't fancy riding that and/or getting wet., don't expect to get a good look at the lions as the access to them is limited. The tiger enclosure on the other hand is very easily accessed and you can look at them through the glass or from above.
There is a 4d cinema experience - basically where the seats throw you around a bit - which is ok but annoying, and children have to sit on the static seats at the front which is a huge downside as it means that either a) you have to miss out on the 4d and sit with them like I did, or b) you can't supervise them which is useless if you have a toddler. The clip at the time was 'cloudy with a chance of meatballs'.
There is a soft play area which is unsupervised but quite good, it's indoors but there were so many children ignoring the age/height restrictions that I really wouldn't recommend it for toddlers. There is a huge outdoor play area with the usual slides etc. but again more suited to slightly older kids, say 4+
There are ample toilet and baby changing facilities which were clean, and the rest of the park was actually surprisingly clean especially for a zoo. The food and drink facilities are widespread so you don't have to go far for something to eat or drink.
A big disappointment is the experiences, like the 'meerkat' experience, need to be paid for, at a hefty £20 each. This is ridiculous, I certainly wouldn't pay that just to get a bit closer and *maybe* touch one! You can also pay to be a keeper for the day which is £150 in advance.
The enclosures were clean and spacious which is nice to see, and the park uses reclaimed or renewable timber pretty much everywhere - it's very eco friendly.
All in all, very expensive but a nice day out!
As we are only about an hour or so away Flamingo Land is a usual trip we take every year this year being the first time we have missed visiting for as long as I can remember. Flamingo Land is situated off the A169 Malton to Pickering Road and is very easy to find even easier as you are able to see the higher rides well before you actually reach the gates.
The exact dates of opening vary each year but it opens around the end of March and doesn't shut again until October time, the times the park is open vary also depending on which part of the season it is but the park opens at 9.30am each day, the rides start at 10am and the park shits at either 4pm, 5pm or 6pm for which there is a sign as you enter the park.
We always use our Tesco Clubcard vouchers to visit the attraction however this year this offer seems to have been withdrawn. The prices for a visit are,
Adult and children over 4 - £27.00
Children 3 years and under - free
Senior Citizens - £18.00
Disabled plus carer - £18.00
You can buy a family ticket for £95.00 which covers either 2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children which is a saving of £13.
On entering the attraction there are different lanes to follow depending on whether you are with a coach party or in a car, there is plenty of parking which is free of charge and you don't have to walk too far to the entrance. You pay at a booth before entry and you are also provided with a map before entering through a turnstile where your tickets are checked.
There are always shows going on at Flamingo land and when we visited last year Postman Pat had taken up residence for the season which we thought was great as our daughter was a huge Postman Pat fan. The show was based around the three main characters but the characters were huge and loud and played in a darkened theatre which my daughter didn't like. There are shows by bongo warriors, Parrots and Sea Lions which are really entertaining and it never ceases to amaze me what these animals can be trained to do.
There are plenty of places to eat and drink within the park all of which are overpriced but that is what you come to expect of these places, we always take a packed lunch and will only actually buy ice creams whilst there. There are sweet shops, gift shops, a pub to the rear and numerous stalls set up with different tasks where you can win huge cuddly toys needless to say these are set in such a way that hardly anyone manages to win so we do tend to steer clear of them.
There are 7 extreme rides in Flamingo Land, there is the Corkscrew which has been there for as long as I can remember at least 15 years which I think is amazing that a ride of that age is still so popular it was in fact one of the very first rollercoasters I rode yet it still gives a thrill when you reach the top just before the very first drop.
Cliffhanger is 180 feet in height and one of the highest vertical drop rides in Europe, it literally shoots you up in the air to shoot you straight back down. I personally haven't got the stomach for this ride and even watching people on it turns my stomach although my husband had rode it and enjoyed it.
A newer ride which I haven't seen yet is Flip Flop and then there is another firm favourite in Velocity. This is a rollercoaster set as if you are sitting on a motorbike although I would say that this ride isn't long enough as it goes that fast it is over before you realise it's began.
There is an old favourite in sky flyers which is two long carriages which fly around in circles and cross over at the top, I remember a ride like this when I was young but this one has since been revamped.
Finally of the seven there are the two main rollercoasters Mumbo Jumbo and Kumali, Mumbo Jumbo is the steepest rollercoaster in the world and Kumali is a suspension rollercoaster so you are attached to the rails from the top rather than the bottom. Kumali was the last rollercoaster I rode and the one I came off deciding that I am getting old and can no longer stomach rollercoasters!
There are loads of other rides to keep you busy at the attraction, the usual galley ship and log flume aswell as a water park an water rides where you are able to point a massive water pistol and squirt at people stood anywhere near the ride, my daughter really loved this ride. There are numerous kids rids and they have a mini cliffhanger, mini galley ship along with the usual carousel rides and many more. My daughter was three when we last visited and she was big enough to ride the majority of the childrens rides and there were enough there to keep her busy all day which is where I think some theme parks are lacking as they don't want to give too much space to rides for the tiny children but Flamingo land is brilliant for these.
The zoo in Flamingo Land is simply amazing, I remember the zoo from me being tiny when they still had elephants there and I can only say it has improved every year I have visited. There are Lions, camels, Tapir, Sea Lions, Chimpanzee, Giraffe, Baboon, Hippo, Lechwe, Lemurs, Mangabey, Meerkats, Mara, Kangeroo, Wallerby, Bat, Onyx, Tiger, Vicugna, Saki and Rhino. As you can see from the list there are a huge array of animals and there is also a reptile house and a childrens zoo with pigs and other normal farm animals and 16 different types of birds.
My personal favourite are the Tigers, their enclosure can be seen through glass around the sides but is also open at the top and you are able to look in from above. One year when we went I took a photo of the Tiger and he didn't like the camera flash so he jumped straight up at the glass right in front of me which really was an amazing sight. The one thing that lets the zoo down is the Lion enclosure, this is based in the centre of the log flume ride so you have to ride the log flume to get a really good look. There is a viewing area inside the drop of the log flume but every time I have been the Lions have been at the other end of the enclosure and therefore I have never got a good view since they were moved from their old enclosure.
Flamingo Land are also very involved in conservation, research and forest monitoring called the Udzungwa Forest Project which personally I think is great as they actually care about the animals and their environment and not just making money from them. I think this is the best zoo I have ever visited and you find that all the animals have plenty of room and always seem to have clean enclosures.
Flamingo land keep coming up with new ways to keep their guests entertained, you can now visit a 4D cinema, handle some animals or you can even pay to be a zoo keeper for the day.
All facilities in the park I have always found to be clean and well stocked, there are ample toilets around the park and plenty for baby changing and disabled. There are numerous little huts serving ice creams, chips and drinks throughout the grounds so you don't have to search if you do want to buy something.
