Something every roller coaster enthusiast should read

[Oldschool75]

I came across this article today posted on another site. I’m not sharing this as a promotion of another site, but as a promotion of the message it conveys. I recommend everyone on here should read it.

 

https://www.coaster-net.com/blogs/have-enthusiast-taken-the-fun-out-of-roller-coasters

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

[BeastForever]

Agreed.

And on this note, has anyone else ever taken a step back and realize how actually crazy it is to hear someone regard a 310 foot tall, 93 mph roller coaster as a "total snoozer"?

[Creed Bratton]

37 minutes ago, BeastForever said:

Agreed.

And on this note, has anyone else ever taken a step back and realize how actually crazy it is to hear someone regard a 310 foot tall, 93 mph roller coaster as a "total snoozer"?

Yes....I get opinions on rides...but not every person has the same opinions on rides and no one should fault another person for liking a ride that they may not. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

What a great read to keep things in prespective. We are here to talk and enjoy our hobby, our beloved Kings Island. (and other parks)

Always keep in mind what got you into this hobby. Appreciate the park for everything that it is, and the relationships that you have created being in this hobby.

[MDMC01]

Wow! What a great article. It certainly makes you reflect on yourself as well as the coaster community at large. Sometimes we get so wrapped up on things that ultimately shouldn't matter that we miss the bigger picture and the reason why we all came together to enjoy our hobby. And while we see this play out in fansites and on social media (such as the conversation mentioned in the article), I don't think that (to quote the article) "toxic" attitudes/mindsets are unique to coaster enthusiast groups. I saw an article towards the beginning of the year talking about how Toxic (capitalization pun intended) the Pokemon Go Community has become* as well as hard-lined sports allegiances (just look at the whole Bengals/Steelers thing here in the Tri-State lol).  Basically, whatever your passion is, have fun and don't look down on others because they may enjoy it differently; just enjoy the ride!

*Link: https://pokemongohub.net/post/article/the-community-used-toxic-its-super-effective/

 

 

[CoastersRZ]

Definitely a nice article and read. 

I have literally spent more than half of my life (wow, that is crazy to think about), working at Coney Island, that doesn`t have the biggest or tallest coaster out there.  We have one small coaster.  Many people say that I am nuts for working here so long, but I love the little park and the thought that many locals may come out and experience their first coaster at Coney, and one day may have the same interest in amusement parks that has kept me working at Coney.  Its hard to believe that I am entering my 18th season working at Coney (I am 34 years old, so over half of my life I have worked at Coney in the summers, starting when I was 17.  

I still remember one of the things that my manager told me towards the end of a long, hot day my first season when I was working the Scrambler.  He asked me if I was having fun, and I kind of just said, yeah, I guess.  He then said, well look at all the small kids that are riding your ride.  Look at their smiling faces and all the excitement that you are helping them have.  That has stuck with me through these years, and is part of the reason why I keep coming back.  I have so much fun working at Coney (even though it is my second job).  I don`t really even view it as a job.

[Rivertown Rider]

I thought it was a great article.  Amusement parks are supposed to be fun and a lot of time we get caught up in our personal preferences but it is good to have varying opinions on rides and manufacturers and parks. 

My wife doesn't ride most of the coasters with me so a lot of times as a single rider I get put with other riders.  Two of my more memorable experiences last year were with younger riders.  One was on Racer and one was on FOF.  It was great to see the sheer joy and excitement on their faces.  Sometimes as enthusiasts we forget that feeling.  Every ride is probably somebody's favorite so we should just relax and enjoy it.

[KI FANATIC 37]

Great read. Thank you for sharing. I couldn't agree more with the author that wrote that piece. Even though life can get in the way, I enjoying coming on this site and read what everyone has to say.

[Kenban]

There are some toxic elements in the enthusiast community but I think that is true of every enthusiast group not just fans of amusement parks.  I am also a travel enthusiast, in that community we have an issue with people who somehow think they are better than others for one reason or another, frequently because they have some level of status with the organization and we refer to them using DYKWIA.  It stands for Do You Know Who I Am, mostly because when they are arguing with an employee of a hotel or airline they tend to use that phrase.  Some coaster enthusiasts have a similar issue, some are just obsessed with a single manufacturer, others just want the biggest, tallest, fastest rides, etc.

The amusement industry is massive and has spawned numerous fan sites, discussion forums, organizations, and many other ways to communicate with others.  Plus it features almost every age group, from children, to teenagers, adults, and even seniors.  This leads to massive differences in preferences and ability to communicate.

