After nine years, on October 30, 2009 we performed the very last VIVA! show. We shut down our stadium and began the monumental task of creating a new show. After almost three months of construction and painting, rehearsals for our new beluga whale and Pacific white-sided dolphin show are in full swing. It’s a very exciting time for us!
Our animal training team has been busy working with our animals on many projects, not just the show. We received two new beluga whales from another zoological facility and we’re acclimating them to their new home. Bolt, the Pacific white-sided dolphin born this summer, is doing well and beginning to learn new behaviors. Don’t think he’ll be quite ready for shows this year, but he sure is cute!
The new show will be cool. We’ve been playing the new music (composed exclusively for our show) in our stadium in an effort to learn the musical beats, crescendos and transitions that will serve as cues for animal behaviors. It’s a lot of work and timing can be tricky. We’re working on the animal choreography, trying to put into practice what we, along with our creative consultants, have been planning. Sometimes what looks great on paper doesn’t translate well when you put it into the pool. It’s a fun process though and the team is doing a great job. Kudos to them for donning wetsuits and getting in the water even on the cold days!
Mark, Slade and Robyn practicing the timing of a beluga behavior with Sikku.
About two weeks ago, our non-animal performers came back and began practicing. Many of them had left town to visit family. Some went on a backpack tour of Europe. (Lucky!) Others remained in town and took other jobs. Regardless, all of them are excited to begin rehearsing the new show.
Practicing the Russian swing at the ski lake.
Synchronized swimmers doing "land drills".
We are thrilled to welcome four new faces to the cast. Synchronized swimmers Georgia and Maggie, and divers Mike and Brandon bring years of experience in their crafts as well as high levels of enthusiasm. They’re an interesting bunch… Georgia recently legally changed her name, Maggie once rescued and raised baby sloths, Brandon is an expert juggler, and Mike was actually struck by lightening once which resulted in his eyebrow turning white! I know they’re going to have a great time and we’re going to be a stronger team with them . They are terrific and I’m excited to get to know them better.
Meet Georgia, Mike, Brandon and Maggie, the newest members of the cast.
Many folks have been asking about the name of the new show. I even tweeted about it (www.Twitter.com/ChuckCureau) and offered hints recently. Some followers thought that we would follow suit with the other SeaWorld parks and call it “Blue Horizons.” Nope! There were some hilarious guesses (“Greens n’ Chitlins” ?!?) but after much brainstorming we’re pleased to announce that the new name is (…drum roll please…) “Azul.” Be sure to come see it when it premieres March 12. I’ll be there. I hope you will be too!
With money tight and Christmas right around the corner, I wanted to share a few ways that you can stretch the average dollar and still be able to take a visit to SeaWorld San Antonio during the holidays.
One thing I have noticed, is most of our pass members are only purchasing annual passes to our park for a couple of their family members and then getting Fun Cards for the rest of the family. This is more than $30 in savings for each Fun Card purchased. Usually the adults have the annual pass and the kids have the Fun Cards.
The annual pass includes parking and gets you 10% off food and merchandise. This is great especially if the family chooses to eat “family style,” meaning everyone doesn’t have to buy their own hamburger and fries. For example, if you have a family of 3 – 5 people you could just order a couple of meals or items from one of our restaurants, vending carts or concessions and then share. This really works out great at the park, since SeaWorld always offers healthy portions.
As a matter of fact, many of our pass members have been taking advantage of the $.99 refill on any SeaWorld mug offer. They share the refilled drink with other family members by pouring some of the drink into the other SeaWorld mugs they brought with them to the park.
You could do all this and top it off with that special SeaWorld dessert you’ve always wanted, all while having a great time at the park and still having money left over for your Christmas shopping. Don’t forget the key is to share!
November 16, 2009 by kamichat • Comments Off Posted in Uncategorized
The trainers at SeaWorld rely on techniques that build trust with the animals and encourage them to cooperate. In the same way, we can use techniques with our kids, spouse and co-workers that build trust, focus on the positive, redirect energy when mistakes occur and catch people doing the RIGHT thing.
Mark Boucher, Curator of Animal Training, and Steve Aibel, the Assistant Curator of Animal Training at SeaWorld San Antonio, will share the ABCs of good behavior and how to secure cooperation without threatening, pleading and generally pulling out your hair.
Both Steve and Mark are parents themselves, Steve to young children and Mark to teenagers.
