Tuesday, April 10, 2007

 
MIDWEST / SOUTH BRACKET ROUND ONE RESULTS

Voting is now closed in round one of the Midwest / South bracket. For each match-up, the "non-qualified" votes were thrown out and the percentages calculated based on the total number of votes that both coasters received. Winning rides are in bold. Here's how the voting went:

1. The Voyage, Holiday World, IN (100%)
32. Twisted Twins, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, KY (0%)

16. Gwazi, Busch Gardens-Tampa, FL (47%)
17. Blue Streak, Cedar Point, OH (53%)

5. Rampage, Visionland, AL (73%)
28. Rebel Yell, Kings Dominion, VA (27%)

9. Screechin' Eagle, LeSourdsville Lake, OH (73%)
24. Starliner, Miracle Strip, FL (27%)

4. Raven, Holiday World, IN (91%)
29. Hurler, Kings Dominion, VA (9%)

13. The Grizzly, Kings Dominion, VA (76%)
20. Swamp Fox, Family Kingdom, SC (24%)

10. Cornball Express, Indiana Beach, IN (73%)
23. Great American Scream Machine, Six Flags Over Georgia, GA (27%)

6. Kentucky Rumbler, Beech Bend, KY (83%)
27. Racer, Kings Island, OH (17%)

8. The Legend, Holiday World, IN (85%)
25. The Villain, Geauga Lake, OH (15%)

3. Thunderhead, Dollywood, TN (93%)
30. American Eagle, Six Flags Great America, IL (7%)

14. Thunder Run, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, KY (63%)
19. Hoosier Hurricane, Indiana Beach, IN (37%)

12. Georgia Cyclone, Six Flags Over Georgia, GA (77%)
21. Cannonball, Lake Winnepesaukah, GA (23%)

11. Viper, Six Flags Great America, IL (71%)
22. Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain, Indiana Beach, IN (29%)

7. Dania Beach Hurricane, Boomers, FL (86%)
26. Tornado, Stricker's Grove, OH (14%)

15. The Beast, Kings Island, OH (64%)
18. Big Dipper, Geauga Lake, OH (36%)

2. Shivering Timbers, Michigan's Adventure, MI (88%)
31. Thunder Road, Carowinds, NC (12%)

ANALYSIS

Unlike the other brackets in which some interesting upsets appear to be in the offing, the Midwest / South Bracket voting went pretty much as expected. The only upset in the bracket was in the pairing most likely to generate one, the 16 vs. 17 seed match-up, where the Cedar Point Blue Streak was narrowly voted better than either track on Gwazi. Even so, at 53%-47%, it was narrowest margin of victory in the bracket.

What was most definitely not a narrow victory was the 1-seeded Voyage's 114 vote to nothing destruction of Twisted Twins. The Voyage, the winner in Mitch's poll, is favored to win it all. If this tune-up against a ride that was, admittedly, on the bubble for getting into this tournament is any indicator, only a Sanjaya-esque pro-mediocrity campaign will likely stop it from taking home the (virtual) trophy in this tournament.

I guess whether CCI or GCI, the dueling coasters can't catch a break....

Other runaways included the 4-seeded Raven taking down the 29-seeded KD Hurler by better than a 10:1 margin, it's 6-seeded Holiday World neighbor The Legend defeating the 27-seeded Villain by nearly a 6:1 margin, the 3-seeded Thunderhead over the 29-seeded American Eagle by a better than 14:1 margin, and the 2-seeded Shivering Timbers earning it's high seeding by thwacking the lowly 31-seeded Thunder Road by a little better than a 7:1 margin (though not the unanimous outcome that was seen in the 1 vs. 32 seed).

The 9 vs. 24 seed match-up was a battle of rides not currently operating--the LeSourdsville Lake Screechin' Eagle vs. the Miracle Strip Starliner. Starliner made it close early, but the best woodie in Ohio (IMO) beat the soon-to-be central FL ride by almost a 3:1 margin.

Another interesting match-up was the all-Georgia competition between the 12-seeded Georgia Cyclone and the 21-seeded Lake Winnie Cannonball. While I personally voted in the minority, citing more comfortable trains and a nice traditional park setting as offsetting any benefits of the more thrilling but less comfortable (and more corporate) Georgia Cyclone, the majority of you sent the Georgia Cyclone into the next round by better than a 3:1 margin. With it's park neighbor The Great American Scream Machine soundly defeated by Cornball Express by nearly as wide a margin (and the Wild Adventures Cheetah not even being invited to the big dance), it will be the sole representative for the state of Georgia in round two.

The 7 vs. 26 seed battle placed two hard-to-get-to coasters up against each other. One is in extreme southern Florida and the other is at a park that's only open to the public two or three days a year. While I dare say that Stricker's Grove has a much better atmosphere than Boomers, the Dania Beach Hurricane is the much better ride. At least I think so, and most of you do as well, since it won by a better than 6:1 margin.

Lastly, the 15-seeded Beast, which was in a dead heat and even trailing by a vote or two briefly to the 18-seeded Geauga Lake Big Dipper pulled away big time by voting's end, winning the match-up 73 votes to 41 (personally, I was rather rooting for the upset there, but so it goes). The Beast has it's fan base, it's clear, but in the next round it'll be up against the 2-seeded Shivering Timbers. Can it pull off the huge upset? Your votes will decide that.

Hey, what a nice segue into this preview look at the...

MIDWEST / SOUTH BRACKET ROUND TWO MATCH-UPS

1. The Voyage, Holiday World, IN
17. Blue Streak, Cedar Point, OH

5. Rampage, Visionland, AL
9. Screechin' Eagle, LeSourdsville Lake, OH

4. Raven, Holiday World, IN
13. The Grizzly, Kings Dominion, VA

6. Kentucky Rumbler, Beech Bend, KY
10. Cornball Express, Indiana Beach, IN

3. Thunderhead, Dollywood, TN
8. The Legend, Holiday World, IN

12. Georgia Cyclone, Six Flags Over Georgia, GA
14. Thunder Run, Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, KY

7. Dania Beach Hurricane, Boomers, FL
11. Viper, Six Flags Great America, IL

2. Shivering Timbers, Michigan's Adventure, MI
15. The Beast, Kings Island, OH

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