ACE Member and SFNE patron fight at SFNE!!!

This is something that needs to be discussed. Jeff, please don't close this. Last night at SFNE, an ACE member, which can only be discribed as ignorant, bitter, old, and obese. He was decked out in ACE stuff. A Shirt, hat, pin, etc. Anyways, two little children were walking to the 2nd-to- last-seat of SROS and this ACE guy cuts right in front of them. Their father who planned on riding in front of them defended them, thank goodness. After exchainging words such as,"You don't have kids do you? Your'e single aren't you? You're probably going to have a heart attack soon and die single". Very harsh words. I can't say he didnt deserve it though. Cutting in front of 2 little kids just to get on 5 minutes earilier in very rude. And I'll say one more thing, this isn't the only ignorant ACE member I've met before. Now I'm not saying all ACE members are rude and ignorant but SOME of them can be just for a roller coaster ride.

well he certainly made the whole club look bad.  if there's someone who wants to ride together and I mess up their order, I let them cut ahead of me.  it doesn't bother me because I often have to ask people if I can cut in front of them.  what goes around comes around.
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Jay and Silent Bob have left the building ~Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

That just shows you that some people are impatient.

An example of impatient people - When I'm driving on the road, I see drivers going 15 mph over the speed limit. And one time a driver was behind me, an then the person changed lanes because he was tail-gating me (I guess he though I was going to slow, but I was going to speed limit), and didn't go anywhere at the next light. He didn't even get one-car length ahead of me. "Wow, he got there two seconds before me. He saved a lot of time."

I hate jerks like that.

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"Duff Man Says... Ohhh Yeah!"
Current Favorite Coasters:
1)Raging Bull 2)Medusa (SFMW) 3)Millennium Force 4)Vertical Velocity (SFGAm) 5)Dueling Dragons (Ice)

This is unexceptable.  I don't know why he couldn't have waited a few extra minutes.  I would have, especially for a family trying to ride together.

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CoasterGuy said:
Cutting in front of 2 little kids just to get on 5 minutes earilier in very rude. And I'll say one more thing, this isn't the only ignorant ACE member I've met before. Now I'm not saying all ACE members are rude and ignorant but SOME of them can be just for a roller coaster ride.

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This is truly sad and makes us all look horribly bad. I hope no one who reads this board participates in such asnine activities.  I know we get special treatment from parks from time to time, but that in no way makes us "special people". We should respect eachother regardless.
I've had situations at parks embarass me and I spoke up. One time I was in line for SROS at SFA, there was a family of four a few people ahead of me. I saw that they had Sunglasses, with no strap, and fanny packs. I mentioned to them that glasses with no straps weren't permitted, and they launched into a verbal assault I couldn't believe! They told me that they WILL NOT LEAVE THEIR FANNY PACKS BEHIND, AND THEY WILL HAVE EYE PROTECTION WHILE RIDING! I said good luck and didn't speak to them again. The next time I saw them was as I was leaving the train, and they (chosing the front seat) were arguing with the staff about the rule they had been announcing the whole time these people were waiting.  heard them say something about the Americans with Disabilities Act, and how they are legally entitled to wear their glasses.
While these MORONS are few and far between, they STILL make us look pretty bad, Speak up! tell them to act proper or take the ACE stuff off! I even apologize to ride ops for these idiots, and explain that they've just taken a fun hobby, and taken it to the extreme.

SAM

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Nuts For Coasters Since 1969

I'm not an ACE member, but just as with any club, it takes all kinds of people. Obviously, not every ACE member is like the person in the story, or they wouldn't have any ERT's. Some of my coaster friends are ACE members and they're cool, easy-going people.

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Batwing-Bow Down

That really makes us ACErs look bad, and is in violation (at least in spirit) of the ACE bylaws.  Oftentimes, I'll double up with a single rider if I'm riding alone (I'd do nearly anything to increase overall ride capacity).  But wearing ACE stuff means you are acting (more or less) as an ambassador for ACE, and we try to maintain the best of relationships with the parks, and their other patrons.  I'm really sorry people had to witness an ACE member behaving, as Sam so eloquently put, like he was one of the "special people".  Believe me, most ACE members are NOT like this one...

P.S.  Good to see you on cb, Sam, much more traffic here than on the "other" board.  I think your track record might need some updating, though, j/k...LOL!
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Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

*** This post was edited by gatorwoodie on 9/29/2001. ***

I wasn't there. I don't know the facts, but just in defense, I can't imagine that this man just blatantly cut in front of people without a reason and then proceed to argue his case. Before you can pass any judgement on this incident (or any incident for that matter), you should hear both sides.

Oddly enough I've seen this kind of behavior on several occasions from ACE members. It's the sole reason I never signed on. I'm more than enough of a coaster fan and I'm actually interested. But the event CoasterGUy describes doesn't surprise me one bit. There's a definite arrogance I've seen from ACE members (in one case an entire group) at parks. Like somehow they have the right to do what they want and belittle others because they have a shirt that says they the member of a cute little organization.

I do understand people are individuals and the actions of one shouldn't be grounds for judging an entire group - I've just seen it too many times. I"m sure ACE will survive without my potential membership fees, just as I will be as big a coaster fan as ever without having to join their organization.

Yeah ACEer can really be fanatical, (heck me included) but I would never do something that that. It is dispicable. I am a memeber but I'm only 16 and been with ACE for two years. I have only been to one event but some the ACEer were kind of obnoxious to de around. But let me say a small percentage of the 8,000 members are obnoxious, almost all of them are pretty nice and friendly but there are always exceptions.

Yeah it is true it seems as if sometimes a few ACEer will be arrogant and pretend to be all knowing about coasters. Most though are not arrogant , you really cannot generalize such a diverse group. I met a lot of level headed and down to earth people at the CoasterCon at Hersheypark.

Please don't generalize all ACE members by the actions of one individual.  Most ACE members are very nice and courteous, at least the ones I know.  Believe me, I know there are some arrogant a-holes out there that expect to be treated differently because they are part of ACE, but that's not the spirit of the entire organization, and certainly not the spirit that I see or portray myself.  I think it's an honor that these parks allow us the things they do, and every bit of respect should be shown to all, whether it's at an ACE event or at a park in general.  There is no excuse to being just plain rude and arrogant, as this person obviously was.  Just don't go denouncing all ACE members because of one person.
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Thanks Coasterman J, that is an excellent point.  I made sure to go out of my way and thank all of the park personnel and ride-ops who stayed late at SFoG and tell them how much we appreciated the extra work they go through for ACE.  It really is win-win, as I know how many people I send to parks each year.  The parks close to me (esp. BGT, IOA, Wild Adventures) get a LOT of recommendations from me even without holding ACE events - although I'm working on Wild Adventures ;~)!  So I may just pick up season passes, but they get much more than just my money, esp. when I have a good experience...
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Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

Coasterman J said:
Please don't generalize all ACE members by the actions of one individual. 

I whole-heartedly agree with that one.  There are jerks everywhere, even amongst the American Coaster Enthusiasts.

This subject has been the topic of discussion many times before, and unfortunately, will continue to be one for many years to come.  Some ACE members truly believe that, because they have a membership card that says they are enthusiastic about coasters, they know better than everyone else and should be treated differently.  These people should be looked down upon as being the jerks that they are, but not as ACE members, but rather as ignorant, selfish members of society as a whole.