How much does your top 10 conform with "the norm"?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. Many enthusiasts like to keep a top 10 coaster list, and many people's top 10s get subjected to a fair amount of scrutiny from other enthusiasts in many regards. The extent to which this happens varies; I've seen some enthusiasts with very controversial top 10s that get a lot of flack for them. So my question to you today is; how much does your top 10 conform with the norm?

Now I know that "the norm" is a very open-ended term, so as a point of comparison, I thought it would be fun to use Captain Coaster's World Coaster Ranking for January 2022, and see what our top 10s "should be" based on how the coasters we've ridden are ranked in there: https://captaincoaster.com/en/ranking/?filters[continent]=&filters[country]=&filters[materialType]=&filters[seatingType]=&filters[model]=&filters[manufacturer]=&filters[openingDate]=&page=1

I'll get the ball rolling by comparing my current list with what that poll says my list "should be" based on the world roller coaster rankings on CC and how the rides I've ridden stack up within that ranking.

My current top 10 as of January 2022 is:

1. Mako
2. Icon
3. Wicker Man
4. Mine Blower
5. Oblivion
6. Montu
7. SheiKra
8. Nemesis Inferno
9. Nemesis
10. The Swarm

But according to Captain Coaster's poll, my top 10 from the coasters I've ridden should be (the numbers in brackets are how that coaster's ranking would change if I did my top 10 based on how CC's poll implies I should do it):

1. Mako (no change)
2. Nemesis (+7)
3. Montu (+3)
4. SheiKra (+3)
5. Manta SWO (+39)
6. Icon (-4)
7. Stealth (+35)
8. Kumba (+9)
9. Incredible Hulk (+7)
10. Dragon Challenge Chinese Fireball (+36)

So I guess the answer to the question for me is; not much! Of the coasters that CC's poll suggests I should have in my top 10, the ones I do have are mostly ranked somewhat differently by myself to how the site says I should rank them, and I only actually have 5 of them in my top 10 at all; of the 79 coasters I've done, Kumba and Hulk are both in my top 20, and Stealth, Manta and Dragon Challenge Chinese Fireball are all way down in the 40s! And in terms of the 5 rides in my top 10 that didn't make the list that CC says I should have; there are some surprisingly significant discrepancies there!

• Wicker Man, my #3, should actually only be my #25.
• Mine Blower, my #4, should actually only be my #19.
• Oblivion, my #5, should actually only be my #22.
• Nemesis Inferno, my #8, should actually only be my #24.
• The Swarm, my #10, should actually only be my #16.

So in essence; I have a very unconventional top 10!

But how much does your top 10 conform with the norm based on Captain Coaster's poll?

 

[Hixee]

Now I know that "the norm" is a very open-ended term, so as a point of comparison, I thought it would be fun to use Captain Coaster's World Coaster Ranking for January 2022, and see what our top 10s "should be" based on how the coasters we've ridden are ranked [by others] in there:

But according to Captain Coaster's poll, my top 10 from the coasters I've ridden should be (the numbers in brackets are how that coaster's ranking would change if I did my top 10 based on how CC's poll implies I should do it):

I've struggled to find the right words, but don't get trapped into thinking this is anything worth considering. You don't have to justify or compare your favourite coasters to anyone else's, just enjoy them for the reasons you like them. That's all you need.

Might be getting the wrong end of the stick, but a lot of your wording "where should I have ranked this" implies that you think you're in some way wrong or incorrect in your choice of favourites, and that's a bull**** way of thinking.

However, that's not to say that I'm not looking forward to seeing your Top 10 change massively over the next few years as you start to ride more coasters!

 

[Matt N]

I've struggled to find the right words, but don't get trapped into thinking this is anything worth considering. You don't have to justify or compare your favourite coasters to anyone else's, just enjoy them for the reasons you like them. That's all you need.

Might be getting the wrong end of the stick, but a lot of your wording "where should I have ranked this" implies that you think you're in some way wrong or incorrect in your choice of favourites, and that's a bull**** way of thinking.

However, that's not to say that I'm not looking forward to seeing your Top 10 change massively over the next few years as you start to ride more coasters!

Of course things like top 10s are all down to opinion; I'm not trying to say that anyone's top 10 is right or wrong by any stretch. It's all very subjective.

To be honest, I mainly used "should be" because I couldn't think of a better phrase... I'm not trying to put down anyone with an unconventional list by any means (heck, I have a pretty unconventional list myself, so if I was trying to put down people with unconventional lists, I would be the world's biggest hypocrite!). I was merely intrigued to see how our top 10s compared to "the consensus".

