ACE - Ride With Us

About the Episode Join us for an exciting discussion as author and ACE member, Aimee Carver, joins our co-host Jessica Gardner. Get ready to dive into the thrilling world of coasters with Aimee's captivating new book, "R is for Roller Coaster: An ABC Guide for Future Thrill Seekers." This exhilarating read takes young riders and readers on an alphabetical journey; exploring coaster elements, physi...

Join us for a thrilling episode as our podcast project manager, Corey Wooten, broadcasts from his home park, Carowinds! He sits down with Carowinds' Director of Communications, Courtney Weber, and Brand Activation Manager, Chris, for an inside look at attractions, park planning, construction, and theming. But that's not all - we also have a special interview with Steve Jackson, Director of Mainten...

Constructing a new roller coaster is no small feat, and the anticipation surrounding the arrival of each new coaster often leads to extensive tracking and speculation on social media in the weeks and months leading up to opening day. However, there's much more to the story than what we see on social media. In this week's episode, co-hosts Jessica Gardner and John Davidson dive deeper into the proc...

Ride With Us: Episode 75  The moment many ACE members have been waiting for has arrived! Coaster Con 45 registration is open !  The multi-day event will take place June 18 - 21, 2023; starting with Dollywood (Pigeon Forge, TN) through June 21, then moving to Carowinds (Charlotte, NC) June 22 and 23.   Steve Berto, ACE’s Events Director, joins our co-host Jessica Gardner for an informative deep div...

Co-host Jessica Gardner chatted with Adam Napotnik, ACE Facebook Coordinator about recent events and what the Facebook team does to keep ACE members in the loop about new coasters and upcoming events. Adam walks us through the last few years of CoasterBash! and explains how the annual event finally returned to the pre-Covid format at Salvatore’s. Adam walked us through the full experience, stay tu...

If you're a coaster enthusiast who has spent any time on social media in the last year, it’s quite likely that you’ve experienced the anticipation around RMC’s newest completed coaster: ArieForce One at Fun Spot America Atlanta. The coaster opened recently, and many members of the ACE team were on hand for the big day. In addition to filming POV videos and live streaming with members of the ACE so...

More elusive than the credit for the kiddie coaster at your local theme park is EJ Hill’s art installation Brava! which is part of a larger art installation called Brake Run Helix at MASS MoCA. It’s only there for a limited time so if you want to add this credit to your list, it’s time to make your travel plans and secure your reservation to ride.  Co-host Jessica spent some time with artist and c...

It’s no secret that Halloween Haunt events are a big draw for theme park visitors. As the darkness falls over the parks, many eager scare-ready visitors pass through the gates and into the Haunts that are the cornerstone of many of these events.  It only makes sense that Six Flags has extended the scare into springtime, adding Scream Break to the lineup for the first time.  Co-host Jessica Gardner...

With construction finished or nearing completion on so many long-anticipated new coasters, our roving band of reporters are out in the field and around the world, riding these new attractions and sharing their experiences with us.     Join us as co-hosts Jessica Gardner and John Davidson get the lowdown on three exciting new coasters: TRON: Lightcycle / Run, Xander Lee (ACE Member Benefits Manager...

Finally! The park gates are about to open for the first time and a world of park adventures are about to begin anew. Before that first drop, we’ll take a minute to cover a recent off-season ACE Event: Eastcoaster. Michael Leszkowicz joins co-host Jessica for a rundown of the event.   We move on to hear all about the upcoming ACE events. With the parks open again, these events will shift from off-s...

This year, more theme parks than ever have stayed open year-round.  Kings Dominion, Carowinds, California’s Great America and other regional parks have offered new-this-year limited hours through the cold, icy and rainy winter. These extra hours were a gift to die-hard enthusiasts but it’s finally time for less limited hours and more ride operations to be in full swing.     Join co-hosts John and...

If you haven’t heard of the Melanin Coaster Network yet, here’s your chance!  This group was founded in February 2022 as a way for coaster enthusiasts of color to come together and share their passion. Founder CEO Martina Moore, Jr (aka Prime), has an infectious personality that is inspiring coaster enthusiasts from across the country to join the new networking group and attend their events. Join...

ACE may stand for American Coaster Enthusiasts but we’re actually worldwide! ACE Europe is growing rapidly; learn more about the European coaster-riding scene and the upcoming Viking Tour from ACE Europe’s regional rep, Jo Pools. Our episode then heads back to the United States for a March events rundown. Spring is almost here, which means one very important thing to coaster enthusiasts – the park...

