Summer Winds Down • Parks Prep for New Adventures Rebel Yell 2016 The Official Newsletter of ACE Mid-Atlantic Summer Issue Photo: Informal Takeover, Jill Ryan Inside This Issue A group picture taken in front of Grover’s Tempeto’s train rushes back into the station after its Alpine Express during an informal takeover! signature and rather intense loop-the-loop maneuver. • Parks Emphasize Modest Thrills for 2017 • An Introspective from the Regional Rep. • New Members and Spotlight • Taking Another Dive • A Forgotten Relic • A Park's Growth Spurt • A Look Around the Region Photo: Griffon, Jill Ryan Upcoming Events The 2016 summer season has drawn to a close, however, that doesn’t mean the Family-Oriented Thrills Coming fun has to stop. The fall time provides Ride Announcements for 2017 Emphasize Fun for All some of the best opportunities to ride and experience everything a park has to offer. The months of August and September It wasn’t going to be the tallest or Check out our upcoming regional events. are the quintessential dates for the fastest. It would, instead, emphasize the culmination of enthusiast fever. All season terrain, harness modest airtime hills, REGIONAL long, fans research and dismiss rumors, in and maneuver zippy lateral changes. hopes that something fresh and great will Surely, the kind of coaster that would be ACE Day at the Virginia State Fair come to their beloved parks in the new re-ridable and cater to all age levels, a (Doswell, VA) - October 1, 2016 year. When the veil is finally lifted, there is masterpiece to be built by Great Coasters often a loud, collective chatter about the International, Inc. (GCI) and the first in the Fall Thrillfest at King’s Dominion many changes. region since Roar opened nearly 20 years (Doswell, VA - October 2, 2016) earlier. For the Mid-Atlantic, this talk came early. Celebrate America at Six Flags Even before the season could begin, we It quickly got us thinking about what else America (Upper Marlboro, MD - learned that the region would be getting could be coming from the other regional October 3, 2016) a new coaster named Invadr, the first of parks. We anted up on our predications its kind for Busch Gardens Williamsburg. and waited patiently. Find out more and register online! Continued on Page 4 www.acemidatlantic.org Rebel Yell - Summer 2016 1 The Epitome of a Hobby ACE Event - Coaster Con XXXIX Article by Elizabeth Ringas (Glen Allen, VA) Five days and two amusement parks! I’ve always heard how members LOVE Con and that there is nothing like it! I love national ACE events, but I was a skeptic. Spring conferences have always been my favorite because I see all my friends and From the Backseat I’m able to pack in a lot of parks in three Elizabeth Ringas days. After seventeen years as a member and eleven years as a regional rep, I decided 2016 was the year I had to go and Sometimes I equate being your regional see what this was all about. representative to riding in the back of the train because I love watching everyone From the moment I arrived at registration, Photo: Holiday World, Richard Bostic enjoy their day at the park. This fall marks I loved the energy in the air! I immediately eleven years since I assumed the role and understood that this was about something each time I have the opportunity to bring more – more in depth conversations, more us together at an event, I am reminded opportunities to meet new people and about why I am so passionate about being more time to savor being surrounded a regional rep. by my fellow members. Five days of immersion with those that love what I love, ACE was so important to Evangelos and live a life of passion and see the world of I in developing friendships as a newly amusement parks a little different than married couple. I love the chance to offer most. Those five days equaled complete our members young and old, new and and total exhaustion, and memories that seasoned, this same opportunity. will drive me back to Con in 2017. It also has got me crazy excited to welcome the Last spring was one of the highlights of nation to the Mid-Atlantic for Coaster Con Photo: Coaster Con Logo, American Coaster Enthusiasts my time as regional rep because I was XLI in 2018! standing to the side as a non-rider with a back injury (not from coasters, but boy did In the meantime, will you join me for Con I get some good airtime on that injury!). XL in Texas? Taking those moments out, I was able to fully observe the enthusiasm, the riding, and the ERT joy from our members. It Joining the Family reminded me how important our club is New Members for June and July 2016 to