One of my very earliest memories as a child is going to flamingo land with my parents and our dog, myself and my Dad were on the monorail and the dog was pulling my Mam to try and get up the steps to the platform to reach us. Further round the park on the same day the Dog and the Wolves which were there then had a stand-off with each other with the wire of the enclosure between them, strange really as our dog was a Groendahl which looks quite Wolf like. I think the fact that I can remember these times this many years ago (I'm not far from 30) shows just how good this place really is, I will continue to take my children and can't wait to visit again next year.
Yesterday I went to Flamingo Land with my boyfriend and we both enjoyed it that much that I thought I would steer away from my usual reviews of hair & beauty products and attempt to write a review on this instead.
I'm off work for a week and my boyfriend has just finished uni and had his last exam on monday, so we planned to go to Flamingo Land one day this week but as we don't live too far away we could easily get up on the morning and see what the weather was like and choose wether to go that day or wait for another day, so long as it wasn't the weekend because we wanted to go while kids are at school!
We looked on the Flamingo Land website for the opening times which were 9.30am till 4pm, 5pm, or 6pm depending on the time of season and it stated that closing times are advertised at the admissions area on arrival. Gates would open at 9.30am and rides would open from 10am. It took us 1 hour and 45 mins to get there and we arrived at 10am. Admission price was £27 each, which is the same all year round for adults and children aged four or over. For children ages three or under it is free and senior citizens it is £18. If you are going as a family you can get a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children, or 1 adult and 3 children, for £95.
We were a bit too excited to get in there that we didn't even notice what time it would be closing! We realised at 4pm when all of the staff started to head towards the gates and leave, but we were expecting it to be this time anyway as it isn't the busiest time of the year and so it was quiet. Whereas during the summer holidays when it will be the busiest time of the year, they will close at 5 or 6pm.
As Flamingo Land is a theme park and zoo, and I love animals and visiting zoo's, I was very keen to go see some animals straight away. We walked over to the Zoo part which is to the right end of the park, you will easily come to it as long as you head right, but you do get a map at admissions so you can easily check to find out where you are and where certain animals are as they are clearly stated on the map too. I was surprised at how big the zoo part was! I have been to Flamingo Land before but years ago when I was younger, and don't ever remember it being that big. We only looked at some of the animals then went on some rides, planning on going to see the rest of the animals later.
We got on every single ride straightaway. There was no queues not even for the big rollercoasters. We thought it wouldn't be busy but we still expected to have little queues for the rides, but it was like that all day! They had signs in the queue areas telling you how long you had left to wait at certain points. We just walked straight past all these and couldn't believe our luck! Some rides had 120 mins and 60 mins wait points. I would never wait that long for a ride and so if I did go again while the kids are off school, I would definitely buy a Q-jumper. There were certain points in the park where you could buy these, so you don't have to buy one at admissions if you would rather see what the queues are like first. All of these points were closed when i was there though obviously because they were not needed! I could come off a ride and get straight back on it if I wanted to, the only reason I didn't is because I didn't want to make myself sick from doing that all day!
All of the rides were on except for Kumali, a big rollercoaster, because it was getting repairs done to it. We weren't too disappointed though because all of the others were on and we weren't too sure if they would be as it was a very windy day. All of the rides are listed on the Flamingo Land website so I won't list them all here and describe everyone that I went on, but I can say there are rides for all the family.
As well as rides there was the zoo which I briefly mentioned, amusements and lots of food malls and stalls. Not all of the food stalls were open, but there was still plenty that was open and i could have got served straight away wherever I went. I went into the food mall that is near the gates where they had a gift shop inside, a little Starbucks, a sandwich and pastry stand and a burger and hot dog part. You could sit inside the mall too if you liked to eat your food which I did, because although it was sunny and I did get a little burnt, it was too windy to sit outside and eat. It would be lovely to eat outside there when the weather is lovely though as they had picnic areas around the whole of the park, so you could even take your own picnic if you would prefer that.
After I ate I thought it would be best not to go on rides straightaway, so I went back over to the zoo. All of the animals they have are also listed on their website. They also have a mini farm with little rides in that would be great for children. This part of the park also had a Costa Coffee (if you prefer that to Starbucks!). They also had a reptile house where there was a zoo keeper who stopped to talk to us and tell us a little about some of the reptiles, and let us watch him feeding them.
I will mention one of the rides, The Lost River, which takes you on the river around some of the animals so you can get an even closer look. Although beware as you can get very wet from this ride! It has a drop at the end then takes you past some waterfalls where if you are sitting on one side of the boat, you have no choice but to get soaked! This can be fun though especially for children who wouldn't mind getting wet, as you can dry very quickly if its sunny. They also have a wet play area for children (although I went on it too and saw a few others my age running around in it too!) where there are fake trees and plants that squirt water out and holes in the ground that do too. You can also climb onto a ship and squirt people with water guns. There really is lots for all the family. There are dryers that you can stand in to get dried off very quickly, but these cost £2. My only complaint is that I think these should be free, and so I didn't use them and just dried off by walking around.
I loved my visit to Flamingo Land and thought it was well worth £27 as I got to go on each of the rides more than once due to there being no queues, but in the summer I don't think I would like to pay that much as most of the day would consist pf queuing for rides. Therefore if you don't have children and can go when they are at school, I would highly recommend it!
Last year we stayed at Flamingo Land over the August bank holiday and has a fantastic time. We stayed for three nights in a brand new Gold Fleet caravan which was spotlessley clean, modern and roomy. The staff were very pleasent and helpful and we felt thoroughly looked after during our stay.
There was so much to do and the park caters for the young and old with larger, more thrilling rides as well as more gentler choices for the younger or less adventurous people among us. Whilst we were there we found the park to be very claen and well maintain.
The zoo was a joy to explore and we found the animals well looked after and kept in large enclosures with well designed observation look out points. There is also the oppertunity to be 'zoo keeper for the day' (subject to an extra fee) which allows guests to be up close to the animals with hands on experience of zoo keeping. The shows are also well worth visiting as it shows the animals at their finest.
Within the Holiday Village there is a well stocked shop, although it is very expensive so i would advise anyone to pack carefully before leaving! There is also a swimming pool and gym and night time entertainment.
The only down side is the cost. It cost us £600 for three nights and although this includes access all areas if you are planning to eat out to it can soon amount to quite a lot of money.
I would like to write a review about my recent trip to Flamingo Land, Malton, North Yorkshire.
I have been here several times as it is quite near to where I live and thoroughly enjoying it every time! My most recent trip was a couple of months ago; I visited the theme park with my Mother, her partner, their two children (aged 7 & 9) and my boyfriend. Every single one of us loved it! It really is one for all the family with a wide range of rides and attractions to keep everyone amused.
I will write next to the rides I went on/thought were particularly good!
X treme rides
(Those for the older people who like a thrill!)
