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Golden Ticket Winners
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ace
Sep 17, 2011, 4:09:24 PM9/17/11
to
I will post them as Paula posts them on facebook.
Harry Potter just won Best Dark Ride!
Holiday World just won Friendliest!
Dollywood wins Best Shows
Knoebel's wins Best Carousel
Revenge of the Mummy wins Best Indoor Roller Coaster!
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island wins Best Indoor Waterpark!
Personal note, it is pretty cool to see Knoebels win best Carousel,
especially since they just posted a video of it up and running after
the flood complete with the band organ going.
Harry Potter just won Best Dark Ride!
Holiday World just won Friendliest!
Dollywood wins Best Shows
Knoebel's wins Best Carousel
Revenge of the Mummy wins Best Indoor Roller Coaster!
Schlitterbahn Galveston Island wins Best Indoor Waterpark!
Personal note, it is pretty cool to see Knoebels win best Carousel,
especially since they just posted a video of it up and running after
the flood complete with the band organ going.
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 4:11:15 PM9/17/11
to
SeaWorld Orlando wins Best Marine Life Park!
Idlewild & Soak Zone wins Best Children's Park!
Idlewild & Soak Zone wins Best Children's Park!
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 4:18:03 PM9/17/11
to
Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk wins Best Seaside Park!
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls at Universal's Islands of Adventure
wins Best Water Ride in a Park
Our very own Wildebeest wins Best Waterpark Ride! 2nd year in a row!
Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls at Universal's Islands of Adventure
wins Best Water Ride in a Park
Our very own Wildebeest wins Best Waterpark Ride! 2nd year in a row!
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 4:21:00 PM9/17/11
to
Kings Island wins Best Kids Area
Cleaniest park goes to Holiday World
Cleaniest park goes to Holiday World
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 4:24:28 PM9/17/11
to
Best Landscaping goes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 4:37:26 PM9/17/11
to
Best Christmas event goes to Dollywood
Best Halloween event goes to Universal Orlando
Best Food goes to Knoebels.
Best outdoor night outside production goes to Epcot.
Best Halloween event goes to Universal Orlando
Best Food goes to Knoebels.
Best outdoor night outside production goes to Epcot.
BaSSiStiSt
Sep 17, 2011, 4:57:14 PM9/17/11
to
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 4:58:38 PM9/17/11
to
Best funhouse walk through attraction goes to Kennywod.
Publishers pick park goes to Grona Land
Publishers pick supplier of the year goes to Chance Rides
Publishers pick (living) legend goes to Richard(Dick) Kinzel.
Publishers pick park goes to Grona Land
Publishers pick supplier of the year goes to Chance Rides
Publishers pick (living) legend goes to Richard(Dick) Kinzel.
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 5:14:40 PM9/17/11
to
Best new ride of 2011 Water park goes to The Falls at Schlitterbahn
Best new ride of 2011 Amusement park goes to New Texas Giant at SFFT
Best new ride of 2011 Amusement park goes to New Texas Giant at SFFT
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 5:23:15 PM9/17/11
to
The feed was interrupted and i hope I didn't miss anything.
Best Steel goes to (and new Texas Giant was included in this).........
Who knows, the ustream feed died.
Best Steel goes to (and new Texas Giant was included in this).........
Who knows, the ustream feed died.
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 5:29:45 PM9/17/11
to
Best Amusement Park goes to Cedar Point (via CP's facebook page).
BaSSiStiSt
Sep 17, 2011, 6:37:05 PM9/17/11
to
On Sep 17, 2:14 pm, ace <tvdud...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Best new ride of 2011 Water park goes to The Falls at Schlitterbahn
Did it even OPEN before balloting closed? lol
> Best new ride of 2011 Water park goes to The Falls at Schlitterbahn
ace
Sep 17, 2011, 7:49:28 PM9/17/11
to
Here is some more
Millennium Force at Cedar Point wins Best Steel Roller Coaster!
Voyage wins Best Wooden Roller Coaster!
Schlitterbahn wins Best Waterpark!
Next years host is Dollywood. Looks like it is your standard list
with a few changes every year, especially on best wood and steel.
Millennium Force at Cedar Point wins Best Steel Roller Coaster!
Voyage wins Best Wooden Roller Coaster!
Schlitterbahn wins Best Waterpark!
Next years host is Dollywood. Looks like it is your standard list
with a few changes every year, especially on best wood and steel.
CanobieFan
Sep 17, 2011, 9:53:12 PM9/17/11
to
On Sep 17, 7:49 pm, ace <tvdud...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Millennium Force at Cedar Point wins Best Steel Roller Coaster!
lol
> Millennium Force at Cedar Point wins Best Steel Roller Coaster!
CoAsTeRDaN
Sep 17, 2011, 10:48:57 PM9/17/11
to
Gee, looks alot like last year and the year before... Not much
changes in these from year to year. Some I agree with, most I don't.
changes in these from year to year. Some I agree with, most I don't.
Jeremy
Sep 18, 2011, 12:49:05 AM9/18/11
to
I watched the live stream until it crapped out. I could have saved
myself two hours just by glancing over the results for last year's
awards to remind me who wins in each category. Next year I should make
it worth my time by starting a GTA pool.
myself two hours just by glancing over the results for last year's
awards to remind me who wins in each category. Next year I should make
it worth my time by starting a GTA pool.
David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply
Sep 18, 2011, 2:14:14 AM9/18/11
to
On Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:49:05 -0700 (PDT), Jeremy <jkthom...@gmail.com>
wrote:
Let's be honest, though. How much SHOULD change?
