2007 Mitch's Wooden Poll Results Are In

[texcoaster]

There was only 6 votes difference in the head to head between Voyage and El Toro which ended up determining who was #1, now if we excluded all the Voyage fanboys who haven't even ridden El Toro but ranked it below Voyage anyway...

 

I'm sure the number of those ballots were probably countered by the ET fanboys who did the same thing.

 

Honestly, who really cares if your personal #1 matches the poll's?

[larrygator]

I think some of the Europeans are just intrigued by their first GCI and haven't been on a better one yet.

 

Do you have proof that I'm wrong about the subliminal messages?

[SharkTums]

^^Look at the ballots yourself! There's not obvious sandbagging done by the people that ranked El Toro number 1 and Voyage something else. But how many votes are there with Voyage 1 and El Toro dead last??? Give me a break!

 

Seriously though, I'm okay with it. Look at the top movies, television, books...people are stupid, why should enthusiasts be any different!?!?

[texcoaster]

Speaking of stupid people...

 

Boardwalk Bullet was ridden by 21 people, 19 of whom rode it in 2007.

 

Um.....

[downunder]

Come on that is an easy mistake to make and it doesn't invalidate the vote.

 

Well Voyage being number 1 isn't going to make me enjoy El Toro any less or Voyage any more. AT least ET fared better in Mitch's poll than with the Golden Ticket experts.

 

Still, congrats to Mitch for a great poll and I'm glad he got an excellent response.

 

Maybe Mitch needs to code a few if statements in there to pick up bulls*%* votes, like if Voyage = 1 and El Toro is less than 50, message = "stop rigging my poll bitch", send email to voter.

[hyyyper]

Troy comes in 4th? Wow, i really did not see that coming. I've been on Troy, and if i see the amazing Wildcat (hershey) layout i'm a bit curious how it ended up there.

[texcoaster]

Maybe Mitch needs to code a few if statements in there to pick up bulls*%* votes, like if Voyage = 1 and El Toro is less than 50, message = "stop rigging my poll bitch", send email to voter.

 

Hang on now... while it's certainly possible that someone sandbagged a vote, it's also possible that they just didn't like El Toro that much. I know of one person that I talked to while riding Bullet who complained that ET was "too damn smooth for a wood coaster" and that she liked the airtime, but was disappointed in the ride overall.

 

I had much the same response to Colossus at Heide Park. When I got off the first ride, I was actually sorta pissed off. It was this huge wood coaster, but I felt like I kinda got cheated out of a wood coaster experience. It felt like a steelie, and that's not what I wanted from that ride.

 

If I had stopped at one ride, Colossus would be near the bottom of my list. Luckily, the crowds were light and I was able to ride it several times. As I started appreciating the ride for what it was and not what I expected it to be, it moved up on my list quite a bit.

 

So it could be that some of those El Toro haters had the same reaction to it that I had to Colossus, but didn't bother going back for repeat rides.

[ginzo]

Hang on now... while it's certainly possible that someone sandbagged a vote, it's also possible that they just didn't like El Toro that much.

 

I call bullshit on the guy that ranked El Toro #107 below the Williams Grove Cyclone when he had Voyage at #1. That's an obvious sandbag.

[downunder]

I was being tongue in cheek, a vote is a vote, and I think the vast majority are totally honest.

 

The bottom line is too that whether they vote Voyage and El Toro #150 or #2, the head to head will still be one to the voyage and rating El Toro behind so many other coasters won't matter because El Toro will still win the comparison between it and all the other coasters except Voyage.

[texcoaster]

^^ this is true. The "sandbagger" did no more damage to El Toro by ranking it #170 than he would've by ranking it #2.

[ginzo]

^^ this is true. The "sandbagger" did no more damage to El Toro by ranking it #170 than he would've by ranking it #2.

