Out-arched; El Toro to be dethroned

El Toro's claim to the steepest first drop is just about over. Intamin's newest wooden coaster at Everland Resort in Japan has been completed and the latest pictures are amazing. This ride, in my opinion, would send El Toro scurrying away with its tail between its legs. The 77-degree first drop beats out our "bull" by 1-degree (El Toro features a 76-degree first drop), but this monster should pull ahead in many other categories, as well. Too bad it's located half a world away!

* The Asbury Park Press has a great article that details the importance of Great Adventure to Jackson Township. A constant theme that arises is how impressed the town is by the park's new family-friendly image.

* If you ever wanted to see the animals at Wild Safari without taking the 45-minute car ride, a new children's book series will solve your dilemma. The Six Flags Storytime Series, released in 2007, features 8 books about the animals of Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. Considered a success, there are plans for a follow up series featuring our own animals from Six Flags Wild Safari.

* I've finally added the Dark Knight Construction Watch. It may look sparse, but I'll be adding a lot more soon.

* Finally, unless you're blind or extremely unaware, we've made some changes at the Forums. In addition to a fresh new look, we've reorganized some of the boards, added two new moderators, and added a brand-new photo gallery where you can upload YOUR OWN photos of the park. Be sure to check it all out!

El Toro places 2nd in 2007 Wood Coaster Poll

* Close, but no cigar! El Toro placed second (by 6 votes) to Holiday World’s The Voyage in Mitch Hawker's 2007 Wood Coaster Poll. The poll is one of the most effective in ranking the best roller coasters each year. This is actually still a huge recognition for El Toro, as it moved up from third place last year. To give you an idea how much value this poll has, Mark Kane, the GM of Great Adventure, was urging our Great Adventure Source members to vote for El Toro in the poll at the exclusive GAdv.com Q&A session in October.

Voters in the poll, from all over the world, indicate which wooden roller coasters they’ve ridden and then are asked to rank them based on certain criteria. The poll then uses some crazy mathematical formulas to tabulate and compare voters’ responses to derive the final tally. It’s pretty reliable and has been around for fourteen years now.

Another positive note is that this web site ranked 23rd out of the top 32 web sites to refer voters. This says a lot about our member base and I thank all of you for contributing! To give you an idea…Screamscape referred the second highest number of voters.

* I’m going home for the weekend for a “Christmas weekend” where I’ll be seeing Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Wachovia Center on Saturday. My family tries to get to their show every year, but we didn’t make it last Christmas. Anyway, I’ll try and post something if I have some time, but if not stay tuned for the SFNE Dark Knight plans on Monday…

Have a great weekend!