I won't lie to you, though, I do often worry about my top 10 being thought of as "wrong" by other enthusiasts. I don't exactly have what you'd call a "conventional" taste in coasters, and I have previously been given grief over my top 10 and general coaster preferences, which leads me to believe that I'm clearly wrong about many things. I worry that that discrepancy with the consensus will only increase as I ride more coasters. For instance, when people hype up my first RMC ride to me, I get very excited, but I also get a tiny bit paranoid too; there's this little voice in my head that says to me "what will they all say if I don't come off this absolutely mind-blown like all the rest of of them are, and like they say I will be?".

 

[CanobieFan]

You don't have to justify or compare your favourite coasters to anyone else's, just enjoy them for the reasons you like them.

THIS! Absolutely this. I honestly don't have a true Top 10 (I've got a #1 tho') and I struggled putting together a basic top 10 for the CF topic haha

Yeeaaarrrrsss ago, back when the Mitch poll was a thing I ended up "having" to join CoasterBuzz (ewww) to defend myself and my ranking on Holiday World's Raven (FYI, its garbage), to this day the only post I've even made on that awful site.... and a few years after that, just before I quit TPR (and walked away from the whole Coaster Community for years), I got into it with a bunch of people (including Admins) about my feelings toward a godly coaster (in their minds) and how dare I rate bomb it! As if me disliking their #1 coaster made it not....uh... their #1?

My basic top 10 now isn't as controversial now as it was say 10 years ago.....but if you dug into my top 25 or so, there might be some eyebrows raised. But anyways, Boulder Dash #1, everything else is whatever <3

 

[Hixee]

For instance, when people hype up my first RMC ride to me, I get very excited, but I also get a tiny bit paranoid too; there's this little voice in my head that says to me "what will they all say if I don't come off this absolutely mind-blown like all the rest of of them are, and like they say I will be?".

I think you might be slightly over-estimating how much any of us actually give a toss.

We talk a lot of smack on the forums, it's part of our outlet of this strange hobby and we get carried away with our own excitement sometimes, but it's nothing like as serious as you seem to be making out.

One thing I promise you after your first RMC - you'll agree it's very different to anything you've got in your top ten so far. Whether it's something you like, on the other hand, is entirely up to you.

 

[HeartlineCoaster]

I have previously been given grief over my top 10 and general coaster preferences

If this is genuine grief and not banter, then it's entirely unjustified and you should distance yourself from it.


On topic - I'm interpreting your revised list as 'which of the top coasters on Captain Coaster have you ridden, in order', so:

1. Zadra [+11]
2. Hakugei [+9]
3. Taiga [+4]
4. Eejanaika [+5]
5. Lightning Rod [+12]
6. El Toro [+9]
7. Untamed [+9]
8. Fury 325 [+34]
9. Kondaa [+10]
10. Ride to Happiness [-8]

I suppose it's quite interesting that you've got some bigger swings in your list, whereas I still very much like all the rides that ended up in there.

The second part of the question looks like a lot of unnecessary work for me, particularly when one of them is a world class woodie ranked in the 200s for having 'headbanging' and another isn't even rated.

 

[Hyde]

Affirming all that is said, and equally curious to see how my flavor of ranking compares to the mean:

1. Steel Vengeance - (+0)
2. Voyage - (+47)
3. VelociCoaster - (+4)
4. Storm Chaser - (+28)
5. Maverick - (+7)
6. X2 - (+24)
7. Outlaw Run - (+19)
8. Skyrush - (+16)
9. Fury 325 - (+1)
10. Intimidator 305 - (+15)

On average, that puts me ~16 slots off the mark comparing my ranking to the aggregate. Interesting how some rides are pretty bang on, and others (especially Voyage) are magnitudes apart.

 

[Matt N]

If this is genuine grief and not banter, then it's entirely unjustified and you should distance yourself from it.


On topic - I'm interpreting your revised list as 'which of the top coasters on Captain Coaster have you ridden, in order', so:

1. Zadra [+11]
2. Hakugei [+9]
3. Taiga [+4]
4. Eejanaika [+5]
5. Lightning Rod [+12]
6. El Toro [+9]
7. Untamed [+9]
8. Fury 325 [+34]
9. Kondaa [+10]
10. Ride to Happiness [-8]

I suppose it's quite interesting that you've got some bigger swings in your list, whereas I still very much like all the rides that ended up in there.

The second part of the question looks like a lot of unnecessary work for me, particularly when one of them is a world class woodie ranked in the 200s for having 'headbanging' and another isn't even rated.