 

Yeah, but it's a disturbing trend. Throw in a few more of Mr. Sandbaggers ilk and a headstrong rookie like Ravine Flyer II, and the poll could be a real freakshow next year. Though I imagine Voyage and El Toro will solidly hold the top two places. The big question is who wins next time.

[texcoaster]

^^ The poll had more than 700 ballots this year. It would take a LOT of sandbaggers, all with the same agenda, to wreck the poll in any meaningful way.

[GuruGuys]

Seriously though, I'm okay with it. Look at the top movies, television, books...people are stupid, why should enthusiasts be any different!?!?

 

Not quite sure of the analogy here since both El Toro and Voyage are neck and neck in the this top 10 list, both top "box office hit" coasters, and tops in the top of almost every top 10 list I have seen. If they were a movie, they would surely be a 'box office hit', which I agree usually suck big time. For the analogy to parallel "movies, books, television" the coasters on these lists would have to suck like the top box office movies.

 

Perhaps you are just talking about the guy that ranked El Toro so far down the list compared to Voyage? I'd like to hear his reasoning. Personally, I can't wait to ride either, but I don't want to be considered a stupid enthusiast if I like Voyage better than El Toro. I will get to ride El Toro next July but don't know about The Voyage.

 

-GG

[ParkTrips]

^ You would only be a stupi denthusiast if you tried to fix an internet coaster poll, and some people were clearly trying to tamper with it

 

^^ The poll had more than 700 ballots this year. It would take a LOT of sandbaggers, all with the same agenda, to wreck the poll in any meaningful way.

Not really, when the margin between Toro and Voyage was so close. Voyage edged El Toro by 6 votes, or out of all the direct comparisons, it won 52.5% of the time. That's close, and I'm sure if you get rid of these ballots where El Toro was fleeced, it would win the head to head with Tremors and the loss to Voyage would be closer.

 

Notice the difference between this year and last. Last year, Voyage beat El Toro by a 2-1 margin, If you limit the poll to those who rode this year, Toro wins.

 

I would bet that if Mitch changes it next year to where you can't see the ballots until the results are in, Voyage will go down to El Toro.

 

Just like an election, all it takes is one vote to win. One person out to fix the poll could legitimately screw things up.

 

edit: on that ballot where the guy voted Toro below the WG Cyclone, he also voted it below Rolling Thunder. LOL

[CoasterLover]

Something to note... El Toro was preferred 36 to 30 over The Voyage among those who rode them both this year. I know I was one of those people who rode the Voyage AND El Toro this year and preferred El Toro over the Voyage. I just felt Voyage was just to violent to really be enjoyable. I really wanted to enjoy Voyage, I had envisioned it rising to my #1 spot, but as much as I tried (I rode it in the front, the back, the middle, hands up, holding on), I just couldn't enjoy it... at least not as much as I enjoyed El Toro. Now, 2007 was my first ride on Voyage, and I'm sure it was at least SLIGHTLY smoother in 2006. Layout wise, Voyage is AWESOME, but I'm guessing just the fact that I did NOT ride it in its inaugural season hurt my opinion of the ride. And my guess is, as more people ride/re-ride Voyage, many other opinions will sway the same way.

[spaceace12]

Also, if you rode it mid season, you might have gotten a ride with the trim brake on (which takes away allot during the triple down, especially in front). I do think Voyage is rough, but I like it that way. It is not a pain rough (like Thunder Run), but a hold on rough. I can do two in a row, but after that I need to take a short break before getting back in line.

[mcjaco]

^Curves are good on women, not roller coaster drops.

 

You obviously haven't riden Renegade.

[larrygator]

I know of one person that I talked to while riding Bullet who complained that ET was "too damn smooth for a wood coaster" and that she liked the airtime, but was disappointed in the ride overall.

 

I call Bullsh!t. The poll is not to determine which wood coaster feels the most like an old fashioned coaster. The poll is to determine the best wood coaster. Wood coasters are defined by the tracks they roll on.

 

Does this same person who complains it is too smooth, vote B&Ms at the bottom of the Steel Poll because B&Ms are too smooth?