- Cliffhanger - This is a verticle drop ride in the shape of a circle facing outwards it looks like a huge lighthouse which takes you up and down - I cannot comment on how good this ride is once you are on it as not once have I dared go on it (not keen on the funny feeling in my tummy and haven't manned it yet) however my mum and boyfriend did go on and loved it!
- Corkscrew - Standard roller coaster, doesn't last very long, not very scary and it's been there forever!!
- Flip Flop - Big circle rollercoaster you sit in with legs dangling - go's above water and make you giggle lots!! When it gets to the top you move out of your seat a little (you are barred in though) and it makes you feel as though you are about to fly, very amusing think we went on it at least 5 times and at the end when we had time for one more ride everyone voted flip flop - besides the kids who didn't dare come on but I think they would have loved it if they'd dared!!
- Mumbo Jumbo "Record breaking high speed" Good ride!! Over far too quick!!
- Kumali - Rollercoaster that you sit in and your legs dangle - I like this ride but we qued for a LONG time and again I think it could have been a longer ride!
- Sky Flyer - two ships above water that meet in the middle - think every park has one, it is fun and you get the slight feeling in your tummy - just not too much!!
- Velocity - motorbikes, it is 'the tallest and fastest creation of its kind in the world' I LOVE this ride, its awesome, the photo takes as soon as you leave and your face looks kinda squished!! Very fast but its great!
Family rides
- 4D Cinema - Sponge bob for the kids, we qued for about 10 minutes and it didn't really seem like a lot was going on so we opted out of this one!!
- Balloon Race - The kids loves this ride, your just in a balloon that spins around, they thought it was amazing though!!
- Cycle Monorail - I'm far too lazy for this, you basically bike around the park on a monorail!
- Gallopers - Horse carousel ride
- Little monsters den of mischief - this is great the special effects are amazing, you sit in a little cart for two and it go's around the little house and takes a photo on the way! If your wearing white you also glow in the dark!!
- Lost river ride
- Muddy duck tractor rise
- Pedaloes
Splash Battle - In this you sit in a little boat with a water gun attached to it and have to aim for the other people, in attempt for non streaky fake tan and no frizz I did opt out of this one (yes I'm a big girl!!!) But the kids loved it!!
- The Dodgems - Always fun!!
- The Navigator
- Voodoo
- Wagon Wheel
- Wave swinger
- Wild Mouse - Most of us liked this - sharp corners and a few drops it is funny but the 7 year old came off crying...not for everyone!!
Kids Rides
- frog hopper
- fun slides
- helitoys
- hms bounty
- junior carousals
- junior coasters
- junior driving school
- junior roundabouts
- play areas
- rockin' tug
Scenic rides
These get you from one side of the park to the other! Quite fun though and you get to see the views along the way!
- cable cars
- daktari express
- people mover
- zoo monorail
There is also a Zoo at Flamingo land which is great, we didn't get to stay there for long due to running out of time but you can see it from the zoo monorail and the cable cars so they are well worth going on if you are running out of time!
Zoo animals:
African lion
Sea lion
Fruit battiger
Along with many farm animals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Food is a RIP OFF!!! If you can take a packed lunch! I got a TINY little juice carton and paid over £2.00 for it! Take food, snacks and drinks if your going to make a day of it! If money is no object then see below for the different places you can eat...
Fish and chips:
Frankies Fish and chips
Something fishy take away
Boma Café
Flamingto Tea room
Jungle joe's food court
Metro Duner
Waterfront café
Muddy duck café
Rollercoaster tribute café
- American Diner - We went here although the food was really nice I still think we paid far too much for it!! I think it was around £10 per meal which doesn't seem too much but when your already paying a lot for the day and if theres a family it really does add up, I'd say its pretty standard food too!
Jolly Sailor resteraunt
Metropolis bar and grill
The Coach house
Standard admission prices:
Adults and Children four years old and over £25.00
Children three years old and under. Proof of age may be required* Free
Senior Citizens £12.50
Disabled Guests and Carers. Official proof required £12.50 each
Group admission prices :
Large Group (25 or more paying visitors)
Pre-paid** £18.50
On arrival £20.50
Mini Group (12 - 24 Paying Visitors)
Pre-paid ** £20.50
On Arrival £22.50
===Family Ticket===
(2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children) £90.00
Season Tickets :
Ticket Type Price
Family of four £350.00
Single £100.00
Flamingo Land is open every day from Saturday 20th March until Sunday 31st October.
During the season, our gates open at 9.30am. Our rides and attractions open from 10.00 am - 4.00pm, 5.00pm or 6.00pm (closing times are dependant on time of season and are advertised at the admissions area on arrival).
I would highly reccomend going as early as possible to get as much in your day as possible and get as much out of your money as you can! :)
From the A64/A170, Flamingo Land is situated off the A169 Malton to Pickering Road.
Our local train station is at Malton - for further details please call 08457 484950.
The National Express drops off at York (tel 08705 808080) and from York. Or you can catch the Yorkshire Coastliner, (tel 01653 692 556 or 0113 244 8976) from York railway station, which drops off at Flamingo
Overall it is a fab day out for people of all ages!
Plenty to see and do so get there as early as possible
Take lots of money OR a packed lunch and drinks!!
Best on a sunny day so you can get a tan whilst queing!!!
I would reccomend this to ANYONE! :)
This review is also on Ciao under the same name!
I visited the Flamingo Land Theme Park just this past week (Wednesday 14th July) in the middle of a mid week break in York. Its about an hour and a half bus ride away but having not been to the park for around 10 years and keen for a visit I went with my girlfriend and in all had an excellent day.
First off, the price of admission for an adult is now £25 which is good value considering the range of rides. Particularly, if like we did you go during off-peak days then its ideal as you can get on the full range of rides and most attractions more than once. In my time there from 10.30am till 5pm I managed to go on every ride intended for adults and most more than once meaning it worked out at about £1 a time. When you factor into this the Zoo it's a good value day out. There aren't as many rides as say AltonTowers but more than enough to keep you busy.
The main rides for adults and teens are as followes....
Veloctiy - Takes the form of a Superbike, sitting in twos on a short rollercoaster track. As the name suggest the draw here is in the sheer speed you reach at the start. From a standing start you just zoom and there is nothing quite like it. The sense of speed is amazing.
Corkscrew - One of the oldest rides at the park, the corkscrew is a rollercoaster with two main drops and two "corkscrew" twists lasting a minute or so. It's a fairly standard but still fun rollercoaster and has the advantage of tending to have the least queues of the main rides
Cliffhanger - 12 people sitting round a pole, shot high up into the air. Easily the highest ride I have been on and the force of being pulled up is a unique. Then dropping back is even scarier. It stalls at the top and you get an amazing view of the surrounding area and park for miles around.
