Coasting For Kids 2014

You've been to enthusiast events, right?

I'm not participating this year, so I really have no say on this, but when I did participate, what got people to donate was the fact that I was "marathoning" a coaster. With this new rule in place, it seems kind of dishonest to tell people that.

Telling people that you are going to marathon a coaster gets people excited. It's a selling point to get donations. Any normal coaster enthusiast can handle riding a coaster five or ten, or more, times in a row. A lot of coaster enthusiasts build up their riding endurance over time. Or, if they are anything like me, they can take some Dramamine or prescribed Antivert and be just fine.

It's not all about being a rock star to the people who donate, rather it is about getting the donations, but if I were raising money, I would have a much harder time telling people that I am just going to ride a coaster twice in a row all day.

I miss the old days when stuff like this wasn't an issue. Stupid insurance companies.

Donations made!!! See you buzzers on Sunday!!!

I really wish you would have promised "Ecks gon' give it to ya!" when asked for donations.

And just like that, I've surpassed my amount from last year! It helps that my biggest donor upped his contribution and his employer matched it, but as usual it's a mix of regulars and new people. I'm so glad people see the value in what GKTW does.

Adding up the park totals, we have $108,041 raised so far. Last year was over $150k, but I seem to recall a pretty big surge in the final 2 days...

I am so close to my goal of 1,000, I have exceeded last year's funds raised, and yet I am still threatened to be usurped by a friend for third place. If there's anyone here that would like to donate, help awesome kids get a trip they so deserve, and help me get to my $1,000 goal, I'd be so grateful!

I'm $75 away from a grand... anyone who hasn't donated but would like to, pick me! Pick me! Pick me!

http://support.gktw.org/goto/jeffputz

I gave u some already, but I might be able to send a little more by Friday

Hey, despite my computer issues, I'm here too! I don't turn down NOBODY's money!!! :)

Only 70 dollars to my 1,000 goal. You've all been wonderfully generous, and if you're tapped out, I understand! However, if you're looking to donate a bit more to someone...well, hello there! :)

My home computer has quit, so I'm not online there. So I wanted to take this opportunity to say congratulations to all participants on their fund-raising. Have a great time Sunday (or Saturday, as the case may be!) Be careful, and ride yer butts off. Me. I'm gonna try a little experiment. Bunky, John, Bobbie, and any other CBers participating at Dorney I don't know...see you there!

EDIT...can't believe I missed Justin. Sorry, sirloindude. I'll volley with you to make it up .

Back to what LostKause said about it being dishonest to call it a marathon - I kinda feel that way too. While trying to raise funds I said that I'd be participating in a marathon - and saw it as a challenge to go the distance - and I do think that that appealed to people. The latest email from Give Kids The World said that those who would be cheering us on would have to pay to get into the park. Who's going to be cheering us on if we have to keep getting on and off coasters???

Anyway, see you all Sunday! I think that I'll PM one of the participants to get an emergency contact no. in case of mishap. As an inexperienced driver with a poor sense of direction, I'm nervous about making the trip. (Did print out Google directions but they're not always foolproof.)

Interesting note: when riding Great White today, the ride operator said that riders could stay on for a second lap if no one was in there row, but they would have to exit an re-enter prior to a third. Is this something popping up frequently outside of Cedar Fair?

For as long as I can remember, that was a thing from way back in the Busch days. They did it at both parks in Florida the last time I was there.

At SFGAd I've been able to stay on El Toro and Bizarro for more than two consecutive rides since opening day of this season so maybe Six Flags doesn't have the same rule or is not enforcing it.

Ah, okay. I've never really been in a position at a SeaWorld or Busch Gardens park to actually re-ride, so in light of the Cedar Fair change, I just got curious.

Also, Great White is hopelessly addicting, and SeaWorld San Antonio, while definitely a lower-budget counterpart to Orlando, is actually a nice place to go. Check it out if you get the chance.

In light of the water main break at Cedar Point, I'm not sure what's going to happen tomorrow... Regardless, I'm thrilled that once again friends and family have stepped it up and surpassed what I raised last year. I ended up with $3,295 and am the top fundraiser at CP!

What blows me away is that TWO people raised over $10,000 at Kings Dominion, making theirs the top-earning park. Adding up the park totals, it looks like we've raised $138,936. I don't know if there will be any more last-minute donations now that the deadline for top prizes has passed, but this might be the first time the event didn't raise more than the previous one (last year was over $150,000). It could also be that some people didn't enter employer matches as offline donations the way I did.

Nice work, everyone!

And in the event that CP is still closed tomorrow, I propose we marathon Big Dipper instead. ;)

I raised about 400 dollars more than I did last year, and I know a few of my friends raised more this year as well. I'm a little bummed that we didn't get quite to the amount we did last year, but it is still quite impressive!

Are we supposed to print anything out and take with us? The e-mail from Dorney didn't say anything, but I don't want to get there and be missing something.

I've never had to bring anything with me in past years except for personal checks from offline donations. Although it did just occur to me (because of the CP water issue) that I haven't received any communication from the park itself about the event. I got one from Kaylee at GKTW that was sent out to everyone, but usually there's another one from whoever is organizing the CP event with specific details on where to park and go in.