“As a parent I have lived the benefits of these training techniques. I am a proud father to a four year old daughter and 5 month old twins. My wife and I have experienced the benefits of these principles firsthand and are very grateful that they form the basis of our parenting techniques. “ – Steve Aibel
Listen to the show live on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 11 am – 12 pm CT at the widget below or on our show page. If you listen live there is an opportunity to call in at the number on our show page. If you come across this late, you can listen to the archived show. Let us know what you think and your tips for raising empowered kids. You might even want to pop over to the SeaWorld San Antonio parenting circle at The Motherhood to join in an ongoing conversation about these issues.
UPDATED: Our first hunt was last week and was won by Baroli from Twitter. Our second hunt is now underway – good luck!
It seems like everyone these days has a GPS-enabled device of some kind and I am always looking for ways to incorporate modern technology into my scare toolkit.
My minions and I have cooked up a trick-AND-treat game for you using GPS. It isn’t an easy game but it is an adventure and adventures are not meant to be easy.
If you should be brave and smart enough to meet my challenge, here is what you need to do:
Use a GPS-enabled device to find the coordinates given. If you don’t have a stand-alone, GPS-enabled device, you might try Blackstar for GPS-enabled Blackberry phones or Geocaching 2.0 for iPhone 3G
When you find the treasure, Tweet me @jackreturns or go to our Facebook page and leave a wall post or leave a comment on this blog post so that I know you found it.
Bring the secret ticket to SeaWorld Guest Relations to claim your prize. Guest relations is at the front of the park.
Rules:
Don’t destroy any property searching for my stash, it will be in plain view and not buried.
If you can’t find it, get a new set of glasses.
You cannot be an employee or immediate relative of a SeaWorld San Antonio employee.
No pumpkins allowed.
You can only win once outside the park and once inside the park, give someone else a chance.
If you want to learn more about Geocaching and its rules and regulations, check out the San Antonio Geocaching Association. Jack’s Treasure Hunt affiliated in any way with SAGA or www.geochaching.com, nor do they have any information or knowledge about my trasure hunt. We were heavily inspired by this fun and entertaining activity, so if you have fun with it, check it out. I might even consider becoming a geocacher during my time in the pumpkin patch.
A few weekends ago, I was up at the Central Texas Kid’s Expo in Belton, TX, with some fellow team members spreading the word about what’s going on at SeaWorld this fall. When we go to events like this, most everyone knows about SeaWorld (although some are surprised when we say we’re from San Antonio), but I’m always surprised when they don’t know about all of the Education programs we offer. I’ve had this conversation many times:
Me: Howdy! How’s it goin’?
Passerby: Doin’ well. Oh we love SeaWorld! We have season passes.
Me: Great! We’ve got Howl-O-Scream coming up at the park, have you ever been to that?
Passerby: Oh no, but we heard about it. It looks pretty cool.
Me: It’s a blast. We have stuff for younger kids during the day, then it gets scarier at night. You can even spend the night at SeaWorld.
Passerby: Wow. I didn’t know you could do that. What would you think about spending the night at SeaWorld, Johnny?
So, just in case you didn’t know…
You can spend the night at SeaWorld for Halloween. We’re doing a Howl-O-Scream Sleepover October 24th. Children 3-5 years old must be accompanied by a parent and 1st-8th graders come by themselves.
We do special Halloween activities along with seeing all of the creepy things happening in the park, like “Shamu’s Rockin’ Creep Show,” “Jack’s Frightmare Forest,” and much more. Plus, learn about many of the animals that live at SeaWorld. Then we’ll sleep in our sleeping bags in the Sharks/Coral Reef Exhibit. The kids definitely have the option not to participate in certain features if they get too scared, but there’s something for everyone throughout the night.
Guests enjoying Sharks/The Coral Reef before drifting off to sleep.
Now that you know about our Adventure Camp programs in October, I’ll give you a little hint: If you’re at the website checking out the camps, also check out the Jack Hanna Sleepover coming up Nov. 6. I’ll give you more details on that one later, but it’s definitely one you won’t want to miss.
Sleepover campers learn about penguin eggs during the sleepover.
“So what do you do when camp’s not going on?”
The camp management staff gets asked this question often during the off-season (September – May) and I’ll be honest, things do slow down quite a bit. We can fit in some vacation time or at least just sleep a bit later before coming in to the office. It’s also a time we recap and evaluate how the summer went and think about changes for next year. We’re already starting to plan dates and programs for next year. But there are a few cool camp programs still to come this fall.
Our new sleepover supervisors, Hope and Tommy, host schools, families and scouts in sleepover programs throughout the fall. We also have specialized sleepovers during Howl-O-Scream and the holiday season.
