About

Hi there! Welcome to Coaster101. We love roller coasters, theme parks and everything related to the amusement industry. We share that passion through writing about and documenting all of the happenings within the amusement world. Since the website launched on June 15, 2005, our goal has remained the same: to provide our readers with interesting, engaging and unique content that relates to roller coasters and the amusement industry. We feature in-depth technical articles about the latest roller coaster technology, interviews with amusement industry experts, detailed roller coaster reviews, vivid roller coaster photography, video and so much more. We love what we do, and we hope that you enjoy your time here. Have a question or comment? Contact us!

Interested in joining the Coaster101 team? View open positions and apply here.

Meet the C101 Team

John Stevenson

Hello! My name is John Stevenson, and I started Coaster101 in June of 2005. My first roller coaster was the Zippin Pippin at the former Libertyland in Memphis, TN (I published a book about Libertyland in 2017). After that ride, I was hooked, and I’ve been a devout coaster enthusiast ever since. Some of my favorite steel coasters include Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion, SkyRush at Hersheypark and Fury 325 at Carowinds. Dollywood’s Lightning Rod holds the top spot on my list of favorite wooden coasters. While I was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, I now live a few hours away in Nashville. Thanks for visiting Coaster101 – I’m very proud of what the website has become, thanks in part to the great team below!


Nick Weisenberger

Hello, my name is Nick Weisenberger, and I am a co-administrator for Coaster101. I’d like to thank John for giving me this wonderful opportunity. I graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in mechanical engineering and now work as a Product Development Engineer in the automotive industry. My childhood love of trains evolved into a fascination of roller coasters and thrill rides. I’ve ridden over two hundred different roller coasters. In August 2009, I participated in the Coasting for Kids Ride-a-thon at Cedar Point where I endured 10 hours on Gemini (that’s 105 laps) and helped raise over $10,000 for Give Kids the World charity.  In 2012, I self-published my knowledge of coaster design in my Coasters 101 book. In October 2014, I was a judge at the inaugural Ryerson THRILL roller coaster design competition. Feel free to contact me personally through Twitter (@NTWProductions) or email me:  nick at coaster101 [dot] c o m. See you on the midways!


Larry Treece III

I’m Larry Treece, I’m currently studying Fine Arts and Photography at Grand Rapids Community College with hobbies in computers and, of course, in roller coasters. I was part of the Coaster101 Podcast, “That Coaster Show” we had a few years ago, but now I’m part of the team again as the Social Media Manager. You can say my love for the industry began in the early 2000‘s with my first trip to an amusement park, Michigan’s Adventure and has grown ever since! Having rode around 50 roller coasters, my favorites would have to be Shivering Timbers and Diamondback, but I’m always looking for ways to increase my coaster count! Having had experience working in an amusement park, I have great insights on how rides operate and also how they are maintained.


Kyle Lindner

Howdy! My name is Kyle Lindner, and I am a graphic designer at Ohio University and am the owner of Lindner Design Company. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t captivated by roller coasters. As soon as I was tall enough to ride, I was hooked. My home parks are Kings Island and Cedar Point, but I love to travel to new parks! I have been on over 270 coasters and am always looking for more. My favorite steel coaster is Fury 325 because of its speed, airtime and Hive Dive. My favorite wooden coaster is The Beast because of its layout through the woods and incredible double helix. I also enjoy collecting amusement park memorabilia, of which my prized possessions are a seat from Space Mountain and a ride vehicle from the Witches Wheel at Cedar Point. My hobbies include golfing, painting, and volunteering as a youth leader at my church. I’m very grateful for the chance to write for Coaster101 and to provide a unique perspective on the thing we all love. Give me a follow on Instagram, @lindner_design, if you like coaster art!


Andrew Stilwell

I’m Andrew Stilwell, and I’m happy to be a contributing writer for the Coaster101 team. I graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in sports administration and a minor in creative writing. Growing up in Florida, I caught the “coaster bug” after my first ride on the Incredible Hulk Coaster, and proceeded to move to North Carolina almost immediately afterwards, meaning I’d have to consume a lot of theme park news and data via books and the internet as a teenager. Currently my credit count stands just over 300 – my favorite roller coasters are Fury 325 at Carowinds and Velocicoaster at Universal Orlando, followed by a list that could change, depending on the day. I’m a huge University of North Carolina fan and sports junkie. Follow me on Twitter at @stilwell for my random musings on theme parks, sports and life in general.


Eric Wooley

Hi everybody! I’m Eric Wooley, the lone West Coast member of the Coaster101 team. I’ve had a life-long (or close enough) love of roller coasters and theme parks, although I think that love has grown over the last decade especially. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area I’ve watched my local Northern California parks evolve over the last 30+ years, and have been making trips to Southern California parks since I was a kid. Since joining Coaster101 in late 2014, I’ve been steadily checking off other parks around the country, and a few around the world. For my day job I’m a mechanical engineer, currently design amazing water saving showerheads. Feel free to ask me for a discount. I’m a big sports fan (Go Niners!  Go Sharks!), and you’ll find me spending most of my fall Saturdays tailgating college football games (Go Stanford!). If you want to support my other weird hobbies, I host a Stanford football podcast called the Gate 13 podcast! I also make sure to use all of my vacation time to travel around the world.

If there’s anything West Coast or engineering related you want to ask me about, hit me up on Instagram @Woolinator!


mike

Mike Martin

Hello, my name is Mike Martin, and I am the Central Florida Correspondent for Coaster101. I’m a lifelong Floridian born and raised in Miami, a graduate of Florida State University, and have been living in Central Florida since 2006 working as a systems engineer. Believe it or not, I used to be scared of roller coasters until I was a teenager. It took being forced by my older brother to get on my first looping coaster, Batman: The Escape at the now defunct Six Flags Astroworld, to realize what I’ve been missing out on. Since then I’ve become a roller coaster enthusiast, having ridden over 100 coasters across the country. My favorite coaster is Maverick at Cedar Point, while my favorite coasters here in Central Florida are Montu at Busch Gardens Tampa and Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando. I look forward to being able to share my theme park adventures with you!


Shane Joseph

Hi there! My name is Shane Joseph and I am so happy to be the New England representative for Coaster101. I recently graduated with a degree in Film, Television and Media Arts and have always had an interest in coasters and the amusement industry in general. Some of my favorite coasters are Skyrush at Hersheypark, VelociCoaster at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Superman: The Ride at Six Flags New England, X2 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Cheetah Hunt at Busch Gardens Tampa. I’ve also had the pleasure of traveling to the Netherlands and visiting Efteling, a very unique and immersive theme park unlike anything I’ve seen here in the states. I am primarily based in the New England area, but I am excited to get out to more parks in the coming years. I love everything about the theme parks, from the theming, thrilling coasters and immersive dark rides to the shared experiences with friends and family. I’m very excited about my future with Coaster101 and the new experiences I’m able to cover as a result. Feel free to follow me on Instagram @thrillsnewengland to keep up with my travels and theme park experiences!


Rachel Hawkins

Hi there. My name is Rachel Hawkins and I’m excited to join Coaster 101 as the Texas correspondent. Born and raised in Dallas, TX, I am now working as a social media analyst for a tech company. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved roller coasters and amusement parks. From playing Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 in 1st grade to visiting my home park (Six Flags Over Texas) every weekend, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t obsessed with the theme park industry. My favorite coasters are Tatsu and Twisted Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Batman: The Ride at Six Flags Over Texas. In my spare time I love blogging, photographing and reviewing Broadway shows.


Join the C101 Team

Interested in joining the Coaster101 team? Learn more and apply here.