Enthusiast vs Hobbyist

[Calcajun]

Enthusiast vs Hobbyist

So for some time I saw a particular person calling their Coaster Interest a Hobby. Don't know who, sorry.

Now I see more people calling it a hobby instead of them being an Enthusiast.

I wonder why people are changing how they refer to it. Wonder if there is a bad Stigma or Stereo type attached to a Coaster Enthusiast?

[BaSSiStiSt]

Enthusiast takes too long to say.

[GodsOnSafari]

Fewer syllables, "enthusiast" sounds hilariously pretentious.

[TC10K]

Maybe they're trying to distance themselves from a certain "enthusiast" and don't want guilt by association.


Honestly, it's probably just language evolving.


If there's a difference, I'd say that a hobbyist would visit a park if they're vacationing in an area that has one.
An enthusiast would make their vacation plans around going to the park.

[Dave Sandborg]

If it weren't for ACE choosing "enthusiast" to complete their acronym I
doubt I would have ever chosen the word for myself. I'm not sure I
would have chosen "hobbyist" either. I'm not sure what I would have
chosen, maybe just "fan".

[Calcajun]

For the thread header I wrote hobbyist, They actually refer to coaster riding as their "Hobby". When asked about it, I just say I like riding coasters. ALOT!

[surfd...@aol.com]

Interesting subject. I'd say I'm falling more away from "enthusiast" and more into the "hobbyist" category. I'm somewhere in between, for sure though.

[Rich B]

On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 10:24:25 PM UTC-4, surfd...@aol.com wrote:
> Interesting subject. I'd say I'm falling more away from "enthusiast" and more into the "hobbyist" category. I'm somewhere in between, for sure though.

I have become more of a hobbyist, but I will say that because I ran with a certain pack of enthusiasts and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

[coastercrazy28]

Enthusiast all the way

[Dave Althoff, Jr.]

Calcajun <mega...@hotmail.com> wrote:
: Enthusiast vs Hobbyist

Some years ago, I gave a presentation to a ride safety seminar being put on
by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The objective was to present on
examination of safety issues, primarily rider behavior issues, from a
customer's persctive. I examined the terminology by visiting the
dictionary...

ENTHUSIAST:
A person who is highly interested in a particular activity or subject: a
roller coaster ~. See note at ZEALOT.
(Oxford American Dictionaries)

I was able to kill a couple of minutes of presentation time by exploring
that note:

ENTHUSIAST: Displays an intenst and eager interest in something (:a roller
coaster enthusiast)

FANATIC: Intense, eager, and possibly irrational in enthusiasm; suggests
extreme devotion and willingness to go to any lengths (:a roller coaster
fanatic who drove cross-country to visit his favorite park)

ZEALOT: Not only extreme devotion, but vehement activity in support of a
cause or goal (:a coaster zealot who attended a ride safety school)

Now it seems we've got people who don't feel they fit into any of these
categories, and so we get "hobbyist", perhaps something a little less
enthusiastic? Is that fair?

It's interesting, when I put the presentation together, I divided the world
of roller coaster enthusiasm into two "eras". I'd be interested to see what
today's r.r-c thinks. My thesis was as follows--

1. Pre-Internet enthusiasts
Characterized by groups such as ACE, NAPHA, and the off-shoots of those
groups such as MACC, WNYCC, GOCC, Coaster Zombies, RCCGB, ECC, and others.
These are all non-profit membership organizations.

2. Internet era
Several factors, including the Internet itself, changed the face of coaster
enthusiasts. A few items in particular--

1991: rec.roller-coaster (first Internet coaster group)
1995: The Raven (wood coaster that changed the world)
1995: World of Coasters (first "modern" coaster web site)
(acknowledged: Darlene Fladager's site at unc.edu was earlier)
1998: Shivering Timbers (wood coaster that changed the world again)
1999: Cable TV specials
2000: Millennium Force

These factors (among others) led to an explosion in the number of
self-identified enthusiasts, served by a huge collection of Internet-only
discussion groups and organizations. In 2011, I listed 13 because that was
all that would fit on the screen.

I noted some similarities and differences...
Pre-Internet groups | Internet-era groups
====================================|=================================
|
Membership organizations | Membership organizations
|
Social groups (hold events) | Social groups (attend events)
|
Information (publications) | Information (discussion)
|
Preservation focused | "What's New" focused
|
Public education | Site promotion
|
Non-profit organizations | Often for-profit or website
| supporting

I also noted some demographic observations...

1978-1997 - "Pre-Internet"
o Adult, most likely male (or a member of his family)
o Loves amusement parks
o Interested in technology and/or history
o Has not been scared by a coaster in years
o Has probably ridden 100+ rides
o Enjoys coasters and flumes
o Gets sick on spinning rides
o May be scared by Ferris wheels and aerial tramways
o Has strong opinions and is vocal about them
o Joined an organization for...
* publications
* community
* special events

Since 1997 - "Internet era"
o Broader demographic (younger average age, more females)
o Loves to ride coasters
o Cares less about history
o Coasters may be a newer interest
o Has not ridden as many rides, but has ridden a few of them a *lot*
o Sees organizations as a means to ERT
* May not belong to any of the "traditional" organizations
o Less extensive general ride knowledge

That was the profile I came up with in 2008 and updated in 2011. My
question is, how well does any of it hold up in 2014. at least according to
this Internet-era community?


