For ACE members, I decided to become an ACE member

The reasons why I decided to become an ACE member is because I wanna go to Holiday World for the SRM and Kings Island for the Beast and SOB walkback ERT, and of course... Tomb Raider: The Ride.

I am not an ACE member yet, what should I do before join ACE? Thanks.

-Derek

Join the Coasterbuzz Club. You get all that stuff (excluding the walkback), it's cheaper, and you can help support the site.

I'm not trying to dis ACE (I'll probably still renew my membership), I just think this is a better value.

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Do you have stairs in your house?

Do NOTHING before you join, do it NOW!!! The Mags and newsletters are cool, the walkback and discounts are cool, but what MAKES the organization is the people. I have had the opportunity to spend a few hours with several of the regional reps (one of whom is a buzzer), and they really represent ACE well - to the parks and to other members. The only part about ACE that rivals the reps is the PRESERVATION aspect, certainly the part that has MY attention...the list of SBNO coasters tops my personal list of coasters I want to help relocate!

The only part about ACE that I'd like to work to improve is the timeliness aspect of the mailings...I've volunteered to help, but haven't heard back yet. Timeliness is a problem with all volunteer organizations in my experience, though, not just ACE...

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PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

Well I live in southern Indiana and I was wondering about carpool for any ACE event, could I ride with people to any parks?

-Derek

Derek -- no offense to Jeff and his great site but have you also discovered the usenet news group, Rec.roller-coaster? Along with Coasterbuzz it is a great way to meet enthusiasts from all over the US. I bet if you submitted a post to RRC asking for a ride to SRM you'd find one.

As for ACE I'll agree with rollergator...what makes the club and the events are the people.

Matthew - who hopes Jeff doesn't mind me mentioning RRC.

Actually, www.aceonline.org has a feaure called eCRIBB: Events Carpool & Roommate Interactive BBS. Make a posting there and see what happens.

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Scott W. Short
mailto:scott@midwestcoastercentral.com
http://www.midwestcoastercentral.com

I say go ahead and join. The publications are nice to read and the events are fun. ACE members themselves are a mixed bag. There are some very fine people in ACE and then there are members who are so immature they only care about their own desires. Two of my ACE friends were with me at a defunct park recently and one of them decided to go on the park property without permission. We were only going to take pictures from the road. When I told some people about this, he was livid about people finding out about him going onto private property without permission. He was worried about his reputation with other enthusiasts. His action could of gotten all three of us arrested(if the owners wanted to press charges, both myself and another friend who didn't go onto the property could have been arrested as accessories) and I would have lost my teaching certificate if we had been arrested and I would not be allowed to teach school and would have been out of a job. In other words, this ACE member could have cost me my job and the only thing he was worried about was how other enthusiasts would think of him. That was just plain selfish and there is no other way to say it.

Then, there was my wonderful ex-girlfriend April. She dated me and another guy at once and let me drive several hours out of town to see her while we were dating. After we break up, she tells everyone at the parks I was mean to her. Then, this past summer, after telling other enthusiasts things that made me look bad, she came running to me for affection. She told people I was mean to her, but then she comes to me for affection. That really makes a lot of sense. What makes mattersworse is she is a friend of an ACE rep who got mad at me because I was upset at my ex at a park. This particular ACE rep just took her side without knowing what really happened. Also, many members of ACE that know my ex have passed judgement on me without even knowing me.

There are some nice people in ACE. There are people like Ralph Stricker, who runs Stricker's Grove. He has arranged several events as well as public days so that ACE members can enjoy his park that is often not opened to the public. There are the PR people at the parks who are members of the club and who are always willing to answer our questions and put up with our complaints. There are fine regional reps like Sean Flaharty who keeps the members in his region well informed and has set up many events at PKI. I just know that someday, Sean will become the president of ACE if he ever wants to be.

There are good people and bad people in everything and roller coaster clubs are no exception. All I hear about are the positive things and it is misleading to hear only positive things because not everything is positive. I am not trying to pick on anyone, I am only trying to point out the reality of the club(s). By all means, go ahead and join ACE. The good far outweighs the bad, but do not expect everything to be perfect.

