2007 Golden Ticket Awards

I was thinking that it would be fun if we made our own predictions on the Top 5 (0r Top 10) coasters we think should be in this year's Golden Ticket Awards. Then we could see if we were right or not.

My bets would be for wooden:

1. Voyage

2. Thunderhead

3. Hades

4. Phoenix

5. Boulder Dash

You forgot El Toro, which I suspect will easily make the top 5.

I was just wondering how many of you Buzzers get the ballot? And if so how long have you been voting? I think the ballot is fun as hell. :) It's a RIOT!

I have voted for five years or so and I have enjoyed it. I assume they got my name from my one-time subscription to Amusement Today or if they just picked my name from ACE or whatever. Who knows? I am not complaining. ;) I am happy to voice my personal opinions on my favorite rides. :) I LOVE it!

I enjoy voting and I only vote for what I REALLY like or what really gets me off...which usually means I throw in the Pippin and the Screechin Eagle in with my top ten woodies even though neither are running right now but they are both some of the most KICKASS woodies....EVER! I would rate BOTH highly over The Beast but that's just me. It's all cool! It's all good. ;)

Dragster is STILL my #1 steel, but I will wait to cast my votes till after Coastermania. ;) I plan on going to the Dells in August for the first time so I can't make a judgement on that YET. ;)

I am wondering just how they select the voters. I assume there are some voters who have never been out of their home states and are not really "experienced" enough. I don't mean that in a condescending way. I am not SAYING that every voter needs to visit EVERY park in the world to make a fair judgement but I sometimes question SOME of the results every year...not from personal opinion but from the lack of *experience* from the voters, if any. It depends on the categories.

Granted I have not visited as many parks as a lot of people but I have had my fair share of parks coast-to-coast. :) I know what I like. I can only vote for what I have really experienced. I know Schlitterbahn probably ROCKS OUT, but I am limited to waterparks for now. I haven't been to Schlitterbahn YET. I haven't visited the Dells yet. I don't know crap about foreign parks other than a few in Canada. I can only VOTE for what I know.

Warning: RANDOM RANT (which has really nothing to do with the GT Awards.....just a general observation...)

I wonder how many people make judgements on rides they have never experienced or parks they have never been to? I see that **** alot on various boards. It kind of pisses me off when people talk about a coaster that hasn't opened yet or complain about a park they have never been to or a coaster they have never experienced.

I should shut up now. ;) I am still trying to decide whether Voyage beats out Thunderhead as my #1.

Dollywood still has THEE best food IMHO.

Then again after Plymouth Cafe.....Hmmmmm. ;)

Happy voting! :)

-Tina

Voyage......Thunderhead.....I can't tie them...OH THE HORROR! ;)

*** Edited 6/10/2007 12:17:22 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

I'm not sure how they select the voters. I recieved my first ballot this year. I have never subscribed to Amusement Today. I will have been a member of ACE for 2 years coming up at the end of this month. I would guess they also read the boards to see who is active in the community. Just last month I met an ACE member who has been in the club since 1989. And the only reason he joined was to go to Coaster Mania. He has been to all but 3 of them. But, aside from that I think he has only been to a handful of other parks.

Dollywood does have great food. But, I would have to say that Voyage is easily my #1 Wood. I will only vote for a coaster or park if I have ridden or visited it. Too many times I also have seen people make judgements about parks they haven't been too or coasters they havn't ridden. They simpley belive the hype or horror stories rather than formulating their own opinion. That being said, I'm disapointed that my first ride on Toro will not be until after the ballots are due.

Top Five Wooden Coasters? That's Easy!

1. The Voyage - Holiday World, Indiana

2. Thunderhead - Dollywood, Tennessee

3. Hades - Big Chief's Mt. Olympus, Wisconsin

4. The Raven - Holiday World, Indiana

5. The Legend - Holiday World, Indiana

Answer my Prayers, Overbook my next Flight!

1. Voyage

2. Thunderhead

3. Shivering Timbers

4. Hades

5. Boulder Dash

I've seen this, but I don't know how it goes. Do they count new 07 coasters as well?
*RENEGADE!*

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coasterqueenTRN said:

Dollywood still has THEE best food IMHO.

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You have never been to SDC have you, Tina?

^^ You can vote for what ever you want. The biggest problem is, that many people who are voting, may not have ridden all of the newest rides yet. There is also "Best New Ride" catagory. If you look at last years results, you'll see that Voyage, which I think will be #1 this year, got edged out by Thunderhead. Probably because by the time the votes are due, many people still had not ridden it. It did, however, win "Best New Ride of 2006" by a landslide.

The voters are chosen because they're known to be people who have been to lots of parks and have ridden lots of coasters. They're also geographically balanced as much as they can be, with so many ballots going to people in various parts of North America, and also Europe, the Far East, etc. While it might be less scientific then some other polls, they're isn't anybody voting who's been on only 20 coasters and has never left Ohio / California / (insert state name here). They also include people who are known to appreciate other aspects of the amusement world (waterparks, targeted parks, food/shows/services, & such), 'cause that kinda stuff's on the ballot too. Having said all that, you still sometimes see a spike in a park's or coaster's placement if there's been a recent event there and lots of voters have recent exposure to it. Expedition GeForce was #3 steel in 2002, the year of the ACE Euro Odyssey, and Raging Bull's only break into the top ten (it was #9) since opening year was in 2005, after the ACE Con. It's been said they might move the deadline to later in the season and announce the awards in the fall rather than late summer, to allow more people to get on the new rides and experience new attractions.

1. Mean Streak, Cedar Point
2. Rattler, SFFT
3. Colossus, SFMM
4. Twisted Twins, SFKK
5. American Eagle, SFGAm

Six Flags really knows how to make 'em.

^ I'd tell you to add Hurricane to that list if they didn't already tear it down. :)

Did they tear El Toro down or something? I thought that was better than Voyage.

Have I ever mentioned that the Golden Tickets are just an excuse to sell advertising?

That's probably why they'll never send me a ballot. ;)

^ I agree, but the parks seem to take them seriously.

Seahawk & the Wave...I know a certain young boy who just joined ACE for the first time this year, and he received a ballot! Now granted his father is one of the biggest credit ho's out there, but still... And I have been in ACE since 1989 (Not the guy Jason is talking about), but have never received a ballot. And there aren't too many "card-carrying" enthusiasts in Iowa.

Jason, I highly doubt "they" read the boards and pick potential voters that way...*most* of us aren't exactly easy to match up with our membership info in whatever club we're in since we tend to go by a nickname on the Internet.

And Swoosh...Dollywood has better food. ;)

I just joined ace this year and recieved a ballot.

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BoddaH1994 said:
^ I agree, but the parks seem to take them seriously.

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...because then the parks can go and advertise that they won a Golden Ticket, regardless of how credible the polling was. Heck, I remember Cedar Fair making a big deal about winning the something from the Coasters' Choice awards, and even Jeff admitted that those are just a popularity contest.

Remember when Mean Streak made the top ten in some poll?

Yeah, when it was good...