Are you in the closet?

How many of you are in the coaster enthusists closet? How many of you out there hide your coaster obsession or keep it from your freinds, family and/or co-workers.

Well, most people think I am obsessed, who know about it. But I tend not to talk about it much.

It's not that weird when you're friends with street racing, pot, blow-up doll, Star Trek, McDonald's toy, or David Bowie enthusiasts. So, I'm not.

-Danny

There's a couple of coaster geeks at work... and I'm not as obscessed as they are openly talking about it day in & day out. I wouldn't call myself a closet coaster enthusiast...

...I just don't openly talk about it unless someone ELSE brings it up, because I don't want to sound "like a geek"... yet I'm seen non-stop visiting coaster sites all over the place.

Hmm... do they have a "CA" anywhere?

Pretty much everyone who knows me knows I'm into coasters. For the most part they think it's a cool hobby. I've seen more of the country than most of them, for one thing...

I agree with Greg. Most people I know think it's pretty cool. I think it's all in how you present it. If you talk about numbers, your track record, and obsessively reading coaster message boards, it doesn't come across as cool. If you talk about park history, travelling, and the thrill of the ride, it's hard for people to not be interested.

Ah, being a copycat again, eh Dawn?

Rob - who agrees with DMV.

There aren't too many people who don't think coasters at some level are cool. Most of my friends just recognize that it's my hobby and it's a lot better than a lot of the other hobbies people are engaged in these days. As long as we can talk about serious things when we need to and non-coaster stuff, most people think it's pretty cool.

When we go to a park together, all bets are off.....

What are you trying to pull Rob? ;)

To go into more detail about human coaster expressionalism, I agree with Dawn.

-Danny

Huh?

Hell no, everyone knows about my addiction because I can't shut up about it. Now whether they "get it" or not I will never know. My friends and family think it's cool. I believe my parents think I am nuts but that hasn't changed in 32 years. ;-)

My coworkers and friends will usually come to me whenever they are looking for info on parks, whether I have been to them or not. lol.

Eveyone has their hobbies. :-D Coasters are just one of many.

-Tina

*** Edited 2/11/2004 3:54:23 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

People know Im into rollercoasters, they just dont know its basically an obsession for me. Well maybe my brother and my parents.

I am a teacher, so I often try to work Coasters into my lessons when appropriate... since I teach Math and Physics this is EASY.

When I am in line at parks, and I hear folks talking about coasters, I'll join in occasionally. But I try not to be too "geeky" about it.

-Escher (the OTHER Rob from Seattle)

Am I in the roller coaster closet?

-Roller Coaster T-Shirts constitute the bulk of my summer wear.

-On my dorm door I currently have every roller coaster I have ever ridden, ranked, with its type, and maker.

I guess that would be a big resounding no.

Most people think that its pretty cool that Im so into it and profess to want to go to a park with me.

However, they are really scared of my stamia and are worried they wont be able to keep up. Those that have tried have suceeded but the fear is still there. :) *** Edited 2/11/2004 5:52:07 AM UTC by Touchdown***

What I usually do with friends and family is try to get people to *discover* other parks other than what they are used to.....parks that are not that much of a drive but who don't advertise here anyway.

I have *sent* quite a few people to Kennywood and Holiday World. They would of probably never went otherwise. I also collect coupons from everywhere and always hand them out.

It just breaks my heart to see a person pay full gate price. :-)

-Tina

*** Edited 2/11/2004 12:15:43 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

Considering I have the ACE calander hanging in my office, and I end up with tons of people in there daily, it never fails to bring a comment on coasters. Everyone has an opinion or a question - "I can't ride them"; " I love them!"; "Have you been on that big one?"; or the ever popular "What's your favorite?".

When I take a vacation, I'm usually asked if I've ridden anything new. So, yeah, I'm out of the "closet". But I don't babble consistantly. It's just a hobby, not an obbsession. I typically don't bring it up unless I'm asked.

Hey Danny, don't forget Janet Jackson! I'm not in any closet, I let everyone know I'm a coaster Geek.

Well, my office has a ton of coaster posters and photos, and I've written several newspaper columns about being an enthusiast (I work at a newspaper) so it's not exactly a secret.

However I will not bring it up in conversation, mostly because I don't like to talk much. When it comes up, I usually get stupid questions like, "Hey, have you ridden that one ride that goes like this?" and the person makes a loop with their hand. Then I have to figure out what the heck they're talking about, and in that process, people find out how much I know about coasters, and they ask more stupid questions, etc. ad nauseum. So I just keep my mouth shut. ;)

My office has a "Rollercoaster Shrine" in it with pictures, buttons, badges, posters, magazines and newsletters and misc. items from parks I have visited. Vendors and people that I work with come in and usually start talking coasters and parks. They know my obsession, so I have been out of the closet for a long!!

Screw the coasters, it's ALL about the travelling...;)

Moosh...in the closet? HA!