ACE - Ride With Us

We're wrapping up our coverage of Coaster Con 46 with a recording of a very special night at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Members of the Canfield family share their experiences owning and running the park, the ACE Northern California Regional Rep team presents a plaque commemorating the Giant Dipper's maintenance team and the evening ended with a fantastic presentation by Chris Baynum of Baynum...

It's hard to believe that Coaster Con 46 has come to a close. Whether you attended the conference or followed along from home, our recap episode has something for you.   Join the podcast team for a lively discussion of the week's events. Derek Perry, Doug Perry, Corey Wooten, Liz Tan and Jessica Gardner walk through the highlights of our week at California's Great America, Six Flags Discovery King...

Coaster Con 46 is finally happening!  Hundreds of enthusiastic ACE members converged on Northern California for this epic event. Join our podcast team for a series of episodes about their experience.   This first episode takes you into a special historical presentation by Clayton Lawrence, Cedar Fair Corporate Creative Producer. He called into the enthusiastic group of ACE members while Coaster Co...

We’re celebrating Father’s Day (and the start of Coaster Con) with a fun conversation for all coaster enthusiasts – two dads chatting about roller coasters, theme parks and their kids. Join correspondent John Davidson as he and Robert Moran talk about theme park road trips and what makes them so special. Share your ideas and thoughts about this podcast via email: podcast@aceonline.org . Did you kn...

Creating an attraction is far more than installing track and building a station. Theming and ride design are easy to overlook, but they can add so much more to the experience. Correspondent Bob Randolph meets with Rick Backstrup, president of R&R Creative Amusement Designs, to shed new light on this key facet of the ride experience.   You may not be familiar with his name yet, but if you’re li...

The ACE Spring Conference took place from May 17-19, 2024 at Kings Island in Ohio. ACE members from across the world joined in the fun, which included morning and evening ERT (Exclusive Ride Time), behind-the-scenes tours, informal takeovers, buffet meals and more. We’ll finish our coverage of the event with an in-depth recap of the event and conference highlights. Some of Kings Island’s most famo...

The ACE Spring Conference took place May 17-19, 2024 at Kings Island in Ohio. ACE members from across the region and across the country joined in the fun, which included morning and evening ERT, behind-the-scenes tours, informal takeovers, buffet meals and more.   The event also included some very special presentations from Dennis Speigel, founder and CEO of International Theme Park Services, Inc....

Join us for a pre Coaster Con roundup with your ACE Northern California Regional Rep team.  The group has planned some great events around the big event. Listen in as Liz Tan, Robert Ingle, Paul Asente and Brian Christensen join podcast correspondent Bob Randolph for a conversation about the great parks, large and small, that comprise the region.     The group talks about Gilroy Gardens , Happy Ho...

The heart of ACE is driven by two separate and vital things: volunteers and donations. This episode celebrates two of our amazing volunteers, takes a deep dive into the dollars and concludes with a May Events Rundown. First up, Communications Director Derek Perry chats with ACE Volunteer Ella Watylyk. Her journey started with the volunteer form on the ACE website ; working with ACE has taken her a...

With Kings Island now open for the 2024 season, it’s a great time for Bob Randolph to check in with Chad Showalter, Director of Communications at Kings Island. Their discussion covers the topics enthusiasts want to know about – everything from Chad’s history with the park to Snoopy’s Soap Box Racers, updated theming and the future of the Vortex plot of land inside the park.   In this Episode: [01:...

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, join us as we highlight two women with one important thing in common: a love of roller coasters and theme parks. First up is Brichette Reid, ACE member and founder of Women Love Coasters. She and co-host Jessica Gardner talk about her latest endeavors. Learn how the group came to be, discover upcoming events and find out how to meet up with the group in p...

Coaster enthusiasts and park visitors around the world know the name Cedar Point. This Sandusky, Ohio theme park has been thrilling visitors since 1870. Today, it’s the second-oldest amusement park in North America and is home to 68 rides, including 18 roller coasters and two ACE Roller Coaster Landmarks!   Summer 2024 brings a new ride: Top Thrill 2, the world’s tallest and fastest triple-launch...

As the seasonal parks start to emerge from their winter hibernation, it’s time to celebrate with some upcoming ACE events! This episode covers all of the events on the horizon with a special focus on Dollywood’s media day. Production Manager Corey Wooten joined ACE Secretary Jeff Niemiec for this event. Listen in as they chat about that special day, give us some Lightning Rod updates, and finish o...

