Magic Mountain hosts free class for coaster phobics

The free course was in conjuction with Tatsu's opening and about 10 individuals participated.

Here's the story from L.A. Time's Calendar with a video clip - http://www.calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/calwknd/cl-wk-alt11may11,0,7436899.story

I was wondering...I know some other parks have done this before, such as Universal Islands of Adventure, but I think having these little free coaster phobia sessions arranged through parks on a regular basis would be a great idea. My father is deathly afraid of coasters, and I think if given the opportunity to go to one of these, he would, but you rarely hear about these things. Anyway, what are your thoughts about having these kind of "coaster phobia workshops" at parks on a continual basis? I was thinking that if it were to be like a set program, the members would have to pay some sort of fee just to justify the cost of having a program like that, but I'm just putting it out there for discussion. :)

I believe they had something like that a few years ago involving Goliath. I found it hilarious yet interesting.

I had to laugh at the "Hi, I am so and so and I have a fear of coasters!"

I just wonder if they have a workshop for someone like me who has a strange non-fear of heights. lol.

If someone wants to attend a workshop then the more power to them. But they could save a lot of time and money by just stop being wusses and just do it. ;-) On the other hand I am curious. If it was free and I was bored I would attend one just for fun. But hey, if they feel it will help them then they should go for it.

It's good publicity for Tatsu at least. ;-)

-Tina

*** Edited 5/16/2006 9:35:53 AM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

Of course another way to save a lot of money is by meeting one of us and "convincing" us to spend a day at a park with them ;).

...As long as it was the right enthusiast. If someone with coaster phobia (coasterphobe?) hung out with an enthusiass for a day....he/she may never attend an amusement park again. :)

When I worked at Great America, a class of hydrophobics rode Whitewater Falls. It was kind of funny. They dealt with it by acting like cheerleaders...all hooting and cheering. I have a feeling they were terrified, but were able to mitigate their terror with distraction.

I forget when or on what channel but they had a video of one on TV where the final "test" was riding the Coney Island Cyclone, that was pretty interesting and funny at times. They even had interviews with all of the "students" up until the day of and all, it was pretty cool. *** Edited 5/16/2006 3:32:51 PM UTC by P18***

If I were trying to "make" someone love rollercoasters who had such a huge phobia, Tatsu would be the last coaster I would ever want them to ride. Even as an enthusiast, those type of flying coasters really get me in the stomach in a way no other coasters do. Plus, the feeling of flying in that position even scares me (plus it's really uncomfortable).

Wasn't Carowinds and Top Gun featured in a tv special on Discovery or Nat. Geo. about Coaster Phobics?

As a former coasterphobe I can tell you that trying to "stop being a wuss" isn't as easy as it sounds. Up until the summer of 1982 I had only ridden a handful of coasters. The only one at that point in time I TRULY like was The Bat, which until 1984 was the ONLY coaster at KI that I had ridden.

The cure for me was, of all things, the Double Loop at GL. This was the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in high school, and my friend was tired of riding all the circle flat rides. After much cajoling and prodding by him he finally convinced me to stand in line for DL. I can remember being absolutley TERRIFIED when I boarded that train. I told him I would kill him if we survived this flaming trip of death. I remember saying "Oh My God" more times than humanly possible as we crested the hill.

I remember disembarking, going down the stairs, and saying "Let's do that again!" and I haven't looked back since.

It sounds real easy to say "just ride it twinkletoes" but the actual doing of it is much more difficult.

Tom

Ld, I completely agree with you! I was terrified of roller coasters into my 30's! The only thing I had ever ridden was Rolling Thunder at SFGAdv. At 32 years old, on a return trip there, I had made a promise to try to overcome my fear. I got a "heck with it" attitude and my 2nd ever coaster, and 1st looper was GASM. I did not hurt my ear drums and have been addicted ever since! But.......getting on it was one of the toughest things I have ever done and I was literally terrified before it started.

I was never a coasterphobe (I was on the Yankee Cannonball at age 3) but I have had plenty of experiences breaking them in. The best ride to choose is one that is good, and is either really high or goes upside down (their two biggest fears) the idea is to have them overcome those fears on a coaster that you are allmost positive they would enjoy. My success coasters have been B:TR, Raging Bull, and MF.