Wow; it's really interesting how your top 10 stays fairly close to "the top 10 coasters you've ridden from CC's poll" compared to mine, especially given your vastly, vastly larger coaster count! My swings look even bigger when you take into account that I still only have a double-figure coaster count... some of the rides that rank in the "top 10 coasters I've ridden" on CC actually sit in the bottom 50% of my rankings, whereas some of the stuff I really love doesn't rank particularly highly at all.

In terms of the second part; that was mainly something I did for my own fun. I fully appreciate that that probably gets a lot harder when you have a high coaster count!

 

[Indy]

I have to echo essentially what everybody else said. It's certainly fun to compare and contrast. I get it. That's a big reason why we have things like the underrated thread, the overrated thread, or least common opinion thread. But I certainly don't get hung up on what the "norm" is. I just don't care anymore. I definitely have controversial opinions, but I wear them as something of a badge of honor, though I don't go so far as to be a troll about it.

I got into it with a bunch of people (including Admins) about my feelings toward a godly coaster (in their minds) and how dare I rate bomb it! As if me disliking their #1 coaster made it not....uh... their #1?

In hindsight, it's funny how these views influenced some of the rides I listed in the overrated coasters thread. So many of these rides were made out to be God-tier. When I finally rode them, I couldn't help but have feelings of, "sure, it was fun and all, but it certainly wasn't THAT good."

 

[Will]

Well, apparently mine should go

1. Zadra
2. Untamed
3. Ride to Happiness
4. Taron
5. Hyperion
6. EGF
7. Helix
8. Shambhala
9. Lech Coaster
10. DC Rivals Hypercoaster

Yeah, no...

I KNOW why there's a Batman clone at what's reputed to be one of the world's worst parks in my Top 5 - it was my first North American cred - and actually, it's really ****ing good - especially compared to the other one I've done in Spain.

The setting DOES help though - I reckon most of my Top 10 could be built at Thorpe, and I'd go 'meh' at them, because I'm a dick like that.

 

[rob666]

And some of us just don't conform with the norm at all.
Loved coasters for half a century.
No ranking.
No counting.
Just riding and enjoying, with no desire to turn it into a statistical exercise.
Each to their own I suppose.

 

[Nitefly]

I've struggled to find the right words, but don't get trapped into thinking this is anything worth considering. You don't have to justify or compare your favourite coasters to anyone else's, just enjoy them for the reasons you like them. That's all you need.

Might be getting the wrong end of the stick, but a lot of your wording "where should I have ranked this" implies that you think you're in some way wrong or incorrect in your choice of favourites, and that's a bull**** way of thinking.

However, that's not to say that I'm not looking forward to seeing your Top 10 change massively over the next few years as you start to ride more coasters!

This^

But also - we all need to be robust enough to deal with differences of opinion. There will be people out there that can’t fathom your preferences. They may say “no way… that ride is mega poo!” - in these circumstances, they are just conveying their own opinion. If anyone finds themselves deeply hurt by comments like that, in a throwaway context such as ranking rollercoasters, they need: (a) to remember that a difference of opinion is not in of itself an assault on you as a person, and (b) to dramatically tone down their value of their own opinion so as to not be so offended.

Further along the spectrum, people might say “your tastes are crap”, which is along the same lines but depending on how it’s framed (and the relationship between the persons) it can potentially be impolite and unduly dismissive. I have only seen a comment like this maybe once on these forums.

(I haven’t seen anything go this far on the forums, but as I feel it may be helpful to cover the whole spectrum….) Elsewhere in life you might occasionally hear a deliberately rude “you must really suck to like that” or even just a mean “you suck”, in which case the appropriate response is then a combination of saying/thinking “**** you” and disregarding/rising above it. I wouldn’t overlook the power and importance of an appropriate “**** you”, though. There is a strange, unhelpful mantra that suggests it’s always better to absorb mistreatment and ‘rise above it’. That is only half of the human equation - relying on it exclusively can make you feel powerless. It’s equally important for your self-esteem to stand up for yourself against your adversaries.

 

[JoshC.]

Obviously the points everyone make here are valid - coaster ranking is all down to personal preference, there is no norm. But it is interesting to see how it compares to other people's I guess.

If we follow the topic as laid out, ranking the Top 10 rides on Captain Coaster I've ridden as #1-#10, and compare it to my personal ranking, I get the following:

Coaster	Captain Coaster "Predicted Ranking" - My ranking
Taiga	+1
Untamed	+1
Taron	-2
Hyperion	+9
Helix	-1
Lech Coaster	+8
Nemesis	+1
Balder	-2
Oz'Iris	-4
Goliath (Walibi Holland)	+1

A fairly respectful outlook, and none which I'd bat an eyelid at in all honesty.
Three of my Top 10 drop out:
Lost Gravity, Joris en de Draak and Troy.
The lowest of those, Joris en de Draak, would be predicted to be my 26th favourite coaster, which is a bigger change than any listed there, at -17.

