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More PA Destinations |
| DelGrosso's
Amusement Park |
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| Visiting Kneobles |
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Other locations of
interest in this region:
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Only a few
miles up the
road from
Knoebels ...
The
Centralia
Mine Fire
Smoke rises
out of the
ground, the
smell of
sulfur is in
the air, the
ground
collapses as
homes are
destroyed.
Science
fiction?
Think again.
This is
Centralia
Pennsylvania,
where a town
was
destroyed by
a 44 year
old mine
fire.
Read More |
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American Coaster Enthusiasts
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.
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| In 2005, the Phoenix Rollercoaster at Knoebels was
recognizes as an ACE Roller Coaster landmark by the
American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), a designation
reserved for rides of historic significance. |
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 History
of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE)
ACE was founded in 1977 by Paul Greenwald, Roy Brashears, and
Richard Munch. At the time, it was commonplace for thrillseekers
and prospective Guinness record-breakers to participate in
marathons on roller coasters. Such a marathon was arranged in
1977 on Rebel Yell at King's Dominion (now known as Paramount's
Kings Dominion) in Doswell, Virginia, VA 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 (FCC), the National Amusement Park
Historical Association (NAPHA), and the Wood Coaster Fan Club.
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 ARDEL,
a management firm, to run certain day to day operations
regarding mailings, receipt of event payment/membership dues,
and merchandise.
Current annual membership dues are $60 for an individual, $80
for a couple, $85 for a family of three ($5 for each additional
family member), and $90 for a corporate membership in the United
States. All memberships except for corporate are available in
one, two, and three-year options (with a small discount for
choosing longer term memberships). Postage for mailings is
included in the dues for U.S. members, but those outside of the
U.S. must pay an additional postage fee to cover the extra
expense.
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.
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 one Spring Conference and one Summer
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. This year's Coaster Con,
Coaster Con XXIX, will take place from June 18-23, 2006 in
Florida with official host parks that include Disney's Animal
Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios, Old Town, Magic Kingdom, Cypress
Gardens Adventure Park, and Busch Gardens Tampa. An add-on day
is also scheduled for June 24, 2006 at Wet 'n Wild and Universal
Studios Islands of Adventure. Coaster Con is the most complete
and extensive event that exists for coaster enthusiasts on an
annual basis. Not only are ACEers 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,
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.
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; 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. One such example of an
ACE Coaster Classic is the famed 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 endanger 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).
More information about ACE, including information about how to
join the club, can be found at ACE's official web site below.
External links
American
Coaster Enthusiasts (Official site).
Wikipedia
information about American Coaster Enthusiasts
This article is licensed under the
GNU Free Documentation License.
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