I mean, it's not like Cedar Point suddenly started sucking, or Holiday
World suddenly became much less friendly. (Well, there was that period a
few years back where they were less friendly to enthusiasts at their event,
but that was understandable.)
They have pretty much the same group of people in their panel each year,
probably adding some and losing a few. How often do you change your
opinions of your favorite park, or favorite water ride?
Sure, new rides and coasters come in, which change up the rankings. See
Wildebeest, for a good example. Or Harry Potter.
And sure, sometimes parks change things up in ways that we like -- or don't
like.
But is it really any surprise that the parks which enthusiasts like the
most have mostly remained the same over the years?
"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_
wrote:
I mean, it's not like Cedar Point suddenly started sucking, or Holiday
World suddenly became much less friendly. (Well, there was that period a
few years back where they were less friendly to enthusiasts at their event,
but that was understandable.)
They have pretty much the same group of people in their panel each year,
probably adding some and losing a few. How often do you change your
opinions of your favorite park, or favorite water ride?
Sure, new rides and coasters come in, which change up the rankings. See
Wildebeest, for a good example. Or Harry Potter.
And sure, sometimes parks change things up in ways that we like -- or don't
like.
But is it really any surprise that the parks which enthusiasts like the
most have mostly remained the same over the years?
"With the first link, a chain is forged. The first speech censured,
the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us
all irrevocably." -Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
"The Drumhead", _Star Trek: The Next Generation_
David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply
Sep 18, 2011, 7:14:21 AM9/18/11
to
Here are some random thoughts on the poll and its winners:
First off, It's completely understandable that certain awards are pretty
much a lock for the same parks year in and year out. It's not like those
parks are usually dramatically improving or failing at things. If most
enthusiasts think that Cedar Point is the best amusement park and
Schlitterbahn is the best water park in the world, what's really going to
change those opinions? Anyone who's bet against either park winning this
poll (or just about any poll for best overall parks) is a fool. With the
exception of IOA when it was fresh and new, there's never been any
competition in either category, and it's fair to say that the VAST majority
of enthusiasts would agree with them. Even if Schlitterbahn didn't put
together probably the most incredible events in the industry!
It's also interesting to see that a bunch more people filled out the
ballots this year. I know that hey added a bunch of new people to the
panel. And maybe more people bothered to fill it out this year? While it
didn't seem to change most of the categories, it definitely affected the
coaster categories. Interestingly, in the other categories, it seemed to
mostly solidify the positions of the top two vote-getters, as most of them
gained anywhere from 2-20%, while the lower ranked parks and rides seemed
to drop even lower in percentages this year. However, they also had a few
more nominees preselected in most categories, which did spread out some of
the percentages.
Best new rides weren't even close, as expected. Even if enthusiasts were
stupid enough to go to Florida in the Summer, Cheetah Hunt was never gonna
have a chance against the amazing new Texas Giant. The only new coaster
even coming close in quality was Grona Lund's Twister, but not enough
enthusiasts have even to Sweden to give it a fighting chance. (I'd imagine
that most of the 5% of the votes it got were people on the ACE Scandinavia
trip.) And can anyone even think about competing with Schlitterbahn,
besides Holiday World and Splashin' Safari? (Mainly because Splashin'
Safari is one of the only water parks that many enthusiasts have been to,
thanks to Holi-Wood Nights and other events there!) I just wish that The
Falls had opened in tome for my visit in June!
I'm still amazed that Idlewild wins every year for best kid's park. Sure
it's nice, but nice enough to get 2 out of every 5 votes? Here's where
you're seeing heavy old-school ACEr influence in this poll.
While Sea World in Orlando has always been a lock for the best marine life
park Can anyone out there think of any better place?), I was surprised to
see Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk just squeak out a win after years of
dominating the category. it lost 8% this year, which put it only 1% above
Blackpool Pleasure Beach (which I honestly think deserves it.)
Knoebels for best food again? They probably should name this "best
traditional park food", which I'd agree with. But can anyone even think
about competing with Tivoli Gardens for best gourmet (and super expensive!)
food? I mean, many people actually pay the huge park admission charge just
to eat at their restaurants! Then again, since the restaurants are outside
vendors, maybe that's not a fair comparison. (Then again, you could also
say the same thing for Epcot, which is another contender for truly great
food.) My vote perennially goes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, who still
have some of my favorite ribs anywhere!
Will anyone ever beat Dudley Do-Right? It's just such a perfect
combination of silly whimsy and solid overall ride. The only current ride
that is better will never win, since it's in the UK. it's testament to
Valhalla's quality that it comes as close as it does, given its huge
handicap. After all, probably just about everyone on the panel has been on
Dudley at least once.
Wildebeest has established itself as the best water park ride just in time
to probably be unseated by its newer brother next year! Or will they split
the vote, allowing Master Blaster to regain the title? Which is what
happens now, with Schlitterbahn's three rides combined getting nearly half
of the votes overall.
And the only park to beat IOA for best dark ride is... IOA! Even
splitting the IOA vote, no one else even comes close. It will be
interesting to see if Spidey's hi-def overhaul allows it to reclaim the top
spot for Harry Potter next year.
Illuminations is untouchable, even if World of Color has dramatically
increased the park's attendance. Poor Fiesta got hit with a fireworks
ban, during ACE's convention add-on day, which surely would have otherwise
gotten them a bunch more votes!
