Top Ten lists. If you are a part of the theme park community, you will have no doubt seen many vlogs, blogs, and social media posts from people who want to share what their top ten is in any given category. Rollercoasters, theme parks, dark rides, you name it, someone will have made a top ten for it. But I have a confession to make. I don’t keep a top ten. Not for coasters, not for dark rides, not for anything. Why? Well let me explain.
Ranking things takes the joy out of them
For me, placing things into a top ten or any kind of ranking system takes the joy out of experiencing things. I find that rather than simply enjoying the ride or experience I spend time analysing it. What features does ride A have that ride B doesn’t, does that make ride A better, or is ride B better for not having it? In turn, that then makes me not get any form of enjoyment from the rides and that is the last thing I want to happen. I would much rather just enjoy a ride for what it is. Sure, there will inevitably be rides I will naturally love, and at the other end of the scale, some I will never want to go anywhere near again (Goudurix and El Condor I’m looking at you). The important thing for me is that if a ride becomes a favourite it is because of the joy I associate with experiencing it as opposed to because I’ve felt obliged to rank it.
Some things you just can’t compare
In some cases, there are things you just can’t compare. For me, this even comes down to different types of rollercoasters. For example, how on earth can I compare something like Fury 325 to Mystic Timbers? The very fact one is a steel roller coaster and one a wooden coaster, for me, makes it near impossible to compare the two. Sure, I look at things like airtime, layout, and other elements, but then that ends up with me simply over-analysing the rides which links back to the joy being taken out of them.
Keeping a top ten is simply not something I want to do
Perhaps the most important reason for me is that I simply do not have a desire to keep a top ten. Sure, if you asked me what my favourite rollercoasters are then I could tell you right away that my current joint favourites are Fury 325 at Carowinds and Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point. However, I could also mention several other coasters that I loved riding and wouldn’t hesitate to ride over and over again (Helix, Wildfire, Maverick, Oziris, Karacho, and Blue Fire just to name a few). But ask me to put them in any kind of order and I simply couldn’t do it. Same with dark rides, water rides, or even parks in general.
Of course, everyone is different. For some, keeping a top ten, be it just for rollercoasters, or for a range of different rides, is something that they love to do. If that is the case for you then go for it. The important thing to remember is the regardless of if you keep a top ten or not, there is no right or wrong, and you should just do whatever you feel happiest doing, and more importantly what will help you enjoy your experiences the most.
Once Upon a Coaster 
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