Mumbo Jumbo - One of the best rides Ive been on in a long time. A small rollercoaster which turns you upside down, inside out and does a anti-horizontal drop (dunno if that's the word but it's a drop where you go back on yourself if that makes sense) best ride of the day easily!
Kumali - Typical rollercoaster in which you hang with legs dangling from the track above you. Fast and turns you upside down and around for a shortish ride but a thrilling one nonetheless.
Also on display are upside down pirate ships, a log fume which tours you around the wildlife of the park before getting you absolutely drenched....one of best waterpark rides easily, a few spinner rides included a unique one of bikes and a huge disc, dodgems, pirate ships and the large swings.
There also seemed to be loads for kids of all ages from tiny tots rides to those that will give kids thrills as well as monorails, air carts and bikes going round the park.
Splosh is also a good area for nippers with loads to do from fountains, water play parks and Splash Battle which is a short course on rails ride which you slowly go round armed with water canons blasting other ships. I would have loved this as a kid (heck I was half tempted for a cheeky go now).
I didn't much visit the zoo other than the Lion den and Giraffe park which the log fume takes you past so cant comment much but there were plenty of other free shows including bird shows, sea lion displays and dancing events as well as Postman pat show for kids so there is definatky plenty to do.
Pool tables, amusements, fun fair games and novelty street acts to boot make even more for those bored of riding or looking to let lunch settle before having stomachs turned on another ride.
Speaking of lunch there are plenty of places to eat from American Diners (although I would not recommend the one near the corkscrew as it was overpriced and quite foul), hot dog stalls, fish and chip shops and a small pub serving slightly better food.
And finally if you get bored of the stresses of a day of riding and queuing then theres the sports bar for a cheeky pint!!!
All in all I and my girlfriend (aged 24 and 21) had an excellent, fun filled dday at Flamingo Land. You could spend a fortune if you played all the arcade and fun fair games as well as bought the photo souvenirs each time you come off a ride that they try and sell you (unique one was a DVD of your ride on Kumali which I nearly bought but £8 was a bit much) . But the £25 admission fare is well worth it for what you get.....rides, zoo, entertainment......theres something for all at Flamingo Land and its well worth visiting!
Also appears on dooyoo!
me and my family went to stay at flamingo land for a week in a caravan and we had a great week in April 2010. We thought the rides were great and we never got bored of them and the ques for the rides were great because the most we had to wait for them was 15 minutes.The weather was great as we had sunshine for most of the week.The night entertainment was great as we had different entertainment each night and it was great.We went to the swimming baths and the we all enjoyed the swimming baths even though the water was quite cold.we thought that the velocity was the best as we loved the speed of it and the power.we also loved the kumali, flip flop , cliff hanger,corkscrew,mumbo jumbo and many others but you must ride velocity as it is great. Our caravan was beautiful and worth the money.we are planning to arrive same time next year and we looking forward to it.
I have decided to write a review about flamingoland as I have recently booked to stay there in one of their log cabins in the summer time. My family and I visited flamingoland about 7 times last year and each time we went we were very pleased.
Flamingoland is a theme park that is based in malton, north Yorkshire. I wouldn't say it was the best theme park around today as it doesn't hold much compared to places like Alton towers and Drayton manor however it is the next step up from light water valley and it does have a good set up of rides which include:
Kids rides:
Frog hopper
Fun slides
Boat shaped soft play area
Junior driving school
Junior roller coasters
Junior roundabouts
Rocking tug boat
Flamingoland has a good choice of rides for the kids and they are situated nicely to ensure as your walking though the park there is always something for the kids. Flamingoland also has a postman pat show available throughout the day which is nice for the kids to see, well my daughter enjoyed it anyways and so did I.
Flamingoland also has a small farmed area where your children can have a fun tractor ride and visit the farm animals. For more rare animals visitors can walk around the zoo area and see animals such as tapir, kangaroos, monkeys and of course flamingos. Near the exit of the zoo you can also find a children's play area.
In the summer kids can enjoy the splash area of flamingoland where there is squirting equipment and lots of rides and boats to hide in. This area is great when it's sunny as the kids really enjoy it.
Family rides:
4-D SpongeBob cinema (makes you feel sick but worth it)
Balloon ride
Cycle monorail
Little monsters den
Log ride (gets you soaked from head to toe)
Navigator - spins and navigates
Voodoo - pirate ship
Wagon wheel - wagon shaped big wheel
Wild mouse - rollercoaster
Scary rides:
Cliffhanger - massive drop ride
Corkscrew - simple rollercoaster which double loops
Flip flop - back and forth swinger
Kumali - looping suspended coaster
Velocity - bike designed that reaches 60mph in 2.8 seconds
Sky flyer - shipped theme that goes upside down
A few times of visiting flamingoland was the odd Sunday when the kids had school the following day and we had no trouble whatsoever getting on the rides as there wasn't many ques at all however when it is term time you can expect to wait up to an hour and a half for the bigger rides.
Flamingoland also has a few scenic rides for the not so adventurous these include:
Cable cars
People mover
You can also visit the aquarium where you can veiw the sea lions and lots of tropical fish.
Flamingoland also offers a few shows free of charge these include the bird show, sea lion show and the bongo warriors. The bongo warriors are dancers and they are very entertaining and definitely worth the watch.
Extra money may be needed when entering the park as there are a lot of games to win prizes and they aren't cheap. I tried to say no to my daughter but when they advertise prizes such as SpongeBob and Mickey Mouse it can be hard. The games aren't designed to be easy and are just a matter of sheer luck.
As you will see by the above flamingoland has plenty to offer any family and it is a great day out. I love the set up of the park as you can walk all the way round and the rides seem to be in conjunction with the walkways so you never have to go too far out the way to find what you're looking for.
The paths of flamingoland are always clean and free of any rubbish and the trees and grassed areas are always looking very smart and even walking round the park can be nice in the summer. I also noticed that the zoo was kept clean and there was no nasty smells when passing.
The staff at flamingoland are very friendly and talk away to you while waiting to go on the rides. I honestly felt comfortable there and if I needed help they were more than happy to assist with smiles on their faces.
So let's get to the money part. Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult and children over 4 years - £25.00
Children under 3 - free
Senior citizens - £12.50
Disabled guests and carers - £12.50
Family ticket for 4 people - £90.00
I would advise that if your child is rather tall like my daughter is then you should take ID as you will be asked to prove the age.
Last year when we visited there seemed to be a lot of wasps around and the staff even put signs up to warn you to be careful of these. When flamingoland is having a busy period (term times) the bins can get a tad overcrowded which makes the wasp situation worse.
Overall flamingoland is a good value day out. The park is lovely and I would definitely recommend as it is fantastic for kids. The only downside I would advise is the eateries. The American style diner is very expensive and the only cheap way to eat is the chip shop which on occasion was rather greasy and not ideal to be eating when going on rides after wards. I would however advise taking a pick nick as there are plenty of benches and grassed areas to chill and eat in the sun.
