folks, i want to take this moment of your time to move this ride into the "most underrated wood coasters" category. i felt for sure that roar was going to be the wood MVC of the day yesterday, and a nice but fairly ordinary back seat ride on wild one early in the day confirmed that suspicion. however at sunset i got a wild hair to take a front seat spin (i seldom ride the front on wood because of long lines and USUALLY duller rides), and this hunch turned out to be sent from the wood coaster fairy godmother because it was a magnificent ripsnorting airtime and side-slamming good ride. actually i rode wild one in its first season in md. although i was but a wee lad it blew me away and turned me into a lifelong wood coaster fan. sadly, until yesterday, i have not had a chance to try the wild one again and id often wondered if the thrill would be there for me when i did. the reprofiled look immediately disturbed me but yknow, the proofs in the pudding, and in this case the pudding is quite tasty. i found it so strange that the back seat would be a lesser ride than the front...but sure enough it is. the back has good floating air where youd expect it - cresting the hills. but in the front you hang on the fairly weak first drop, then you abruptly accelerate into a maelstrom of ejection seat air, head chops, and one hell of a nasty helix. the double up double down turnaround was great and im pleased to say it was taken at speed so no dead time creeping around the turn. there are serveral lateral shifts, and while theyre not exactly unexpected due to the very exposed out and back shape of the coaster, they certainly do surprise you with the force and violence in which they come. then the ending is the real capper as you sail into the helix, which comically smashes you into the side of the train and feels impossibly like its the fastest part of the ride. i was yelling and cussing throughout this last ride because i honestly did not expect it to give me such a funky journey across its mild and humble profile...and in the front car no less! i was tossed righteously hard into the lap bar twice during that ride. but there you go - big things come in small packages. in closing, not to sound like a hater, but damn, this ride - while a little dinjy in appearance - is quite smooth and actually seems to get love from six flags. and here i thought six flags was the de facto butcher of the classic wood coasters they inherit and subsequently assimilate. this ride and roar make a sweet wood combo for this park.

I, too, liked this better than Roar. Keeping it simpler (and smoother) seems to have helped it. The helix (I really prefer to call it "the toilet bowl" ) at the end is pretty sweet.

based on these reviews this coaster must have some good and bad days and luckily I caught it on a great day. I was pleasantly surprised and got plenty of airtime over every hill. 7 good moments of air time. That helix is the tightness Ive experienced on a woodie. I couldnt keep my arms straight up in the air through the helix, too much force.

I rode this coaster in my elementary school years when it was in operation at Paragon Park in Massachusetts . Despite the long time past, I remember this ride being quite fast with good air time. I would seriously like to go to SFA and ride "Wild One" to compare it to how it was as the "Giant". The helix must be amazing. Despite this coaster no longer being in Massachusetts, ( There are only 4 wooden coaster left in the state...two of them standing but not operating), I am glad that it was rescued from becoming firewood and is still thrilling riders today.

Awesome woodie. Better than Roar I think.

Classic out an back that delivers! Designed by John Miller and Later aletered by Herb Schmeck - this is proof that it doesnt have to be super big, super fast, or super new to be a great ride. Lovingly maintained and run by enthusiastic operators!

Nice fun old-time wood coaster. Like most SFA rides, lines are short in the evening.

Nothing really stands out as far as air or latterals. I just mostly liked the rough, solid feel of the ride. The speed and force were always apparent. I hope Im not going overboard but it just seemed to emenate something real. I liked it.

I just love riding Wild One.Its a very cool wooden coaster at SFA.The best way to ride any wooden coasters is with your hands up.I also recommend riding Wild One in the very front row.

I am pretty disappointed in the Herb Schmeck redesigned PTC coaster. It really had very little airtime, though the layout would make you think otherwise. Even the double-up and double-down elements offered nothing. The coaster does however have a cool helix at the end providing some nice lateral forces, and there is good speed throughout the ride. It is also a coaster that would have otherwise meet with the wrecking ball, so it is always good to see a ride saved.