I really wish that they'd split the walk-through attraction into haunted
and funhouse categories. They're so very, very different. Either way, all
of the contenders in my mind are in Europe and Japan. Not even the
excellent Frankenstein's Castle comes close. I voted for Grona Lund's
amazing Lustiga Huset.
As for the coasters, it's interesting to see how the influence of the new
people they've added to the poll has altered the top coasters. I'd imagine
that a lot of them are old-school ACEr types, considering how the rankings
changed. Not that that's a bad thing, but they have certain biases, which
can been seen in the results. As always, the major ACE events and overseas
trips by both ACE and the ECC will also affect the rankings, especially for
overseas rides.
It's pretty clear that Six Flags really messed up with their remake of
Superman into Bizarro. A lot of enthusiasts I know feel that it's really
lost its charm, either due to the blasting soundtrack or the restrictive
restraints. (And I'm sure that it doesn't help that taller people can't
ride at all, either!) It has always been neck and neck with Millennium
Force, swapping first place rankings. That a coaster in Massachusetts can
even compete with the top coaster at the most popular coaster park in the
world is testament to an incredible coaster design. But now, as more
enthusiasts get back to the park and experience the new trains, it's not
even close, with MF getting over 25% more points. Then again, Bizarro is
really handicapped, when you consider that it had less than 2/3 of the
riders as MF did on Mitch's poll.
Interestingly, those two coasters and Expedition GeForce are the only
coasters in the top 10 on both the Golden Tickets and Mitch's poll.
Could someone please explain the appeal of Nitro to me? Sure, it's fast
and fun. And it certainly has more forces than MF, which I'll never
understand either. But surely there are at least a half dozen
hypercoasters (and I'd argue more than a dozen) that are better than it.
Maybe it's just that none of them have had as many riders as the older
Nitro at a well-attended park in a coaster-rich area?
I figures that New Texas Giant was a lock for best new coaster, but to make
#6 in it's debut year? Surely, this was helped by both a TPR event there
AND the ACE Convention this year. But it's still damn impressive. Imagine
once the masses have all ridden it? This could be a contender for #1 in a
few years. It will be interesting to see where it ranks on Mitch's poll,
which doesn't require a lot of riders to win.
I'm sure that some will complain about Intimidator 305 only ranking at #13.
But that makes a lot of sense to me. For one thing, a lot of people
haven't ridden it yet. For another thing, a lot of people rode it with
painful restraints or with brakes or both (as I did.) Even without that,
it's certainly a polarizing coaster. I really wanted to like it, but I
only ranked it #42. (And it should drop a few more notches as a few new to
me coasters knock it down.)
And Phantom's Revenge is a great coaster, but if it were anywhere but
Kennywood, would it even rank in the top 20?
You can see the effect of the ACE Convention in Texas, their trip to
Scandinavia and the ECC trip to Germany in a bunch of the results on both
the steel and wood lists with big jumps for Titan, Piraten, Blue Fire,
Superman Krypton Coaster, Olympia Looping, Lisebergbanan, Balder, Boardwalk
Bullet (which jumped from 38 to 17, with nearly 5 times as many points as
last year!), Troy, and Rutschebanen, many of which actually debuted in the
top 50 this year.
Strangely, despite the ECC Germany trip, Heide Park's Colossos - the
world's first Intamin plug and play -- dropped from 18 to 29 and even lose
a handful of points, despite there being more voters this year. What
happened? Is it running badly now? Admittedly, you can't take much form
the lower ends of the poll, where it can take only a few votes to
dramatically move a coaster. But still, it's one of the few coasters on
the poll to lose points.
On another international note, T Express finally joined the top 50 woodies
at #39. Nothing like it's tied for #1 showing on Mitch's poll, but quite
good for a coaster in North Korea, where so few enthusiasts have visited.
As for wood, Voyage dominates, as expected, with nearly 20% more votes than
either Phoenix or El Toro, which had a very tight fight for second. (So
tight that one more #1 vote and a #4 vote for El Toro would have put it
ahead of Phoenix.)
In fact, the wood poll is where I think that the old-school enthusiast
influence of a lot of the new voters on the panel shows. Both Phoenix and
Twister got a ton of new votes, enough to push Phoenix just above El Toro
and to propel Twister up from #32 to #20 with over two and a half times as
many points as last year! As much as I love Phoenix, it will never be a
top 20 coaster for me. but old school fans absolutely LOVE it. It's
probably the ultimate classic coaster. I suspect that El Toro's drop isn't
to be attributed to any drop to it's quality as to a slight shift in the
poll panel's demographic.
Beast used to be great. But since the brakes, and since they've built so
many more great woodies, is it even remotely a top 10 coaster any more?
Apparently a ton of people still think so. I don't think is just
nostalgia. So many enthusiasts simply love it. Ask them, not me, why!
Raven and Lightning Racer finally drop out of the top 10. Raven hasn't run
as well as it used to in years. And it's still a short ride. And let's be
honest, it's been completely overshadowed by Voyage. And I've never
understood Lightning Racer's perennial place in the top 10 here. Sure,
like Phoenix, it's probably one of the most purely FUN coasters out there.
(Or should I say TWO of them?) But top 10? Hardly!
Their drop allows Shivering Timbers and Prowler to jump back into the top
10. Is Timbers running better, or is it just that many of the new people
on the panel remember it from when it was great? But Prowler may not be in
my top 20 (just), but it's my favorite GCI.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks that Hellcat in the Dells
hasn't aged well, since it dropped from #19 to #30 and is another one of
the few coasters to lose points with more voters in this year's panel.