--Dave Althoff, Jr.
/X\ _ *** Respect rides. They do not respect you. ***
/XXX\ /X\ /X\_ _ /X\__ _ _ _____
/XXXXX\ /XXX\ /XXXX\_ /X\ /XXXXX\ /X\ /X\ /XXXXX
_/XXXXXXX\__/XXXXX\/XXXXXXXX\_/XXX\_/XXXXXXX\__/XXX\_/XXX\_/\_/XXXXXX
NEW! When emailing this account, include the 'canonical magic word' in
the body of your message for a quicker response.

[Calcajun]

For me, I only traveled a bit in the south from Georgia, into Florida and over to Texas parks. Never thought of myself as an Enthusiast as never took it to an extreme or paid attention and knew much on stats. At some point even joked saying I am a closet Enthusiast.

I do see it being referred to more as a hobby. Actually the first I started seeing it referenced as a hobby was from someone here.

[coastercrazy28]

Great stuff Dave...I need to think some of this over and then post my thoughts...

[ldnayman]

Enthusiast - add about 50 pounds on average.

[skiguy777]

On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 6:34:11 PM UTC-4, Calcajun wrote:

I can't spell the word enthusiast and have to look it up, so I call it a hobby. It's probably me who you're referring to, because I use the term a lot. Hobby usually refers to things people do at home, but in this case, it involves traveling, so it's kinda weird, but I still use the term to mean something one does to have fun. I play in a band, that's a hobby. I play online games, that's a hobby. I travel for coasters, ski resorts, and great food places, that's a hobby.

Yes, great stuff Dave. Your post about the Internet era happening in 1997 and the TV shows in 1999 is what made me become a fan. I saw Desperado on a TV show and said, "I have to ride that thing." Being able to book flights on the internet made it easy to plan vacations. In the past, I had to use a travel agent, or call the airlines and hotels directly. Once the internet was there, I could book the plane rides, hotel, rental car, and buy park tickets online. Before 1999, I didn't even know all these rides existed. All I knew about was Orlando and Tampa, because it was 4 hours away by car. Also knew there were many SF parks, but I had never traveled to them like I do now.

It is a hobby to me, because I'm not in ACE and don't say the full title of that word. People at work and those I meet on the street don't talk about ACE that much either. And I don't have to be in a club for it to be a hobby. Right now I've got 2 trips planned to check off 5 coasters from my list. That will take me to 60 out of 65 of the top steel coasters that I've chosen. My hobby has become completing my list.

[TC10K]

re:

I also noted some demographic observations...

1978-1997 - "Pre-Internet"
o Adult, most likely male (or a member of his family)
o Loves amusement parks
o Interested in technology and/or history
o Has not been scared by a coaster in years
o Has probably ridden 100+ rides
o Enjoys coasters and flumes
o Gets sick on spinning rides
o May be scared by Ferris wheels and aerial tramways
o Has strong opinions and is vocal about them
o Joined an organization for...
* publications
* community
* special events

Since 1997 - "Internet era"
o Broader demographic (younger average age, more females)
o Loves to ride coasters
o Cares less about history
o Coasters may be a newer interest
o Has not ridden as many rides, but has ridden a few of them a *lot*
o Sees organizations as a means to ERT
* May not belong to any of the "traditional" organizations
o Less extensive general ride knowledge

I think this is still pretty much spot-on.
I'd add to the internet group list, "less extensive general ride knowledge in spite of multiple posts claiming to have such knowledge"

I joined an internet group at SFFT last weekend. Most were under 21 and knowledgeable about parks within a day's drive or so, and knew a bit about the "biggies" - i.e. the ones that show up constantly on those Discovery Channel shows.
They knew very little about history, even about fairly recent history (SFAW, which closed in 2005 and/or rides that had once been at SFOT or SFFT but were no longer).

[BaSSiStiSt]

Pre-2000

Fat
Bearded
Nerdy

Post-2000

Same

[skiguy777]

On Tuesday, April 8, 2014 6:34:11 PM UTC-4, Calcajun wrote:

^^^
If coaster fans would eat the big salad at Whole Foods instead of the fast food junk, this stereotype would change. It's ok to cheat and eat a veggie pizza, but try to eat the salad a couple times. That's exactly what I did on my recent ski trip. When I visit Texas and Columbus, I'll do the same thing.

Pre 1999, no one knew this. Whole Foods was spreading across the country. It's only been recently that the health movies have come out. So we could add this to the time line history.

2011 - Viands loses 40 pounds eating like a Nutritarian.

Whole Foods headquarters are in Austin TX. When I visit in May, I'll be eating at the main store taking pictures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Foods_Market

The fat nerd coaster stereotype can change, it already has for me. I'm 5'9 170 lbs and can fit on any ride easily.

[Dave Althoff, Jr.]

BaSSiStiSt <bassis...@hotmail.com> wrote:
: Pre-2000

Hey! I resemble that remark! 8-)

--Dave Althoff, Jr. (bearded since 1994, nerdy since at least 1981...)