I think that even the articles author has missed that amusement parks are frequently built for the whole family.  We are just the obsessed fraction of the people who are willing to ride the coasters.  Jason McClure stated at Winter Chill Out that only 40% of the people who visit Cedar Point ride Millenium Force, we as a community need to remember the park and it’s additions are for 100% of the people who walk through the gate and not the tiny fraction of the guests who are enthusiasts.

Our collective obsession with coasters is what binds the majority of park fan sites together, which is why most of our conversations center around coasters.

[Joshua]

2 hours ago, BeastForever said:

Agreed.

And on this note, has anyone else ever taken a step back and realize how actually crazy it is to hear someone regard a 310 foot tall, 93 mph roller coaster as a "total snoozer"?

This is how I feel every time I see someone condescendingly call Mystic Timbers a "family coaster" and/or complaining about the park adding rides that aren't massive record breakers. 

[McSalsa]

This article really hits the nail on the head- sometimes, you can take things a bit too seriously to the point it becomes toxic. Especially if you focus on negatives, which some people seem to really do. For example, don't like a ride? Fine- no one is forcing you to ride it (or at least they should not be- I have seen parents trying to force little kids on monster thrill rides before, which I disagree heavily with). You don't need to jump into a thread/forum/post and repeat it over, and over, and over (or mention it in EVERY thread) every time said ride or something similar is mentioned. I have seen it get so bad, I wonder if the person is actually just trolling.

And I can also vouch for it: this isn't limited to coaster and theme park communities, I have seen tons of others. Like video game fanbases, movie fanbases, etc.

[BoddaH1994]

I dig this article, thanks for sharing!

I figure I'd chime in since I feel like I would have a unique perspective on the subject matter.  

As many of you know, I was part of the staff of this site from its early days - I joined the staff about a month after it launched in 2003 and remained on the staff until Feb 14th, 2017, when I resigned.  Afterward, I took a break for a while before becoming a regular poster again.  To be frank, though, I was posting less and less for the last year or two that I was on the staff simply because I had no desire to be here.  

Throughout the last ten or so years of my residency on the staff, there were a lot of ups and downs.  I must admit that I had the opportunity to do a lot of things that I would have never been able to do, but it was far outweighed by the stress and the heartache that was caused by it.  Much of this was attributed to a personal and professional conflict that I now must admit that I had during the entire time running this site - my life goal was to work in the marketing department at Kings Island.  When certain individuals within the department found out about this, they used this around every corner in order to hold both KIC and myself hostage.  This means that I was forced to defend the park during times when I didn't agree with their decisions.  I also was forced to delete posts and even put down users who claimed that something went wrong on their visit.  If I didn't, I would often get the claim that not doing what they requested that it "doesn't bode well with you wanting to work here" or that this person or that person "no longer supports the site" because they didn't get their way.  I hope to God that things have changed. 

My resignation had everything to do with no longer wishing to be involved, but I did have an epiphany shortly after that really put things into the light.  Simply, if I'm treated this way and not on their payroll (side note: I have NEVER been on their payroll) how would I be treated if I did work there?  It's kind of like the couple that fights all the time but thinks getting married would fix everything.  It won't.  I was ready to walk away from the entire industry.

With the encouragement of several mentors within the industry, I was encouraged to stay involved.  Since then I have met some of the most amazing people.  I can assure you that the way that I was treated is not indicative of the entire industry, or even Cedar Fair as a whole.  It is incredibly unique to certain individuals.  I am now more confident and grateful to be involved in the industry than I have ever been.  I have been able to accomplish great things despite a decade of being told I wasn't good enough. 

I don't know everybody's story on here, but if this story resonates with anyone else then I'll tell you that I hear you.  I would encourage you to branch out.  Go to IAAPA in November and meet as many people as you can.  There are a million opportunities out there and a million wonderful people that are truly there to help you, not take advantage of you.

So now, as a casual/regular guest, I enjoy my visits more than ever.  I'm not worried about any of this stuff anymore.  I enjoy it for what it is, and I hope you can too.

 

[BeeastFarmer]

I think many of us can point the finger and say "I'm not like THOSE enthusiasts."  But truth be told, I think many of us can be "those" enthusiasts.  For example, over the last week, I have had 4 or 5 friends post on my Facebook wall a link about Yukon Striker.  My response was "meh."  When asked to clarify, I responded that dive coasters are fun but boring.  I base that on one ride I have been on.  These people look to me as an "expert" on coasters, which I am not.  But I may have steered someone away from a park because of my opinion.

I have seen YouTube "stars" praise a ride when they first ride it and then berate it repeatedly.  I generally pay them no mind after that because I realize that they have no inside information that makes them any better or worse than me.

I have seen people belittled on this site, and I probably have contributed to it.