Darren Mullins

http://www.angelfire.com/oh5/bluestreak

Thanks, Scott, for mentioning the carpool service on the ACE website...I forgot all about that ;-)

Darren,

Do you ALWAYS have to be so NEGATIVE?

ACE is a Great organization, and no matter where you go, you will always find mixed people. It's called diversity.

I'm not going to post some sort of major flame, as I don't want to start a war here.

You just need to lay off the negative comments, because you're giving ACE a BAD name.

ACE is a great organization, something that shouldnt be passed by for a coaster enthusiast. Like people have said before in tihs topic that ACE is about the people, I agree with that but I think that ACE is more that. I think its about the coaster preservation, its such a great thing that they are doing to bring back old coasters. Been a member for only one year and I find it to be a great oppurtunity.
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Top 5
1.) Beast 2.) Phantom's Revenge 2.) SROS (SFNE) 4.) SROS (SFDL) 5.) MF

I would say it's worth joining. That said, I dropped out this year, because a) all the information and pictures in the newsletter and magazine I get on this Web site months before; and b) all the media events and such that ACE members get invited to, I get invited to through my job.

I never went to the ACE events, but I will admit I met some, uh, interesting ACErs at press events. I will also agree with Darren and say that Sean F., my former regional rep, is one of the friendliest and most likeable guys I've ever met, in or out of the world of coasters.

Join. You'll like it.

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You can't spell "dishonorable" without "honorable."

I don't mind the mention of RRC, and in fact it's nice to see some of the "good element" of RRC coming here to participate.

I don't mind mentioning ACE either. I have nothing against ACE. I personally wouldn't get much out of it, I don't think, but that doesn't mean other people wouldn't.

The primary purpose of the CoasterBuzz Club is to support the site. The rest is kind of a bonus, or a cheap alternative if you're just looking to get into CoasterMania, Timbersfest or Stark Raven Mad.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

...that may be true Jeff, but are you aware that Mamoosh IS actually the BAD element from RRC (and URC)...j/k! ACE members are really no different than any other group of 8,000 or so...or to put it another way: "It doesn't REALLY take all kinds, that's just what we got"...far and away, most of the members I've met have been extremely nice people - I just hope they feel the same way about me...LOL. For now at least, I beleive Sean is the only regional rep to join us here at the 'buzz
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PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

rollergater - shows you how much YOU know...I don't read or post to URC! Only RRC and C-buzz, so nya!

I would advise you to join ACE. They have a nice group of people and the events i have been too were really nice. And i enjoy the publications(i wish they were more timely) are very nice and informative. I find it to be a very good bargain for the cost!

I didn't see Darren as being negative, just honest. The guy had a couple of bad experiences so he let y'all know, that's all. What's wrong with someone voicing something he maybe needed to get off his chest? I bet he feels a little better about it. I don't see anything wrong with someone feeling better. Sure, it may have been a little long...somewhat drab and boring, but hey, that's America for ya. ;) j/k (don't anyone get on me about America being boring, I was referring to the post, I served this country proudly) If people have beefs to post, by all means go for it! I want to know what people get upset about. Anywhos, join ACE. :)
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Giddy-up

I gotta tell ya... I am hearing impaired. Is there ACE members that are deaf?

-Derek

The only thing I don't like about ACE is the lateness. I have yet to get my September/October newsletter! Other than that, ACE is great and (for me) is totally worth it.

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Andrew
http://www.experiencethepoint.com

*** This post was edited by Andrew on 1/4/2002. ***

Derek: yes.

Mamoosh, I must have confused you with another west-coast URCer. sorry...anyway, you are one of the few posters whose comments I almost always agree with...people do just mellow in their 30's I guess. Derek - the webmaster of ExtremeParamountParks (or something like that, I might be a little off) is a memeber, and hearing-imparied, and a great guy...he just hasn't aged much yet!
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PoTP acolyte - remove fear to reply
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

*** This post was edited by rollergator on 1/4/2002. ***