Could someone please do a major event at Alabama Adventure? Robb, are you
listening? ;-) Maybe along with next year's Deep South Bash? Rampage may
not be a #1 coaster, but it's far better than #32. At least on Mitch's
poll it's #15, which is better, but nowhere near as good as my personal
ranking of #5.
First off, It's completely understandable that certain awards are pretty
much a lock for the same parks year in and year out. It's not like those
parks are usually dramatically improving or failing at things. If most
enthusiasts think that Cedar Point is the best amusement park and
Schlitterbahn is the best water park in the world, what's really going to
change those opinions? Anyone who's bet against either park winning this
poll (or just about any poll for best overall parks) is a fool. With the
exception of IOA when it was fresh and new, there's never been any
competition in either category, and it's fair to say that the VAST majority
of enthusiasts would agree with them. Even if Schlitterbahn didn't put
together probably the most incredible events in the industry!
It's also interesting to see that a bunch more people filled out the
ballots this year. I know that hey added a bunch of new people to the
panel. And maybe more people bothered to fill it out this year? While it
didn't seem to change most of the categories, it definitely affected the
coaster categories. Interestingly, in the other categories, it seemed to
mostly solidify the positions of the top two vote-getters, as most of them
gained anywhere from 2-20%, while the lower ranked parks and rides seemed
to drop even lower in percentages this year. However, they also had a few
more nominees preselected in most categories, which did spread out some of
the percentages.
Best new rides weren't even close, as expected. Even if enthusiasts were
stupid enough to go to Florida in the Summer, Cheetah Hunt was never gonna
have a chance against the amazing new Texas Giant. The only new coaster
even coming close in quality was Grona Lund's Twister, but not enough
enthusiasts have even to Sweden to give it a fighting chance. (I'd imagine
that most of the 5% of the votes it got were people on the ACE Scandinavia
trip.) And can anyone even think about competing with Schlitterbahn,
besides Holiday World and Splashin' Safari? (Mainly because Splashin'
Safari is one of the only water parks that many enthusiasts have been to,
thanks to Holi-Wood Nights and other events there!) I just wish that The
Falls had opened in tome for my visit in June!
I'm still amazed that Idlewild wins every year for best kid's park. Sure
it's nice, but nice enough to get 2 out of every 5 votes? Here's where
you're seeing heavy old-school ACEr influence in this poll.
While Sea World in Orlando has always been a lock for the best marine life
park Can anyone out there think of any better place?), I was surprised to
see Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk just squeak out a win after years of
dominating the category. it lost 8% this year, which put it only 1% above
Blackpool Pleasure Beach (which I honestly think deserves it.)
Knoebels for best food again? They probably should name this "best
traditional park food", which I'd agree with. But can anyone even think
about competing with Tivoli Gardens for best gourmet (and super expensive!)
food? I mean, many people actually pay the huge park admission charge just
to eat at their restaurants! Then again, since the restaurants are outside
vendors, maybe that's not a fair comparison. (Then again, you could also
say the same thing for Epcot, which is another contender for truly great
food.) My vote perennially goes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg, who still
have some of my favorite ribs anywhere!
Will anyone ever beat Dudley Do-Right? It's just such a perfect
combination of silly whimsy and solid overall ride. The only current ride
that is better will never win, since it's in the UK. it's testament to
Valhalla's quality that it comes as close as it does, given its huge
handicap. After all, probably just about everyone on the panel has been on
Dudley at least once.
Wildebeest has established itself as the best water park ride just in time
to probably be unseated by its newer brother next year! Or will they split
the vote, allowing Master Blaster to regain the title? Which is what
happens now, with Schlitterbahn's three rides combined getting nearly half
of the votes overall.
And the only park to beat IOA for best dark ride is... IOA! Even
splitting the IOA vote, no one else even comes close. It will be
interesting to see if Spidey's hi-def overhaul allows it to reclaim the top
spot for Harry Potter next year.
Illuminations is untouchable, even if World of Color has dramatically
increased the park's attendance. Poor Fiesta got hit with a fireworks
ban, during ACE's convention add-on day, which surely would have otherwise
gotten them a bunch more votes!
I really wish that they'd split the walk-through attraction into haunted
and funhouse categories. They're so very, very different. Either way, all
of the contenders in my mind are in Europe and Japan. Not even the
excellent Frankenstein's Castle comes close. I voted for Grona Lund's
amazing Lustiga Huset.
As for the coasters, it's interesting to see how the influence of the new
people they've added to the poll has altered the top coasters. I'd imagine
that a lot of them are old-school ACEr types, considering how the rankings
changed. Not that that's a bad thing, but they have certain biases, which
can been seen in the results. As always, the major ACE events and overseas
trips by both ACE and the ECC will also affect the rankings, especially for
overseas rides.
It's pretty clear that Six Flags really messed up with their remake of
Superman into Bizarro. A lot of enthusiasts I know feel that it's really
lost its charm, either due to the blasting soundtrack or the restrictive
restraints. (And I'm sure that it doesn't help that taller people can't
ride at all, either!) It has always been neck and neck with Millennium
Force, swapping first place rankings. That a coaster in Massachusetts can
even compete with the top coaster at the most popular coaster park in the
world is testament to an incredible coaster design. But now, as more
enthusiasts get back to the park and experience the new trains, it's not
even close, with MF getting over 25% more points. Then again, Bizarro is
really handicapped, when you consider that it had less than 2/3 of the
riders as MF did on Mitch's poll.
