My First Coastermania & Enthusiast Event--Awesome!
Associated parks:
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There is just so much that happened, so many memories that were made, in my 17 and 1/2 hour day at Cedar Point yesterday that there is definitely no way I will be able to talk about them all in my TR (which will be long enough I’m sure in its incomplete form). Let me just say that yesterday (my first Coastermania and my first enthusiast event, period) was possibly the most fun I’ve ever had at an amusement park, and definitely the most fun I’ve ever had at Cedar Point. I never believed I would be able to stay at Cedar Point from 7:30 AM to 100 AM without getting either bored or dead-tired, but there was never a dull moment the entire day. This, of course, is because of the gang I bummed around with all day long. It was great getting to know all of you: Brad (Arrow Guy), Kara (ST Chick), Kristin (KicksTheSky), Rob (Robodud), John (Michael Darling), Joey Isch, Jess, Alec (should we call you ST Dude?), and The Beast (sorry, can’t remember your real name). To be honest, I didn’t know how the day would turn out since I knew nobody going in and couldn’t talk any of my non-enthusiast friends into going to CP at 7:30 in the morning (gee…wonder why?:)), but once I found this motley crew, we were off to a perfect day at my favorite amusement park.
One of the things I learned about enthusiasts, or at least this group of enthusiasts (since it might not be wise to generalize), is that while they are gung ho about coasters, they really take a laid-back approach to the park and try to experience everything. When I go to parks with friends, they just want to hit the big rides and get the hell out. It was great finding people who are excited about rides like Corkscrew and Mine Ride, as well as who want to check out non-coaster attractions like the Dive Show (which was a great show with extremely talented divers, but with some really cheesy music, BTW) and Paddlewheel Excursions (although sometimes I can talk friends into riding this, just for the bad jokes). Nevertheless, the day was more than just riding coasters—we experienced the park as it should be experienced, and the way I have been wanting to experience it for a while now.
And then there were the memories, too countless to talk about all of them. But I will bring up a few. The first was our takeover of the Woodstock Express (my first ride takeover ever), complete with the hilarious on-ride photos. Then there was my getting crapped on by a bird while riding Mine Ride, the talented “David Blaine” (aka Joey) trying to escape from the Wicked Twister test seat, and of course Bop It Extreme—not just Bop It (I need some work with this)—and Rob playing Bop It on Magnum. And then, as the day progressed, the video cameras came out for more fun, like interviewing the Lemon Chill Guy to see what we are getting next year in Area 51 (he confirmed it—it’s a B&M Flyer! ) and the Wicked Twister video shoot. Yes, that’s right…even though Wicked Twister was down all day, WE still got to ride it, and we’ve got video proof (both from an on-ride and off-ride perspective!). What we decided to do is that since the ride was down we’d ride it anyway. We lined up in three rows of two across on the midway between WT and the Giant Wheel, hopped up in our imaginary seats, rechecked all harnesses a few times, and (enter squeal of LIMs firing here) we were off, running down the entire stretch of midway to the end of the front spike, twisting around (it would have been nice if all of us would have turned in the same direction), then running backwards to the other end, twisting backwards (again not in the same directions), and then forwards again, where we were all tired and decided the ride would launch off the track so we wouldn’t have to run anymore (symbolized by our falling down on the midway)…definitely THE highlight of the entire day of highlights!
Some comments about the Q&A session: It was awesome being able to see the CP ballroom…very nice and very classy. The session was very informative, but there are some people who just need to learn how to ask questions tactfully. I won’t bring up any examples at the risk of embarrassing anyone who may post on these boards, but at an event where CP brings us in, gives us a discount admission price (or in the case of many who have passes, lets us in free), gives us 5 hours of ERT, and even feeds us for free, people just need to settle down with their gripings. Don’t get me wrong, I’m only talking about a few people, and I’m not acting like I don’t have any issues with CP, but there is a time and a place for everything, and I just thought a few of the questions were a little ill-thought out before being asked. The CP higher ups read GTTP “religiously” (quote from Bill Spehn), and I think these forums and personal letters to the park are much better outlets for concerns than a Coastermania event. On the other hand, there were many informative and funny questions and answers (like Dick Kinzel’s shoe size…way to go John!). I especially loved the way Bryan Edwards and Dan Keller addressed the “What’s going in Area 51?” question: DK: “What was the question Bryan—I didn’t hear it.” BE: “He said, ‘What are we having for lunch today?’”
Speaking of lunch, I was very impressed by the quality, quantity, and variety of food. Clearly, CP has fed enthusiasts before and knows how to do it (especially on the quantity part ;))! The plentiful helpings of taffy, caramel apples, and caramel corn on the tables were an awesome touch!
It was also nice meeting other posters here, even briefly, like Rideman, John Peck, Shivering Tim, Legendary, DragonsIOA, and Raptor Jo (very sorry if I forgot anyone). Later in the night, as we were riding Raptor just before the ERT sessions would begin, our non-stacked train (Raptor crew was haulin’ some @$$) rolled right into the station for us to see none other than Jeff along with Old Timer/Coaster God Tim and Pete waiting for our row. After their ride with Rob (how the hell did he get there? :)), I got my chance to meet our webmaster as our group linked up with these three crazy guys for the night ERT session. Jeff, Pete, and Tim were absolutely hilarious and very entertaining (probably aided by the fact that they had all been throwing a few back at TGI Fridays previously). I don't know what "We want the Flory Dories" means (and I think it's better off that way), but it was hilarious! Props to Tim not only for actually knowing where Marblehead (my hometown) is, but for also knowing of the high school I attended.
