 My daughter has cleared 50 inches and has been extremely brave about trying new rides. Last year I got to tell you about her new love for spin and barf style rides and her first inverting coaster, Wicked Cyclone. I also gave you the preview that we had planned a trip to DIsneyworld. The trip to Disney was honestly the best family vacation ever, and I wasn’t expecting that at all since Disney doesn’t really serve my demographic, or so I thought. However my demographic on that trip was not adrenalin junkie, it was Dad. Disney delivered an awesome family experience and a few new credits for all three of us. Just like the spin and barf rides last year, I now have a renewed interest in Disney. I surprised myself after we left, already talking about when we could return. While they don't deliver high thrills they kept the whole family entertained the whole time including myself. My daughter was enamored with Expedition Everest, her first backwards roller coaster. She really loved Tower of Terror, her first drop style ride. She also experienced Rockin' Roller Coaster, her first launch coaster, and wanted to ride again! However she didn't just try those rides she marathoned them like a champ along with Big Thunder Mountain and Space Mountain. It wasn’t just her having a blast and enjoying the family style rides, it was all of us. This trip marked a more important first for us. We rode everything together, that was my biggest feeling of accomplishment for us. In the past my wife and I would often take turns going on the more exciting attractions, but this time from roller coasters, to dark rides, rafts & flumes we did everything together. That is really something that could have only been accomplished at Disney.
We did our local parks in the fall, but we didn't wait until spring to get started in 2023. We decided to go to Kings Dominion in February to check out their new winter event. I figured Apple Zapple would be the main attraction for her since she loves wild mouse coasters, and she did love the new to her large park model. However she surprised both my wife and I by going on Twisted Timbers, her second RMC. She absolutely loved it, we spent a majority of our time getting laps in on Twisted Timbers. She was very impressed with the ride and herself too for deciding she wanted to go on the big rides. When the spring brought opening days we hit up Knoebels. She surprised us again asking to try Twister and Stratosfear, two rides she passed on in the past. We went on both so many times I lost count and absolutely loved them. And just like the previous year she will tell anyone who will listen about all of the new rides she has conquered. I now regularly catch her watching POV videos on YouTube. She is asking for return trips to other local parks to try some of the bigger rides. She is still unsure about inversions, and we don’t try to talk her into rides she isn’t sure about. But there are plans for her to try her first hyper coaster in about a week. She even asked for our road trip this summer to be to Dollywood, a park I didn’t even know that she was aware of. She has even started double checking every time we make plans, she will ask, “That won’t get in the way of a coaster trip, right?” I love her priorities. I think she really gets the adventure of not only going on rides but going on new ones. She doesn’t know that enthusiasts count credits, but she does get the appeal of trying new rides out & having favorites. I am hoping this theme continues and she is able to grow into new ride types and we can enjoy more experiences together as a family. Even though she tells me she is nervous before she tries out a new ride, she always comes off of it with a sense of accomplishment and more importantly joy. In about two more inches she will be ready for anything, I’m looking forward to a great season. Author Jeff Goodman  Dear Coaster Friends,
Another season down and we have already hit the ground running on season six. While last season had us trying out a lot of family style rides it ended with us at Dorney, last year, where we stepped it up to full on spin and barf rides. I have almost exclusively avoided them since I was much younger, but now I am rediscovering them as my daughter has been enamored by the speed! Sticking with classics like the music express, scrambler, down draft, troikas, wave swings, and scooters has given her the chops to start asking to go on basically everything that looks fast. It also has her incredibly jaded with past family rides like the balloon race, and anything else that just sorta meanders around. She has drawn her own line and has declared the rides for kids lame. I personally was extremely surprised that I enjoyed the troika at Dorney Park I am genuinely looking forward to the next one. I have been really focused on coasters for myself so anything that might disrupt the flow or amount of laps I could handle has been pushed to the side. However the spin and barf rides are really the foundation of any park and I am seeing them through new eyes, so to speak. On to the the main course, the coasters. She still loves the wild mouse, the focus of last year. However she also retried the Phoenix at Knoebels and this time it went from a one time accomplishment to let's marathon that mutha fucker, I'm paraphrasing of course. Every so often she will start chanting "Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix", at home, like she could summon it to her like Beetlejuice. This new found love for airtime, which she calls the bumps, gave her the courage to try Thunderbolt at SFNE. She thought it was pretty good, but she seemed less impressed than with the Phoenix. The shock of our last visit to SFNE was she tried her first looping coaster, Wicked Cyclone! She called the ride terrifying, but she seemed really happy with herself for trying it out. She also shamelessly bragged about it to anyone who would listen, so hopefully she will try it out on a future visit and she is also now a pass holder so we will be back. I recall my first "big" coaster with inversions was Steamin' Demon at Great Escapes, an Arrow looper. I sort of expected a similar first for her or maybe Superdooperlooper, since we live close to Hersheypark. The fact that she could claim her first big coaster was an RMC is totally wild. Our future trips are becoming more and more exciting as she has cleared 48 inches. She is starting to check off more and more parks, and I can't wait to plan even more. The next big stop will bring us face to face with a different kind of mouse, Micky. Author Jeff Goodman  EDITOR'S NOTE: The author of this article is a community member and not a member of the site staff. We encourage all members of our community to submit similar op-ed pieces by e-mailing them to [email protected] for review by our editorial staff.