Yet, I have made some wonderful friends on KIC and events like Coasterstock and Storm the Kingdom.  Media day for Mystic Timbers was incredible.  I have had many memorable times at Kings Island and other parks and usually can find an enthusiast when I visit a park like Conneaut Lake or Magic Mountain.  Pre-arranged meet-ups or just random happenstance, you can usually find a friend at a park, or spot people to avoid.  

The industry is very subjective and I hope the people at the parks realize how much the majority of us appreciate what they do for us.  

 

[VortexBFForever]

I love this article and what it covers. Being a coaster enthusiast all boils down to one simple thing: sharing a love for roller coasters.

I shared the link to the article on Facebook when I first found it, complete with my detailed novel on this whole thing. I copied and pasted my thoughts that I shared so you all can see it too.

”This is a very insightful article about what the coaster enthusiast community has become and what its underlying purpose should always be. I consider myself a coaster enthusiast just because I love roller coasters and know a lot about them (and even work at one)! 
But I also do not care about how many credits I have, nor do I rank my coasters. I have a lot of favorites so I end up “grouping” my credits into categories based on my interest in them and how often I would ride them. I take lots of pictures/videos of coasters and I share them, but I don’t widely publicize them. I enjoy coasters in the present moment and do not care to worry about any coaster rumors (specifically rumors about an operating coaster’s possible demise), which more often than not has jeopardized my enjoyment of them in the present.
I have many unconventional opinions and views, as I find the fun in coasters that are often overlooked, overshadowed, and in many cases overhated. I appreciate the under appreciated rides that the most popular, attention-showered rides often steal from them. 
Don’t get me wrong, the highest/fastest/smoothest coasters are AMAZING too and they definitely derserve the attention they get, but I believe other coasters in their own ways deserve just as much love or at least some appreciation for especially the more historically significant coasters. I am a big fan of Arrow coasters (and proudly say that Vortex is my favorite ride) for this very reason, as I have found them to be very fun despite the infamous reputation that many of them have. They may be “too rough” or “too jerky” or “un-reridable” for a number of enthusiasts and GP alike, but there are just as many people who love them and even believe that the Arrow coasters’ characteristic jerkiness adds to the fun (and I am one of those people!). Everyone has their uniquely different opinions and preferences on different kinds of coasters and rides, and such a diverse plethora of opinions, experiences, and preferences should be embraced in the coaster enthusiast community, regardless of ratings, rankings, or whether it’s the biggest and (supposedly) the best. 
All that matters is that coaster enthusiasts can and should be able to call themselves so simply because of their shared love for roller coasters! Regardless of what constitutes the best kind of coaster for your liking, GET OUT THERE AND HAVE FUN!!”  

[TheRickster]

8 hours ago, BoddaH1994 said:

I dig this article, thanks for sharing!

DELETED LOTS OF RYANS POST SEE ABOVE FOR IT

I don't know everybody's story on here, but if this story resonates with anyone else then I'll tell you that I hear you.  I would encourage you to branch out.  Go to IAAPA in November and meet as many people as you can.  There are a million opportunities out there and a million wonderful people that are truly there to help you, not take advantage of you.

So now, as a casual/regular guest, I enjoy my visits more than ever.  I'm not worried about any of this stuff anymore.  I enjoy it for what it is, and I hope you can too.

 

Glad to have you back around, oddly it's like you never left to me LOL. I had a good gap to before I came back to just enjoy things again.

[Arrow]

This article honestly resonated pretty well with me. From people lashing out at others just because they like a ride they thought was horrible to talking about how "I have more credits than you, therefore I'm more of an enthusiast." 

 

Something I kinda wish the article talked about was how the hate for GP has risen drastically. I'll go into YouTube comments of a video and just see an abundance of enthusiasts chewing out someone just for being GP. Just because they didn't know everything there is to know about coasters and parks. I'll go into a "GP" YouTube video talking about Ohio coasters and the comment sections will just go all out on them because they put "The" in front of a coaster name or get some small facts wrong. Comments will be nothing but Enthusiasts complaining about GP and make fun of them. The term "GP" has just been so degraded to the point where if you just mention it among enthusiast communities, it's more than often meant as a negative connotation.

[Honorarius]

I'd rather be around GP that knows nothing and is just there to have fun, than a bunch of complaining enthusiasts for whom nothing ever seems to be good enough...

[Rivertown Rider]

^Agreed, if it weren't for the GP we wouldn't have parks to go to because the enthusiasts are such a small percentage of the overall attendance.

[Honorarius]

Why are we called enthusiasts when we're anything but enthusiastic???

Stuff like "Tigris is lame someone should be fired" and "Behemoth sucks compared to Nitro they should just tear it down" has made me a lot more choosy on which enthusiast groups I spend my time in.  And yes, I've seen both those takes in the last month.  

