Tallest and fastest rule in the world of roller coasters, and Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio, is at the top again.
"Without question, the hit ride of the year is going to be the Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point," said Gary Slade, who monitors the world's theme and water parks as editor of Amusement Today, a monthly trade newspaper.
"It's a state-of-the-art, one-of-a-kind roller coaster that is guaranteed to steal your breath away."
The $25 million Top Thrill Dragster will be the first roller coaster to surpass 400 feet in height and the first to break the 100-mph barrier. It will be Cedar Point's 16th roller coaster and the ninth time the park has introduced a record-breaker.
Riders in 16-passenger trains modeled after dragsters will rocket out of a starting gate and reach a speed of 120 mph in four seconds. The trains will rotate as they soar up a 90-degree incline that peaks at 420 feet, before plummeting back down in a spiraling free fall.
"It undoubtedly will be the ride of the year," Slade said. "That's where the lines are going to be."
Slade is not the only professional roller coaster rider eager to experience Top Thrill Dragster.
"I can't wait to ride it," said Eric Minton, who edits The Loop, a biweekly online amusement industry newsletter at www.gettheloop.com.
Slade and Minton have been checking out the new rides awaiting crowds this spring and summer at the nation's amusement parks. The parks used discounts last year to lure back customers, and Minton believes the still-flat economy means there are more deals to be had this year.
"Absolutely," he said. "They talk about all the Orlando, Fla., parks now being over $50. Well, nobody pays $50 to get in. There are all sorts of discounts out there."
A couple of trends are showing up at the parks this season, the two said. More parks are adding family rides, and the 8-to-12-year-old segment is getting more attention.
"They're too scared for the big rides but can't get on the kiddie rides," Minton said. "That's been a largely ignored population in terms of thrill rides."
The new ride-oriented park this season is Celebration City in Branson, Mo. The $40 million park, which is owned by nearby Silver Dollar City, is scheduled to open May 1. The features will include a wooden, twisting roller coaster called Ozark Wildcat and a nightly laser show with fireworks.
Other new attractions this year include:
— Three Six Flags parks are opening rides named for Superman. The rides at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Ill., and Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., are "flying" roller coasters, which means riders are locked into a flying position just like Superman. Guests at Six Flags Over Texas at Arlington will free fall 315 feet from triple towers.
— Six Flags America in Largo, Md., is adding Penguin's Blizzard River, in which spinning boats ride the rapids down a twisting course.
— Six Flags AstroWorld in Houston is celebrating its 35th anniversary by adding two rides, a spinning rapids ride called Diablo Falls and SWAT, which looks like a giant double-ended flyswatter. Riders spin head over heels as the swatter does a 360-degree turn.
— Two Paramount parks have new rides. King's Island in Ohio is adding Delirium, a giant pendulum that swings riders in spinning cars. King's Dominion in Richmond, Va., has Drop Zone, in which a circle of riders drops 305 feet from a tower.
— Four parks — the Busch Gardens in Virginia and Florida and the SeaWorlds in Texas and California — are opening R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse, a 4-D film with visual effects and multi-sensory surprises.
Cedar Point, the ultimate roller coaster park in Ohio, once again was named the country's top park by Amusement Today in the 2002 Golden Ticket awards. It also won for best steel roller coaster, fastest-moving lines and best games area.
"Cedar Point is the benchmark park for the industry," Minton said. "People look to how Cedar Point does things. They can get people on and off coasters safely in no time flat. They could win pit crew competitions with NASCAR."
Two other parks won multiple Golden Ticket awards: Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., won for best wooden roller coaster, friendliest park staff and cleanest park, and Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pa., won for best food and best souvenirs.
The two parks may not be as well known as the mega-parks in California and Florida, but they are favorites of amusement park aficionados.
"Holiday World is a gem of a park," Minton said. "It's a small park with free parking, unlimited free sodas and two of the best wooden roller coasters. Its owner, Pat Cook, is in charge of the cleaning crew. She's out there with a broom and a mop.
"Knoebels has been around for 70 or 80 years. The owner, Dick Knoebel, relocates these old rides. What you've got is almost like a museum with the wonderful old rides all in a wooded area. It's a beautiful little park."