The 2022 coaster season will be here very soon. If we are truly blessed, this season will be back to normal, and I am incredibly excited for it. But maybe not for the reasons you may think. Yes, I know it should be an incredible year for coasters. But to be fair Iron Gwazi, Pantheon, and Emperor were supposed to open in 2020!!! Wonder Woman is a clone of Jersey Devil and Cliff Hanger; while interesting will probably not be in anybody's top ten. No, my fellow thoosies, what has me excited are the coasters announced from the small parks. Mattel Theme Park will open Hot Wheels Roller Coaster. Finally, another Chance Hyper GTX admittedly, this will be a much different experience than Lightning Run. But if this is close to being as good, this new park in Arizona will have a winner. And maybe the best new coaster out west. Glenwood Caverns will open Defiance. The first of two announced Gerstlauer Infinity coasters opening in 2022. Although this ride is short, the views will be unparalleled, and it looks to be an excellent first thrill coaster for the park. COTALAND is giving us the second Infinity coaster, and it looks intense, fun, and unique. An excellent start for a park trying to make a name for itself. Finally, Fun Spot Atlanta's real shocker, having RMC build Aerie Force One, a potential top ten coaster. Yes, a Fun Spot might have a top ten coaster. All of these coasters together basically cost as much as Orion. All of these coasters, I think, could be better than Orion. Let that sink in for a minute. These small, tight-budget parks are giving us world-class coasters. And I think that is outstanding. For one thing, I would never consider visiting these parks until now. The same goes for most of you. But now, I plan on visiting all of these parks much sooner than later. And these parks are counting on it, and I hope that we do.plan a visit. Because I tell you if the attendance numbers are good, I bet it will not be too long before they build more. I also bet some of the other small parks will be watching closely. And if these coasters are a big hit, they may consider giving Gerstlauer, Chance, and RMC a call. This brings me to another thought, Intamin built Kondaa for 15 million. Vekoma built Abyssus for 12.7 million. These are large-scale rides for significantly less than S&S, and half the price of a B&M or Mack. In essence, every park has multiple options to build a world-class coaster. I don't know about you, but I find that really cool. And I hope other smaller parks take a chance and start building some coasters. This brings me to the two leading regional chains in North America. Six Flags and Cedar Fair, far too many of their secondary parks, have been ignored for over a decade. THERE IS NO EXCUSE!!!!! Parks like Valleyfair and Six Flags America should. No, need a new roller coaster!!! And they really can not justify it anymore with budget friendly options. Who knows, we may have ourselves another coaster war. And I think it was the small independent parks that fired the first shot. Your move Six Flags and Cedar Fair... Author Michael Flynn  Dear Coaster Friends,
I am going to start this one out with some excuses, because this is late, and I skipped last year. Guess why? I ment for this to be an annual series with my first entry when my daughter was two on Fathers Day. So this season has started but I missed my self imposed Father’s Day deadline. But, if you are still with me let’s go. This is my fifth season as a coaster dad and I have been racking up the kiddy credits! Just kidding, but my daughter has moved from the very tame kid rides into family style flat rides and coasters. This has been a really rewarding experience for me as well as her as I have been having an amazing time sharing these adventures with the whole family. My daughter has been to Adventureland (New York), Lake Compounce, Knoebels, Nickelodeon Universe, and most recently Six Flags New England. Her first intro to more thrilling rides have been familiar flat rides like the paratrooper, scrambler, the whip, wave swings, and others. These spinning rides gave her the sensation of speed and some quick changes in direction. When she has gone on something that is really only geared towards young kids she actually looks confused as to why it isn’t fun. The family style coasters that she wasn’t sure about at first are now an easy yes because she knows what fun feels like. The current ride of choice? A wild mouse, she can ride it all day and giggle the whole time, then immediately say, “Let’s go again!” as soon as we get off. I know what you are thinking, but I like them too. True that at Six Flags New England they have two amazing coasters in Superman and Wicked Cyclone, but I had a great time on their wild mouse too. I’m not using the proper name on purpose, since I didn’t even try to tell