As for ERT, well Wicked Twister was down, but CP compensated by opening up Mean Squeak from 10-12…not sure that is exactly a fair trade, but hey, things happen. At least they turned off all the lights on the ride, if not the trims (which I understand that the ride’s computer system will not let just anyone turn of the 1st drop trims anyway). The MooreOn got to ride with the Putz on this one. :) As for the ride itself, the total darkness made the ride much better, but that said, it still mostly sucked! The first drop trims were on full force (“more like a buzzcut than trim brakes” I heard one rider say). Interestingly, I found the second half of the ride to be much faster than usual, even providing a hint of air on the camelback following the midcourse and an exciting drop out of “the never-ending turnaround” that follows. Heck, the final turns even had some laterals that were actually almost powerful! 2 rides was enough on this though, despite non-existent lines (even Maggie had a brief line for the ERT session and MF carried a 40 minute wait). I found it funny while we were getting off our second ride that the ride-ops were actually offering re-rides (YES, rerides at Cedar Point!) but everyone declined since after all, this was Mean Streak!
Maggie was great also (where we headed next), with trims on, but running very fast. I think we waited about 10 minutes to ride. I should add that the addition of Mean Streak to evening ERT was not the only thing CP did to compensate for the lack of WT. They also extended Maggie’s and MF’s ERT a half hour.
Finally, the plan was to close the day on MF. By this point we were all drained. We got on the ride at about 12:10, and wow was Millie flying! The lack of lights on Millennium Island provided an awesome experience.
Rejuvenated by the greatness of MF (Milf or MoFo, pick the nickname of your choice) and realizing that we had 15 minutes left before Maggie closed, we hightailed it there led by Arrow Guy for two more laps (although everyone except Brad, Joey, and I got rerides and therefore three laps). After this, we all really were pooped after 17 hours of riding and we decided to head out.
My first Enthusiast Event was an unforgettable experience, and I was so fortunate to happen to meet up with the group I did. You guys made the day, and I really look forward to riding with all of you in the future! I just wish I could make CoasterBuzzCon…think of poor me working my butt off while you're enjoying your day. And give the Beast one nightride for me (since I have yet to that!). :)
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Confirmed by the Lemon Chill Guy: Area 51 will contain the world's tallest, longest, fastest-running, coldest Lemon Chill Stand!
*** This post was edited by MooreOn on 6/9/2002. ***
Wow. Coastermania was by far the most fun I've had at Cedar Point ever. I was expecting I'd be hanging out with Kicks the Sky, Robodud, STChick and STChick's brother all day and meeting a few other folks along the way.
I was wrong. We kept gathering more and more people! At one point there were 12 of us together. I think once we met up with Jeff and the TGI Fridays gang we had close to 15, but we sorta parted ways after a while.
More to come later. I'm still tired. I knew it was a bad idea to go to CM then work at 8am... zzzzzzzzzzzzz
This was my second CoasterMania and it was even better. I was in line for MMForce in front of DragonsIOA(formerly SmartAce)
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Welcome "aboard" Wicked Twister. Please keep your hands and arms inside the midway at all times.
"Throwing a few back?" I don't know what the f*** you're talking about. ;)
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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"
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Virtual Midway
http://www.virtualmidway.com
*** This post was edited by Gemini on 6/10/2002. ***
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Kara (car-uh)
499 Laps
96 in '02
BuzzCon Frequent Flyer, making kids cry all day long
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Brad Sherman
Soon park benches will have seatbelts!
Model coasters and rides
Hey...there were points in the day when we were all acting like real morons, like John getting the attention of the entire DT queue and asking them if they felt offended by the sign on the wall calling them rejects, but these moments are where the most fun occured! Sometimes, it's good to be a MooreOn! :)
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Confirmed by the Lemon Chill Guy: Area 51 will contain the world's tallest, longest, fastest-running, coldest Lemon Chill Stand!
We ran into you momentarily on the Raptor exit.....good to see you....Fantastic event, great food, great people....the whole day (and night) rocked....
hope to see you again at some future event......
Hanging out with the enthusiast crowd is a whole different experience than hanging out with your average park patrons. You can actually have intelligent conversations with people in line about the rides and coasters in general. You don't have to worry about being with a group and having someone chicken out at the last moment, or somebody complain that they are tired or just want to ride the big rides and go home without fully exploring and appreciating what the park has to offer. I have met some very cool people in my two short years with ACE!
I look forward to California next week!
(getting ancy with excitement...hee hee hee)
Tina
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Feel The Adrenaline....
www.intenserides.com
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Confirmed by the Lemon Chill Guy: Area 51 will contain the world's tallest, longest, fastest-running, coldest Lemon Chill Stand!
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