Size and Speed Aren’t King

Maverick at Cedar Point
Image: cra1gll0yd, Flickr (license)

At the peak of The Coaster Wars, the goal of each park was to build record-shattering rides that could capture the imagination of potential guests looking to go higher and faster than ever.

Rides like Millennium Force and Kingda Ka represented not just the tallest and fastest rides of their kind, but they were also bucket-list rides that guests couldn’t wait to enjoy. 

But once the 300 ft mark was breached for a non-launched coaster, and the 100 mph mark became commonplace among a certain type of coaster, designers realized that the incremental cost increase of going higher and faster might not actually equate to increased thrills.

And so, in their attempt to discover the next generation of thrills, designers took to perfecting the rides they already knew how to make. Head-banging over the shoulder harnesses began to get phrased out. Inversions and airtime became more important than pure speed or height. Steep drops and overbanked turns became essential elements rather than one-trick cliches.

Thus, with rides like Maverick at Cedar Point and eventually Fury 325 at Carowinds, pure height or speed became almost secondary to incredible pacing and thoughtful design. And that has made all the difference. Yes, Fury 325 is taller and faster than Millennium Force, but its the ride's design that earned it the privilege of dethroning the former award winning steel coaster. 

Balance is More Important than Ever

Kennywood's Thunderbolt and Phantom's Revenge
Image: rollercoasterphilosophy, Flickr (license)

It used to be that enthusiasts wanted thrill parks like Six Flags Magic Mountain to be solely devoted to the heighest and fastest. And then, as the transition to more creatively paced thrill machines got underway, roller coaster fans stumbled on an incredible revelation:

Amusement parks require balance, just like anything.

It’s not enough for a park to only have gigacoasters and multi-inversion behemoths. They also need charming wooden coasters, fun wild mouse rides, decent flat rides, and quaint family attractions.

The perfect amusement park isn’t just a park filled with massive coasters, no. It’s a park that covers all the bases. That is why now, when fans offer up wish lists for their home parks, they rarely involve record-breakers, but rather, they focus on “holes” in the park’s lineup: A Great Coasters International-style wooden roller coaster, a launched coaster, or maybe a B&M wing coaster.

Balance is just as important as thrills for a great park, and enthusiasts have recognized this now more than ever.