Interestingly, those two coasters and Expedition GeForce are the only
coasters in the top 10 on both the Golden Tickets and Mitch's poll.
Could someone please explain the appeal of Nitro to me? Sure, it's fast
and fun. And it certainly has more forces than MF, which I'll never
understand either. But surely there are at least a half dozen
hypercoasters (and I'd argue more than a dozen) that are better than it.
Maybe it's just that none of them have had as many riders as the older
Nitro at a well-attended park in a coaster-rich area?
I figures that New Texas Giant was a lock for best new coaster, but to make
#6 in it's debut year? Surely, this was helped by both a TPR event there
AND the ACE Convention this year. But it's still damn impressive. Imagine
once the masses have all ridden it? This could be a contender for #1 in a
few years. It will be interesting to see where it ranks on Mitch's poll,
which doesn't require a lot of riders to win.
I'm sure that some will complain about Intimidator 305 only ranking at #13.
But that makes a lot of sense to me. For one thing, a lot of people
haven't ridden it yet. For another thing, a lot of people rode it with
painful restraints or with brakes or both (as I did.) Even without that,
it's certainly a polarizing coaster. I really wanted to like it, but I
only ranked it #42. (And it should drop a few more notches as a few new to
me coasters knock it down.)
And Phantom's Revenge is a great coaster, but if it were anywhere but
Kennywood, would it even rank in the top 20?
You can see the effect of the ACE Convention in Texas, their trip to
Scandinavia and the ECC trip to Germany in a bunch of the results on both
the steel and wood lists with big jumps for Titan, Piraten, Blue Fire,
Superman Krypton Coaster, Olympia Looping, Lisebergbanan, Balder, Boardwalk
Bullet (which jumped from 38 to 17, with nearly 5 times as many points as
last year!), Troy, and Rutschebanen, many of which actually debuted in the
top 50 this year.
Strangely, despite the ECC Germany trip, Heide Park's Colossos - the
world's first Intamin plug and play -- dropped from 18 to 29 and even lose
a handful of points, despite there being more voters this year. What
happened? Is it running badly now? Admittedly, you can't take much form
the lower ends of the poll, where it can take only a few votes to
dramatically move a coaster. But still, it's one of the few coasters on
the poll to lose points.
On another international note, T Express finally joined the top 50 woodies
at #39. Nothing like it's tied for #1 showing on Mitch's poll, but quite
good for a coaster in North Korea, where so few enthusiasts have visited.
As for wood, Voyage dominates, as expected, with nearly 20% more votes than
either Phoenix or El Toro, which had a very tight fight for second. (So
tight that one more #1 vote and a #4 vote for El Toro would have put it
ahead of Phoenix.)
In fact, the wood poll is where I think that the old-school enthusiast
influence of a lot of the new voters on the panel shows. Both Phoenix and
Twister got a ton of new votes, enough to push Phoenix just above El Toro
and to propel Twister up from #32 to #20 with over two and a half times as
many points as last year! As much as I love Phoenix, it will never be a
top 20 coaster for me. but old school fans absolutely LOVE it. It's
probably the ultimate classic coaster. I suspect that El Toro's drop isn't
to be attributed to any drop to it's quality as to a slight shift in the
poll panel's demographic.
Beast used to be great. But since the brakes, and since they've built so
many more great woodies, is it even remotely a top 10 coaster any more?
Apparently a ton of people still think so. I don't think is just
nostalgia. So many enthusiasts simply love it. Ask them, not me, why!
Raven and Lightning Racer finally drop out of the top 10. Raven hasn't run
as well as it used to in years. And it's still a short ride. And let's be
honest, it's been completely overshadowed by Voyage. And I've never
understood Lightning Racer's perennial place in the top 10 here. Sure,
like Phoenix, it's probably one of the most purely FUN coasters out there.
(Or should I say TWO of them?) But top 10? Hardly!
Their drop allows Shivering Timbers and Prowler to jump back into the top
10. Is Timbers running better, or is it just that many of the new people
on the panel remember it from when it was great? But Prowler may not be in
my top 20 (just), but it's my favorite GCI.
Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks that Hellcat in the Dells
hasn't aged well, since it dropped from #19 to #30 and is another one of
the few coasters to lose points with more voters in this year's panel.
Could someone please do a major event at Alabama Adventure? Robb, are you
listening? ;-) Maybe along with next year's Deep South Bash? Rampage may
not be a #1 coaster, but it's far better than #32. At least on Mitch's
poll it's #15, which is better, but nowhere near as good as my personal
ranking of #5.
CoAsTeRDaN
Sep 18, 2011, 8:44:40 AM9/18/11
to
On Sep 18, 2:14 am, "David H.--REMOVE \"STOPSPAM\" to reply"
<davidhhhSTOPS...@bellatlantic.net> wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:49:05 -0700 (PDT), Jeremy <jkthompso...@gmail.com>
>
> Let's be honest, though. How much SHOULD change?
>
> I mean, it's not like Cedar Point suddenly started sucking, or Holiday
> World suddenly became much less friendly. (Well, there was that period a
> few years back where they were less friendly to enthusiasts at their event,
> but that was understandable.)
I have never been a Cedar Point fan. It has the biggest collection of
medicore coasters. Not one of them stands out to me. For it to win,
and for MF to win best steel coaster to me is pretty insane. As
someone else pointed out, MF is the tallest *family coaster.* I find
it ironic that the word "Force" is in its name, because it lacks
forces of any kind.
