American Coaster Enthusiasts

Founded	1978; 46 years ago (1978)
Location	PO Box 540261 Grand Prairie, Texas 75054-0261
Members	over 6,500
Website	www.aceonline.org

American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) is a non-profit organization focusing on the enjoyment, knowledge, and preservation of roller coasters as well as recognition of some as architectural and engineering landmarks.^[1] Dues-paying members receive the quarterly magazine RollerCoaster! and bi-monthly newsletter ACE News.^[2] Amusement parks have also invited members to exclusive ride events at amusement parks as well as sneak peek events at new roller coasters under construction.^[3]

The organization maintains an online database of roller coasters including ride specifications and archives of published news articles. The club also recognizes historically significant roller coasters with the Coaster Classic and ACE Coaster Landmark statuses.

History

Organization founders Roy Brashears, Paul Greenwald and Richard Munch met at a roller coaster riding marathon event promoting the 1977 movie Rollercoaster at the Rebel Yell roller coaster (now called Racer 75) at Kings Dominion amusement park in Doswell, Virginia. The three discovered they shared the same passion for roller coasters and decided to form a club that would allow others that shared the same interests to join. They organized Coaster Con I the following year at Busch Gardens Williamsburg theme park in June 1978. On the final day of the event during a business meeting, the name American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) was chosen as the club's name. Coaster Con events have been held annually ever since.^[4]

Structure

The organization is almost entirely run by volunteers, with the exception of an independent contractor who runs certain day-to-day operations regarding mailings, receipt of event payment/membership dues and merchandise. ACE members are required to pay annual membership dues that are available in individual, couple, family and corporate packages. The organization fulfills one of its primary goals of providing education through its publications.^[2] Other goals include promoting the conservation, appreciation, and enjoyment of roller coasters and their place in history as architectural and engineering landmarks.^[1][5]

ACE is governed by an executive committee of five officers and seven directors. Four of the officer positions 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. The seven directors are appointed by the president and approved by a majority vote of the remaining officers.^[6] The Region Director, oversees a system of ACE regions, which sponsors events and publishes regional websites and email newsletters.

ACE Regions

• California Northern
• Canada (except British Columbia)
• Eastern Great Lakes (Ohio and Michigan)
• Europe
• Florida
• Heart of America (Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and southern Illinois)
• Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia)
• Midwest (Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia)
• New England (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont)
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Central (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota)
• Northwest (Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington)
• Other Countries
• Pacific Southwest (Arizona, Hawaii, Nevada and southern California)
• Pennsylvania Eastern
• Pennsylvania Western
• Rocky Mountain (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming)
• South America
• South Central (Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas)
• Southeast (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee)
• Western Great Lakes (Wisconsin and northern Illinois)

Events

The national organization sponsors the annual Coaster Con convention, international tours, seasonal conferences, and a conference focused on coaster preservation.

Coaster Con

Coaster Con, usually features one to as many as six theme parks where exclusive ride time is made available to members on selected coasters outside of times when the park is open to the public. Coaster Con also features photo and video contests, carnival games competitions, as well as an 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.

*Note: These events were delayed one full year due to COVID-19. A virtual Coaster Con known as "Coaster Con at Home" was held on the same dates.^[7]

Awards

ACE Coaster Classics

The ACE Coaster Classic award was developed during a period when changes in the design, equipping, and operation of wood coasters threatened to erase these time-honored experiences and rituals. The award is designed to recognize coasters that still adhere to these principles while allowing riders to safely experience the thrill of the classic wooden roller coaster ride. To be eligible for ACE Coaster Classic status, the coaster must meet the following criteria:^[8]

• Traditional lap bars that allow riders to experience so-called airtime, or negative G's, the sensation of floating above the seat, must be installed. Individual, ratcheting lap bars do not meet this requirement.
• Riders must be able to slide from side-to-side in their seats. A coaster with any restraint or device that restricts this freedom, like seat dividers between riders, does not meet this requirement.
• Riders must be able to view upcoming drops and thrills. A coaster with headrests on every seat or the majority of seats that restrict this view does not meet this requirement.
• Riders must be free to choose where they sit. A coaster where riders are assigned seats before boarding does not meet this requirement.

The amusement park or theme park operating a coaster that is recognized as a Coaster Classic is usually presented a custom plaque. The plaque typically states:

THE AMERICAN COASTER ENTHUSIASTS RECOGNIZES THIS COASTER AS AN ACE COASTER CLASSIC.

ACE salutes this park for maintaining this coaster as an American treasure in its purest form. We congratulate you for the use of traditional materials, methods and equipment, which are fundamental to the classic wooden roller coaster experience.

ACE commends this park for operating this coaster in the traditional manner so that future generations may enjoy its classic thrills and its enduring popularity.

It has been noted, however, that most coasters usually have disqualifying ratcheting lap bars, seat dividers and headrests to prevent people from trying to stand up during the ride. For example, Rolling Thunder at Six Flags Great Adventure had buzz bars which meet traditional lap bar Coaster Classic requirements, but it is not a classic because of headrests and seat dividers being added in 1981 to prevent people from standing up during the ride.