her. I also had a chance to really appreciate how the wild mouse style coaster is a family coaster masterpiece, yes a masterpiece. These quirky rides have slight variations but are all generally similar enough to consider them all together. From a child’s perspective they are big rides that both simultaneously have no big drop, and the entire layout is visible. These qualities make it very accessible to kids and also parents who aren’t fans of roller coasters. The snappy turns are fun and provide solid laterals, while tossing you around in the car. The car’s front wheels are set back so it always looks like you are going off the tracks, something that added to the fun. The small drops and hills actually do provide airtime without being big enough to scare anyone. These incredibly ordinary coasters don’t get their proper respect and serve a valuable purpose, they are a stepping stone to the next ride. According to my daughter right now the best coaster in the world is not The Phoenix, a ride she has been on, it is a wild mouse. So she probably isn’t a future Golden Ticket Award voter, and I see her point. The next time you roll up at a new park and look at their line up, don’t you dare say, ugh another wild mouse. You better say, well at least they have a wild mouse. You know it, it is fun, nostalgic, and let’s face it better than the boomerang or the SLC you are about to tourture yourself with anyway. If you stuck with me this long I’ll leave you with my proudest moment of the day. My five year old daughter told the ride op that opened the gate at Catwoman’s Whip that she was going to need to sit in the back seat. I honestly didn’t prompt her and I have no idea where she got it from, but she already knows. Author Jeff Goodman  EDITOR'S NOTE: The author of this article is a community member and not a member of the site staff. We encourage all members of our community to submit similar op-ed pieces by e-mailing them to [email protected] for review by our editorial staff.
We have to go back, and I mean way back to August 1977 at Kings Island. That was when I rode my first roller coaster and the day I fell in love with them. Being an enthusiast in the '70s, '80s, and '90s was so different than it is now. Back then, my whole coaster world was Cedar Point, Kings Island, Six Flags Great America, Michigan's Adventure, and visiting family in Florida. It was a complete 180 from the enthusiast world we have now. There was no social media. Heck, the internet was pure science fiction. Imagine not knowing about Steel Vengeance until TWO MONTHS!!! Before it opened. That is how I found out about Magnum. In a newspaper ad (ask your parents what those are) in March of 1989. Then in the '90s, the Discovery Channel had the annual thrills and chills marathon on Memorial Day weekend. I truthfully had no idea how many other quality parks were out there. And my mind exploded at all the other wondrous world-class coasters I did not know existed. I desperately wanted to go to all of these parks and ride all those coasters. However, at that time in my life, I had other passions I enjoyed as much. Snowmobiling, deer hunting, golf, and going to concerts. Just to name a few. Which takes up time and especially money; throw in meeting my wife and raising our son. Coaster trips outside my region had to go on the very back burner. A couple of decades later, YouTube came along, and the coaster world once again blew up. POV's and off-ride footage of every roller coaster was available for all. In 2015 I watched my first Coaster-Net Uncut episode, and a whole new side of the enthusiast world opened up for me. Analysis and criticism really made me look at the industry from an entirely new perspective. After a couple of years of watching various YouTube coaster channels, I still found myself watching Coaster-Net the most. They announced the Ride Warrior Discord in 2018, I joined soon afterward. Wow, has my coaster life changed. During the fall and winter of 2018/2019, I met fellow enthusiasts that have become some of my best friends. I know this might not sound like a big year to some, and it was still in my region. However, in 2019 I went to King's Island opening day and for haunt. My first coaster event Holiwood Nights at Holiday World. I had the privilege of meeting one of my fellow Ride Warrior Discord members Evan Honnert (Please read his blog on Coaster-Net.com), on his first trip to Cedar Point and took some coworkers on their first trip during haunt. The Coaster-Net Patreon meet up at Six Flags Great America (An absolute blast). And, of course, multiple trips to my home park Michigan's Adventure. 