In this episode, co-host John does a deep dive with Barry Hill and Kings Island superfan John Keeter from Rivershore Creative about creating Kings Island: a Photographic Journey. Kings Island opened their photo archives and the team assembled the color photos, concept art and blueprints that emerged into an impressive coffee table book that completes the iconic park’s 50th anniversary celebration....

In this episode, we cover a lot of ground!  From California to Colorado and Texas, the First Drop: Part Two looks at a new coaster, a relocated coaster and a brand new themed land.   The Prairie Screamer coaster made a big move, from a defunct park in California to Texas.  ACE News Editorial Director Tim Baldwin talks to John about this screaming location change and the coaster enthusiast preview...

ACE members, your membership includes access to a wide variety of amazing content!  In this episode, we discuss some of the many ways ACE volunteers work to bring that content to you and how you can access it.   Highlights include: digital meetups, ACE News , ACE 360 , and ACE’s YouTube channel .   Join John and Jessica as they talk to a trio of ACE volunteers: Jes Niemiec who hosts digital events...

Winter and the off season for many parks may be upon us but the ACE events continue throughout the year.  Join us for a rundown of John’s visit to No Coaster Con, which was held on January 14, 2023 near the Chicago airport.  Though the event may not be held in a park, rest assured that like most ACE events, lunch was served and coaster enthusiasts gathered to enjoy each other’s company. [01:00] Jo...

In this episode of the ACE Ride with Us podcast, we had the opportunity to talk to two coaster enthusiasts who took on an awesome task – building roller coasters in their backyards! First, we meet with Justin Nolte, John’s neighbor and backyard coaster builder. He built both a treehouse and a coaster in his yard. Check out his video: https://youtu.be/t7VLPrTd3gE We then talk to ACE member Ben Dens...

Join us for a brake run chat with ACE President Elizabeth Ringas. 2023 marks ACE’s 45th year and Elizabeth has lot of plans for the organization's future.   In this episode, Jessica and Elizabeth recap 2022, including new coaster credits, CoasterCon, kiddie coaster roundups, IAAPA coverage, preserving historic coasters and discuss those future plans.   Elizabeth is always open to hearing your thou...

In this episode, we meet with with Steve Thomas, Amusement Park Director at Traders Village in Grand Prairie, TX.  Traders Village saved the Prairie Screamer roller coaster when the Scandia Amusement Park in Ontario, CA closed in 2019.  Steve was part of the team that moved and refurbished the coaster, which opened at its new home in November, 2022.   Park link: https://tradersvillage.com/grand-pr...

Welcome to the ACE Ride With Us holiday rundown.   In this episode, we discuss upcoming ACE events, cover the many holiday events that co-hosts John and Jessica attended, share deals on season passes and discuss the benefits of an ACE membership. In this episode: [00:45] ACE Event Rundown [03:00] Doug Perry interview [12:35] John’s tour of holiday events [14:00] Jessica’s tour of holiday events [1...

In this episode, we meet coaster enthusiast, artist and entrepreneur Matthew Schmotzer.  He joins host John Davidson to introduce our listeners to Print My Ride Detroit, which creates some impressive realistic roller coaster models. Matthew shares his passion for coasters with us and explains his vision, which includes 3D models of some great coasters that he creates out of plywood and introduces...

In this episode, we review Day 4, the final day of the IAAPA Expo 2022 and have a conversation with ACE President Elizabeth Ringas.   We want to hear from you! Share your ideas and thoughts about this podcast: podcast@aceonline.org Visit www.aceonline.org to learn more about the non-profit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts. The mission of American Coaster Enthusiasts is to: Foster and prom...

In this episode, we review Day 3 on the IAPPA Expo 2022 show floor. We want to hear from you! Share your ideas and thoughts about this podcast: podcast@aceonline.org Visit www.aceonline.org to learn more about the non-profit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts. The mission of American Coaster Enthusiasts is to: Foster and promote the conservation, appreciation, knowledge, and enjoyment of th...

In this episode, we review Day 2 of the IAAPA Expo 2022. We want to hear from you! Share your ideas and thoughts about this podcast: podcast@aceonline.org Visit www.aceonline.org to learn more about the non-profit organization American Coaster Enthusiasts. The mission of American Coaster Enthusiasts is to: Foster and promote the conservation, appreciation, knowledge, and enjoyment of the classic w...