Quassy’s Wooden Warrior Named Attraction Of The Year

Quassy Amusement Park’s Wooden Warrior roller coaster was named Attraction of the Year in a poll conducted by the theme park enthusiasts’ Web site

Racheal and Erik Yates, who operate the Behind the Thrills site, said the Wooden Warrior has been a huge success for , a small family-owned park in Middlebury.

"We’re absolutely delighted by the news," said Quassy President Eric Anderson. "We were up against some other fantastic attractions from throughout the world."

Attraction of the Year was a new category added to a list of 10 awards presented by Behind The Thrills. Nominations for this distinguished award were submitted by readers.

"We received over a hundred different attractions [nominations] from parks all over the world,” Racheal and Erik Yates said in announcing the honors. "Not all of the attractions were new. In fact, a lot of the new attractions barely made our top 30 to be placed on the ballot."

Roller coasters, dark rides and some classic attractions at large theme parks were among the nominations.

"The little roller coaster stood up against an army of bigger, meaner, more technologically advanced rides and came out victorious," the Yates said.

Quassy’s new coaster captured 35 percent of the vote with Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure, coming in second with 12 percent of the tally.

The Voyage roller coaster at Holiday World in Santa Claus, Ind., placed third in the voting.

The Wooden Warrior received praise from coaster and theme park enthusiasts since opening last April.

"The ride speaks for itself," said George Frantzis, a Quassy owner. "It’s a small ride that offers a fantastic experience for its size. We’ve been told that time and again by our guests and coaster experts who have traveled great distances to ride it."

The 1,250-foot ride was designed by of Cincinnati, Ohio, and is the first junior coaster in the firm’s portfolio.

Quassy selected The Gravity Group’s sister firm, Gravitykraft, to provide its state-of-the-art Timberliner train for the ride. The Wooden Warrior is the first new coaster in the United States to feature the sleek train.

"The resulting ride is fast, smooth and a lot of punch for a little coaster," the Yates said in their award statement.