Shamu’s Stroller Club
And I shift my focus from 5- to 12-year-olds to 1- to 4-year-olds. Shamu’s Stroller Club is a program we started for 1- to 2-year-olds with a parent this spring and it was very well received this spring. Shamu’s SeaSchool is a similar program for 3-4 year olds with a parent. Each of the two camps have a different curriculum that we run each week. Both programs will be offered Saturdays this fall. Details can be found online, but it’s best to book the programs at the park’s Reservation Center or over the phone at 1-800-700-7786.
So although most of our camp counselors are back in school and not working anymore, there is plenty of work for us to do after the summer’s over.
August 7, 2009 by ChrisJordan • Comments Off Posted in Uncategorized
Editor’s Note: This weekend is the last one for our Summer Nights shows and Cool Vibrations, so be sure to come out and see them if you haven’t already. SeaWorld is open Saturday, Aug. 8 from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 9 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. It’s a great way to beat the heat, too! Pirates Plunder runs through Aug. 23.
Like many great endeavors SeaWorld San Antonio Summer Nights takes careful planning, dedication and commitment from all stakeholders and strong execution.
It also takes a collaborative effort on all parts.
In addition to the Summer Nights shows you have come to love such as “Shamu Rocks Texas” and “Sea Lions Tonight”, we opened two new shows for the 2009 Summer Season that also have showings in the evenings – “Cool Vibrations” and “Pirates Plunder.”
Daredevil Skiers Performing During "Cool Vibrations"
“Cool Vibrations” is our new ski show with an added twist – singers and dancers. The skiers and boat drivers show off their amazing skills while the singers put on a show. The challenge is to tie it all in with the music – Once the show begins there is no stopping for corrections and no room for errors. We worked with the show producer and ski team on the boat patterns and stunts, coordinated the timing with the music and laid out the plan. The real magic happens when you put it all on the water. Effective communication and coordination between the boat drivers and the Stage Manager are both necessary for a successful and safe performance – Precision at its best!
Captain La Foe and the Swashbuckling Buccaneers
Débuting in the Nautilus Amphitheater is a product we are very exited about – “Pirates Plunder.” The idea began as a cowboy stunt show and we asked our selves – “What does a SeaWorld stunt show look like?” You guessed it – Pirates! Everything from sword fights to pirates falling off of buildings to a dramatic entrance across the bay this show has all the elements you have come to enjoy in a SeaWorld production – beautiful scenery and lighting, magnificent costumes and props, amazing effects, carefully orchestrated stunts and a powerful musical score that drives the emotional arch of the story.
Because many of our shows involve animals each one brings unique challenges making the process both rewarding and fun. “Shamu Rocks Texas” is all about the music, lighting, effects and of course, Shamu! Working with the Animal Trainers we came up with a list of songs we thought would work, tested it with the trainer and animal to see if it would work, then decided on which selections would have the biggest impact. Again, the music drives the emotional arch to which the trainers and whales stage their magnificent choreography.
The goal for “Sea Lions Tonight” was to build upon prior years’ successes. This is one of our most popular shows and we are always looking for ways to make improvements. With two new shows we had the opportunity to bring fresh ideas to the stage. The trainers are always working on new behaviors and sequences to showcase the animals. So much of this show is driven by the music as well. Using familiar selections and sequences from our day shows the audience is sure to enjoy the park through the eyes of Clyde and Seamore.
Have I told you lately that I am honored to be the military rep for SeaWorld San Antonio?
We receive so many letters of thanks from families that have enjoyed their complimentary visit with us through the Here’s to the Heroes offer. Below is a photo of one of those Heroes that visited with us in April and a letter from his mother, Ulli Dunn…
U.S. Soldier sharing a little SeaWorld with children in Iraq
“I thought you would enjoy this picture of Shamu in Iraq. Shamu was purchased when my son was using his “Hero Salute” tickets in April.
This is my son. He is getting ready to board his helicopter. They have stuffed animals, candy and school supplies in their helicopters and when they fly over children; they drop these articles out of the helicopter.
I wonder who is holding Shamu today; it is a heartwarming feeling to think that these children will no longer think of a helicopter as something bad.
Thank you and everyone at SeaWorld etc. for all you do for our heroes.”
When I called Ulli to get permission to tell you this story, she mentioned that her own first piece of candy was from a U.S. Soldier when she was just a child in Germany. It touches her heart, and ours, that her son is now extending the same act of kindness for a new generation of children. Her son said that they are now seeing entire families coming out waving at them.
SeaWorld San Antonio will be sending more items to be dropped to the children by this hero, we are calling it the “Operation Shamu Rocks Iraq” mission.
I’ll be sure to keep you posted as we hear back from Iraq.
And along the same lines, click here to read a story about a mom that brought her children here to spend some time with us before deploying again.