Dudley Do Rights winning best water ride? Its "ok" at best. Its a
flume with plastic and cardboard cut outs. No where near deserving of
any award.
Knoebels with best food again, though the food isn't bad, it isn't
anything special and is not deserving of an award.
<davidhhhSTOPS...@bellatlantic.net> wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:49:05 -0700 (PDT), Jeremy <jkthompso...@gmail.com>
>
> Let's be honest, though. How much SHOULD change?
>
> I mean, it's not like Cedar Point suddenly started sucking, or Holiday
> World suddenly became much less friendly. (Well, there was that period a
> few years back where they were less friendly to enthusiasts at their event,
> but that was understandable.)
medicore coasters. Not one of them stands out to me. For it to win,
and for MF to win best steel coaster to me is pretty insane. As
someone else pointed out, MF is the tallest *family coaster.* I find
it ironic that the word "Force" is in its name, because it lacks
forces of any kind.
Dudley Do Rights winning best water ride? Its "ok" at best. Its a
flume with plastic and cardboard cut outs. No where near deserving of
any award.
Knoebels with best food again, though the food isn't bad, it isn't
anything special and is not deserving of an award.
Rastus O'Ginga
Sep 19, 2011, 1:06:00 PM9/19/11
to
Something just seems dumb about this.
ldnayman
Sep 20, 2011, 12:14:01 PM9/20/11
to
On Sep 18, 7:14 am, "David H.--REMOVE \"STOPSPAM\" to reply"
ridden it in years. It is downright painful with ZERO airtime. There
isn't a coaster on the planet that staples you in like this.
You have no view anywhere but the front because of those stupid
speakers, and "airtime" = "painful thigh crunch time" on every hill.
Doesn't belong anywhere in the top 10.
Nitro rules, although I put it behind Apollo's chariot. You can't beat
the BM trains - simply the best hypercoaster trains going. It's got
great speed, air, and a fun layout.
<davidhhhSTOPS...@bellatlantic.net> wrote:
>
> It's pretty clear that Six Flags really messed up with their remake of
> Superman into Bizarro. A lot of enthusiasts I know feel that it's really
> lost its charm, either due to the blasting soundtrack or the restrictive
> restraints. (And I'm sure that it doesn't help that taller people can't
> ride at all, either!) It has always been neck and neck with Millennium
> Force, swapping first place rankings. That a coaster in Massachusetts can
> even compete with the top coaster at the most popular coaster park in the
> world is testament to an incredible coaster design. But now, as more
> enthusiasts get back to the park and experience the new trains, it's not
> even close, with MF getting over 25% more points. Then again, Bizarro is
> really handicapped, when you consider that it had less than 2/3 of the
> riders as MF did on Mitch's poll.
>
Bizarro sucks. I suspect those that keep voting it #1 or #2 haven't
>
> It's pretty clear that Six Flags really messed up with their remake of
> Superman into Bizarro. A lot of enthusiasts I know feel that it's really
> lost its charm, either due to the blasting soundtrack or the restrictive
> restraints. (And I'm sure that it doesn't help that taller people can't
> ride at all, either!) It has always been neck and neck with Millennium
> Force, swapping first place rankings. That a coaster in Massachusetts can
> even compete with the top coaster at the most popular coaster park in the
> world is testament to an incredible coaster design. But now, as more
> enthusiasts get back to the park and experience the new trains, it's not
> even close, with MF getting over 25% more points. Then again, Bizarro is
> really handicapped, when you consider that it had less than 2/3 of the
> riders as MF did on Mitch's poll.
>
ridden it in years. It is downright painful with ZERO airtime. There
isn't a coaster on the planet that staples you in like this.
You have no view anywhere but the front because of those stupid
speakers, and "airtime" = "painful thigh crunch time" on every hill.
Doesn't belong anywhere in the top 10.
Nitro rules, although I put it behind Apollo's chariot. You can't beat
the BM trains - simply the best hypercoaster trains going. It's got
great speed, air, and a fun layout.
Cyclone411
Sep 21, 2011, 12:47:59 PM9/21/11
to davidhhh...@bellatlantic.net
OK, I'll respond to that one little piece of a great article (thanks David -- really one of the most interesting and well argued posts in a while (how long did that take you to type!).
Nitro appeals to those of us who like a smooth ride with lots of float time. As I age, inversions thrill me less and pain me more, so there's a big factor. If I look at the group of similar-experience steel hypers, it compares well (Millenium Force, Apollo's Chariot, Raging Bull, SFNE Bizarro). I was one who bitched no end about screwing with Superman - (why take one of the most popular coasters and modify it? Like SFNE and the rest of the chain don't have plenty of other prospects that NEED upgrades?). Superman rated over MF because it had more intense float (actual "float" is now stifled by stapling, but the force is certainly still there). Nitro and Apollo are two versions of the same concept. Nitro has a bit more variety to the layout. I can ride this coaster for hours on end and never have a headache or a bruise and I enjoy the float. Seats are like a lounge chair. My 10 year old daughter agrees with me. (We both also love Boulder Dash, but it beats us down a lot quicker). I can almost get into a trance on Nitro or AC if it's an ERT where I can stay on. If you like these particular sensations, Nitro (and it's sisters AC and RB) really deliver. I would make definite travel plans to try any new B&M of the same general design.