2019 was just an appetizer, however. Around Thanksgiving 2019, I was in a voice chat on the Ride Warrior Discord with one Brad Crowe (Please read his previous blogs on Coaster-Net.com), And we were talking about the holidays, of course, and our 2020 plans. Brad and I are both in our late forties and, strangely enough, have similar stories as to why we never could make a coaster road trip. Well, that conversation started our first itinerary. Little did we know at that time how many times it would change. By February, we had our trip hammered out. We built it around Holiwood Nights. We were starting at Michigan's Adventure going through Ohio and Kentucky. Then Holiwood Nights into Missouri and finishing in Oklahoma and Texas. I was a little kid on Christmas morning excited. Especially for Holiwood Nights, we had a house rented. Brad and I were going to make breakfast for a slew of thoosies. Including a couple from a particular channel on YouTube, you may know. And our current Thrilling 32 champion and another YouTuber (South Coasters), Alex Baker, from the UK. Most of our voice chats on discord were talking about the upcoming coaster season. And the various trips we were taking, the 2020 coaster season was going to be glorious. Then as you all know, COVID happened. At first, we were very naive, like millions of others. We thought that by Summer, COVID would be under control, and things would be back to normal. After a few weeks, it became apparent that plans were going to have to change. At first, we just moved some dates around, still holding out hope that nothing would be canceled. Sadly by mid-May, we knew that the whole thing had to be scrapped. To say I was crushed is a massive understatement. After waiting for over thirty years, a lifelong ambition was going to pass me by another year. Brad would not give up, and we kept watching to see when parks were going to open. Then Holiday World announced they were moving Holiwood Nights to August 28th & 29th. Between parks being on a limited operating schedule or closed altogether, it was a massive challenge to make a new trip work. By the time we finalized it, we had revised and restarted so many times I forgot where we were going. Here is our first coaster trip itinerary. Aug 11th Flew to Witchita KS, went to the Doc B-29 Museum Aug 12th Adventureland (Iowa) Aug 13th Worlds of Fun 1/2 day. Silver Dollar City 1/2 day Aug 14th Silver Dollar City Aug 15th Alabama Adventure 1/2 day. Six Flags over Georgia 1/2 day Aug 16th Six Flags over Georgia Aug 17th Dollywood Aug 18th Travel day meet a good friend in Richmond, VA, for dinner. Aug 19th Six Flags Great Adventure Aug 20th Dorney Park 1/2 day. Knoebels 1/2 day. Aug 21st Kennywood 1/2 day. Cedar Point 1/2 day. Aug 22nd Cedar Point. Aug 23rd Kings Island Aug 24th Waldameer Aug 25th Hershey Park. Aug 26th Travel day. Aug 27th Day at Lake Michigan beach Aug 28th Holiwood Nights Day Aug 29th Holiwood Nights Day 2 Aug 30th Indiana Beach 1/2 day. Then home. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. So many parks and coasters that I wanted to experience for decades were finally off the bucket list. My favorite new wood coaster on the trip was, surprisingly, Rampage at Alabama Adventure. My favorite new steel coaster from the trip was Skyrush at Hersheypark. Brad and I were exhausted (We are older thoosies); however, we also felt fulfilled. We hugged, said our goodbyes, and he and I drove back to our homes. A few weeks later, our good friend, Evan Honnert, whom I mentioned earlier, talked to us. And expressed how lucky we were to go on that trip; he met us at Kings Island and had dinner with us at Montgomery Inn. (Highly recommended) Well, that conversation has turned into another trip, this time with him. I remember Brad saying, "Here we go again." We started the whole process all over again, and my wife told me I am crazy. This trip will be bigger and more ambitious, But that is a story yet to unfold. Author: Michael Flynn  While wooden coasters defined their place as the classic coaster experience, the only constant to this experience has been change. They have gotten bigger, faster, with more forceful elements. Just like other industries once they got rolling the pace of change accelerated. The wooden coaster is constantly changing to push new boundaries, but the latest development seems to be steel. This has led to simpler maintenance, launches, and even inversions. Does this shift just make wooden coasters, steel coasters? There are currently three active firms who design and build wooden coasters; Gravity Group, RMC & GCI, and they have all been expanding their reliance on steel. Gravity Group, the makers of the first inverting wooden coaster, have been using steel to build support structures for years. This adaptation provided a more stable structure, less maintenance concerns, and a frame that could be fabricated off site and easily assembled. This was typically referred to as a hybrid wood coaster, but that term made a lot less sense once RMC showed