Yesterday, I shared my personal Flat Stanley story. We’ve had plenty of them at SeaWorld over the years, but I had no idea that an entire community has sprung up around this well-traveled flat person.
The Flat Stanley Project is a volunteer effort by Canadian schoolteacher Dale Hubert, who was looking for a way to engage his special needs students and integrate computer skills by building web sites. Dale has been reaching out with
Flat Stanley since 1995 and has kept the project going through a few grants and sponsorships.
The site is impressive – Flat Stanley at the Obama inauguration ball, Flat Stanley with Willie Nelson, Flat Stanley at the Pyramids of Egypt. There was even a Flat Stanley aboard the “Miracle on the Hudson” flight, the one that crash landed in the river, earlier this year. Any teacher or person who participates in the Flat Stanley project can register their experience on the Flat Stanley Project Web site.
I was intriqued, so I wrote to Dale to see what made him start the project. He took time during his family vacation in Scotland to share his story.
“I was going to teach Grade 3 for the first time and wanted to find an authentic and meaningful way to encourage students to write,” Hubert said by e-mail. “As far as I know, it’s one of the very few sites to have lasted 15 years and one of the very, very few literacy, community and interactive sites with such a long history to have survived.” (Historians please note: The Flat Stanley Project pre-dates social media by a decade).
When asked how many Flat Stanleys have traveled the globe, Dale couldn’t give an accurate answer, but said that by now “literally millions of people have heard of Flat Stanley either directly through my Flat Stanley Project or through some connection to it.”
Dale would love to see more Flat Stanley adventures registered on his site. So teachers, moms and Flat Stanley friends, please register your flat person’s adventure. I’m going to register my experience with Flat Josie, my “paper niece,” later this week and our team will keep posting to the Flat Stanley Project every time a new flat person arrives at SeaWorld San Antonio.
For the community, Fran
P.S. Dale Hubert is looking for ways to keep improving the Flat Stanley Project site. Take a look and see how you can help this wonderful project.
Flat Josie visits her aunt at SeaWorld San Antonio
A few weeks ago I opened my mailbox and a childish paper cutout fell out of the envelope, along with a letter.
“Please take Flat Josie on an adventure to SeaWorld in San Antonio and do not let any animals eat her,” it read.
I nodded my head with recognition. Every year dozens of these flattened figures enter the park, and when they do, we show them the time of their little paper lives.
Before you think I am totally crazy, let me explain.
These paper cutouts are based on the hero of a popular children’s book, Flat Stanley, written by Jeff Brown. In the story, which was originally published in 1964, Stanley Lambchop, the main character, is flattened when the bulletin board hanging over his bed falls on him in the middle of the night. Despite his altered state, he finds a way to have adventures and even saves the day.
Children have been sending flat versions of this character to have adventures all over the world. Being an adventure park, we get our share.
In this case, Flat Josie (who was renamed for gender reasons) came from my Grade 4 niece, Josephine Grady, who goes to school at St. Nicholas in Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia.
Normally, when a Flat Person arrives at the park from a school child, we give him or her to the “new guy.” Mainly because it’s the best way to learn to navigate our 250-acre park and to learn who you need to call to assist you with special projects. Flat Stanley’s have ridden the roller coasters, watched the shows and even played in our Lost Lagoon waterpark.
This time, though, I would serve as the adventure guide.
Flat Josie and I went to the Main Entrance, we met a beluga whale and her baby then had breakfast with an armadillo and a Tegu, by then we were already exhausted. The second day, we saw Shamu perform Believe and visited the play area. I sent the exciting adventure photos back to my niece, as requested by her teacher. You can see Flat Josie’s adventures in this Flickr photo set .
My niece’s project is due this week and she sent us a brief message saying “she wishes she could be Flat Josie.” I think that was her way of saying she wanted to come visit.
It was a really fun project and a great way to connect with my niece, whom I rarely see.
This is the allure of Flat Stanley…the challenge to make his adventure wonderful for a schoolchild we may never meet. Have you ever heard of Flat Stanley? I would love to hear your stories.
Wave TV is SeaWorld’s bi-weekly video feature program created for team members. Wave TV debuted in 2005 and was originally conceived to showcase park events for team members as they rode the shuttle bus to their workstation. Last year, this award-winning communications program moved to the SeaWorld YouTube channel; now everyone can share the program. Check out what’s new behind the scenes at SeaWorld San Antonio.
As a matter of fact, many of our pass members have been taking advantage of the $.99 refill on any SeaWorld mug offer. They share the refilled drink with other family members by pouring some of the drink into the other SeaWorld mugs they brought with them to the park.
These paper cutouts are based on the hero of a popular children’s book, 