each of our members, in all different ways. Whenever we get new members, we always Tim Gibson like to celebrate. All of us are like a big Waldorf MD family, a family that likes to have fun. When Have you ever thought about why ACE it comes to coasters, nothing is better than Carol Urban is important to you? Would you take a sharing a ride with people who share the Newark DE moment to share your story on Facebook, same passion you do. In honor of creating with a friend, in line at the park or in an new friendships, we’d like to acknowledge Lorenzo Kenney email to me? the new recruits for the period. Capitol Heights MD Hayden Gibson Sam Lightbody Waldorf MD Alexandria VA Suzette Gibson Amber Michael Waldorf MD Alexandria VA Will Trusnovic George Watson Waldorf MD Fairfax VA Matthew Trusnovic 2 Rebel Yell - Summer 2016 Waldorf MD Who Is ACE? Member Spotlight We’ve mentioned before that coaster riding is much more fun when you ride with a partner. In an effort to introduce the many great people that make up the Mid-Atlantic region, we’re going to highlight our volunteers, members, and regional rep team each quarter. Name: Shannon Somerville Name: Corey Brown Name: Alex Gardiner Role: Regional Archivist Role: Assistant Regional Rep. Role: Member Location: Chaptico, Maryland Location: Olney, Maryland Location: Davidsonville, Maryland How long have you been a member? How long have you been a member? How long have you been a member? Been a member of ACE for 18 years now. I became a member in 2012. Joined ACE in 2009. What’s your favorite coaster? What’s your favorite coaster? What’s your favorite coaster? Intimidator 305 (Kings Dominion). Tie between Superman (Six Flags America) Fury 325 (Carowinds). Rebel Yell - Summer 2016 and Skyrush (Hersheypark). I also fancy What got you into this hobby? anything by Mack. What got you into this hobby? I’ve always loved riding coasters (it has I have always liked theme parks but when been passed down from my parents who What got you into this hobby? I joined ACE that is when theme parks can't ride now due to health issues). I used to play all the RCT games growing turned into a big hobby for me. up and attending school events at local What do you love about ACE? parks. As I began researching more about What do you love about ACE? What I love about ACE is the camaraderie coasters, I grew a larger interest in them. Its just one big national roller coaster that comes from being around like-mind- enthusiast group. ed people and having someone now who What do you love about ACE? shares the same interest. The ability to make new friends and share What do you like to do besides going to a hobby with someone else who loves it amusement parks? What do you like to do besides going to too. Go to classic car shows and wineries to try amusement parks? new wine. Besides going to amusement parks, I also What do you like to do besides going to like going out to the movies and Capitals amusement parks? hockey games. I’ve been playing video games since I could walk and continue to do so. I also Overall, I'm glad to be living in one of the like to find new music to listen to with my more active regions of ACE. fiancée. Photo: Coaster Milestone, ACE Mid-Atlantic ACE Milestone 600 Coasters and Counting Milo Pennock celebrated his 600th coaster Milo on the achievement and look forward on the Wild West Express at Adventure Park to his next milestone! USA during our annual event at the park. If you ever reach a milestone, small or He sat next to fellow ACE Member Carl large, let us know and we’ll highlight it Merson, sharing the train with other here in our newsletter. Mid-Atlantic members. We congratulate Rebel Yell - Summer 2016 3 Continued from Page 1 The first contender to step up to the plate This year’s announcements might not was King’s Dominion, a park that has had have panned out as many speculated, 100 Years very little in terms of major attractions however what came of it all was a Wild One’s Imminent Birthday over the past few years. Hurler, for reasons selection of rides that are integral for the unknown, had been closed all season demographics that they are targeting. Take a moment to think about that. without any work being done to it. As a result, many began whispering familiar Busch Garden’s Invadr brings the park into Seriously ponder what this coaster has seen acronyms like GCI and RMC, mistakenly the big leagues by now offering seven and lived through: multiple generations of assuming this would be the year we’d get coasters, with their latest entry ensuring families, two world wars, a full relocation something substantial.