UPDATED: Cedar Fair opposes new 49ers stadium, team would consider buying park

Think the world of the site? Let's not get nuts. I said I respect what you've accomplished and I clearly enjoy it being around,,, we'll leave it at that.

I'm not sure the site has roped in "anti-enthusiast enthusiasts". I'd say it managed to reach a demographic that traditional enthusiast clubs were never able to reach... a demographic that happens to spend a lot of time on the internet and gravitates to internet forums. That clearly leads to a community consisting of enthusiasts of all mentalities. But anti-enthusiast enthusiasts? I don't know if they really exist. Seems to me a lot of the people that describe themselves as "one of those" are pretty enthusiastic in their own ways, often running coaster-related websites (not just you, Jeff) and spending a considerable amount of time around here. Are there really anti-enthusiast enthusiasts, or are there enthusiasts that merely don't want to be connected to the traditional enthusiast stereotype?

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Rob A:
Seems to me a lot of the people that describe themselves as "one of those" are pretty enthusiastic in their own ways, often running coaster-related websites (not just you, Jeff) and spending a considerable amount of time around here. Are there really anti-enthusiast enthusiasts, or are there enthusiasts that merely don't want to be connected to the traditional enthusiast stereotype?

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Oooh oooh...I think this describes me.

But here's the thing, it's not an intentional disassociation with the stereotype. It's a lack of anything in common with the traditional stereotype.

I don't know the stats of too many rides. I don't like talking coasters outside of this forum. I don't attend events or belong to any clubs outside of CB - and the events I do go to are basically more about 'face time' with certain people than the event itself. I don't have any emotional attachment to parks or rides. I don't enjoy power-riding anything. I often go to parks and don't even ride all of the coasters there let alone ride multiple times - I've photographed more coasters than I've ridden. It goes on and on.

Aside from enjoying taking photos of coasters/parks and discussing mostly business-related topics on this one forum...I have little connection to the 'enthusiast' community and I have very little in common.

So am I an anti-enthusiast?

Honestly, I don't identify with much that makes one an enthusiast in the typical or traditional sense.

...and I like to think I run a photo website, not a coaster website.

Every now and again I'll get a call to do an theme park related interview so I can definitely see where Jeff is coming from here. I can't think of anything that'd be more against all my beliefs than going on record saying something that I totally disagree with because it's what the reporter wants to hear, or because it's supposedly in the interests of the enthusiast community. To me it's quite the opposite; I have an obligation -- moral, financial and otherwise -- to publicly express viewpoints that are in-line, with most importantly, what I believe, but also with those expressed on my site. (I also echo Jeff's disdain for "what's your favourite ride" style questions. You only need to be asked this once or twice to really be completely over the whole notion.)

Most of the comments that seem to have been labeled as going against the "greater cause" seem to be coming from people who are approaching this so as to get as much insight as they can into what's happening, why it's happening and why it probably won't happen to their favourite parks. It demonstrates a level of understanding and acceptance that seems to be missing from the average would you sign my petition? / buy a 'whale' / cry foul enthusiast mentality.

^ I would never expect anyone to betray their true feelings. What I was referring to was when Jeff told the reported he didn't know anyone that cared about the closing of the park. I didn't know the reporter was looking for a specific angle and knowing that now, I can understand why he took the position he did.

^^ I can actually see where you're coming from. It's unfortunate that enthusiasts seem to be divided into two groups- the old-schoolers and the new-agers (for lack of better terms)- because when push comes to shove, you're going to get shoved into one of the other. I can see that sort of thing being the case with many hobbies.

I guess I'm a freak that's neither here nor there. I have my traditional leanings and love for wood coasters but I also frequent theme parks because I enjoy them and not because I want a reason to complain about them. I've been an ACE member since 1990 but I've been on this site since 2000 so it's not like I just caught on to this whole internet enthusiasm thing. I don't fit the mold of the weirdo enthusiast since I'm married, own my own home and drive a car that's not covered with amusement park bumper stickers, but I don't really fit in with the people on this site that are more likely to talk about the cost of moving a coaster rather than the actual moving of the coaster.

There's a difference between being an anti-enthusiast enthusiast and simply being anti-enthusiast. That's the distinction I'm trying to make.

*** This post was edited by Rob Ascough 10/12/2007 9:08:35 AM ***

Gonch, you have nailed it down pretty well. I'm in the same boat. I think your M.O. is also typical of our events. The people power riding The Voyage at our last one were the teenage girls that, ironically enough, none of us would've hung out with at that age. Good times.

"Face time" isn't specific to Coasterbuzz events. Most park events are more about spending time with people rather than taking part in a marathon riding session. There are a few that see events as a chance to score a bunch of rides on coasters without having to worry about crowds getting in the way but they are the minority. Hell, last weekend Knoebels was home to one of the largest enthusiast social events of the year

A few? I get a distinctly different feeling at most other events, but YMMV, as they say.