ACE Social Media Manager Doug Perry joins his twin brother, ACE Communications Director Derek Perry to recap some of the most exciting roller coaster and theme park news for the upcoming year! Between roller coaster opening dates, name changes, construction updates and new details being released, you'll get all the week's updates plus the latest information on the ACE Spring Conference. In this Ep...

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, which realistically means one thing to coaster enthusiasts: theme park season is just around the corner! However, whether you’re celebrating this day or eagerly anticipating your next theme park adventure, this episode has something for everyone. Join us in exploring how “Love Is in the Air” in more ways than one.    First, correspondent Bryant Yeager chats with Rick B...

It’s almost that time of year again – time for ACE elections and summer in the theme parks! This episode covers both of these critical summertime topics. In our first segment, co-host Jessica Gardner talks with current ACE President Elizabeth Ringas about the upcoming elections. We change tracks in the second segment and start looking toward summer as podcast correspondent Bryant Yeager shares his...

LEGOLAND® Florida is a unique park with a rich history. It began as Cypress Gardens and became LEGOLAND in 2011 after the original park closed. Home to three adorable hotels, a water park and the Peppa Pig theme park, this park has a lot to offer, including a swimming pool that was featured in the 1953 film Easy to Love!   Co-host Jessica Gardner met with Banks Lee, LEGOLAND Production and Marketi...

Coasting Around the World: Planning the 2024 ACE International Trip   ACE’s Journey to Central Europe is happening this July and Jessica Gardner talks to three of the members of the International Trip Committee who are planning this epic adventure. Cheri Armstrong, Vanessa Thomas and Jimmy Titko discuss everything you need to know about joining this trip or planning your own journey to parks in th...

Now that 2023 is but a memory, your podcast team is pausing for a moment to recap many of the amazing ACE events that happened during the year. Podcast producer Derek Perry joins his brother/ACE social media manager Doug Perry for a rousing conversation about their adventures with ACE.    This episode also includes the all-important winter events roundup. Stay tuned to hear about all of the upcomi...

Vekoma Rides: Good Gravy, Tilt Coaster, Super Boomerang and More (IAAPA Expo) The show floor has been wiped clean, but the memories of IAAPA Expo 2023 continue as co-host Jessica Gardner interviews the team from Vekoma. Jessica talks with Ricardo Tonding Etges and Carin Davits about the new Good Gravy roller coaster at Holiday World and other upcoming/newly opened projects that many ACE members ha...

IAAPA Expo 2023 was a whirlwind of activity for your podcast team. From setting up the ACE booth before the show began to doing interviews with anyone and everyone we could, we were on the show floor from start to finish. This episode brings several IAAPA Expo show floor conversations together with the teams who are bringing new life to the Comet coaster at Hersheypark. Jessica Gardner does a cars...

Legacy of Schwarzkopf – Documentary Team Highlights Fellow ACE members and documentarians Robert Ingle, Kris Rowberry, Nicholas Laschkewitsch, and Scott Schaffer are currently filming the next ACE documentary, exploring the multitude of roller coasters and flat rides worldwide created by the legendary Anton Schwarzkopf. The team has been tirelessly capturing these rides and coasters in action, tra...

The ACE Ride With Us Podcast team had a busy week at the IAAPA Expo. We’ve had a great time walking the show floor, meeting theme park industry partners and spending time together. Bringing our listeners along for the ride has been a real treat for your podcast team. Our final broadcast from the event brings the event to a close. Join co-host Jessica Gardner as she talks with ACE Communications Di...

Join our host Jessica Gardner as she recaps Days 2 and 3 of the exciting IAAPA Expo 2023 in Orlando, Florida, with guest co-hosts Doug Perry, ACE’s Social Media Manager, and Corey Wooten, our podcast’s Production Manager. This episode also features two (2) engaging interviews with Dan Leavelle, Site/Build Engineer at Skyline Attractions, and Jeffrey Siebert, Park President at Six Flags Fiesta Texa...

As many seasonal parks begin their winter hibernation, the theme park community is keeping busy this month with the IAAPA* Expo in Orlando.  Most members of our intrepid podcast team will be at the Expo, ready to share highlights with you. We will be recording often, so stay tuned for exciting announcements from parks and manufacturers and a taste of the excitement from the show floor!  In this ep...