Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Shamu'ed
There are many things that can make a moment memorable; the fulfillment of expectations when you end a journey, the overwhelming pride when your child learns something new, or when the complete unexpected happens. These moments age like wine with each retelling.
Nate and I arrived in Texas on the last Friday in May. It goes with out saying it was hot. I had not been home in over 2 years and was more excited about being home than I realized. My parent whisked us to Los Barrios for some Mexican food and then to Sea World.
Sea World was amazing. After feeding the dolphins, Nate and I found Bruce, Dori, and Nemo, in the aquarium. It was fun and hot and we needed to sit down and cool off.
The next logical stop was the Shamu show.
When we arrived, it was obvious where people wanted to sit. There were four “Splash Zone” marked by blue seats. My parents picked seats in row 17 well above the “Splash Zone” and sent Nate and I into the heart of the zone.
The Shamu Show serves three purposes that I can discern. 1- to generate revenue, 2- to educate the audience about Killer Whales, and 3- to get the audience wet.
The most effective Shamu gets the audience wet is using his tail as a giant paddle by submerging vertically. This creates throws gallons of water over his adoring fans. As the show progressed, we were some how forgotten.
I prepared Nate for the possibility that we were not going to get wet. He was sad but still loving the show. Then, as if the trainer could see Nate's disappointment, he signaled Shamu to splash us. The tail went up and water sprayed over us. We got wet but not nearly as wet as I had hoped. Our seats were at water level and the majority of the splashing went over our heads. Nate got water on his shirt but his hair and shoes were dry.
When we looked up into the stands to signal my parents of our success, we could not believe our eyes.
“Look Dad, BeBe and Papa are all wet!”
Mom and Dad were laughing uncontrollably as we got to their seats.
“Your mother just told me she was so disappointed Nate did not get wet and now my entire front is soaked!”
This got me laughing which got Nate laughing. Just as I was starting to settle down I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was as if time stood still. I saw three Shamu tails poised to deliver a tidal wave of water. I just had time to say “NOOOOOO!” as the three waves of water crashed over us.
When the tempest was done I was soaked to the bone, Mom’s purse was full of water, Dad’s back was now as wet as his front. . .
and Nate was as happy and as wet as a clam.
Nate and I arrived in Texas on the last Friday in May. It goes with out saying it was hot. I had not been home in over 2 years and was more excited about being home than I realized. My parent whisked us to Los Barrios for some Mexican food and then to Sea World.
Sea World was amazing. After feeding the dolphins, Nate and I found Bruce, Dori, and Nemo, in the aquarium. It was fun and hot and we needed to sit down and cool off.
The next logical stop was the Shamu show.
When we arrived, it was obvious where people wanted to sit. There were four “Splash Zone” marked by blue seats. My parents picked seats in row 17 well above the “Splash Zone” and sent Nate and I into the heart of the zone.
The Shamu Show serves three purposes that I can discern. 1- to generate revenue, 2- to educate the audience about Killer Whales, and 3- to get the audience wet.
The most effective Shamu gets the audience wet is using his tail as a giant paddle by submerging vertically. This creates throws gallons of water over his adoring fans. As the show progressed, we were some how forgotten.
I prepared Nate for the possibility that we were not going to get wet. He was sad but still loving the show. Then, as if the trainer could see Nate's disappointment, he signaled Shamu to splash us. The tail went up and water sprayed over us. We got wet but not nearly as wet as I had hoped. Our seats were at water level and the majority of the splashing went over our heads. Nate got water on his shirt but his hair and shoes were dry.
When we looked up into the stands to signal my parents of our success, we could not believe our eyes.
“Look Dad, BeBe and Papa are all wet!”
Mom and Dad were laughing uncontrollably as we got to their seats.
“Your mother just told me she was so disappointed Nate did not get wet and now my entire front is soaked!”
This got me laughing which got Nate laughing. Just as I was starting to settle down I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was as if time stood still. I saw three Shamu tails poised to deliver a tidal wave of water. I just had time to say “NOOOOOO!” as the three waves of water crashed over us.
When the tempest was done I was soaked to the bone, Mom’s purse was full of water, Dad’s back was now as wet as his front. . .
and Nate was as happy and as wet as a clam.