 

To those who say El Toro or Balder and not wood coasters, just refrain from voting for them at all next year, since you are a hypocrite to ET is the 107th best wood coaster when you don't even think it is a wood coaster.

 

There was an ACE event at SFGAdv this year. I happened to be at the park the same day. I ran straight to El Toro when the park opened as the ACErs were on Nitro. About 60 minutes after the park opened some of the ACErs made it to ET, many were raving about the air on Nitro. A few of these ACErs either could not fit into El Toro and asked to be unlocked after they felt uncomfortable in the "tight" restraints. Then they proceeded to bitch about the lack of oversized seats endlessly.

 

Could these fatties be sandbagging El Toro?

[hyyyper]

^dunno, but blaming ACErs is always a good thing

[TheGreatOne]

I know of one person that I talked to while riding Bullet who complained that ET was "too damn smooth for a wood coaster" and that she liked the airtime, but was disappointed in the ride overall.

 

Does this same person who complains it is too smooth, vote B&Ms at the bottom of the Steel Poll because B&Ms are too smooth?

 

 

While I agree with the overall point you're making, that's not a fair comparison. I personally like the "reckless and somewhat rough" nature of wooden coasters compared to steel coasters. However, that wouldn't stop me from ranking a smooth wooden coaster high if it's a good overall ride.

 

Most people expect smoothness from steel coasters and a little roughness from woodies based on their prior experiences.

[BeemerBoy]

 

Overall the only real top ten list that matters to me is my own.

 

--Robb

 

This needs to be quoted every other page.

 

I was happy to finally vote this year given the ease of using Ted's applet, but watching the subsequent results thread sometimes makes my stomach turn.

I'll just go back to liking what I like without voting next year.

 

Sandbagging a freakin' coaster poll = incredibly LAME, people. To those that did.....grow up.

[EJ]

YAY! Comet at TGE is the top wooden coaster in the SF chain! Well... besides El Toro that is.

 

El Toro is unreal though. It definitely deserves the position it got. Kind of surprised it didn't get the top spot. Also kind of annoyed that the "it isn't even a wooden coaster!" debate is still alive and well. Will this ever be settled? I can't even read the thread at CB without getting agitated.

 

Comet at TGE: Most underrated wooden coaster!

[splzero]

If someone can rate a coaster lower because its "too rough" why cant they if its "too smooth"

 

Voyage people sandbaging El Toro and El Toro sand baging Voyage.

 

I dont get how people can say Voyage is too rough so they ranked it lower yet Avalanche is way up in there polls.

[KrakenKing]

While Voyage is my number one, El Toro is my number two, and very close to my number one.

 

I just thought the overall feel to The Voyage was better, I love turns and hills and The Voyage was all inclusive of those. Plenty of floater airtime and lateral G's.

 

Now, El Toro had some extreme airtime, best on any coaster I've been on, but didn't do so well in the laterals department. The ending was sort of... meh to me.

 

The ending of The Voyage, while a little rough, was very fast paced and kept it's intensity throughout.

 

Overall ride time, El Toro seemed like it was there just for the hills, which isn't really a bad thing.. also seeing the space that Intamin had to work with, they did a great job.

 

The Voyage was spread out and was extremely long, the tunnels and drops inside of them were spectacular.

 

Night rides, El Toro was... eh at night, no big change in the feel of the ride. The Voyage was AMAZING, no lights during the whole ride except the lift and midcourse, it really felt out of control, more so than The Beast at night I thought.

[Scaparri]

Also, if you rode it mid season, you might have gotten a ride with the trim brake on (which takes away allot during the triple down, especially in front). I do think Voyage is rough, but I like it that way. It is not a pain rough (like Thunder Run), but a hold on rough. I can do two in a row, but after that I need to take a short break before getting back in line.

 

Where did you ride on Thunder Run? In the eleven years I have been going to the park, I have never had a ride on it that was anywhere near pain rough.