American Coaster Enthusiasts

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The American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is an organization dedicated to the enjoyment and preservation of roller coasters. Membership is open to anyone with payment of yearly dues, and membership benefits may include discounted admission to certain amusement parks. ACE members often meet at various parks around the United States and other countries for special events, sometimes sponsored by the parks themselves.

1 History
2 Purpose & Membership
3 Events
4 Coaster Preservation
5 External links

[edit] History

ACE was founded in 1977 by Paul Greenwald, Roy Brashears, and Richard Munch. At the time, it was commonplace for thrill-seekers and prospective Guinness record-breakers to participate in marathons on roller coasters. Such a marathon was arranged in 1977 on Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion in Doswell, Virginia to promote the release of the movie Rollercoaster, starring George Segal, Henry Fonda, Richard Widmark, and a young Helen Hunt. Rebel Yell was an exceedingly appropriate choice, as it was also featured in the film. Three of the participants in this marathon, the aforementioned Greenwald, Brashears, and Munch, discussed what a great idea it would be to form a club for those who have a passion for riding roller coasters. With that, the idea for ACE was born and Coaster Con I (where the group officially became an organization) was held a year later (almost to the day) just down the road at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Side note: Another participant in this landmark marathon was a young man by the name of Mike Boodley. Boodley went on to co-found Great Coasters International, one of very few firms that design and build wooden roller coasters.

At one time in the late 70s and early 80s, another group called Roller Coaster Buffs International (RCBI) existed as an alternative to ACE. It became clear, however, that ACE was the more polished, professionally-run organization, and RCBI's founders and directors decided it was no longer worth the trouble. Most members of RCBI either moved onto other things, joined ACE, or were already holding memberships in both clubs to begin with. Today, several other clubs exist as competitors and/or supplements to ACE, but most of them are oriented to specific regions and none of them have nearly as many members as ACE does...at last count, more than 8,000 coaster enthusiasts are ACE members. Examples of other enthusiast clubs related to amusement parks and roller coasters include the Western New York Coaster Club (WNYCC), the Mid Atlantic Coaster Club (MACC), the Great Ohio Coaster Club (GOCC), Coaster Zombies, Darkride and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE), the European Coaster Club (ECC), the Florida Coaster Club (FLCC), the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA), and the Wood Coaster Fan Club.

[edit] Purpose & Membership

According to its constitution, "The purpose of ACE shall be to foster and promote the conservation, appreciation, knowledge and enjoyment of the art of the classic wooden roller coaster and the contemporary steel roller coaster; to create and promote among and between its members a tie of fellowship while striving to maintain good working relations with the outdoor amusement business and operate in harmony with its policies; to foster and promote the preservation and continued operation of roller coasters; and to perform any other functions of a not-for-profit corporation."

ACE is governed by five officers, four of which are directly elected and one indirectly elected by the club's membership. These officers are the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Immediate Past President. Additionally, ACE currently has twelve Executive Committee positions, which are appointed by majority vote of the elected officers.

One such Executive Committee position is the Regional Rep Director, who oversees a system of ACE regions, Regional Representatives, and Assistant Regional Representatives. These regions and their reps often sponsor events at amusement parks, produce regional newsletters, and keep members within the region up to date via email and regional web sites. There are currently 28 different ACE regions, most (but not all) of which are located in the U.S. and Canada.

ACE is almost entirely run by volunteers, only employing Offinger, a management firm, to run certain day to day operations regarding mailings, receipt of event payment/membership dues, and merchandise. Annual membership dues are available in individual, couple, family, and corporate memberships.

ACE offers a variety of club logo merchandise and back issues of its magazine, RollerCoaster!, for purchase to its members.

RollerCoaster! is published quarterly in full-color heavy stock glossy magazine format. The club's newsletter, ACE News, is published six times a year in black and white 8 1/2" by 11" format.