In August, we took a family holiday to Whitby, in North Yorkshire. Being theme park junkies, we soon noticed the leaflets for a theme park in Kirby called Flamingo Land. I had never heard of it before, but the leaflet made the place look really worth visiting, and it seemed a decent sized theme park, so we decided to give it a go.
It wasn't too hard to find the park, which was approximately a 45 minute drive from where we were staying in Whitby. Most of the route was a direct road, the A170, which was a really pleasant drive with fantastic scenery and villages on the way.
When we got to the park, there was ample free parking for many cars. We went in the summer holidays, so it was probably one of their busiest days, but there were still enough car park spaces for everyone. The entry prices are as follows:
Adults and Children over 4: £25
Children 3 and under: Free
Senior citizens, Disabled and Carers: £12.50
Family Ticket for 4 family members: £90
This worked out quite expensive for us, as there are 5 of us, plus a mother in law(!), so I was hoping I was going to get value for money. Once you have paid, all rides are free.
My first impressions of the park were a bit unimpressive. They certainly could have done more with the hub area that you first come to when you enter the park. It was an uninspiring expanse of concrete, with a big chair ride in the centre and a cafe and toilets at the back. It looked a bit boring, and I was worried that the park was not going to live up to my expectations.
The park boasted some fantastic roller coasters, and this was certainly true. The main attraction is The Kumali, which is a looping suspended coaster. It has 4 inversions and a maximum speed of 56 miles per hour. The ride is also fitted with a video camera, which gives riders the option to buy a video of their ride experience. I thought this was a really good isea. I really wanted to go on Kumali, but the queue was about 1 hour, and as I had kids in tow I didn't really think it was fair on them for me to dump them on dad for an hour while I went on the coaster. There was another fantastic coaster called Velocity, which was a bike launch coaster. The riders sit on motorbike shaped seats, before being launched at high speed round a track. Again, the queue was huge, so I could only watch (boo hoo), and my daughter, who loves coasters was too small to ride, as the height restriction was 1.37M.
All this said, there were plenty of rides with small queues that we did go on, and we found them thoroughly enjoyable. The turning point in the trip was when we caught the chairlift to the other side of the park. it was only at that point that it dawned on us how big the park actually was. It was VAST! I must say, the rides on the far side of the park were much better than the ones when you go in, and the atmosphere was better there too, with lots going on, in constrast to the bland entrance point.
Different areas in the park had different themes, such as Seaside adventure, Metropolis, Splosh!, Muddy duck farm and the Lost Kingdom. Each area had appropriate rides to fit in with the theme. I enjoyed the Spongebob 4D cinema and the wild mouse coaster. There were plenty of rides for all ages and tastes. One ride we should have avoided was the Splash Battle, which was a VERY wet ride. The kids came off the ride looking like they had had a bucket of water thrown on them. They stood in the big dryer, but it really didn't help, and it was a cloudy day!
There were quite a few eating areas, including a large indoor area with a soft play area. Food was relatively cheap and the usual fare, though it wasn't great. I'm talking lukewarm sausage rolls!
Midway through the afternoon, the sky went black and it poured down! We headed for the visitor centre in the zoo, which was the nearest dry point for us! The staff were fantastic at entertaining the children, getting the snakes out of the tanks for them to stroke and touch.In fact, I would give all the staff at the park full marks for being friendly and proffessional.
The park was so vast that we did not have time to go on everything before it closed, as there were just so many rides. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the park did end up exceeding my expectations. I would definitely go again, though would perhaps try going on a less busy day, so I could finally get to ride that coaster!!!
I took my 2 children to Flamingo Land on Bank Holiday Monday, with my husband, our neighbours and their little girl. Anticipating rain, queues and bored three year olds, we couldn't have been more wrong. We had an absolutely wonderful day and there was so much to do.
We arrived at Flamingo Land at about 9.30, and was delighted after getting in for free after using my days out tokens which I had redeemed through Tesco. Had I not, it would have cost us £52 just for two adults (3 and under are free). We decided that it would be wise to make our way to the far end of the park and work backwards, and as the rides didn't actually open till 10, we had made the right choice. The first ride we decided to queue for was the latest ride called Mumbo Jumbo which is also a record breaker, as the vertical drop it does actually goes under itself if that makes sense! We only had to queue for 25 minutes for this while the kids went on the frog hopper which is a toddler friendly vertical drop ride (its about 20 foot high!) - with adult supervision I may add! We all took it in turns to have a go on the rides and take the kids on rides they would enjoy, so there was something to please everybody all day long.
The rides available for adults and older children were the Flip Flop, which spins and rotates about 100 foot in the air; Kumali - a looping rollercoaster with an 87 foot full loop travelling at 56 mph (your cheeks literally shake with this one!); Sky Flier - 2 galleons which build up speed carrying you higher and higher and eventually holding you upside down and then spinning 360 degrees (this was the only one that actually turned me a lovely shade of green!); Velocity - super bike racing, which accelerates from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds with 2000metres of hairpin bends and dramatic turns and falls. We managed to go on all of these rides with minimal queuing time (in comparison to Alton Towers where queues are 1 or 2 hours!).
The rides available for the younger children were balloon races, the cycle monorail, Little Monsters House of Mischief, fairground horses, pedaloes, dodgems and many more. There are also rides which even the tiniest of kids can get on such as Frog Hopper, junior coasters, Rockin Tug (sensation of riding a storm - which my 1 year old went on!!!). There is also the water area where there are leaky water towers, water jets, water hopscotch, and trees which tip out water! The kids were stripped off and in their swimsuits within seconds! Once they are finished there are drying pods, where you put a pound in and it blow dries you! Excellent idea!
As the queues were so good, we went on many of the rides a few times, so by the time we got to the Zoo area it was nearly 3 o'clock. We rushed round and still managed to see lions, tapirs, chimpanzees, giraffes and some hippos. We also managed to fit in a sea lion show, which the children adored. The only down side of the day was when I got a little peeved off when the sea lion trainers were asking you to visit their shop to buy things, so the money could go back to buy the fish to feed the sea lions! Hang on a minute, its £82 for a family of four to get in!! I know we got in free, but that's not the point! The other areas available to see were the farm animals sections, the Aviary and Reptiles and Amphibians centre.
Adults and children aged 4 and over - £26
Children aged 3 and under - Free
Senior Citizens, Disable Guests and Carers - £11.50
Family Ticket (4 people) - £82
Season ticket for Family of 4 - £300
Season ticket - individual - £90
Fish and Chips basically! Very nice though. The other niggle I had was the vending machines. We had brought a picnic and lots of drinks but by the late afternoon on a very hot day, we had run out of drinks and the children were getting thirsty. We found a few vending machines and all they sold were fizzy drinks. No water, fruit shoots, etc, and with 2 three year olds and a toddler, we most defiantly didn't want to give them coke, but we had no other alternative. Was a bit miffed by this in a family theme park!