Nitro appeals to those of us who like a smooth ride with lots of float time. As I age, inversions thrill me less and pain me more, so there's a big factor. If I look at the group of similar-experience steel hypers, it compares well (Millenium Force, Apollo's Chariot, Raging Bull, SFNE Bizarro). I was one who bitched no end about screwing with Superman - (why take one of the most popular coasters and modify it? Like SFNE and the rest of the chain don't have plenty of other prospects that NEED upgrades?). Superman rated over MF because it had more intense float (actual "float" is now stifled by stapling, but the force is certainly still there). Nitro and Apollo are two versions of the same concept. Nitro has a bit more variety to the layout. I can ride this coaster for hours on end and never have a headache or a bruise and I enjoy the float. Seats are like a lounge chair. My 10 year old daughter agrees with me. (We both also love Boulder Dash, but it beats us down a lot quicker). I can almost get into a trance on Nitro or AC if it's an ERT where I can stay on. If you like these particular sensations, Nitro (and it's sisters AC and RB) really deliver. I would make definite travel plans to try any new B&M of the same general design.
Rastus O'Ginga
Sep 21, 2011, 1:21:31 PM9/21/11
to
On Sep 21, 11:47 am, Cyclone411 <cyclone...@charter.net> wrote:
> OK, I'll respond to that one little piece of a great article (thanks David -- really one of the most interesting and well argued posts in a while (how long did that take you to type!).
>
> Nitro appeals to those of us who like a smooth ride with lots of float time. As I age, inversions thrill me less and pain me more, so there's a big factor. If I look at the group of similar-experience steel hypers, it compares well (Millenium Force, Apollo's Chariot, Raging Bull, SFNE Bizarro). I was one who bitched no end about screwing with Superman - (why take one of the most popular coasters and modify it? Like SFNE and the rest of the chain don't have plenty of other prospects that NEED upgrades?). Superman rated over MF because it had more intense float (actual "float" is now stifled by stapling, but the force is certainly still there). Nitro and Apollo are two versions of the same concept. Nitro has a bit more variety to the layout. I can ride this coaster for hours on end and never have a headache or a bruise and I enjoy the float. Seats are like a lounge chair. My 10 year old daughter agrees with me. (We both also love Boulder Dash, but it beats us down a lot quicker). I can almost get into a trance on Nitro or AC if it's an ERT where I can stay on. If you like these particular sensations, Nitro (and it's sisters AC and RB) really deliver. I would make definite travel plans to try any new B&M of the same general design.
Agreed.
> OK, I'll respond to that one little piece of a great article (thanks David -- really one of the most interesting and well argued posts in a while (how long did that take you to type!).
>
> Nitro appeals to those of us who like a smooth ride with lots of float time. As I age, inversions thrill me less and pain me more, so there's a big factor. If I look at the group of similar-experience steel hypers, it compares well (Millenium Force, Apollo's Chariot, Raging Bull, SFNE Bizarro). I was one who bitched no end about screwing with Superman - (why take one of the most popular coasters and modify it? Like SFNE and the rest of the chain don't have plenty of other prospects that NEED upgrades?). Superman rated over MF because it had more intense float (actual "float" is now stifled by stapling, but the force is certainly still there). Nitro and Apollo are two versions of the same concept. Nitro has a bit more variety to the layout. I can ride this coaster for hours on end and never have a headache or a bruise and I enjoy the float. Seats are like a lounge chair. My 10 year old daughter agrees with me. (We both also love Boulder Dash, but it beats us down a lot quicker). I can almost get into a trance on Nitro or AC if it's an ERT where I can stay on. If you like these particular sensations, Nitro (and it's sisters AC and RB) really deliver. I would make definite travel plans to try any new B&M of the same general design.
Many people poo-poo on the B&M hypers, but I love them all. Nitro
blew me away on my first ride, especially with a strange fall-off-the-
track feeling that was on the second hill. My ride this year didn't
have that unique feel, but I still loved it. Intimidator 305 is
amazing, but as the gray-out kept getting worse on each ride, I was
done after 3. I loved those rides, but I sure couldn't do it much.
MilF, on the other hand, I can ride plenty of times, loving every
second.
-R
Tim Melago
Sep 21, 2011, 7:26:53 PM9/21/11
to
On Sep 17, 4:58 pm, ace <tvdud...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Best funhouse walk through attraction goes to Kennywod.
Noah's Ark at Kennywood (and Kennywood in general) has been in a
> Best funhouse walk through attraction goes to Kennywod.
decline ever since the Spaniards bought them. The ending ark scene
wasn't even operational this year. Idlewild is a great kids park but
they've been winning the best kids park award now that a different
company owns them and the park is not in as well maintained as it used
to be IMHO.
--Tim Melago
David Sandborg
Sep 21, 2011, 8:12:53 PM9/21/11
to
In article
<d12ccf2b-6670-4b1b...@f8g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>,
"Rastus O'Ginga" <rast...@gmail.com> wrote:
<d12ccf2b-6670-4b1b...@f8g2000yqf.googlegroups.com>,
"Rastus O'Ginga" <rast...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Many people poo-poo on the B&M hypers, but I love them all. Nitro
> blew me away on my first ride, especially with a strange fall-off-the-
> track feeling that was on the second hill. My ride this year didn't
> have that unique feel, but I still loved it.
I don't care for Raging Bull that much, and Silver Star was initially a
disappointment (though better on a second try) but I like the rest of
them a lot. Nitro isn't as intense on the merits even as some of the
later B&M hypers, but it's a very enjoyable ride. Apollo's Chariot is
objectively pretty mild but I love it and wouldn't change a thing about
it. There's a place for this type of ride and clearly they have a lot
of appeal.
