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Best new coaster of 2012

coaster_rider93

coaster_rider93

Mega Poster
What coaster do you think will receive the Golden Ticket award for "Best New Coaster of 2012"

I think it'll be a close race between Leviathan and Skyrush...with Skyrush winning it in the end.
 
Since the AP has an absolute bias towards American parks I'd say it'll be either Skyrush or X-Flight. Really look at the past results, there are very few non-US parks / coasters / rides even listed (including Canada).
 
Bayside Pleasure Beach's new Crazy Caterpillar!

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bmac said:
Since the AP has an absolute bias towards American parks I'd say it'll be either Skyrush or X-Flight. Really look at the past results, there are very few non-US parks / coasters / rides even listed (including Canada).
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I was thinking the exact same thing... there are a few non-American coasters that could definitely contend
 
It'll be Wild Eagle because there are more directors of Dollywood on the judge panel than from any other park :P
 
I think it is going to be the one that gets the most votes, which will more than likely be Skyrush due to the sheer amount of Intamin Fanboys that will be voting for it.

But besides that, it will just be the one who gets the most votes.
 
Can we just point out how hopeless - like completely beyond hope - these awards are.

Rides that have been closed for three years have continued to place in the top five spot year on year.

The word "fix" doesn't even start to approach the skewed and biased nature of the Golden Tickets. It's simply down to who is paying the right people with the right perks to give them the awards. It's also based on votes no matter where people have been. If 100 of the "voters" have only been to Cedar Point (amazingly, Cedar Fair always do very well), then they will all vote for Cedar Fair as the best park, irrespective of their lack of experience beyond that. So if another hundred have travelled the world and all vote for 100 different, but excellent (Cedar Point beating) parks, Cedar Point still wins.

Even worse, the voters are given a list of "nominees". So, for example, Hershey Park could never win "best park" because it is never given a nominee place. That is decided by the sponsors of the awards... Cedar Fair, et al - yeah, it's that fair...

It sucks, massively and should be show the derision it deserves. It's the "in-parks" giving each other a pat on the back and an excuse to get pissed on the profits of their ridiculously unfair and biased "awards".
 
^ Word.

The only evidence the Golden Ticket award is given is by way of banners and signs posted outside of the rides stating:

"Voted Best Ride in the World! By the Golden Ticket award."

The awards have potential, but right now are simply reduced to PR for parks to state that they are the best without any true competition.
 
Of the 5 new coasters I've been on this summer (Goliath, Stinger, SkyRush, Apocalypse, and Verbolten) the only good one was SkyRush. However, I'm betting that Leviathan and X-flight are both better.
 
While I do agree with most of what has been said, you have to have at minimum 250 credits in order to be allowed to vote on these.

However, the people voting may have hit the 250 minimum several years back and hasnt gone back out since, or have only done North American parks only (Canada and Mexico included). The Awards are a near joke, but they do include a LOT of over seas parks and attractions (this was last years mind you). So they get a skewed poll and skewed results because of the exclusivity of it.

Its the mirrored reason why I dont trust the Mitch Hawkers Poll either. Anybody can vote, even those with a single park and couple credits under their belt. Far too much inclusivity.

Golden Tickets would be far better if they changed the requirements needed in order to vote, if 50 of those credits HAD to be from overseas.
 
I could name 20 people easily* on here who have over 250 coasters under their belts and over 50 from at least two continents - but who here has been asked to participate in this?

On top of that, it is all about nominees too. I could partake in this and be given a list of ten parks who have been "shortlisted" - they'll be the Cedar Fair Parks, a handful of Six Flags parks and whoever else hosts these events (Holiday Park, Dollywood, Kennywood, etc). Essentially a list of "well known" parks I've never been to. Then I have to vote on them.

Who chooses that short list? If it's not a free list from the voters then it's immediately biased.