Coasters awarded

As of 2024, there are 30 coasters worldwide with ACE Coaster Classic status; 20 in North America, 9 in Europe, and one in Australia.^[8]

Coaster	Park	Country	Opened	Awarded	Status
Big Dipper	Camden Park	United States	1958	Unknown	Operating
Blue Flyer	Blackpool Pleasure Beach	United Kingdom	1934	Unknown	Operating
Blue Streak	Conneaut Lake Park	United States	1938	May 29, 1993	Demolished 2022
Classic Coaster	Washington State Fair	United States	1935	Unknown	Operating
Comet	Waldameer Park	United States	1951	Unknown	Operating
Cyclone	Lakeside Amusement Park	United States	May 17, 1940	Unknown	Operating
Cyclone	Luna Park, Coney Island	United States	June 26, 1927	Unknown	Operating
Cyclone	Williams Grove Amusement Park	United States	1933	Unknown	Closed 2005
High Roller	Valleyfair	United States	1976	1996	Operating
Hochschaubahn	Wiener Prater	Austria	1950	Unknown	Operating
Hullámvasút	Vidámpark	Hungary	1926	Unknown	Closed 2015
Jack Rabbit	Kennywood	United States	1920	Unknown	Operating
Kiddy Coaster	Playland Park	United States	1928	Unknown	Operating
Leap-The-Dips	Lakemont Park	United States	1902	Unknown	SBNO
Lil' Dipper	Camden Park	United States	1961	Unknown	Operating
Little Dipper	Six Flags Great America	United States	Built 1950; relocated 2010	Unknown	Operating
Meteor	Little Amerricka	United States	Built 1953; relocated 2003, 2007	Unknown	Operating
Montaña Suiza	Parque de Atracciones Monte Igueldo	Spain	1928	Not yet presented	Operating
Nickelodeon Streak	Pleasure Beach Resort	United Kingdom	1933	Unknown	Operating
Nightmare	Joyland	United States	June 12, 1949	Unknown	Demolished 2015
Roller Coaster	Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach	United Kingdom	1932	Unknown	Operating
Rutschebanen	Tivoli Gardens	Denmark	1914	Unknown	Operating
Scenic Railway	Luna Park, Melbourne	Australia	1912	Unknown	Operating
Sea Dragon	Rides At Adventure Cove	United States	1956	Unknown	Operating
Teddy Bear	Stricker's Grove	United States	1996	Unknown	Operating
Thunderbolt	Kennywood	United States	1924	Unknown	Operating
Tomahawk	PortAventura Park	Spain	March 17, 1997	Not yet presented	Operating
Vuoristorata	Linnanmäki	Finland	July 13, 1951	2001[9]	Operating
Wooden Roller Coaster	Playland (Vancouver)	Canada	1958	Unknown	Operating
Zach's Zoomer	Michigan's Adventure	United States	July 22, 1994	Unknown	Operating

Rescinded awards

Another 13 coasters were awarded ACE Coaster Classic status; 12 in North America and one in Europe. However, due to subsequent changes to the coasters, the awards have been rescinded.^[8]

Coaster	Park	Country	Opened	Awarded	Rescinded	Status
Blue Streak	Cedar Point	United States	May 23, 1964	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Coastersaurus	Legoland Florida	United States	November 26, 2004	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Ghoster Coaster	Canada's Wonderland	Canada		Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Legend	Arnolds Park	United States	1927	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Montaña Rusa	La Feria de Chapultepec Mágico	Mexico	October 24, 1964	Unknown	Unknown	Demolished 2022
Rollo Coaster	Idlewild and Soak Zone	United States	1938	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Rutschebanen	Dyrehavsbakken (Bakken)	Denmark	1932	Unknown	2009	Operating
Starliner	Cypress Gardens	United States		Unknown	Unknown	Demolished 2008
Wildcat	Frontier City	United States	April 20, 1991	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Woodstock Express	Kings Island	United States	1972	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Woodstock Express	Kings Dominion	United States	1974	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Woodstock Express	Carowinds	United States	1975	Unknown	Unknown	Operating
Zippin Pippin	Bay Beach Amusement Park	United States	Built 1912, 1915, or 1917; relocated 2010	Unknown	Unknown	Operating

Coaster Landmark

In 2002, ACE introduced the Roller Coaster Landmark program to recognize coasters of historic significance that may or may not qualify for ACE Coaster Classic status.^[10]