> Intimidator 305 is
> amazing, but as the gray-out kept getting worse on each ride, I was
> done after 3. I loved those rides, but I sure couldn't do it much.
> MilF, on the other hand, I can ride plenty of times, loving every
> second.
I305 and Millennium Force are almost opposites, but neither is my style.
But between them I'd definitely choose MilF. Maybe I'm just getting too
old for I305's intensity, but I never was big on the positive G's in the
first place.
--
Dave Sandborg
Remove Spam-away to respond via e-mail.
VFTB Matt
Sep 28, 2011, 4:07:39 PM9/28/11
to
On Sep 18, 6:14 am, "David H.--REMOVE \"STOPSPAM\" to reply"
<davidhhhSTOPS...@bellatlantic.net> wrote:
> Here are some random thoughts on the poll and its winners:
>
>
> Here are some random thoughts on the poll and its winners:
>
>
> I'm still amazed that Idlewild wins every year for best kid's park. Sure
> it's nice, but nice enough to get 2 out of every 5 votes? Here's where
> you're seeing heavy old-school ACEr influence in this poll.
>
> it's nice, but nice enough to get 2 out of every 5 votes? Here's where
> you're seeing heavy old-school ACEr influence in this poll.
>
> As for the coasters, it's interesting to see how the influence of the new
> people they've added to the poll has altered the top coasters. I'd imagine
> that a lot of them are old-school ACEr types, considering how the rankings
> changed. Not that that's a bad thing, but they have certain biases, which
> can been seen in the results. As always, the major ACE events and overseas
> trips by both ACE and the ECC will also affect the rankings, especially for
> overseas rides.
WHOA, wait, are you saying ACE may sway polls????
> people they've added to the poll has altered the top coasters. I'd imagine
> that a lot of them are old-school ACEr types, considering how the rankings
> changed. Not that that's a bad thing, but they have certain biases, which
> can been seen in the results. As always, the major ACE events and overseas
> trips by both ACE and the ECC will also affect the rankings, especially for
> overseas rides.
David H.--REMOVE "STOPSPAM" to reply
Sep 29, 2011, 2:34:30 AM9/29/11
to
On Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:07:39 -0700 (PDT), VFTB Matt <mcja...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Everyone sways polls. Especially when polls aren't done by random samples.
That's not news.
What's interesting to me is how the changing demographics of the various
polls affect the results. And I've been talking about this for years, so
there's never been any targeting of any specific group or board. (And yes,
it's obvious what you're getting at.)
Various groups of people tend to have different tastes and preferences. I
wasn't even talking about ACErs as a whole. I was talking about a specific
sub-set of ACErs with certain preferences.
But when I'm talking specifically about the ACE/ECC events and overseas
trips affecting the results of the Golden Ticket Awards, that makes total
sense, since this poll is based on the total number of votes. After all,
when a bunch of the people on the panel ride a ride or visit a park for the
first time, then that ride or park is more likely to get more votes. So,
if ACE takes a trip to Scandinavia for the first time, as it did this year,
it's those parks and coasters are obviously going to pick op some points,
because more of us have actually been there this year. The same goes for
major ACE events. After all, people who've never ridden Balder or
Boardwalk Bullet would have never given them any votes. But now that 100
or so ACErs -- quite a few of whom are on the panel (myself included) --
have ridden them, they're likely to gain votes. The same goes for the ACE
convention add-on day at Kemah, where many dozens of people who've never
ridden the Bullet got to finally ride it.
Interestingly, very few of them actually rode it at the end of the night,
when it was running FAR better than it was during the morning ERT. So
there's an example of when an event might actually hurt a ride in the long
run, despite an initial gain. Or if a coaster was performing particularly
poorly during an event or trip. (See Tonnere de Zeus after the ACE
European Coaster Odyssey for a great example.) those situations will have
a more immediate effect in Mitch's poll, obviously because of his scoring
wrote:
That's not news.
What's interesting to me is how the changing demographics of the various
polls affect the results. And I've been talking about this for years, so
there's never been any targeting of any specific group or board. (And yes,
it's obvious what you're getting at.)
Various groups of people tend to have different tastes and preferences. I
wasn't even talking about ACErs as a whole. I was talking about a specific
sub-set of ACErs with certain preferences.
But when I'm talking specifically about the ACE/ECC events and overseas
trips affecting the results of the Golden Ticket Awards, that makes total
sense, since this poll is based on the total number of votes. After all,
when a bunch of the people on the panel ride a ride or visit a park for the
first time, then that ride or park is more likely to get more votes. So,
if ACE takes a trip to Scandinavia for the first time, as it did this year,
it's those parks and coasters are obviously going to pick op some points,
because more of us have actually been there this year. The same goes for
major ACE events. After all, people who've never ridden Balder or
Boardwalk Bullet would have never given them any votes. But now that 100
or so ACErs -- quite a few of whom are on the panel (myself included) --
have ridden them, they're likely to gain votes. The same goes for the ACE
convention add-on day at Kemah, where many dozens of people who've never
ridden the Bullet got to finally ride it.
Interestingly, very few of them actually rode it at the end of the night,
when it was running FAR better than it was during the morning ERT. So
there's an example of when an event might actually hurt a ride in the long
run, despite an initial gain. Or if a coaster was performing particularly
poorly during an event or trip. (See Tonnere de Zeus after the ACE
European Coaster Odyssey for a great example.) those situations will have
a more immediate effect in Mitch's poll, obviously because of his scoring
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