While Mitch Hawker's poll is flawed a little, it does at least try to help use mathematics to even things out. If you've only been to one park, then you MH poll result will have a tiny impact overall. If you've been on lots, then you do swing things a little more, but anyone who has been on similar rides will still pull things back. The laws of averages keeps it level. the biggest flaw is that a small number of people with a large count can raise a single "barely ridden" coaster to the top (as we saw with Eagle's Fortress) - but if you ask anyone who went on it, they'll tell you it did actually deserve it.

At least every ride every person has ridden is given a fair chance. With the Golden Tickets, the exclusivity is part of the problem, coupled with a biased tilt and a voting system that simply doesn't take into account any discrepancies with the voters.

[Edit]Just looking at more inconsistencies. Cheetah Hunt was voted Number 2 best new ride last year, yet it doesn't appear in the top 50 steel coasters (fair enough, NTG does).

However, both the third and fourth place coasters ARE top 50 coasters. Yet Twister which is voted joint fourth "best new coaster" beats both Wooden Warrior and Zippin Pippin in the top 50 list.

How can it not be the second best coaster if in the top 50's it beats the other four above it?

It's just so utterly bent it's out and back again!



*Given ten minutes, I could probably find you 20 regular posters on here with over 500 coasters from all around the world.
 
It'll pretty obviously be either X-Flight or Skyrush.

furie's spot on, though.. these awards are a bad joke.
 
furie said:
[Edit]Just looking at more inconsistencies. Cheetah Hunt was voted Number 2 best new ride last year, yet it doesn't appear in the top 50 steel coasters (fair enough, NTG does).

However, both the third and fourth place coasters ARE top 50 coasters. Yet Twister which is voted joint fourth "best new coaster" beats both Wooden Warrior and Zippin Pippin in the top 50 list.

How can it not be the second best coaster if in the top 50's it beats the other four above it?

It's just so utterly bent it's out and back again!
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Remember that there are two different lists for top 50 steel and top 50 wooden coasters.

But, yeah, now that everybody's mentioning it, these awards do seem like a scam for the park and new ride awards. But when Millennium is #1, you can't dog it.
 
Then why not participate? If you have members on here that qualify, then email Amusement Today/Golden Ticket Awards and ask to participate.

You want the polls to be less exclusive, do something about it ;)

Also, apparently the guideline is to have visited at least 50 parks (preferably world wide).

Info
 
The guideline is also that you have to have some sort of connection to the amusement industry (fan forums don't count).

Registration is free to members of the amusement industry. This event is reserved for working professionals in the amusement industry. Representatives from parks and attractions, manufacturers, suppliers and consultants are invited to join Dollywood and Amusement Today at this fun-filled celebration. Please fill out the following registration form in its entirety. For registration questions please call (817) 460-7220 or e-mail us at GTAquestions@goldenticketawards.com.
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I'll just be dead honest, Mitch Hawker's poll was MUCH better than the Golden Tickets. But thanks to some really controversial ****, people discovered it was possible to cheat the rating system by just submitting multiple ballots of the same few rides. It also got real bad when Alvey decided to ignore the guidelines altogether, and actually told everyone on TPR that it's okay to do so, too. So pretty much no matter what rating system we have, there's going to be a bias in any poll.
 
Golden Ticket seems generally accurate, but is certainly far from perfect and apparently kind of a joke.
I still don't know who exactly decides the stuff...insiders? Do any of us normal people have a say?

edit: Well, right when I ask Bmac pre-emptively delivers!
Mitch Hawker is much better, shame a 2011 steel never happened.

Anywho, I really thought Leviathan would win given its size and all the whining about Skyrush at first, but now I think it'll most likely win. Also there does seem to be quite a US bias, so yeah this is all kinda silly.
 
Good god. That is to ATTEND the event I believe. Look under the faqs, which I posted. Voting is open to everyone.

Way to search the site :facepalm:

Amusement Today is always looking for new voters, particularly those who live overseas. We prefer that our voters make numerous visits to amusement parks and waterparks each year and have visited at least 50 different parks in their lifetime. A strong qualification is if voters have travelled and visited amusement parks overseas. If you think you qualify, feel free to contact us for consideration.
 
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