Mitch's Steel Poll Results

I'm surprised no one's mentioned the steel poll results yet.

Same top three as last year...and lots of mindbender love.

I'm surprised by how many coasters were listed...

...I'm even more surprised how high some other coasters ranked on the listing, either too high or too low.

Although the Mindbender love comes from only a handful of riders. Still... high praise.

I liked the emerging trends in the poll:

• Last year seems to have been an "off" year for the poll... a number of rides posted rankings in '02 that don't seem to mesh with surrounding years.
• It seems like Impulses are quickly losing steam.
• King Cobra at PKI, despite no longer operating, still placed ahead of Manhattan Express. ;)
• Based on ridership, it seems like everyone out there has been to Cedar Point, or the Florida parks.
• Finally, TTD ranked just about where everyone seems to place it... good, but not #1.

*** Edited 12/17/2003 8:28:15 PM UTC by Olsor***

I didn't give the list a good look yet, but I did notice that the original Impulse in Japan scored very near the absolute bottom of the list, which seemed pretty surprising. Is it boring without the twists? Rough? Can it really be bad enough to rank with Flashback @ SFMM?

The Phantom's Revege ranked higher than TTD! Yay! :)

The biggest thing I noticed was the placement of the S:UF rides. Probably where they truly deserve to be (my opinion), but much lower than I expected them to rank. I guess enthusiasts weren't all that taken by them after all.

Just helps back up my "flyers are the next stand-up" theory.

And if you look at Georgia Scorcher's numbers, that doesn't bode well for the flyers.

I'm wondering if launched rides have already lost their novelty. In addition to the sagging Impulse rankings, Premier rides aren't making much of an impression, even with lap bars. *** Edited 12/17/2003 8:47:20 PM UTC by Olsor***

Is it just me, or did the Edmonton Mindbender practically come out of nowhere to take that award?

Uhhhhhhhh, you have to remember this is merely the opinion of people who have sent in a completed poll, no?

If you've been on a whole buncha coasters, this may (or may not) reflect how you feel. If you haven't, then ignorance is bliss.

The 100,000 some-odd more people trolling through VF's gates this summer didn't give a rat's hoohah that their 'sagging' Impulse was rated #93. Their money was green and spent like the real thing, too.

-'Playa

Exactly. But I'd say with great confidence that the GP isn't voting - it's an enthusiast poll.

The average, jaded enthusiasts' love affair with the Impulse is on the slide. Impulses are the new boomerang. It's just a rich man's (park's?) version -every park that wants a low cost (relatively) novelty coaster will get one. Enthusiasts will hate but GP will eat it up.

...and the circle continues

Eh, another poll. They are amusing to look at but nothing I take too seriously. Talon is still very underrated IMO. 32? C'mon now. Oh yeah, where theheck DID Mindbender come from? However, it is good to see my man Schwartzkopf still proving his greatness after all these years. *** Edited 12/17/2003 9:30:40 PM UTC by DorneyDante***

Agreed, Playa. I'm just speaking in terms of the poll and its takers. Vertical Velocity and Wicked Twister are among my favorites... no sagging in my opinion. I just like to focus on poll trends more than specific rankings. Like a "what's hot/what's not" indicator of sorts.

I agree with Gonch that the Impulse is the new Boomerang, but I'd never say it out loud, lest I tarnish the good name of Impulses. ;)

I'm crazy like that, Olsor :)

Agreed with DorneyDante on Talon. Of course they're nothing to take seriously, but Olsor nailed it. It's a great way of following general trends among enthusiast circles. In that sense I find Mitch's poll to be totally worth a look.

Actually I thought Talon's rating was pretty dead on. It's a well-composed B&M, but there's mistaking it for a Busch park model.

I can't wait to see how Storm Runner impacts next year's numbers, seeing the love affair with all things Intamin...

-'Playa

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Rob Ascough said:
I didn't give the list a good look yet, but I did notice that the original Impulse in Japan scored very near the absolute bottom of the list, which seemed pretty surprising. Is it boring without the twists? Rough?

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“Gouderix again "bottomed" Flashback at the bottom of the poll among much ridden rides, although several coasters with very few riders had lower winning percentages.”

I guess there just weren’t enough people to help its score, because it really isn’t a bad ride at all. It’s the only impulse I’ve been on, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

I also found it interesting that my vote for Fujiyama did not show up on the ballot (although it wouldn’t have mattered in the long run).

Dangling chad, perhaps?

Sorry, had to shoot that one in there...back to the discussion. First, the Impulse is definitely NOT "yesterday's news" to me....then again, where in heck is the nearest one to FL....I think you at least need *familiarity* before you can reach contempt.

Second, the low number of ballots, the experience of the average person submitting a ballot, and the algorithm DO seem to favor rides that are newer and ridden by a fewer number of riders (reduced chances for a "loss").

Thoughts?

How about Dragon Khan moving up to 12th from 37th. It's always looked to be a perfect B&M design just from pics I've seen, and it obviously lives up to its looks despite its age approaching 10 years. Too bad it's so far away and I'll probably never get to ride it....

The poll does leave the door wide open for upstarts. I suppose if a truly horrible new ride opened and the few people that rode it hated it, it would hit the bottom of the poll just as fast.

I should've never mentioned the Impulses. I love the rides! I was just surprised to see their relative popularity slipping so fast, relative being the key word. Launched rides, with the exception of TTD, didn't fare well.

Okay , seeing as how Exterminator , Avalanche(BP), Scandia Screamer, Fav. Wild Mouse, Zonga , Steeplechase(BP) , Flying Super Saturator , Excalibur(VF), Runaway Mountain(SFOT) , Ultimate , Iron wolf , Ultra-Twister, 9 mine trains ,and 17 Vekomas beat out my number one coaster , I shall no longer trust any poll. The same happened with my number one wood too.

SFNE S:ROS is now in line with Flashback at SFMM.

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Where is the Love.....for Vortex?

Trust in what sense?

If were you "trusting" the polls to reflect your own personal tastes, you'd never be satisfied.

If you were trusting the polls to tell you some places you might want to go, or the general trends in enthusiast circles, then I don't see how your experience overturns that.