up. RMC is best known for their hybrid designs where they take an existing wooden coaster and re-imagine the layout with a steel track called Iron Horse, we will come back to that later. They also have made four wooden coasters using their Topper Track, a product that combines a substantial steel top that provides a surface for the road, guide, and up-stop wheels and a stack of laminate wood underneath. This Topper Track was first used as a maintenance product to smooth out sections of older wooden coasters that had become rough. This manufacturing technique allowed RMC to jump into the ground up wooden coaster model, and even though they have only built four each has been a record breaker or fist for its type. However they are about to drop down to three and a half? One of the RMC wooden coasters, Lightning Rod at Dollywood, is having about 60% of it’s wooden Topper Track replaced with the all steel Iron Horse Track after only a few seasons of operation. This leads us to believe that the wooden track that they have developed could not do the same job as the steel track. This makes sense because wood is a natural material and cannot match the uniform nature of steel. This suggests that RMC has found a limitation, and their cost effective solution is steel. Cost of all materials has been going up, however the cost of lumber has been increasing at a faster rate than steel according to the National Home Builders Association. The cost of steel framing is still more expensive than wood however in the past it would typically cost about 9 times more for materials in a steel framed building than a wooden frame. Now the costs are getting closer where steel framed buildings have about twice the material cost compared to wood. The durability of steel could justify the added cost, but it can also be assembled easier and faster lowering installation costs. This is another factor closing the cost gap. When applied to a structure dealing with the dynamic load of a roller coaster it's not surprising that wooden coasters have been increasing their reliance on steel for the support structure. However the wooden track is also becoming a lot more magnetic too. RMC’s topper track uses substantially more steel than a traditional wooden track that would only use flat strips of steel for the wheels to roll on was the first step. Then we have the confusion of what to call Lightning Rod, but we also have a third design firm GCI. GCI has already been using more and more steel for their support structures just like Gravity Group and others from the past. They both have examples that have all steel structures, but with wooden tracks. We have discussed GCI’s upcoming product now called Titan Track in the past. It is similar in look to RMC’s steel track, but is initially being used like the Topper Track as a maintenance product. They installed a few sections onto White Lightning down at Fun Spot Orlando as a proof of concept. The result is a wooden coaster that has a small section of steel track replacing the wood track that would be beat up in high stress areas. Unlike the topper tack from RMC the Titan Track contains no wood at all. White Lightning has a steel support structure, so if the entire track was replaced the only wooden parts would become the catwalk that maintenance workers use to inspect the ride. Would this still be a wooden coaster? Is it the material or the style that defines a wooden coaster? When we first became aware of the steel track being produced by GCI we speculated how it could be used. We now know they plan on marketing it as an alternative to wooden tracks for new construction, and a replacement product for rough wooden tracks, they even said they would use it to add elements to pre-existing layouts. This sounds a lot like the space RMC has been occupying. We know they already have a customer, as the Predator at Darien Lake will be receiving Titian Track on an unknown amount of its layout according to GCI owner Clair Hain Jr.. This could just be a method for lowering maintenance costs going forward, or it could be a way for Six Flags to test the track out. They did use the Topper Track on The Texas Giant before they extensively renovated it with the Iron Horse Track, changing the layout, and becoming the New Texas Giant. Could we see Six Flags giving GCI the go ahead in a few years to totally renovate and re-imagine older coasters? The Predator would be a great place to start. So the question becomes, has the time come where wooden coasters will become extinct? Is there a reason for parks to keep this knowledge base of how to run, maintain and repair wooden coaster tracks? GCI could build all steel frames with their Titan Track that would essentially be a steel coaster with a wooden aesthetic, and that may become a very desirable thing for parks. There is an undeniable