AT: Tim Baldwin

LOGAN, Utah — After founding S&S Sports in 1994, creative mastermind Stan Checketts invented air-powered thrill rides. Selling off S&S Sports, the new company became S&S Power before later becoming S&S Worldwide. The company found great success selling air-powered drop towers, roller coasters and giant swings, among other attractions. As the new millennium progressed, Checketts’ role changed as others took direction of the company. Always creating, Checketts developed an incredibly accessible zipline attraction and founded Soaring Eagle in 2010.

As the pandemic dominated world news in the last 18 months, a quiet change took place. Checketts sold Soaring Eagle to a different Checketts, longtime partner Logan Checketts. Despite the coincidental name similarities, the two gentlemen are actually not related.

“Stan and I signed the official papers in January of 2020,” Logan said. “It was a good time for both of us. Stan turned 80 this year and has enjoyed being on the road with Sandy. He came to me to look [at things] and was ready to turn it loose. We had previous conversations about it before when he was ready, and he came to me, and we made it happen.”

Ownership isn’t the only thing that changed, so did the company’s name. It is now Altitude Rides and Attractions. However, the Soaring Eagle zipline is still one of the company’s hot-selling products. 

Logan Checketts emphasized that the team remained intact. The only departure was Stan himself.

“He’s a good friend. We’ve had a great relationship all the way through. He still comes out to the shop and helps us out and gives us advice. I still call him when I need help. He still has my back. He’ll sell some still,” Logan stated.

When asked if the name similarities create confusion, Logan told AT: “It’s very ironic. I grew up knowing about Stan and then I met him and bought rides from him. Then I went from a customer to a salesperson then from a salesperson to a partner.”

When Amusement Today asked if changing the company’s name after Soaring Eagle had been established caused any confusion, Logan replied, “There’s a step there we obviously had to make with our customers. With Soaring Eagle, we built such a good name over the years. We have a lot of loyalty there. We have customers that have appreciated the good service. As we go forward, it was a good time to make the change to Altitude Rides and Attractions because all the rides we deal with are changing altitude. There is a lot of natural thrill to it. It just fit.”

Logan said the company’s focus is to continue to bring rides that are efficient, safe and exciting. He likes things that are unique.

The company has sold 70 Soaring Eagle ziplines around the world. Other products include the Daring Drop and Saddle Sling.

“We listen to our customers’ needs and try to bring innovative things to the table. We look for attractions that are new and fresh and help sustain our customers’ business. We’ll continue to offer good service and bring neat, new products to the table. We’ll build off the Soaring Eagle portfolio but will add some custom rides to that in the future.”

This article appears in the NOVEMBER Pre-IAAPA 2021 issue of Amusement Today.
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