Mitch Hawker 2011 Wood Coaster Poll!

[rollin_n_coastinDon't put that donkey on the floor!]

Love El Toro and the top few I think are a good call. I was honestly hoping that Balder would be a bit higher.

I'm down for an Intamin around the World trip

[cal1br3ttoWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

I say forget about the Disney Around the World trip that we've been talking about for years...Let's do an Intamin Woodie Around the World trip!!!

I want to ride them all by yesterday.

Anyway, I'm pleased with these results. Three of my own top 5 show up in the same order in the top 5, and I can't complain about my #8 being #1! I'm also liking the continued popularity of several I haven't ridden.

[Jerrykoala2112Jo My Oh!]

I've ridden 5 out of the top 12! Pretty cool if you ask me... But I still find Prowler to be too high on the list, it doesn't really have anything "amazing" about it. The layout is too curvy and when the ride does have airtime, it's very minimal.

[sspaz1000I prefer to mate with donkeys over humans!]

Wahoo go El Toro, so I've only been on #'s 1,3, & 5.

[cal1br3ttoWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

^^My only quibble with Prowler's high ranking is simply that I had more fun on American Thunder.

Can't wait for the detailed results!

[rcdudeAm I allowed to eat donkey during lent?]

Wow, I've been on 3 of the top ten (El Toro, Boulder Dash, and Voyage), and will be going on one more next year (Ravine Flyer II). I still think some of the rides are ranked slightly higher than they should be, but overall the biggest surprise was Wooden Warrior. Yes, it is a good ride, but not 18th best in the world. I'd say it belongs more in the 40-50 range. Also, I think American Thunder and Apocalypse should be switched as, for whatever reason, I didn't find American Thunder especially great (above average, yes, but not one of the best woodies in existence) whereas Apocalypse continues to impress me even after 20 something rides.

Also, it appears that either Cedar Fair is somehow improving CGA's Grizzly or some other horrible wooden coasters are getting more exposure (or perhaps a little of both). Still, worst woodie in North America is not an honor a ride wants to hold (and I think it should go to something horribly rough over something terribly boring).

[grrtthe ghost seems to think there is a "Donkey Fairy"]

Quite interesting results... It seems there's still a handful of those top 10 rides in relatively close travelling distance that I'm seriously gonna have to check out soon.

It's interesting to me the 4, 5, and 6 positions. They all seem to be fairly evenly matched rides. I wonder what the long term is gonna show for those rides... I'm anticipating some position changes in these rides in particular. Maybe some more love for Ravine Flyer II! Underrated IMO despite being in the top 10..

I love seeing such an old ride up in the top 10 (Phoenix). It makes me wonder what other old rides would be up there had they not been torn down or fallen victim to shotty maintenance and old age.

[coastererI think Intamin should make a donkey!]

These are great, I looooooove new Mitch Hawker Poll release days!!! I'm getting really antsy for some new rides to start breaking up the usual spots!! I mean, if you think about it, the two newest rides on here (FP's El Toro (really??), and Prowler), have been fully functioning for three whole seasons now. El Toro and the Voyage, as much as I love the both of them, are both six years old now, and even T-Express is becoming "old news", relatively speaking. It would be wonderful to get some new blood in here, to make the top 20-25 spots a blood bath of ruthless top-tier coaster brawling. Can you imagine how great it'd be if there were so many great new rides that the Voyage, El Toro, T-Express, and Boulder Dash were fighting to even make the top ten, let alone the top spot?? I mean, of course there's more that goes into building a ride than just making it "the best", but as the years go by and engineering gets more and more refined, a new ride's ranking should more or less reflect that progress, imo.

That being said, it is so cool to see some oldies-but-goodies still chugging along. Seeing Thunderhead and Balder and BD still hold their own, and freaking Phoenix over 25 years old - that's so great haha

[coasterkid21Full Fledged Donkey Enthusiast!]

I've ridden #'s 1, 3, and 6. Not bad if you ask me.

[LcHg5265“Fear can make a donkey attack a lion”]

Nice to see Boulder Dash holding strong!