ACE - Ride With Us

ACE Spring Con 2025 took place this year in Virginia! ACEers visited Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Kings Dominion. Host Jessica Gardner, Correspondent Gerik Gooch and ACE Assistant Regional Rep from North Central, HaeKyung Thompson were there and now they break the three fun-filled days down for us.

1:30 Meet HaeKyung Thompson!

7:45 Discussion of HaeKyung’s visit to the soon to be closed Six Flags America

12:39 Day One at Bu...

This episode is all about ACE members marathoning roller coasters! Kalin Profitt talks about getting 10,000 rides on Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Mike Cameron shares the journey to 25,000 rides on Renegade at Valleyfair!

1:57 - Meet Kalin Profitt

34:23 - Meet Renegade Mike

www.youtube.com/watch?v=11yXGiRkpiY‌

www.valleyfair.com/blog/2024/june/renegade-mike-hits-25k-rides

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At the 2025 Themed Entertainment Awards Gala, the THEA’s, the Buzz Price Life Achievement Award Recognizing a Lifetime of Distinguished Achievements was awarded to Rick Rothschild.

Our host Jessica Gardner was granted an impromptu sit-down with this legend who helped create memorable theme park attractions like Soarin’, The American Adventure, The Adventurers Club, Captain EO, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, and ExtraTERRORestrial Ali...

In this celebration of Black History Month, Gerik Gooch moderates a roundtable with four fellow ACE members who are Blusiasts: Black enthusiasts. Airtime Myke, Duwena Tillman, James Mason and Alan Franklin share their stories, reveal their favorite parks, events & coasters and discuss the joy of finding community. They also discuss the history of Black Americans and the importance of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

Jessica Gardner joins fellow members of the podcast team, Gerik Gooch, Derek Perry and Doug Perry for a discussion about upcoming coaster events, new roller coasters being built and theme parks opening in 2025. 

In this episode, the team breaks down ACE’s 2025 international, regional and digital events, along with park-sponsored events and they highlight some of the roller coasters and theme parks opening this year in which they’...

Author Bill Shea has written a charming book that tells a story that might be familiar to coaster enthusiasts! Billy's Grandpa Joe is taking him to his favorite amusement park but when Billy wakes up, he sees nothing but rain. Tension mounts – will Billy and Grandpa Joe's day be a washout or will Grandpa Joe save the day?

In this episode, correspondent Bob Randolph talks with Bill Shea about his story and the inspiration for this...

The annual IAAPA Expo brings manufacturers, innovators and coaster enthusiasts to the Orlando area for a whirlwind of activity. This year’s expo included many exciting reveals, shocking announcements along with a convention hall packed full of everything a theme park might ever need.

Our intrepid podcast team wraps up their coverage of this year’s expo with the second episode in our series. Join the ACE podcast team: Jessica Gard...

The annual IAAPA Expo brings manufacturers, innovators and coaster enthusiasts to the Orlando area for a whirlwind of activity. This year’s expo included many exciting reveals, shocking announcements along with a convention hall packed full of everything a theme park might ever need.

Our intrepid podcast team was on the show floor, taking in all of the excitement. Join the ACE podcast team: Jessica Gardner, Gerik Gooch, Derek Per...

ACE’s Preservation Conference marked the end of an amazing summer of conferences, regional events and informal meetups. We round out the summer with a mega episode that recaps 2024’s final national ACE event. Join us as correspondents/producers Derek and Doug Perry and co-host Jessica Gardner introduce our new correspondent Gerik Gooch to walk through this awesome weekend.

The Bertch family, owners of Lost Island Theme Park, surp...

Since Worlds of Fun opened in 1973, it has delighted visitors to the Kansas City, MO location ever since. It’s home to many historic rides and has a rich history. ACE members had a chance to visit the park during the 2024 Preservation Conference, enjoying behind-the-scenes experiences, great catered meals, ERT and some thorough presentations. 

During the conference, Unofficial Worlds of Fun Historian Jennifer Lovesee-Mast shared ...

Tim Baldwin, John Davidson, Doug Perry and Derek Perry talk about four fantastic new roller coasters to open in 2024. Learn all about Voltron Nevera at Europa Park, Fire In The Hole at Silver Dollar City, Iron Menace at Dorney Park and The Bobcat at Six Flags Great Escape.

In this Episode:

[3:00] Voltron Nevera

[22:22] Fire In The Hole

[33:21] Iron Menace

[42:32] The Bobcat

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Onboard audio can add so much to an already exhilarating roller coaster experience. Join correspondent John Davidson for his conversation with Devin Flannery, Solutions Architect at Alcorn McBride Inc. They take a deep dive into Devin’s journey to the role and uncover some tricks of the trade along the way!

Check out Alcorn McBride events during IAAPA Expo 2024!

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We're wrapping up our coverage of Coaster Con 46 with a recording of a very special night at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. Members of the Canfield family share their experiences owning and running the park, the ACE Northern California Regional Rep team presents a plaque commemorating the Giant Dipper's maintenance team and the evening ended with a fantastic presentation by Chris Baynum of Baynum Solutions. This team of dedicated ...

It's hard to believe that Coaster Con 46 has come to a close. Whether you attended the conference or followed along from home, our recap episode has something for you.

Join the podcast team for a lively discussion of the week's events. Derek Perry, Doug Perry, Corey Wooten, Liz Tan and Jessica Gardner walk through the highlights of our week at California's Great America, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Coaster Con 46 is finally happening!  Hundreds of enthusiastic ACE members converged on Northern California for this epic event. Join our podcast team for a series of episodes about their experience.

This first episode takes you into a special historical presentation by Clayton Lawrence, Cedar Fair Corporate Creative Producer. He called into the enthusiastic group of ACE members while Coaster Con was at California’s Great America...

We’re celebrating Father’s Day (and the start of Coaster Con) with a fun conversation for all coaster enthusiasts – two dads chatting about roller coasters, theme parks and their kids. Join correspondent John Davidson as he and Robert Moran talk about theme park road trips and what makes them so special.

Share your ideas and thoughts about this podcast via email: podcast@aceonline.org. Did you know anyone can join ACE? Visit ridewi...

Creating an attraction is far more than installing track and building a station. Theming and ride design are easy to overlook, but they can add so much more to the experience. Correspondent Bob Randolph meets with Rick Backstrup, president of R&R Creative Amusement Designs, to shed new light on this key facet of the ride experience.

You may not be familiar with his name yet, but if you’re listening to our podcast, you’ve prob...

The ACE Spring Conference took place from May 17-19, 2024 at Kings Island in Ohio. ACE members from across the world joined in the fun, which included morning and evening ERT (Exclusive Ride Time), behind-the-scenes tours, informal takeovers, buffet meals and more.

We’ll finish our coverage of the event with an in-depth recap of the event and conference highlights. Some of Kings Island’s most famous visitors remain The Brady Bunch....