I'm starting my kids young as well so it doesn't happen to them. My daughter at 5 1/2 already has a 13 coaster track record and will be adding 5 more to that Memorial Day weekend when we hit HP and DW. My son, who just turned 3 last weekend has a 4 coaster track record and will add Trailblazer and Joust Memorial Day weekend.

Cripe, I didn't ride my 10th coaster until I was 15 so I think I'm doing the right thing here! :)

Tom

I have never been a Coasterphobe but I am a prime example of getting myself so Excited for a ride I sike(sp) myself out. But once I get my first ride on any given coaster I'm fine with it and will not have a prob with it from now on.

I'm definately the type that if I'm riding a ride for the first time I would perfer going with a fellow enthusiast because then they could get me on it. I always get so excited I get nervous and almost sick to my stomach once I get to the ride. Thats of course the bigger rides.

*** Edited 5/16/2006 6:35:33 PM UTC by TonyBlackjack***

I was a coasterphobe up until about 16 actually, But my first coaster was Whirlwind at knoebels (hence I had a soft spot for it) After that I rode Twister then Pheonix and became quickly addicted and never looked back as well. Only time I was a little afraid after that was my first invert (Talon). For some reason I was always afraid that inverts like, pulled on your feet lol, or like had way more positive Gs then they really do sucking you out of your seat haha, I don't know but now theyre just great fun. But it was harder then it seams to become un-coasterphobed so to say. My actual first coaster (and last for a while) was a traumatic experience on Scooby Doo Ghoster Coaster at PKD when I was like, 5 lol. Its not I was afraid then, I just wasn't ready, but was "forced" on it by my brothers and cried the whole way thinking it was way worse then it was, so never touched one til 10 years later...

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Jeff Young said:
...As long as it was the right enthusiast. If someone with coaster phobia (coasterphobe?) hung out with an enthusiass for a day....he/she may never attend an amusement park again. :)

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I can verify that -
I was coasting with some other people last fall, and most of them were not really used to coasters, but I managed to drag them on with my excitement about coaster riding -
as usual, I was going off like a rocket on the thing and enjoying myself, but my friends were getting more and more crampy and pale-looking during the entire ride.
Afterwards, they were all sick, shaken and disgruntled, but I was energised and loaded with hormones as usual, feeling a kind of guilt -

I simply think coaster riding is not for everyone, and NOT wanting to get onto a train that drops 60 feet in free fall might be a valid natural survival instinct in the end.
In some ways riding a coaster is always a suicidal tendency - it gets you into a place where "healthy people" face a lot of fears - that I somehow seem to be insensitive to.
I just get a kick out of seing and feeling this incredible sense of reality being tied to a coaster train performing theses aerobatic movements.

Superman, I agree; I will activily try to get coasterphobes to go on a ride if they have never been on one. If they have been on one though, then I dont because unfortunalty not every human is gifted with vestibular systems capable of enjoying a coaster, fortunatly I have never brought a newbie to a park that turned out to have this problem yet.

My girlfriend had never been on a coaster before and was kind of skeptical and the first coaster I took her on was Kingda Ka. After the ride, she remarked that it went much faster then it looked. :)

She loved all the coasters at the park so much that she couldn't wait to go again this year.

WOW Kingda Ka as her first coaster Crap!!!! Brake her iun Fast. Haha

I did a report on coaster psychology in college. I ended up calling Islands of Adventure to find out about their program. It apperently didn't last more than 2 seasons, but had done the job. The person I talked to (3 years later) just barely remembered having the program and didn't have any details for me.

I'm also glad to see programs like this and would encourage Cedar Point to consider having one. More non-coaster or beginner riders go to that park than you might think. Remember they have large groups all the time; school classes, marching bands, fundraising groups etc... Out of my 25 member church youth group, only 6 will ride coasters.

Hey, maybe I could *fake* being a coasterphobe for a little while! :) Though I love coasters and ride a bunch of them, I still have a literal fear of heights. It's so bad, that I have noticible and visible physical reactions to the mere *thought* of heights (I even visibly shake when playing video games where the character can die/get hurt from falling). I doubt even a professional would be able to notice the difference.