Yeah, a few. That's working with an old stereotype where a bunch of rapid coaster nuts would descend upon a park and ride like crazy. Events are busier than ever and ERT often sees lines that are just as long as those during regular hours of operation. For most, socializing takes precedence over riding twenty times within an hour.

Besides, how would you know about other events? I thought you claimed you've never been to an event that wasn't connected to Coasterbuzz?

*** This post was edited by Rob Ascough 10/12/2007 1:51:35 PM ***

^Anecdotal evidence!

D'oh!

One-line sarcastic zings don't contribute anything useful to the discussion. It just gives the appearance of inappropriate touching.

I used to go to a ton of events. I nearly got knocked over at the first KennyKon I went to by some guy who had to get on whatever before me (the same guy pushed my former wife out of the way at lunch, believe it or not). There's the usual bout of idiots at CoasterMania who insist on getting the last ride of the night on Magnum (not sure what they win for that)... I have other examples, but that's drifting from relevancy. The point remains that "those people," while not representative of the enthusiast population at large, are markedly absent from the CB scene, on and offline. Probably because we'd make fun of them.

Do one-line zings fail to contribute anything to the conversation, or do they make it hard to slither away from because they pack a lot of truth into very little space?

Anyway, I stand corrected. You've been to enthusiast events. But like you said, the gung-ho nutcases are hardly representative of the coaster enthusiast population at large, and for every loon trying to score the last ride of the night on Magnum, there are a dozen people far away from a coaster just shootin' the ****, whether it's an ACE event, a CB event or something involving both. I'm guessing those select few are absent from your events because they couldn't give a rat's ass about Coasterbuzz and not worried about your opinions of them.
*** This post was edited by Jeff 10/12/2007 2:54:20 PM ***

The next person to mask a single letter of a word to cheat the naughty word censor is gone. I'm getting really tired of seeing that.

You mistakenly think I care about the people who don't care about CoasterBuzz.

There's no truth in your one-line sarcastic zings, just noise.

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The next person to mask a single letter of a word to cheat the naughty word censor is gone. I'm getting really tired of seeing that.

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Guilty.

I've never been to an event outside of CB and based on what I've heard or read my perception is that it runs a lot like the craziness that Jeff describes.

Whether or not that's true is irrelevant...it's enough to keep me disinterested.

Although I have to admit that at BooBuzz last year, my daughter and I were behind everyone else in getting on Dragster. We went through the queue and by that time the ops realized they could just let people come back up the exit (which is how it ended up running...and working well), but as we made our way up to the station and were headed to the line for the front car, a couple of tools ran as fast as they could up the exit to beat us there.

We got on the next train and then started doing the exit thing like everyone else - no harm no foul...but to see two adults trip over themselves for one less train wait for the front seat over an 8 year old girl and her dad was pretty hilarious.

Like I said...nothing in common.

That's the thing... it's humorous, but only because it's not the norm. Every hobby is going to have a few diehards that are ten times more visible than the average people that fade into the background.

Go to a Giants game and you'll surely see fans with team logos painted on their faces tailgating in the parking lot in a van painted blue and red, a few big screen televisions, coolers of every beer imaginable and a grill large enough to cook a Clydesdale. Those people don't represent the typical Giants fan, they're just the ones you notice... kinda like the tools running for the front seat of the car, the guy with a million pins on his jacket or the ones talking coasters from morning 'til night.

It's not like I really care. I don't associate myself with any particular type of enthusiast because I have my own brand of enthusiasm. I meet up with my friends a few times a year (sometimes for events, sometimes not) and riding is only part of the reason for being there (riding has to be some part of it, otherwise why not hang out in a parking lot and socialize?) When it's just my wife and I, we enjoy the most leisurely days you can ever imagine at an amusement park. I get the feeling most enthusiasts fall into that category and march to the beat of their own drum that doesn't get noticed by many because the guy running for the gravy buffet is hogging all the attention

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as we made our way up to the station and were headed to the line for the front car, a couple of tools ran as fast as they could up the exit to beat us there.

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That sounds like any other clubs events to me!

If you "truly" think CB events are different than others, you've been duped. the only real difference is that there is a higher percentage of cedar fair fan boys..... or at least there used to be, hey! maybe they've all leveled out to equal now LOL

And you've been to how many CB events? That's what I though.

While I haven't been to any other events, I have been at parks on days when other enthusiast group events were happening.

From what I've seen - CB events are nothing like the others. (and I mean that in a good way )

Whatever. To each their own. I'm not trying to make it a "us against them" or "we vs they" thing. I just know that my basis for enthusiasm is very different than the 'normal' enthusiast's and it's not about being cool or being anti anything...I just don't relate.

Now if someone holds an event with EPT (exclusive photo time) and has an open forum discussion on park business practices...I'm signing up in a second.