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Swoosh!

Times reporter Nicole Hutcheson takes the plunge at Largo's newest water attraction, a 3-story superslide.

By NICOLE HUTCHESON
Published April 20, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Video Watch Nicole on the slide Times reporter Nicole Hutcheson tries out the new water slide at the Highland Family Aquatics Center in Largo. [Times photo: Bill Serne] [Times photo: Bill Serne]

You want me to do what? That's what ran through my head - and probably came out my mouth - when my editors asked me to test the newest attraction at Largo's Highland Family Aquatic Center.

The Super Slide.

At 30 feet, it's meant to enhance the water park experience for older teens and adults who demand entertainment, not just exercise.

"The typical rectangular pool just doesn't draw people anymore," said city aquatics manager Mike Abdo.

So the city used a $50,000 state grant to pay for the new slide - a companion to a 28-foot-high, 214-foot-long corkscrew slide unveiled last year. And Abdo's department touted the new slide for months. When it opened Saturday, dozens of people flocked to the park.

And now I was charged with seeing what all the fuss was about.

Let's be clear: I'm no chump when it comes to thrill rides. Raised in southeast Virginia, I lived for my family's annual jaunts to the original Busch Gardens an hour or so up Interstate 95. One time, a friend and I rode the Loch Ness Monster so often that park employees asked us to stop. Six Flags and the Giant Drop? Been there, done that. Many times.

Largo's Super Slide is by no means a Giant Drop. But it gave me pause.

Honestly, what scared me most was that the whole drenching experience would be captured in photos. Usually when a camera is in my face I'm groomed, poised and - more often than not - vertical.

For the record: I never want to see those photos from the roller coaster. You know, the ones that capture passengers, midride, screaming at the top of their lungs, calling on sundry deities.

I'm not vain, just selective with my image.

But, alas, always trying to keep an open mind, I head to the park after lunch one day this week.

Once there, I'm a little relieved. The big blue slide stands out from the park's water sprays and lap pools, but it's not quite as menacing as I'd been told.

After suiting up, I head to the spiral staircase that leads to the top. From there, I see tree tops.

A sign to my left shows how to go down this thing: Arms crossed over my chest like I'm doing crunches. Legs crossed, too.

I kneel and lie down on my back. I use the steel bar above me to scooch down.

I feel the cold water gush under me and wonder what I've gotten myself into.

Too late to turn back now.

I take a deep breath.

I'm off.

About a third of the way down, the speed really kicks in. I lift off the slide and hang in the air for an instant. This is by far the scariest part. I scream - loudly.

A heartbeat later, I swoop into the pool with a big splash. The whole things happens in seconds.

I spring up, adrenaline pumping. I forget the pictures. Starbucks, I think, has nothing on this afternoon pick-me-up.

Nicole Hutcheson can be reached at nhutcheson @sptimes.com or (727)445-4162.

The Super Slide

Height: 30 feet.

Angle: Pretty steep, about 65 degrees.

The skinny: Okay, so it's not the scariest water slide ever built. But for families, it gives parents and especially older kids something to look forward to. For everyone else, it's not a bad way to shake off an afternoon slump - and it costs about as much as a run to Starbucks.

Where: Highland Family Aquatic Center, 400 Highland Ave., Largo.

Hours: Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.; Sundays: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. (Extended summer operating hours begin May 21.)

Cost: $4 for Largo residents with parks and recreation activity card. $5 for nonresidents with card. $7 for guests.

Call: (727) 518-3016.

[Last modified April 19, 2007, 23:47:33]