Coaster	Park	Country	Opened	Awarded	Status
Batman: The Ride	Six Flags Great America	United States	May 2, 1992	June 20, 2005	Operating
The Beast	Kings Island	United States	April 14, 1979	October 2, 2004	Operating
Big Dipper	Geauga Lake	United States	1925	Never presented	Demolished 2016
Big Dipper	Camden Park	United States	1958	May 12, 2019	Operating
Blue Streak	Cedar Point	United States	May 23, 1964	June 20, 2022	Operating
Blue Streak	Conneaut Lake Park	United States	1938	June 24, 2010	Demolished 2022
Cannon Ball	Lake Winnepesaukah	United States	May 1967	May 20, 2017	Operating
Classic Coaster	Washington State Fair	United States	1935	September 7, 2013	Operating
The Comet	Six Flags Great Escape	United States	Built 1948; relocated 1994	September 13, 2009	Operating
Comet	Hersheypark	United States	1946	June 22, 2021	Operating
Coney Island Cyclone	Luna Park	United States	June 26, 1927	June 29, 2002	Operating
Corkscrew	Silverwood Theme Park	United States	Built 1975; relocated 1990	August 27, 2011	Operating
Cyclone	Lakeside Amusement Park	United States	May 17, 1940	August 2, 2003	Operating
Dragon Coaster	Playland	United States	1929	August 8, 2009	Operating
Giant Dipper	Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk	United States	May 17, 1924	May 5, 2007	Operating
Giant Dipper	Belmont Park	United States	July 4, 1925	April 23, 2010	Operating
Great American Scream Machine	Six Flags Over Georgia	United States	March 31, 1973	May 21, 2017	Operating
Jack Rabbit	Seabreeze Amusement Park	United States	1920	August 15, 2015	Operating
Jack Rabbit	Kennywood	United States	1920	June 21, 2010	Operating
Kiddy Coaster	Playland	United States	May 26, 1928	July 28, 2018	Operating
Leap-The-Dips	Lakemont Park	United States	1902	May 26, 2002	SBNO
Legend	Arnolds Park	United States	June 8, 1930	August 6, 2006	Operating
Loch Ness Monster	Busch Gardens Williamsburg	United States	May 20, 1978	June 17, 2003	Operating
Magnum XL-200	Cedar Point	United States	May 6, 1989	June 21, 2004	Operating
Matterhorn Bobsleds	Disneyland	United States	June 14, 1959	Not yet presented	Operating
The Riddler Mindbender	Six Flags Over Georgia	United States	March 31, 1978	June 17, 2008	Operating
Montaña Rusa	La Feria Chapultepec Mágico	Mexico	October 24, 1964	April 22, 2017	Demolished 2022
Montezooma's Revenge	Knott's Berry Farm	United States	May 21, 1978	June 20, 2019	SBNO
Phoenix	Knoebels	United States	Built 1948; relocated 1985	October 8, 2005	Operating
The Racer	Kings Island	United States	April 29, 1972	June 18, 2007	Operating
Racer	Kennywood	United States	1927	June 21, 2010	Operating
The Raven	Holiday World	United States	May 6, 1995	June 23, 2016	Operating
Racer 75	Kings Dominion	United States	May 8, 1975	June 20, 2003	Operating
The New Revolution	Six Flags Magic Mountain	United States	May 8, 1976	June 16, 2002	Operating
Roller Coaster	Lagoon Amusement Park	United States	May 28, 1921	July 30, 2005	Operating
Runaway Mine Train	Six Flags Over Texas	United States	August 1966	September 9, 2006	Operating
Rutschebanen	Tivoli Gardens	Denmark	1914	June 30, 2023	Operating
Sea Dragon	Columbus Zoo and Aquarium	United States	1956	July 16, 2022	Operating
Screamin' Eagle	Six Flags St. Louis	United States	1976	June 21, 2016	Operating
Swamp Fox	Family Kingdom Amusement Park	United States	1966	April 29, 2016	Operating
Thunderbolt	Kennywood	United States	Built 1924 (as Pippin); rebuilt 1968	July 27, 2014	Operating
Thunderbolt	Six Flags New England	United States	1941	August 2, 2008	Operating
Thunderhawk	Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom	United States	March 30, 1924	June 23, 2021	Operating
Whizzer	Six Flags Great America	United States	1976	August 10, 2012	Operating
Wildcat	Lake Compounce	United States	1927	August 1, 2008	Operating
The Wild One	Six Flags America	United States	Built 1917 (as The Giant Coaster); rebuilt 1932 and 1963; relocated 1986	June 18, 2018	Operating
Wooden Roller Coaster	Playland	Canada	1958	July 11, 2009	Operating
Yankee Cannonball	Canobie Lake Park	United States	1930	June 20, 2013	Operating

Golden Age Coaster

The Golden Age Coaster award, a prequel to the Roller Coaster Landmark award, was established to recognize significant roller coasters that were built during the 1920s. Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and Giant Dipper at Belmont Park (San Diego) both received the Golden Age Coaster award in addition to the Roller Coaster Landmark award.^[8]

Preservation

ACE takes an active role in the preservation of endangered roller coasters. Since 1985, the club has either directly or indirectly helped save more than half a dozen. One of the most notable include the Phoenix located at Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. The wooden coaster was relocated from Playland Park in San Antonio, Texas. Another that the organization saved was Leap the Dips, the world's oldest operating roller coaster, located at Lakemont Park in Altoona, Pennsylvania. In addition to preservation, some parks have also sought the opinions of ACE members regarding roller coaster installations, such as Magnum XL-200 at Cedar Point^[11] and roller coaster design, as was the case with The Legend and The Voyage at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana.