SFMM ties with CP

[TH13TEEN]

^ Are you saying NO water at all? It needs the water to stop.

[Coney Islander]

It can run with no water at all, even though it wouldn't be safe for people to ride... I bet that could even be fixed with some LIM brakes.

[bkroz]

If Shoot the Rapids is a roller coaster, so is Splash Mountain. The major difference between the two is that Splash Mountain's ride track is built into a plaster mountain facade and Shoot the Rapid's is in the open. Other than that, they're both log flume canals with lift hills and track-guided drops... And if Splash Mountain is a roller coaster, lots of things are roller coasters. It's only a small step from there to claiming raft-rides with drops are roller coasters because they're guided and gravity-powered... That's a Pandora's Box I am not willing to deal with! Haha!

[The Interpreter]

Two words: Demon Drop.

Tell me why it isn't.....

Which is why I don't get into these arguments.

Then there's rcdb.com, which refuses to acknowledge that Haunted House at Camden Park is a roller coaster. It's indistinguishable from a small steel mouse...because it is.

[bkroz]

I would say Demon Drop is a roller coaster. There's just a lot of arbitrary rules out there that don't necessarily make sense, but that's just the way things are understood... I don't know that it's right, but in the end, why does it matter? Because someone needs three or four extras on a "coaster count"? Both log flumes and first generation freefalls fit (loosely, but no more loosely than Top Thrill Dragster) the dictionary definition of roller coaster:

a small gravity railroad, esp. in an amusement park, having a train with open cars that moves along a high, sharply winding trestle built with steep inclines that produce sudden, speedy plunges for thrill-seeking passengers.

Link.

Again, though, I can't see how it matters. If Cedar Point wanted to claim Demon Drop as a roller coaster, they certainly could've tried. Six Flags fans would have rebelled, Cedar Point would have either conceded or said "Well fine, then Shoot the Rapids counts!" and the coaster battle would become a coaster war... And all for a number. Those days are long gone, though...

Personally, when I hop aboard a ride, the last thing on my mind is "I can't believe this isn't counted as a roller coaster!" Just ride the rides and enjoy it!

[KDCOASTERFAN]

"Those days are long gone". I don't think so & find it to be a waste of money by both parks/chains just for a record that only enthusiasts would really care about.

[coaster_junky]

i don't care about the number of coasters, as long as they are ones worth coming back to the park for.

[bkroz]

When I said 'Those days are long gone' I was talking about the days when Cedar Point might've argued that Demon Drop counted as a roller coaster. Haha. Those days are gone, because the ride is no longer at Cedar Point and therefore, not able to tip the balance in their favor.

Also, I hardly think it's an enthusiast-only record. The world's only Giant Top Spin? Yes. But the most roller coasters in a single park? Most of the general public is very aware of that record, due to its level of marketing. Some parks might choose to market "Quality over quantity," but to each (park) its own!

[maverick2007]

The thing that will make CP better than SFMM is the fact that CP has all but a few custom coasters while SFMM has many clones. Again IMO Quality>Quantity

[Dvo]

I certainly hope you've been to both parks. Magic Mountain only has a few clones... and the custom rides they do have are almost all fantastic. Terminator is a wonderful woodie, Colossus is a great out-and-back, Tatsu is just awesome, and X2... well. It's best to look at my TR for that. Unbelievable. And that's just the really good ones. Not to mention they make fantastic use of the terrain of the park. However just so you know, I still like Cedar Point just a little better.

Back on topic... I think if you want to be technical you can argue that there are many many roller coasters that aren't credited as such. But using common sense, there's no way that Shoot the Rapids is a roller coaster. If that's a coaster, so is White Water canyon, right? It's got a water trough, and a lift at the end with a "drop". Granted you don't freely go down it, but you nonetheless drop.

[hausty1983]

Where is the little girl in the red shirt she's not in both of these lol!

[RingMaster]

Mr. Six has been the mascot for Six Flags for, what, 15+ years, and they're just NOW honoring him with a ride of his own? Talk about tough love...

[The Interpreter]

Mr. Six was only introduced by Mr. Story and Six Flags then advertising agency, Doner, in 2004, shortly before Story and his management team were ousted. Not even ten years ago, and little more than five.

Also, when Messrs Snyder and Shapiro took over, they thought him creepy and inappropriate for a family park chain. He was quietly shelved the very next day after the takeover! Public outcry supposedly brought him back.

...The original Mr. Six ads ran from 2004 to 2005. But when Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, Six Flags' largest shareholder, won his bid to take control of the company in late 2005, he ripped the campaign. His management team soon killed the ads. "Mr. Six went on sabbatical," says Angie Vieira Barocas, senior VP of marketing and entertainment at Six Flags. "People associated him with Six Flags, but he wasn't necessarily converting people's intention to visit our parks into actual visitation."

http://www.time.com/...iness/article/0,8599,1912454,00.html#ixzz0gMMd3PCL

..."The buzz generated by the 'Mr. Six' campaign launch has been phenomenal," Hank Salemi, Six Flags senior vice president of marketing, said in a prepared statement. "Our guests love him, so we had to bring him back."...

http://www.bizjourna...28/daily35.html

[74Gibson]

No offense but, I still think Mr. Six is inceredibly creepy... and I've worked with sex offenders, Schizophrenics and about everything else.

Quality over quantity does not rule out a clone. Whichever clone it is (though some are a bit different) Batman is an amazing invert! Besides, clones are a cost effective way to have more high quality rides in more parks.

[Beast1979]

My $0.02 on this:

Shoot the Rapids is not a roller coaster. It may have 2 roller coaster like parts, but they are connected by water ride parts. There are not constant rails throughout the ride. On that subject, Demon Drop is, by my definition, a roller coaster, and so is Blazing Fury, and that Haunted Camden Mouse Terpy mentioned. By my definition, a coaster should have: Rails and track throughout the course, cars with wheels attached to the rails, some Elevation change of some sort, and not be powered throughout the entire thing. Sorry, Ang, Avatar is not a Roller Coaster.

Whether or not Cedar Point or Six Flags Magic Mountain have the most roller coasters, who cares? They're on opposite sides of the nation, so it's not like they are competeing for customers, they're competeing for title. They can duke it out all they want, but I'll still be perfectly happy down in Orlando, Florida, enjoying a Spider, a Mummy, and two similar yet very different dragons. And there are several on here who would rather take a Voyage down to Indiana before the Amazement Park on the Lake.

[The Interpreter]

Leap the Dips, the oldest operating coaster, does not have cars attached to the rails...Nor do/did any of these:

http://www.rcdb.com/...htm?ot=2&ca=106

And there are those who'd really rather have a great adventure...

[Go Browns]

I agree with Beast9791, STR is not a roller coaster. Being a coaster enthusiast means I've discussed and argued minute differences in mystery track, mid course break runs, and gotten excited the lack of over the shoulder harnesses. However, I'm taking the easy way out on the coaster water ride argument. In my opinion STR is a water ride that floats on water the majority of the time, is listed on CP's site as such, and there for is not a roller coaster. Easy peasy. I completely understand all the arguments to the latter but I'm like I said I'm taking the easy way here. Water ride is water ride and coaster is coaster.

Being that I grew up next door to CP and spent countless hours of both my childhood and adult life at CP bragging to out of towners about every detail of the park. I have to say I'm honestly and maybe selfishly a little disappointed that CP no longer has the record for most coasters, tallest, fastest, or any of the other records they've lost.

In any case I still love the park for all types of reasons from nostalgia to it's location on Lake Erie. So if they never build a new record breaking coaster again I'll still visit every summer. But my god please don't let that be the case.