For decades, Geno Chamboredon helped keep Kennywood\u2019s rides operating.<\/p>\n
The Garfield native got his start at Kennywood in 1980 as a teenager, running the Jack Rabbit roller coaster during summer. Forty-six years later, he\u2019s still clocking in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did a year at Duquesne (University),\u201d said Chamboredon, who \/lives in Munhall. \u201cThen life came along. School wasn\u2019t paying the bills, so I needed a job.\u201d<\/p>\n
What began as a summer gig became a career.<\/p>\n
Chamboredon started off operating Kennywood rides before moving into maintenance full-time in 1984. He spent years caring for some of the park\u2019s most beloved attractions, including the Thunderbolt and Raging Rapids, before taking on more administrative responsibilities.<\/p>\n
Today, he\u2019s a maintenance supervisor at Kennywood and fills in wherever needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen a bunch of changes and gotten through them all,\u201d he said. \u201cKennywood has done me good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Besides changes in ownership, the park has seen many transitions. Computers now monitor many ride functions that once relied entirely on human operators. Today\u2019s rides are taller, faster and more technologically complex.<\/p>\n
Some things remain the same.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old wooden coasters,\u201d Chamboredon said. \u201cThose are still my favorites. They give me a nostalgic kind of feeling knowing that I had a hand in helping all of them to keep plugging along.\u201d<\/p>\n
His top three rides? The Jack Rabbit, Thunderbolt and the departed Log Jammer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d still ride them today,\u201d he said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n
To most visitors, winter means Kennywood is asleep. For Chamboredon, it\u2019s when the workload ramps up. The offseason, he said, is the busiest time of year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost every ride gets taken down to the bearings,\u201d he said. \u201cParts get replaced. Wood gets replaced. There\u2019s a lot of work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt takes a lot of money, time and effort to get everything ready for the upcoming season. We just don\u2019t cover everything up and vacation in a tropical area.\u201d<\/p>\n
For years, his daily routine included walking coaster tracks and inspecting trains before guests entered the park.<\/p>\n