Just ask the more than 400 members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts, who have come to Kennywood amusement park for the 7,000-member group's annual convention. The highlight will be riding three of the oldest wooden roller-coasters in the world — over, and over, and over again.
"There are very few, maybe no places, in the world quite like it," said Bill Linkenheimer, of Pittsburgh, the group's secretary and lifelong lover of the thrill of zooming over the rails, who joined the club in 1980 at age 13.
The gathering this week marks the fourth time that the group, founded in 1978, has held its annual convention at Kennywood. It also marks the first time the American Coaster Enthusiasts will honour two coasters at one park with plaques designating them ACE Roller Coaster Landmarks.
The rides — the Jack Rabbit and the Racer — were both built of wood in the 1920s by coaster designer John Miller. The Jack Rabbit is known for its 21-metre double-dip drop, while the Racer is the only single-track racing coaster in the U.S. Through its unique "reverse curve" design, riders start on the right side of the track and finish on the left.
They are just examples of the way coasters were made back then and how a coaster can survive so long and be really fun and really enjoyable," said John Gerard, of San Diego, the group's public relations director.
Although coaster enthusiasts like the newer steel coasters, too, many are partial to the click-click of old wooden coasters. Modern coasters can be extreme and fast, but the ride tends to be the same every time, while everything from the time of day to the humidity can change the ride on a wooden one, Linkenheimer said.
"Every wood coaster truly is unique," said Linkenheimer, who has ridden more than 600 roller coasters...[next page]
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