cfc Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 ^Great American Scream Machine was running really well during Deep South Bash last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 David - excellent analysis. re Cheetah: I did not ride this this, but did ride in October 2010 and it was considerably better than 2006. The retracking did wonders. I think Word of Mouth on the upgrades to the park (and a new coasters 3-4 hours ago at SFoG) drew in more enthusiasts in 2011, versus 2010. Side-friction coasters: I also noticed a jump in some of them and though it old. Maybe the boost comes from the nostalgia factor after the increased readership. To me they are all similar, the only standouts being at Tivoli Gardens, where the brakeman went above and beyond with their theatrics when TPR visited in 2009 and Hullamvasut at Vidam which just seemed a little more thrilling. I don't know if Prater Park's Hochschaubahn got any retracking in the off-season, but when I rode in 2010 I found it to be the tamest of the six side-friction coasters I've ridden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 David - excellent analysis. re Cheetah: I did not ride this this, but did ride in October 2010 and it was considerably better than 2006. The retracking did wonders. I think Word of Mouth on the upgrades to the park (and a new coasters 3-4 hours ago at SFoG) drew in more enthusiasts in 2011, versus 2010. Cheetah was running very well in 010' & 011'. Me n' tha midgets re-rode it all day long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Wax Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 As for Zippin Pippin, I think that's the best example of how few riders really makes the results unreliable. Does it really belong at #38 when the previous version of the coaster only made the top 100 once in its last 9 years? I'd tend to doubt it, even if it's significantly better that the previous version. But with only 12 riders, most of which were probably very much old school coaster fans who are likely to rank it higher than the rest of us might, we get unreliable results, especially with the majority of its matchups being very close -- and as a result, unreliable. In fact, Zippin Pippin provided one of T Express' three blemishes, with a 2-2 tie. While I can see T Express losing to #1 El Toro, and maybe even see it tying with #5 Phoenix, I think that it's safe to say that it's a better coaster than Zippin Pippin, which ranked at #38, which is probably much higher than it deserves! This is the best example of how a few riders with unusual opinions can affect much higher ranked coasters on the list. That's why Mitch doesn't count coasters with fewer than 10 riders. Luckily, there were few such coasters ranking highly this year. As one of the 12 riders who filled out a ballot this year coupled with the fact that I'm certainly not old school I'm fairly confident in my ranking of Zippin Pippin (ZP) as a "roller coaster I like a lot." It certainly wasn't in my top 10 (I listed 11 before grouping) I do believe it currently belongs in the next group down. I don't really expect ZP to hold its position though over the course of the next couple years as the hill that the Gravity Group added is already quite violent. I could be wrong, but I do agree that while I think ZP is a fantastic reincarnation (having never ridden the original) it will move down as it gains more riders and deteriorates (hopefully they stay up to snuff on their maintenance). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swiver Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 As for Zippin Pippin, I think that's the best example of how few riders really makes the results unreliable. Does it really belong at #38 when the previous version of the coaster only made the top 100 once in its last 9 years? I'd tend to doubt it, even if it's significantly better that the previous version. But with only 12 riders, most of which were probably very much old school coaster fans who are likely to rank it higher than the rest of us might, we get unreliable results, especially with the majority of its matchups being very close -- and as a result, unreliable. In fact, Zippin Pippin provided one of T Express' three blemishes, with a 2-2 tie. While I can see T Express losing to #1 El Toro, and maybe even see it tying with #5 Phoenix, I think that it's safe to say that it's a better coaster than Zippin Pippin, which ranked at #38, which is probably much higher than it deserves! This is the best example of how a few riders with unusual opinions can affect much higher ranked coasters on the list. That's why Mitch doesn't count coasters with fewer than 10 riders. Luckily, there were few such coasters ranking highly this year. I guess that I am one of the twelve that rode Zippin Pippin this year. I really had no idea that only twelve people that filled out this poll rode it. As for the rankings, I put it at my #11 spot. According to Mitch's poll, I've been on 46 wooden coasters I believe. And I'm being completely honest when I say that it's the 11th best wooden coaster I've been on. I can understand complaints from someone who hasn't been on it, but you really have to ride this one. There are some great moments of floater and ejector airtime, and there are even handchoppers! When GravityGroup built this ride, they were solely going off of pictures that they took at Libertyland to build the reincarnation of the old coaster. They definitely put a bit of a GG spin on it, and the finished product doesn't disappoint. They even run two trains on it, which is more than you can say for most GG caosters. I guess the main point I'm getting at with this though, is don't knock it until you've tried it. It's a really really really fun ride! EDIT: To give you an idea of my taste in coasters, this is how I voted in my poll this year. I don't really consider myself an "old school" guy. My Favorite Steel Anypark Anywhere **,y,y,1 El Toro SFGAd NJ,y,y,2 Thunderhead Dollywood TN,y,y,3 The Voyage Holiday World IN,y,y,4 Hades Mount Olympus WI,y,y,5 Ravine Flyer II Waldameer PA,y,y,6 Shivering Timbers Michigan's Adventure MI,y,n,7 The Legend Holiday World IN,y,y,8 The Beast Kings Island OH,y,y,9 Raven Holiday World IN,y,y,10 Zippin Pippin Bay Beach WI,y,y,11 Viper SFGAm IL,y,n,12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Honestly, a roller coaster placed at #38... Who really cares? Most people seem to be far more interested in the top 20, and really, top 10, everything else in between those and the bottom 5, does it really matter THAT much? When I do my ballot, it's pretty much "here's my favourite....and least favourite... Aaaaaand here's everything else in between..." No park is going to advertise "Zippin Pippin! Ranked #38 in the world!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 (edited) Now if it was the "8th best wooden coaster in the USA," that would be something to crow about. Edited February 2, 2012 by cfc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 ^ And "Legendary." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 (edited) Yeah, this just wouldn't quite have the same marketing appeal, would it? Edited February 2, 2012 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighRoller Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I'd think that sticking with "Elvis' Favorite Roller Coaster" would get them more mileage than "World's 38th best Wooden Coaster! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Anyone heard anything about when the steel poll voting will begin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacoaster09 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 2012 season underway... where is the steel poll? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickenbowl Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 Hmm, has anyone talked to Mitch lately? I wonder if the Steel poll is coming out this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted April 22, 2012 Author Share Posted April 22, 2012 I get the feeling the guy is VERY busy with things going on in his normal life. He'll release the poll if and when he gets the time. I hope it happens, but if it ends up not happening, I won't be bummed. People gotta live, you know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guy T. Koepp Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 People gotta live, you know! QFT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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