Overall, an absolutely wonderful family day out. If you haven't been - go!
Flamingo Land, is perhaps the most gay named theme park in the UK, not benefitting from a cool, fear inducing name like ALTON TOWERS which could scare small children without them so much as setting foot on a rollercoaster, they chose to opt for something with two feet, fluffy, and pink. Which may I add, I saw not one of.
Flamingo Land is in essence, two things, there is firstly the Resort, which is a place you can stay, I am not reviewing that, so if you want to read about that have a look here:
So, now we have the correct audience, let us enter THE FLAMINGO LAAAAAAAAND..
Flamingo Land is located in Malton, North Yorkshire, which is not too far (21 miles) from Scarborough. We actually thought it was in Scarborough, but it isn't, so it meant that Mum had to shoot off driving my brother and I there, and jet back to Scarborough for the Wedding she was attending.
It is a quick drive, but we managed to take a wrong turn and get lost which added more time on. So, maybe having directions would have helped. If you are in Scarborough, you can get a bus to York then from York to Flamingo Land, or something complicated and long like that...
== The Tickets ==
To ensure it wasn't a wasted visit, we booked our two tickets online the day before, and then printed them off - saving all the queuing hassle. Booking online is very simple, just a case of following onscreen instructions, entering details and then printing.
The standard ticket price is £23.00 but ordering online saves you a whopping £2.00 per ticket. There is of course other ticket prices, for example children under 3 can enter for free (if they have ID for proof of age..) and Seniors / Disabled can enter for £11.50, then there are all the group tickets and school fares and bits.
== Opening and Entering ==
Flamingo Land is open from March 28th to November 1st from 09:30am, with the rides opening up at around 10. It then closes anywhere between 4pm and 6pm dependant upon the season.
Your drive there, you park/get dropped off. You walk up to the front gates, and if you have a ticket already just walk to the barriers, if not you queue for your tickets. The barriers then have people to scan the tickets, to ensure they are valid. And Voila! You are in.
From then on in, you are free to explore the place at your heart's content, going on any rides you wish, eating food, or seeing the zoo.
== The Rides ==
Probably the main thing with a theme park is the rides it has. Obviously, Flamingo Land isn't as famous as other, more butch sounding theme parks, but it does have a great array of rides, including the official worlds steepest metal rollercoaster!
I didn't get a chance to go on all of the rides, since it was raining, my brother got cold and wet, and so was all pissy and moany. This meant I had to appease him by staying with him, mostly on the bumper cars, though there was a few I went off on my own to sample.
The first ride we went on, was called '''Corkscrew'''. It is one of the first rides to arrive at Flamingo Land, and looked like a good rollercoaster to start off on. It is a simple ride, which hurtles you at 40mph over 2400 ft, which doesn't last too long, but isn't exactly quick. It was great to start with, although, rather boring in terms of the design.
Next up, was '''Velocity''', which is apparently the UK's first and only motorbike rollercoaster. You are sat on what is essentially a toy motorbike, slanted forward, then shot off, reaching 60mph in 2.8 seconds. It is a really fast paced ride, and was much more thrilling than before. The only downside, was we were sat at the back, and my brother thinks he may have ended up with someone's spit on his face... This rollercoaster also takes a photo of you, so you can buy it for some amount of money. We didn't get ours, since it looked really rubbish.
Beginning to drizzle now, we went on what would be the most "terrifying" rollercoaster of the day. '''Cliffhanger'''. It is a 180ft column, of which you are sat around. Wait a minute and it lifts you around 20ft into the air. And back down. Then back up, slowly and gently. Then.... WOOOOOOSH, straight up to the top, and that is what I didn't like. The rapid incline, and there you are - sat 180ft in the air, on what feels like it could be the worst made seat in the world, secured only by the pins and bolts, which in my mind could have come out at anytime. And you sit there for ages. I think what I didn't like about this, was that it was raining, and I just thought "shit, if the thing breaks then I don't have a proper grip on this metal bar.." Suddenly, you are hurtled down to the near bottom - which was awesomely fun.
In case you didn't work out from that, I often think about what could go wrong on the rollercoaster, even though it probably wouldn't. I don't have Vertigo, but I don't like the idea of plummeting 180 feet and becoming a pizza.
Now, it began raining in earnest, so we dashed off into the amusements to keep dry. That was boring, so we gave up and went off to wander around the Zoo, but more on that later...
The next ride we tried, were the '''Bumper Cars'''. Not a rollercoaster no, but I think I can call it a ride. I think we went on these countless times, since they were covered, and certainly great fun. We spent most of the time trying to get each other, but each round would pick someone we would both target, which was fun. By the end of the day, I had good control of the cars, managing to really get to grips with bumping... sure I was taught not to do that in my driving lessons.. The best round, was when there was a kid with Downs Syndrome on (I saw Kid, must have been at least my age). He was mental on them, and got me in some excellent collisions, in fact, I think he managed to get most people in some proper good crashes.
Next up for me, was '''Navigator''', which is a stand uppish ride, where you perch on a little seat. It is a huge disk, of which you face the outside, and is on a half pipe. It spins you around, and moves up and down the half pipe, which means you are going round and round up and down, but not in a too fast motion. It was definitely fun, especially when you went right to the top and felt like the disk was about to spin off into the sky...
Now onto '''Mumbo Jumbo''', the only ride I had a seriously long wait with, and what is officially the steepest rollercoaster in the world. It plunges from 98ft, at an angle of 112Ës. It was the best rollercoaster I went on, and was definitely worth the wait. A slow incline and sharp fast decline, it was - awesome. People were screaming in fear, I was shouting "Feck Yes" and such alternatives with extreme excitement. It was, just great. At one point there is a sharp bend where you hurl around it, overlooking the road, that was nerve-racking.
Finally, we both went on '''Flip Flop'''. A rotating circle, in which you are sat, legs-a-dangling, it rotates and swings on a pendulum, reaching a peak of 78ft. It was great fun which we both enjoyed, and you very nearly go upside down which was great.
_That was it with the rides for us, since Liam was so cold and stuff, we had to leave after Flip Flop, though I would have rather stayed and experienced the other rides they have._
'''Sky Flyer''', is one such ride I wanted to use. It is essentially two large legs, where you are in the bottom of one, they both rotate around the middle, hurling you up in the air. It looked really fun. '''Kumali''' was the other I wanted to try, which is a simple dangling coaster, which you hurl around at 54mph, over a track of 2202 feet, and includes a drop of 111 feet. I wish I had gotten a chance to go on it.
