Mitch's 2012 wood coaster poll

The poll is now open through January 8th.

http://www.ushsho.com/bestrollercoasterpoll.htm

Here's a link to the Easy Ballot:

http://hawker.stationbrakes.com/

the results have been posted with Eltoro taking the top spot.

http://www.ushsho.com/woodrollercoasterpollresults2012.htm

Blah blah blah sucks that <coaster x> is so low blah blah blah sample size too small blah blah why is <coaster y> not in top 10 blah algorithm blah blah CoasterBuzz poll more accurate blah blah TPR Europe trip blah blah...

Just trying to cover all the bases. :)

Post of the year, Vater. You might be psychic. lol

Top 6 USA woodies in Mitch's poll:

1. El Toro
2. The Voyage
3. Boulder Dash
4. Phoenix
5. Ravine Flyer II
6. Thunderhead

Top 6 in Coasterbuzz's top 100:

1. The Voyage
2. El Toro
3. Ravine Flyer II
4. Boulder Dash
5. Phoenix
6. Thunderhead

The system works!

LostKause said:

Post of the year, Vater. You might be psychic. lol

"Might?"

Lord Gonchar said:
The system works!

More importantly to the point I've made for years, the complexity of Mitch's poll vs. the simplicity of my rating system and algorithm proves out that simplicity wins. Five choices to each ride takes almost no effort. Ranking them is a pain in the ass.

Well, that's one way of looking at it. After 6 it diverges a bit.

I think of it more along the lines of...

The best coasters are generally agreed upon by the consensus. All the different polls do is try to sort out the small potatoes...which are just a matter of taste anyway. Regardless of the methodilogy used, those 5 or 10 coasters that are the best will always rise to the top. We all like them. We all know we like them. Why do we have to keep confirming it with each other?

El Toro Toro Toro!!! Olè!!

Glad that it took the top spot....again!

I suppose I left out my previous frustrations with that poll though, that being sample size. Remember the years where some obscure coaster would be #1 because four people who have been on almost all coasters would influence the results? That I don't agree with, because it's not statistically significant. That's why I ditch any ride that hasn't seen at least half of the riders on it, and any rider that has been on less than half of the average number of rides.

That's a decision I could argue either way and chalk up to 'creative decision' of those in charge of polling.

Sometimes a statistically significant sample simply doesn't exist and science becomes art.

Mitch chooses to err on the side of completeness - in that the list may not be 100% scientific, but you work it as far as you can with what you have in the name of list completeness.

You choose to err on the side of statistic accuracy in that you'll exclude rides that may very well deserve to be listed among the best because you can't justify including them statistically.

Honestly, I don't see one as better than the other. They're both 'wrong' in different ways.

Lord Gonchar said:

Sometimes a statistically significant sample simply doesn't exist and science becomes art.

Then it's no longer science... that's the point. It's like people who think you have "faith" in evolution, which is science. It's two categories of things.

Lord Gonchar said:

Honestly, I don't see one as better than the other. They're both 'wrong' in different ways.

A different person might say they're both RIGHT in different ways... ;~)

Pessimistic bastard.

Jeff said:

Then it's no longer science... that's the point. It's like people who think you have "faith" in evolution, which is science. It's two categories of things.

Then your first mistake is thinking it's all about the science...especially once you reach the presentation portion of the program.

How can it be a total ranking of opinion if some coasters aren't allowed to be included in the list? As a list of the most popular coasters it fails right there.

To me it makes more sense to extrapolate, interpret or 'fill in the blanks' to use all the available data rather than just present an incomplete list. I find it totally fascinating that you're so gung ho on the data that leaving coasters off the list entirely is a reasonable solution. In the process of trying to create an accurate list, you're creating an incomplete one. (which, to me, ends up being more inaccurate due to it's incompleteness)

Lord Gonchar said:
How can it be a total ranking of opinion if some coasters aren't allowed to be included in the list?

Because that's what statistical significance is. That is science. You seem to get hung up on that every time this comes up.

Nerds. ;-)

I'd like to see a poll that averages out the results from Mitch's and Jeff's different approaches.

The only way to settle this is to create a poll that ranks the accuracy of all coaster polls.

If only there were a way to remove the subjectivity of people's opinions... ;~)

rollergator said:

If only there were a way to remove the subjectivity of people's opinions... ;~)

Doesn't applying numbers to them, averaging those numbers and ranking them remove the subjectivity? :)