Coaster The 13th

Dear Coaster Friends,

Since it is both the end of the year, I just completed my Thrilling 32 rankings, and Friday the 13th. I thought it would be fun to look at the most “unlucky” of my coasters in both wood and steel. These aren’t cursed or haunted coasters just the ones that occupy the 13th place on my rankings for 2019. Since 13 is a pretty good spot just outside my top 10 these are both coasters that I fully enjoy and hope to see on the Thrilling 32 when the bracket is released.

My 13th wood coaster has been in the bracket before, however it may be a long shot this year. It is Wooden Warrior from Quassy. This junior wooden coaster from the Gravity Group was the smallest project they had ever done when it was completed in 2011, but it delivered full size fun. The Wooden Warrior would end up being very influential in North America and four of these family focused wooden coasters have been developed. It really showcased how fun the ride could be if it was just built right, and while it isn’t that fast or that tall it is more fun than rides that are taller and faster. I feel like it also made rides like Switchback and Mineblower easier to sell as high thrill rides since they were able to show off how they could deliver a solid experience in a smaller than expected package.

My thirteenth steel coaster is Wicked Cyclone from Six Flags New England. This was the first Iron Horse conversion on the east coast and my first taste of what RMC could do. I love this ride and as a frequent visitor to SFNE feel like I know this ride really well. I find it has a similarity with Wooden Warrior, not only geographically, but in stature. The ride stats do not accurately describe the experience. The smooth ride is full of a varied bunch of stalls, drops, airtime hills, and rolls. RMC really packed a lot of variety into a very compact footprint, and I always get off each ride feeling like I survived a storm.

Both of these “unlucky” rides happen to be close in proximity, and can easily be visited in the same day. They both deliver excellent rides and maybe are undervalued because of their stats. These two current residents of my 13th place may not be ranked 13 next year two, but luck has a way of surprising you. What is your “unlucky” 13th coaster?

Author 
Jeff Goodman