New Entries in the CoasterBuzz Top 100

Lord Gonchar said:

Maybe something where all the tracks record count, but the more experienced you are, the more your opinion counts for. Something as simple as a multiplier for different levels of experience. The most inexperienced 20%'s track record counts as a single rating. The next 20%'s count as two. The next 20%'s as three and so on. Each rating by someone among the top 20% would carry five times the weight of a newbie's opinion.

Isn't that sort of what Mitch's poll does?

Mitch's does it in way more detail, but at the expense of requiring way more work and being way more complicated. Also, because the minimum ridership is so low, one trip hitting an obscure coaster on one day can radically affect it's position.

Jason Hammond said:

Isn't that sort of what Mitch's poll does?

Sort of. But in a very different way, I think.

With Mitch's head-to-head system more experienced riders get more say overall, but don't carry more weight on an individual basis.

Doesn't matter if someone has ridden 2000 coasters or 2 coasters, their head-to-head comparisons of those two coasters they share on their track records count exactly the same. It's just that the more experienced rider gets to make another bajillion comparisons and affects the overall poll on a much greater level while the influence of the other guy ends there.

Thunderbird made the list this week at #18. That's 22 better than GateKeeper which was previously #40. That seems appropriate, although I wouldn't be suprised to see it settle somewhere in the 20s. Boulder Dash won a Golden Ticket, but it's only the 6th best woodie now in the top 100.

Well, there's a big difference in those polls. You see, the CoasterBuzz Top 100 is determined by experienced and well-traveled members who take the time to thoughtfully rate their favorites. The Golden Tickets are determined by one or two guys in the AT office.

:)

Thunderbird is the bomb. Truly. And this is coming from someone who was whelmed with Wild Eagle and very much underwhelmed with Gatekeeper. Happy to see it on the list doing well.

I agree though, it should settle a bit. It's good (and positively GREAT for it's genre) but it ain't top 20 good.

The other three US wing coasters are all grouped there in the 40's. I think it's a fair rank... I definitely liked Thunderbird more than GateKeeper or Wild Eagle. The bird just takes every element so much faster.

A slow week. MF and Voyage flip flop, and some minor jockeying for position in the back of the field.

Openly wondering how much longer until the new RMC rides this year hit the required ridership threshold. It doesn't feel like CBuzz has a large readership contingent in New England OR SoCal so maybe it will be a bit longer.

I'm still waiting, hoping, to get n my second RMC ride.

Other than the Labor Day Dragon Wagon (*wink*), my last four new-to-me rides have all been B&Ms. Banshee, Gatekeeper, Wild Eagle, and Fury. So even though I rode Gatekeeper last year, it's still pretty fresh in my mind (the upside of not traveling?). Overall, while GK had an amazing opening, it mostly fizzled for me...keyholes notwithstanding. Wild Eagle had a more memorable ride, even if it lacked the power-punch that is GK's first drop. The use of terrain was amazing on Wild Eagle, and I'd rank it several spots above the CP ride.

All that said, the breed is mostly pretty meh....

I rode Wicked Twister just yesterday and gave it a rating, so I'm out here doing my part.

I think Thunderbird is what a wing coaster can really be. I assume the short trains are what make the tight elements possible, and that's why I dig it.

Goliath and MF now flip flop, giving us a new top 5, however the gap between #4, #5, and #6 is breathtakingly small now.

We have a new joiner with White Lightning. The 70ft tall woodie is now ranked #31, nestled comfortably within a group of monster sized steel coasters on either side. Very excited to ride it on a quick jaunt to Orlando this coming June.

White Lightning is so much fun. Its definitely wood done right.

Yay for White Lightning. I did 8 laps last week, no waiting. Love it.

I can't wait to get back down and ride it. Didn't get a chance in my last visit. Perhaps next month.

Wait, did I miss the conversation where Fury debuted? And it's currently #1. Wow. It's not my personal number one but I can see why it is rated so high. It really is very good.

Fury debuted at #2 back in late August, however I missed whenever it slipped by El Toro for the #1 spot.

Still itchin' to see where the new RMCs land as I still haven't been on *any* of them yet - new rides and conversions included.

I'm looking forward to seeing when and where Wicked Cyclone debuts. Thought it would happen this fall, but we'll see next spring. It makes me laugh each time like no other coaster.

Full Throttle debuts solidly at #55. That gives SFMM 5 spots in the top 100, to Cedar Point's 6.

Based on a quick skim, Hershey also has 5, as does BGW, however one of those is the defunct Big Bad Wolf.

I don't suppose there is any way to tell whether a coaster is not in the top 100 due to not enough riders or due to ranking? I went looking for Gold Striker in the list and couldn't find it. I would have to assume it's not there due to ridership (it opened in 2013) and not because it stinks.

I thought I remembered visiting the individual coaster pages and seeing the overall ranking listed there, even if a coaster wasn't in the top 100. But maybe I am making that up.