[edit] Events

At the national level, ACE typically sponsors several events each year including an annual Convention (usually in June, starting on Father's Day), two or three Conferences held at various times (often Spring Conference, Summer Conference, and Preservation Conference), and two winter non-riding events (No Coaster Con held near Chicago in mid-January and Eastcoaster held near Allentown, PA in early February).

The annual convention, called Coaster Con, usually features two or three host parks, but sometimes focuses on just one and other times may feature as many as seven. The 2006 Coaster Con, Coaster Con XXIX, took place from June 18-23, 2006 in Florida with official host parks that included Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios, Old Town, Magic Kingdom, Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, and Busch Gardens Tampa. An add-on day was also offered for June 24, 2006 at Wet 'n Wild and Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. Coaster Con XXX will be held June 17-23, 2007. Host parks will include Kings Island, Stricker's Grove, Holiday World, and Beech Bend Park. Cedar Fair has organized two unofficial add-on days, on the preceding Friday and Saturday, at Cedar Point and Geauga Lake respectively.

Coaster Con is the most complete and extensive event that exists for coaster enthusiasts on an annual basis. Not only are ACErs admitted to the host parks, but Exclusive Ride Time (ERT) is often granted on certain coasters before a park opens and/or after it closes. This is a time during which only registered attendees of Coaster Con may ride whichever roller coasters are offered. Coaster Con also generally includes a photo contest, video contest, Midway Olympics (where teams of participants play midway games for "Olympic Medals"), ACE annual business meeting, banquet (with presentations, awards, industry keynote speaker, and auction to benefit ACE's funds), workshops, discussion groups, displays, gravy buffets, and memorabilia sales tables.

ACE supports riding roller coasters responsibly and following all posted ride rules, especially those regarding remaining seated at all times. To this end, ACE members must follow a code of conduct. Failure to do so may result in suspension or expulsion of the offending member from the club.

[edit] Coaster Preservation

ACE maintains a list of coasters known as ACE Coaster Classics. These are coasters that operate in a classic manner as determined by a strict set of criteria: they must be wood rather than steel; they must utilize a traditional, non-ratcheting lap bar restraint (like buzz bars); they must not have seat dividers; they must feature few or no headrests; and riders must be free to choose where they sit rather than being assigned a seat by the operator. As of March 11, 2006, there were approximately 33 coasters on the ACE Coaster Classic list. While the Blue Streak at Conneaut Lake Park may have been the first roller coaster to be designated an ACE Coaster Classic, one of the most famed is probably the Cyclone at Coney Island.

In 2002, ACE introduced Coaster Landmark Award status. This award was designed to recognize coasters of historical significance that may not qualify for ACE Coaster Classic status. Three coasters per year have received this award since its inception bringing the current grand total to twelve. It is believed that the pattern will continue, meaning that three more coasters will likely be given ACE Coaster Landmark status in 2006, most likely being awarded at one or more of ACE's national events. Some Coaster Landmark Award coasters include the Loch Ness Monster) at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, (Great American) Revolution at Six Flags Magic Mountain (the first modern looping roller coaster, and Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Great America (the world's first inverted roller coaster).

ACE takes an active role in the preservation of endangered roller coasters. Since 1985, the club has either directly or indirectly helped to save more than half a dozen coasters. Most notable among these are the Phoenix at Knoebels in Elysburg, PA, the first wood coaster to be relocated from a significant distance away (San Antonio, TX) in modern times; and Leap the Dips, the world's oldest operating wooden coaster, located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, PA. On occasion, some parks have also sought the opinions of ACE members about the design of new coasters. Most notable among these is The Legend at Holiday World in Santa Claus, IN.

Because opinions on what makes a coaster great are many and varied among coaster fans, ACE does not officially rate or rank roller coasters. Many individual members of ACE, however, take part in ventures that do rate coasters, such as Amusement Today's Golden Ticket Awards (by invite only) and Mitch Hawker's internet coaster polls [1](anyone may participate).