Have you converted someone?

Have you ever had a friend or family member that absolutely refuses to get on a roller coaster? Have you converted that friend or family member to now like coasters?

My friend last summer was just this type. He didn't even want to come on the trip, and was completely disgusted by the idea. I found out that when he was younger he had a couple bad experiences, and the thought of not being in control on the ride had set his attitude. Behemoth at PCW has been big talk in Southern Ontario the past couple years and I laid it on him. Kept telling him how amazing it is, how its so smooth, and gives a feeling of flying. Anyways, he cant wait to go back! :)

The best part of the story, his girlfriend loves roller coaster and she balled her eyes out going up the lift. She was that terrified. Then half way through the ride, hands were up.

Any thoughts?

I'm sure people who listen to the podcast remember my former girlfriend, Catherine. She had never been on a coaster before meeting me. I took her on Mine Ride and she cried. Now she won't go anywhere without riding the nearest coasters. I'm very proud of her.

My girlfriend was meh on amusement parks, having only been to Cedar Point and King's Island. One trip to Holiday World and a lap on the Voyage later, she's ready for any trip to an amusement park.

Years ago, I made the mistake of taking my wife on Steel Phantom and converted her. In the other direction.

I've seen that result a few times as well, Mike. One of my ex-girlfriends, who never had a problem with coasters before, was crying after riding Millennium Force...from sheer terror. We were going to hit Kings Island the next day and she actually made me go by myself.

Another ex of mine was indifferent about coasters for the most part, but what I found strange was that she could not get the courage to go on any coaster the entire day we were at SFA. Rewind about 3 months--she and I were at the same park and we rode everything, and she had a blast.

I'm hopeful my wife will get back into riding again. Since being pregnant with our first kid in 2005, she has only ridden the BGW coasters in 2007 I believe, but since then she's survived breast cancer and had another kid (in that order). It obviously hasn't been a priority for her, but I'm hoping she'll be able to enjoy them again this year.

Not converted outright persay... I was sitting around with some friends during summer break a few years back (when summer break was a real thing for all of us), bored, thinking of things to do. I suggested we go to Erie the next day to check out this one new roller coaster at a small amusement park they had never heard of. "Why don't we go to Cedar Point or Kings Island if we're going to drive? Why not just Kennywood?"

I won, and the next day we loaded in the car and made the 2 hour trek to Erie. A few hours later we had spent probably less than $30 a person, had a flipping ball, and the Ravine Flyer had become everyone's new favorite wooden roller coaster.

It's now very, very easy to convince them to come coastering with me.

I once had an ex-girlfriend become a lesbian. Does that count?

What does that say about you? LOL

Might get the opportunity in the coming months. I just met a woman on-line, and she describes herself as a coaster wimp, although she grew up near a great one, Rye Playland's Dragon Coaster. I mentioned taking her to a park and she said it'd be fun. We may find out how much the boundaries of "wimpiness"..which has nothing to do with hamburgers...can be expanded.

My wife was a non-rider for most of 2009. She took a ton of photos and enjoyed the shows etc. At the end of 2009 we got her to go on Diamondback. Early in 2010 we were at Hershey and she decided that she would give Great Bear a try. She loved it and started riding more and more.

Her count is now 240. So yea, I guess she is now fully converted.

An old boyfriend of mine used to travel with me to different parks. This is when I first got online and discovered all of these coaster-related websites and clubs, which was around 1997 or 98.

I started travelling more and usually brought him along. He loved the rides and the parks but I don't think I ever fully "converted" him. He just went along to wherever I was going. This was also the case with my brother and my best friend. I took all of them to various enthusiast events but none of them finally converted over the the dark side. ;)

I have helped convert friends of friends many times, especially if it was their first time at a park or an event. Many of them even started a track record or joined a club. ;) I don't believe I have helped convert anyone who was initially scared of coasters with the exception of a friend's kid. He was terrified until he actually got on them. :)

-Tina

I will be happily converting young people until the day I retire.

Is that conversion or psychological torture? :)

I was a convertee (sp). Thanks to a buddy wanting to go to Cedar Point to ride Magnum the year it opened.

I had a bad experience with The Dips at West View Park when I was a little kid, and needless to say, that wasn't an ideal coaster for a first timer. My coaster rides between then and Magnum were very limited.

I still credit my buddy and Magnum for changing what I choose to spend my entertainment allowance on

^^ Why can't it be both? :) There was a nice blend of tears and laughter. :)

I have "converted" a few friends. I was born loving coasters, so I was never converted. ;)

You guys are all converters! :)

I've heard that if you are straight, you can be converted to gay. And if you're gay, you can be converted to straight ... on a roller coaster.

No really ... it's some bible thing.

^Nope, didn't work for me, I still like to kiss guys :)

I have 3 baby cousins that I am trying to get into coasters - they each have their favorite coaster here at SFGAmerica. The middle one - he's 7 now, is the daredevil. Demon is his favorite. He's about 1/4" over the 42" height requirement. Lucky devil gets major airtime on that snapping drop!

Oh man, you MUST have done something wrong then, cause I was guaranteed that the conversion was foolproof.

Either that, or you were straight when you thought you were gay, but actually gay in the sense that straight people think they are gay people sometimes, but because gay is the opposite of the straight conversion in straight people who have not actually converted to gay, but were gay all along, which then ..... uh ......... oh, never mind.