[Arrow]

Watched Coaster Studio's video on RMC Gwazi, already enthusiasts making a big deal about how it's not dueling. One comment goes off on the ride complaining about how "RMC is stagnating" and that a Hyper RMC that goes beyond vertical is completely boring. Yikes.

[CoasterOhio]

^ Yikes, Shows how much enthusiasts truly are enthusiast if they're going to judge a ride before it's even completely built. 

[IndyGuy4KI]

We have to keep things positive here too. Complaining about other enthusiast sites comments can be considered a little arrogant. I don't think anyone wants that. We are not perfect here on KIC, but I think we are a lot more positive than most sites. 

[BeastForever]

And going off what @IndyGuy4KI said, I think its important to remember that, as with many things, all it takes a few bad eggs to give a community a "bad reputation".

I'd say the vast majority of enthusiasts are well-meaning, and positive. 

I'm happy to say that every time I've met up with people from here for example, whether at KI or at other parks, the experience has been great. Some of my most cherished memories at the park have been had with fellow KICers.

--

Also, with regards to those "enthusiast" comments on Gwazi, I would say that YouTube commentary is not necessarily a good representation of overall sentiment, nor is it something that brings out the best in people.

[scoriell]

 

[Maverick44]

This is great! What an awesome read that was. Coasters are coasters and I love every single one even if they bash my skull wide open and my spine breaks in 65 places ( im looking at you corkscrew). I love them still. I am happy that I got to ride them. it sucks a lot when people team up against others based on an opinion or what they like. Hell people get mad even if you talk about something they are not talking about at the moment. We are here to share the joy we have for coasters. We should not be against each other. Yes we all have opinions and they should be respected. You can delightfully disagree and have a civilized conversation.  I would also love to ride with a person who hasn't been on the coaster we are about to get on. I can tell you this much. I have a smile on my face and laugh on every coaster I ride....good or bad. It would be a totally coring world without coasters. Lets enjoy what we have. I am also proud to be a member of this site. I think we have fun and have great conversation. We just need to respect each other and our opinions.

[jzarley]

This is a great article...thanks for sharing.

I’ve often felt the same way about any “enthusiast” community. It’s almost like people “love” something so much, they criticize it mercilessly for never being able to live up to the imaginary expectations they’ve set for it. Star Wars, Star Trek and Marvel “super fans” are very similar (when was the last time you heard a Star Wars fan say they actually enjoyed a Star Wars movie?)  The Disney super fans are pretty intense too...Disneyland paints a bench a new color and people freak out :-) It’s nothing new...back in the old rec.roller-coaster days I used to read the boards and think “these people actually love coasters?”

I used to read and post a lot more on this site, but for multiple reasons don’t do so much anymore. Mostly because I’m in a job now where its not appropriate, but also because after many years on the site (going way back to when it was PKICentral and was the merger of two competing ethusiast sites...I can’t recall the name of the other one), the conversations and debates never really changed. (Still, as far as enthusiast sites go, I still enjoy this one more than a lot of the others...)

[BeastForever]

On 2/25/2019 at 5:43 AM, Joshua said:

This is how I feel every time I see someone condescendingly call Mystic Timbers a "family coaster" and/or complaining about the park adding rides that aren't massive record breakers. 

Ugh, tell me about!

I heard a certain Youtuber (not gonna name names) refer to MT as a good ride, "but more of a family-style GCI", which really doesn't even make sense considering that compared to its GCI contemporaries, Mystic actually stacks up very well stats-wise. In fact...

 

So there you have it. Despite the often spouted rhetoric of Mystic being a statistically underwhelming coaster... its actually the second tallest GCI to date, and among the fastest.

So my question is if MT is "just a family coaster" then what does make of Gold Striker, Prowler, Renegade, Lightning Racer, Apocalypse etc.? Because MT is right up there with the biggest and fiercest of them.

To those who found MT underwhelming, that is fine that's your opinion. But I take you're just not impressed by GCIs in general?

If so, then you could probably consider yourself apart of a quite slim minority - of both GP and of enthusiasts - that doesn't love a tried-and-true GCI.

[Joshua]

8 hours ago, BeastForever said:

Ugh, tell me about!

I heard a certain Youtuber (not gonna name names) refer to MT as a good ride, "but more of a family-style GCI", which really doesn't even make sense considering that compared to its GCI contemporaries, Mystic actually stacks up very well stats-wise.

It's because the lift hill doesn't go all the way into space.  

[Maverick44]

Even more proof we need " Space Beast" haha

[Honorarius]

I swear I'm going to read somewhere in the next month 'Hey, I heard somewhere that Kings Island is getting a giga in 2020 called "Space Beast"'...