 

[Sandman]

And some of us just don't conform with the norm at all.
Loved coasters for half a century.
No ranking.
No counting.
Just riding and enjoying, with no desire to turn it into a statistical exercise.
Each to their own I suppose.

Love this. I do tend to dip in and out of ranking etc. Mainly when I'm procrastinating at work or generally bored.
My issue is that once I start doing the whole spreadsheet thing, I get a bit OCD with it.
Shall I start a film spreadsheet? Music? Ranking pubs? My mind gets too ambitious.

 

[James F]

Eww such a normie list.

1. Taron (+4)
2. Helix (-1)
3. Shambhala (+1)
4. Karnan (-2)
5. Nemesis (+8)
6. Montu (+13)
7. Balder (+8)
8. Sheikra (-5)
9. Manta (+14)
10. Black Mamba (+4)

No Wodan, No Icon, No Silver Star. Tragic.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Well, apparently mine should go

1. Zadra
2. Untamed
3. Ride to Happiness
4. Taron
5. Hyperion
6. EGF
7. Helix
8. Shambhala
9. Lech Coaster
10. DC Rivals Hypercoaster

Yeah, no...

I KNOW why there's a Batman clone at what's reputed to be one of the world's worst parks in my Top 5 - it was my first North American cred - and actually, it's really ****ing good - especially compared to the other one I've done in Spain.

The setting DOES help though - I reckon most of my Top 10 could be built at Thorpe, and I'd go 'meh' at them, because I'm a dick like that.

HAHA You know it makes sense

 

[SimonProD]

Mine was always different as for No. 1 will always be: Thriller - as it ran on the German funfairs - the G-forces, the memories, the fun

 

[nadroJ]

Am I being dumb - I don't rank coasters past my Top 10 because I am lazy. Does this mean I can't really do this because I don't have a long enough list to compare against?

I've done a backwards one if that's helpful to see (eg this is my Top 10 vs. where the CapCoaster list thinks I should rank them):

SkyRush +12
Taron +6
Steel Vengeance -2
Forumla Rossa +53
Voyage +25
Helix +5
Oz Iris +37
Hyperion +1
Dinoconda +10
Maverick -4

This should be my Top 10 according to CapCoaster:

Steel Vengeance
Zadra
Eejanaika
El Toro
Untamed
Maverick
Wildfire
Taron
Hyperion
Expedition GeForce

All not the worst until you get to Expedition GeForce. I also like to try and have some variety in my list as opposed to just ranking B&Ms and RMC, so that has some influence too.

For me to do this properly I think I'd need to rank about 100 coasters and I simply do not want to do that.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Can someone clarify something for me because I want to do this but not sure if I'm getting the maths right.

For example, I rank OzIris #7, Cap Coaster ranks it #68. Does that mean OzIris is worth -61 or +61 for my list?

I took it to mean minus 61... Most people seem to be posting the list as recommended by CC, with a figure indicating where that is compared to their own list....

Edit: I would take part, but I am not going to go a rate every single coaster I've ridden, and I can't seem to find a way to add them to my ridden list without rating them... Unless I'm missing something?

 

[Matt N]

Can someone clarify something for me because I want to do this but not sure if I'm getting the maths right.

For example, I rank OzIris #7, Cap Coaster ranks it #68. Does that mean OzIris is worth -61 or +61 for my list?

Essentially, look through the list and see what the top-ranked coasters you’ve ridden are.

So for instance, looking at the top 10 in your signature, Steel Vengeance is your highest ranked coaster on CC; it’s number 1 in the world on there. However, you have it ranked #3, so if your rankings aligned with CC’s, SteVe would go up by 2 spots, so it would be +2. And then your CC-generated number 2 would be the coaster you’ve ridden that ranks second highest in that list.

So for me, the #1 ranked coaster on CC that I’ve ridden is Mako at #40 (which is conveniently my current number 1), but my #2 ranked coaster on CC is Nemesis at #47, while I rank Nemesis #9 in my actual list, so Nemesis is a +7. My actual #2, Icon, is my #6 ranked coaster on CC, so that ride is a -4.

Essentially, someone above summed it up quite well; “what are the top 10 coasters you’ve ridden in descending order of rank in that list, and how does their rank in that list compare with your actual top 10?”.

Hope that helps! Sorry if it’s a bit confusing…