fact that there is a fun factor to wooden coasters. They provide a tactile experience, a nostalgic connection to the past, and in some cases provide a character that is more difficult to produce with steel. Modern wooden coasters have provided a cost effective and exciting addition for parks, but the lower initial cost vs the increased maintenance cost could be changing this dynamic in the years to come. Once the people who do this type of work stop, and they don’t pass this knowledge along, the skills are lost forever. Author Jeff Goodman   Earlier this week a patent was uncovered that showed a new restraint system for B&M stand up style roller coasters by Coaster101.com, good find guys (link). This patent shows an updated version of the stand up restraints from top to bottom. We have long heard rumors that B&M was designing a new type of Stand Up roller coaster that would change the ride dynamics and offer more comfort. Some people were speculating that the surf coaster could be a wing stand up, or that the standing position could be turned to more mimic the stance of a surfer. It doesn’t reveal if either of these rumors could be true since the illustration in the patent application is of a single restraint system and it is not depicted on a chassis, however I think that both are highly unlikely as this looks to be a redesign for the existing chassis.
The newly designed restraint system has some similarities with the stand up models we know, but they do have a few distinct differences that could make them more viable. The most visible is the vest style restraints for the rider’s upper body. This replaces the hard over the shoulder restraints that would often knock you around and provided an unforgiving surface to bounce your head off of. The last time I rode Green Lantern at Great Adventure I felt like the ride was trying to knock some sense into me for giving it another ride, lesson learned. Another change is in the column itself. On a standard stand up restraint it felt like the height adjustment was controlled by a pinion gear that could lock in the height. If you were not ready for the restraints to unlock it could drop you unforgivingly on your most sensitive bits. This is a real danger at the end of a ride, but also during the loading process as guests would often not follow instructions and need to be adjusted before dispatch. The new design is an articulating linkage, somewhat similar to a scissor lift that can distort a rhombus shaped connection to raise or lower the height. The least visible change is the addition of a hydraulic accumulator. This is basically a shock absorber on the linkage, and may be the biggest quality of life improvement for your more sensitive parts. If I am reading the drawing correctly, and I’d like to believe I am, the locking function should allow for the hydraulic fluid in the accumulator to still provide some give even in the locked position during the ride cycle. So how is this patent going to be applied? That is the biggest question remaining. Ideally these new restraints could be an upgrade product just like the floorless trains to per-existing stand up rides. This would provide a second potentially less expensive option for parks to upgrade their stand up coasters. I know that B&M is nostalgic on these ride types, as they were the first designs they sold as their own company. My issue with this new style restraint is that it still has the saddle in between the riders legs. Guests are still going to need to follow directions to correctly load and dispatch the trains and those were two big issues, one for comfort and the other for general operation. My other concern is that I don’t feel the standing aspect enhances the ride. While it may have been an interesting idea I don’t feel like it provides a great experience like their other coasters do. My biggest fear is that this is the restraint system for the yet to be revealed Surf Coaster. I was looking forward to seeing B&M make their version of a launch or multi launch coaster, but making it a stand up it removes my excitement and replaces it with fear. However not that good sort of fear that roller coasters often provide in a satisfying way. B&M’s strength has always been the innovation with seating position and chassis design, and how the interplay of these dynamics enhance the ride experience. So if this new patent is for a new roller coaster type, or an attempt to revive sales of the stand up coasters I just have one question. B&M, why you wanna break my balls? Author Jeff Goodman  I know it is Monday, but here you go. Space Mountain with a swirling wormhole wallpaper formatted for your mobile device.
 Happy Independence Day from you friends at COASTER-net! We hope everyone has a happy and safe fourth of July.
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