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| Founded | 1978 |
|---|---|
| Location |
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Members | over 6,500 |
| Website | www |
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.
| No. | Dates | Host parks |
|---|---|---|
| Past Coaster Con events | ||
| 1 | June 9–11, 1978 | Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA) |
| 2 | June 15–17, 1979 | Kings Island (Mason, OH) |
| 3 | June 26–29, 1980 | Kennywood (West Mifflin, PA) |
| 4 | June 25–30, 1981 | Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX), Six Flags AstroWorld, (Houston, TX), and Fair Park, (Dallas, TX) |
| 5 | June 24–27, 1982 | Hersheypark (Hershey, PA) |
| 6 | June 23–26, 1983 | Elitch Gardens (Denver, CO) and Lakeside Amusement Park (Denver, CO) |
| 7 | July 11–15, 1984 | Crystal Beach Park (Crystal Beach, ON, CA), Canadian National Exhibition (Toronto, ON, CA), and Seabreeze Amusement Park, (Rochester, NY) |
| 8 | June 27–30, 1985 | Lincoln Park (Dartmouth, MA), Rocky Point Amusement Park, (Warwick, RI) Whalom Park, (Lunenburg, MA), and Mountain Park (Holyoke, MA) |
| 9 | June 26–29, 1986 | Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell, GA) and Lake Winnepesaukah (Rossville, GA) |
| 10 | June 22–28, 1987 | Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA), Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Santa Cruz, CA), and California's Great America (Santa Clara, CA) |
| 11 | June 21–25, 1988 | Geauga Lake (Aurora, OH), Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH), and Boblo Island Amusement Park (Amherstburg, ON, CA) |
| 12 | June 21–25, 1989 | Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom (Allentown, PA) and Clementon Lake Park (Clementon, NJ) |
| 13 | June 20–25, 1990 | Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX) and Wonderland Park (Amarillo, TX) |
| 14 | June 16–20, 1991 | Kennywood (West Mifflin, PA) |
| 15 | June 21–25, 1992 | Kings Dominion (Doswell, VA) |
| 16 | July 5–9, 1993 | Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, MO) and Joyland Amusement Park (Wichita, KS) |
| 17 | June 4–11, 1994 | Belmont Park (San Diego, CA), Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA), Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Santa Cruz, CA), andCalifornia's Great America (Santa Clara, CA) |
| 18 | June 18–23, 1995 | Carowinds (Charlotte, NC), Family Kingdom Amusement Park, (Myrtle Beach, SC), and Myrtle Beach Pavilion (Myrtle Beach, SC) |
| 19 | June 1–3, 1996 | Lakeside Amusement Park (Denver, CO) |
| 20 | June 6–13, 1997 | Kings Dominion (Doswell, VA) and Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA) |
| 21 | June 21–24, 1998 | Kennywood (West Mifflin, PA), Idlewild (Ligonier, PA), and Sandcastle Waterpark (Homestead, PA) |
| 22 | June 20–24, 1999 | Six Flags Fiesta Texas, (San Antonio, TX) and SeaWorld San Antonio (San Antonio, TX) |
| 23 | June 18–23, 2000 | Kentucky Kingdom (Louisville, KY) and Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (Santa Claus, IN) |
| 24 | June 17–22, 2001 | Hersheypark, (Hershey, PA) Williams Grove Amusement Park, (Mechanicsburg, PA) Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom, (Allentown, PA), and Philadelphia Toboggan Company, (Hatfield, PA) |
| 25 | June 16–21, 2002 | Six Flags Magic Mountain, (Santa Clarita, CA), Adventure City (Anaheim, CA), and Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA) |
| 26 | June 15–20, 2003 | Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA) and Kings Dominion (Doswell, VA) |
| 27 | June 20–26, 2004 | Cedar Point, (Sandusky, OH) Memphis Kiddie Park (Brooklyn, OH) and Geauga Lake (Aurora, OH) |
| 28 | June 19–24, 2005 | Six Flags Great America, (Gurnee, IL) Little Amerricka, (Marshall, WI), and Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park, (Wisconsin Dells, WI) |
| 29 | June 18–24, 2006 | Disney's Animal Kingdom (Lake Buena Vista, FL), Disney's Hollywood Studios (Lake Buena Vista, FL), Old Town (Kissimmee, FL), Magic Kingdom (Lake Buena Vista, FL), Cypress Gardens, (Winter Haven, FL), and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Tampa, FL) |
| 30 | June 17–23, 2007 | Kings Island, (Mason, OH), Stricker's Grove, (Ross, OH) Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (Santa Claus, IN), and Beech Bend Park (Bowling Green, KY) |
| 31 | June 15–20, 2008 | Six Flags Over Georgia (Austell GA) and Wild Adventures (Valdosta, GA) |
| 32 | June 21–26, 2009 | Silver Dollar City (Branson, MO) and Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, MO) |
| 33 | June 20–25, 2010 | Kennywood (West Mifflin, PA), Idlewild and Soak Zone (Ligonier, PA), Conneaut Lake Park (Conneaut Lake, PA), and Waldameer Park (Erie, PA) |
| 34 | June 19–22, 2011 | Six Flags Over Texas (Arlington, TX) and Sandy Lake Park (Carrollton, TX) |
| 35 | June 17–22, 2012 | Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN) and Carowinds (Charlotte, NC) |
| 36 | June 16–21, 2013 | Six Flags New England (Agawam, MA), Canobie Lake Park (Salem, NH), Palace Playland (Old Orchard Beach, ME), and Funtown Splashtown USA (Saco, ME) |
| 37 | June 15–20, 2014 | California's Great America (Santa Clara, CA), Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA), Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Santa Cruz, CA), and Gilroy Gardens (Gilroy, CA) |
| 38 | June 21–26, 2015 | Six Flags Great Adventure (Jackson, NJ), Storybook Land (Egg Harbor Township, NJ), and Morey's Piers (Wildwood, NJ) |
| 39 | June 19–23, 2016 | Six Flags St. Louis (Eureka, MO) and Holiday World & Splashin' Safari (Santa Claus, IN) |
| 40 | June 18–22, 2017 | Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio, TX), ZDT's Amusement Park (Seguin, TX), and SeaWorld San Antonio (San Antonio, TX) |
| 41 | June 17–22, 2018 | Six Flags America (Woodmore, MD), Busch Gardens Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA), and Kings Dominion (Doswell, VA) |
| 42 | June 16–21, 2019 | Six Flags Magic Mountain (Valencia, CA) and Knott's Berry Farm (Buena Park, CA) |
| 43* | June 20–26, 2021 | Hersheypark (Hershey, PA), Dutch Wonderland (Lancaster, PA), Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom (Allentown, PA), and Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg, PA) |
| 44 | June 19–24, 2022 | Cedar Point, (Sandusky, OH) and Kennywood, (West Mifflin, PA) |
| 45 | June 18–23, 2023 | Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN) and Carowinds (Charlotte, NC) |
| 46 | June 16– 21, 2024 | California's Great America (Santa Clara, CA), Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (Vallejo, CA), and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (Santa Cruz, CA) |
*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]