_If you want to see these rides, then look on the Flamingo Land Website, since it is really hard to describe a rides layout. www.flamingoland.co.uk_
There are rides for all ages, from the simple carousels to the rollercoaster's, so it can be a real family day out. There is also a tandem-bike thingy, where to seats next to each other, you pedal around the park on a monorail - that looked pretty cool to try and see how fast I could go and bits, but was another I didn't get a chance with. I didn't have to queue long for any of the rides, other than Mumbo Jumbo, getting on most within 10 minutes or so.
== The Zoo ==
Being a wet and horrible day on the 1st of August, the walk around the zoo was a rushed and cold experience. From looking at a map now, I see I missed a few of the parts too. There is a simple trail that leads around the Zoo area, which is just north of the rides.
There is a good number of animals, from Giraffes, Hippos, Rhinos, Chimps, Lions and Tigers! They also had Snakes, Penguins, Emu's and Flamingos (obviously). If it had been a nicer day, we would have spent more time walking around, and perhaps looked at the animals more intently, but alas, they were pretty boring looking to me, the Tiger was sleeping, the Rhinos were just walking around. I would much rather see the animals on a Safari or in their natural environment, but am sure Kids would enjoy it.
There are Sea-Lion Shows, and Bird Shows throughout the day, but we didn't stop to see one.
If you have the spare £125, then why not become a Zoo-Keeper for the day? Yes that is right, pay £125 to do the general skivvy jobs of mucking out the enclosures and whatnot, with the possible perk of feeding a couple of animals. It is suitable for people aged 8+.
There is also a number of "Adopt an Animal" packages available. These involve you paying money to get your name on a "Thank you" List in the zoo, with the perk of getting some free tickets. But you are paying more than the ticket price. The only decent packages here, seems to be the Gold Adoption pack, which at £265, you get 8 free tickets to the zoo and 2 people can be a zoo keeper for a day, which I think works out at you getting it less than cost price. Otherwise these doesn't seem like that much fun...
== Food, Amusements & Toilets ==
There is a load of different food establishments dotted around the Park, from Fish and Chips shops, Burger places and the like. We chose a simple little pastry place which was large inside, just having a quick, hot Chicken Bake. It was good quality and reasonably priced (£1.50 or something) which was good, as I had expected to pay over the odds for it. The food court area I was in was kept tidy, and the others I saw seemed so too.
The toilets I used were always clean, and didn't smell - the two things I looked for when reviewing toilets, so no complaints there.
Amusement wise, there were a few different amusements scattered around the place, including arcade games, slot machines and the like. We spent about an hour in total in a couple of different ones, essentially wasting money - although I did win two Rubik's Cube key-rings...
== In Summary..==
Well, it was definitely a good day out, and worth the £21.00 each we paid. The choice of rides is great, and most were certainly thrilling, and had I had more time, I would have explored them all a few more times. Unfortunately, it seems to be something which is greatly dictated by the weather. If it is nice and sunny, you can have a great full day, explore the whole zoo area, take all the rides and leave when your too tired to take anymore. If it is wet, you probably don't want to be dredging around in the rain, looking at animals running for shelter, or hurling yourself around in the soaking wet.
It would definitely make a good family day out, with so much to do for people of all ages, and would have definitely been something I would have enjoyed visiting just as much when I was a little kid. I would still go again, to have another go on a few of the rides, but probably, had I not been in the area, it wouldn't have been my choice.
After all, if you want to go to a theme park chances are you will think Chessington World of Adventures or Alton Towers, and if you wanted to go to a Zoo, then you would think Colchester, or London Zoo or something. But the combination does make for a good, all round fun filled day.
I last went to Flamingo land in July this year and it was as good as I remembered it.
Flamingo Land has some great rides including:
Kumali - Rollercoaster
Mumbo Jumbo (new) - worlds steepest drop
Cliff hanger - Vertical Drop
Velocity - tallest and fastest rollercoaster of its kind in the world
Corkscrew - rollercoaster
They also have great ones for the family as well including:
Spongebob 4D cinema
The lost river - takes you through the Zoo
My particular favourites are the kumali and velocity as they are great rollercoasters. However, ther is something for everyone no matter what ae you are.
The lost river is a great water ride which takes you around the zoo before you get soaked. I loved this as You got a better view of all the different animals they have.
The zoo is a great idea as its nice to have a walk round and cool down after being on the rides. It's also time for the kid's to calm down before they go on some more rides.
The food there is quite expensive but you can get slices of pizza (which is nearly the size of a pizza) for around £2. You can also find loads of places to sit if you want to take a picnic.
The tickets aren't as expensive as most theme parks and online are £23 for an adult, but on the day is £26.
Overall, its a great theme park and especially for amilies, as there is lots to see, and I guarentee you will not get bored.
i took my 12 year old daughter who had never been on any big rolllercoasters, she enjoyed the rides but she didnt try the kamali or the new ride the mumbo jumbo, which is a world record as the steepest drop, but me and my husband went on and it was great. The que was quite big and we waited 45 mins to get on but it was worth it also we went in august so the park was quite busy. Parking was quite hard because most spaces were taken.I would recomend taking a picnic because the food is quite pricey, but the fish and chip shops there are delicious! There are alot of childrens rides which smaller children would enjoy including the 4D Spongebob ride which is great for all the family.to get in its £26.00 for adults and children but under 4's go free.


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Dissemination of Research in LIS
A statement by the American Library Association Committee on Research and Statistics
June 2001
In response to a recommendation from the 1st Congress on Professional Education (April, 1999) that ALA "disseminate (in appropriate ways) the findings and conclusions from research and their implications for professional practice." The Executive Board asked CORS to prepare "findings and recommendations related to the effective dissemination of research." After some investigation and discussion of what ALA and similar associations do to disseminate research findings, the committee reflected on the several parties involved in the effective dissemination of research results in any practice discipline. It is our belief that four major parties play a role: the researchers, the practitioners, the educators, and the professional associations.
- The Researchers must keep in mind that unless the implications of research are communicated to practitioners, the results are of little value.
- The Practitioners must keep in mind that systematic attention to these findings is a professional obligation.
- The Educators must base course work on a diligent awareness of research findings and reflection on their implications.
- The Professional Associations must disseminate results purposefully and encourage the development of communication among all those concerned.
ALA shares responsibility for dissemination of research with three other parties and is currently doing many different things to fulfill that responsibility. Units of ALA are involved in the following dissemination activities:
- Periodical articles: all of the divisions with periodicals, published articles on research results occasionally and American Association of School Librarians (AASL) has an electronic journal devoted to research – School Library Media Research.
- Conference Programs: Each year Office for Research and Statistics (ORS) compiles a list of "Meetings Related to Research and Statistics," at the upcoming Annual Conference. A review of those lists since 1995 shows that each year, one or more ALA units sponsors programs relating research results to the practice of librarianship. In addition, some events about research results occur every year, such as: AASL/Highsmith Research Award Forum ACRL/STS: Forum for Science and Technology Library Research LRRT: New Research by New Researchers RUSA/MOUSS: Reference Research Forum
- Awards: Each year, the Library Research Round Table (LRRT) calls attention to excellent research through the Jesse H. Shera Award for Distinguished Published Research.
- Review Articles: Each year, ORS compiles "Research on Libraries and Librarians in (year)" for the Bowker Annual.
- Bibliographies/summaries of research: The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, Cataloging and Classification Section, Policy and Research Committee has posted on the web short essays on seven topics summarizing recent research topics. The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) Machine-Assisted Reference Section just published an annotated bibliography of studies on "Users' Information Seeking Behavior" in Reference & User Services Quarterly
- Committees: Almost every division has a research committee and large divisions with sections have more than one. The function statement of research committees often include a responsibility for dissemination –which leads to the activities listed above.
All of these efforts should be recognized and encouraged. To facilitate that, this memo will be posted on the ORS web site and a message will be sent to the Research and Statistics Assembly suggesting that the list be used as a source of ideas for ALA units.


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Framed Art Print
Mother's Milkby Fresh Doodle - JP Valderrama
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Choose from a variety of frame styles, colors and sizes to complement your favorite Society6 gallery, or fine art print - made ready to hang. Fine-crafted from solid woods, premium shatterproof acrylic protects the face of the art print, while an acid free dust cover on the back provides a custom finish. All framed art prints include wall hanging hardware.
More than a week ago, legendary rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers has been inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. I am a huge fan and have been following them since their funk (late 80s - 90s) and alternative rock days. So here is my tribute piece to the band, thanking them for the music and influences they had on my creative journey. If you're an old RHCP fan then I'm pretty sure you'd recognize my piece, otherwise this is my version of their Mother's Milk album artwork. Didn't do that much changes other being absolutely doodle-iciously freshly doodled. =D For the new RHCP fans, I HIGHLY recommend you going back to their older shit, that way you'd get to know the REAL RHCP. =)
Lastly, I also dedicate this piece to all Mothers out there! BELATED HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! Gotta love your mom, the first drink we've ever had is our 'Mother's Milk', haha! =D
Absolutely Doodle-icious!
Website - http://www.freshdoodle.com
Twitter! - http://twitter.com/thefreshdoodle
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/freshdoodle
Tumblr - http://freshdoodle.tumblr.com
Shadowness! - http://www.shadowness.com/thefreshdoodle
Behance - http://www.behance.net/freshdoodle


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Jeffrey wrote:
Even poetry. But not contemplative poetry. Not art that looks in, but looks out. Banksy is a good example - is he Buddhist?
You might make more of this sort of work, and point at the Four Noble Truths in various ways through skillful use of writing.
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After 19 years of seeking his first West Virginia Amateur championship, Hurricane's Sam O'Dell will now have to face the pressure of coming in as the defending champion.
O'Dell and 99 other golfers will take the course at the Old White TPC at The Greenbrier Resort today for round one of the 95th State Amateur.
Rounds one and four will be played on the Old White TPC with rounds two and three being held on the Meadows Course.
O'Dell will tee off at 11:09 a.m. along with two-time amateur champion Steve Fox of Huntington and Will Evans, a Marshall golfer and son of Berry Hills Country Club pro Barry Evans.
"Personally, it was an overwhelming response I received from people," O'Dell said of his win last year. "It made it really special. I never truly realized how many people in the background were watching and rooting for you.
"Going into this [year's tournament], it seems like [the win] just happened. But I'm starting to get excited again just knowing I can do it. It has always been a dream, but it wasn't until the last few years that I thought my game was in a place where I could realistically win."
The defending champ will have a tough field to deal with including 13-time champion Pat Carter of Huntington who will step onto the tee at 12:12 p.m. accompanied by a pair of young talents in Wake Forest player Woody Woodward and Concord golfer Evan Muscari.
As far as repeating as a winner, O'Dell would become the first to pull off the feat since Tim Fisher won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009.
Before that, Carter was the last, winning 10 in a row between 1995-2004.
O'Dell certainly has the game and the ability to survive four grueling days on two of the toughest courses in the state and he said he is working on rounding his game back into form.
"I'm playing pretty well," O'Dell said. "I've been scoring OK, but my ball striking has been average. It's a different feel when you get on the grounds [at The Greenbrier]. Of course, hitting off perfect turf never hurts either."
Woodward finished in a tie for second at last year's Amateur along with Marshall and former Hurricane player Brian Anania.
Those two, as well as Evans and Muscari, are part of a large group of good, young players that could be poised to make some noise this week.
"Anania playing on the collegiate level as well as some of these other young players, I think they're prepared," West Virginia Golf Association executive director Brad Ullman said. "They're young and they have that look in their eyes — they're ready to compete."
Both Ullman and O'Dell believe the Meadows Course could loom as a large factor.
Last year, the Meadows was not part of the Amateur rotation as the four rounds were split between the Old White TPC and the Greenbrier Course.
Ullman and O'Dell agreed that the Meadows should present an even tougher challenge to the field than the Greenbrier Course did last year.
"There's some really tight tee shots on the Meadows Course," O'Dell said. "It's much harder to shoot under par on the Meadows than it is the Greenbrier because you have some par 5s on the Greenbrier that you can go after."
While O'Dell built up a big early lead and was able to coast to the championship last year, leading all four rounds along the way, mental toughness will play as much of a factor as anything over the next four days.
Several players in the field have already shown they are equipped to handle that grind. Whether or not a youngster is ready for that challenge will be proven this week.
"You've got to be consistent over all four days," Ullman said. "If you have a bad hole it's OK, you've got to keep on trucking. There's a lot of golf to be played. A lot of golfers fail right out of the gate because they're not mentally prepared to play.
"You walk out onto No. 1 on the Old White and you see the stands going up and people preparing the course for the PGA Tour, the world's best, and you've got to mentally handle that. Pat can do that. Sam has proven that he can get that done now."
Reach Ryan Pritt at 304-348-7948, email@example.com, or follow him at twitter.com/RPritt


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Thank you!
Heh, I'm not that desperate to get more distance that I would use those bubbly ones. I've actually got quite used to using just Eagles, so I'm not really even looking for a distance driver at the moment, just testing different stuff here and there. I'll rather work on my form and try to push those Eagles farther than try to go for easy distance.
Warlock? Isn't that supposed to be more of a Wizard-like disc without bead?


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Heruka wrote:i think these two, are/were practioners, gained some experience and knowledge, and wanted to display/manifest their joy and peace of mind and maybe make some money for food off of that. hey in my world, no problem.
Not just that, Heruka.. they're outright teaching Thogal, leading workshops, etc. This is where things get especially hairy. As you said
this is very serious stuff.