Past or Present?
My question is...
Do you think you enjoy coasters more now, or did you enjoy them more when you were(most likely)scared?
When I think back, I would much rather be scared still. Regardless if I feel scared or not, I still ride anyway.
When i first rode S:RoS @ SFA back in 2001, it was the best thing i had experienced in years. But when i rode it again in august, it was almost boring. It had its intensity in the helix(either i thought i was almost ready to black out, or the red/blue seemed to mix and turn a dark color. It was also running exceptionally fast that day, faster than i remembered MF to be). It also seemed to give better ejector air than i remember. Whether that contributing to it being faster than ever, or that i wasnt so scared to give myself 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches between me and the lap bar(my first few rides i stapled myself).
My first rides on S:RoS were much more fun than they were back in august. And the same thing goes for most of the rides at PKD also.
Now, I ride a coaster with little to no fear, and sometimes it makes it no fun at all, such as AC-Front row.
So, do you think you enjoyed coasters when you first rode them(when you were most likely scared...how do you get hooked if you were bored??), or do you enjoy them more now?
Dont get me wrong, i love them now, but i think the overall experience was twice as good when i was scared.
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#1-MF #2-Apollo's Chariot #3-S:RoS
Being scared is everything. My trip to Cedar Point this summer kind of dragged too. When Millennium Force was new, though, I was so nervous and excited about riding it I loved the intense feeling. Now I've been on all CP's rides so many times... The first day when I rode Millennium Force was just as much fun as the first day I was at the park.
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How many rides must a man go on, before you may call him a fan?
I was only scared on my first steelie (Viper @SFDL), first hyper (CP), and my first giga (MF)
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Its not attention deficit. I'm just ignoring you.
I think if you have to be scared to enjoy a coaster than you're not a coaster enthusiast but rather an adrenaline junky. Try skydiving, mountain climbing, or something else dangerous.
I ride coasters for the fun not to be scared. I can ride a good coaster over and over and not get bored because I'm not scared.
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Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
Last time I was scared to ride a coaster was when I was 9 years old. 1989, my first ride on Maggie. After that I haven't been scared of a coaster yet, don't think I ever will be.
Drop Rides on the other hand scare the (expletive deleted) out of me.
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The Beast and Night, They go together like Peanut Butter and Jelly
My problum is that I have been on some coasters too many times. More spcificly Goliath and X. Both of those coasters have gotten too predictable to me. X is exciting because it sooo different than anything else and ,well, the surprise is the thrill of it. My first ride was great, because I had totally no idea what to expect.
With Goliath, that tallest coaster I had been on before that was Coloosus. I screamed for (literaly) the entire ride.
One of the good things about woodies is that they are unpredictable and always give a different experience.
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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead
I really don't think I got it! Till the past couple of years.
The coasters? Sure, they are fun and sometimes surprising but this is what I get from this hobby now over the shear thrill of coasters.
Friends! And lots of them! It is just so nice to show up at some park, Just about anywhere and seeing people you know or have talked to on the net for a couple years and conversing our hobby. Of course a coaster is best sharred than alone and if the coaster gives Mooshing forces, It's nice to share those as well :)
Right Moosh?
Chuck, who even just has a ball at a small park with one major coaster as long as his brother or other friends are there too.
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Charles Nungester.
Visit Lesourdsville Lake :) Park phone is (513)539-2193
Not a single coaster has scared me since I was a child. As I've gotten older, the point of coasters is the rush, the speed and the connection you make with other people. It's a shared experience, like a great movie you discover with about 20 other people. Besides, most of you seem to be reffering to steel coasters because of their height and speed, when we all know it's the out of control wood that can really make you nervous and thrill you.
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"Escuse me, can you tell me where the heck the Mystery Lodge is"?
coasterdude04 said:
My question is...
Do you think you enjoy coasters more now, or did you enjoy them more when you were(most likely)scared?
Ever since I was 5 years old or so, I loved coasters but I wouldn't dare get on one. My first coaster was Jr. Gemini at CP when I was 8 or so. I still wouldn't get on any of the "big" coasters with the exception of Mine Ride and Corkscrew.
In June of 1990, my friends took me down to Kings Island. I knew these friends rode all the coasters so I was hoping they wouldn't force me on rides I didn't want to ride.
As it turned out, they did force me on The Beast. I was terrified and tried to leave the line more than once. They prevented me from leaving and told me I would enjoy it. Let's just say they were right. As we were heading up the second lift, I looked over at one of my friends and said,"You don't know what you have done. I am going to do this for the rest of my life."
They all thought I was joking and now look at me as a freak when it comes to coasters.
In 1999, I stopped rating and comparing coasters that were similar. This resulted in me finding a whole new level of this hobby I didn't know exsisted. Honestly, I am having more fun on coasters now than I ever had before.
I still get nervous on some coasters but not in a "scared" kind of way. More of a excited kind of way. My first rides on X, and Millennium Force felt like I was riding a coaster for the first time.
The way I look at it, this isn't even a hobby anymore as it is a lifestyle. This consumes so much of my life that I don't think I will ever take a "normal" vacation again.
-Sean
Excellent post, Sean. I agree with a lot of stuff (except I had no idea I'd be into coasters this much after my first ride on American Eagle or something...) you said, especially the two coasters listed that made you nervous. X and Millennium Force brought back those feelings of what it was like getting on board a coaster for the first time. Especially X since it's so radically different than anything else -- you really don't know what to expect (or is that Xpect?).
About "normal" vacations...I agree. I mean I LOVE sightseeing and touristy stuff like that, but usually my trips are centered around going to parks. I don't think I'd ever go anywhere just to go there unless there was a park to hit as well. And that is just fine with me!
JC, who thinks he will get that "nervous" feeling on a new for '03 coaster
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It tastes like burning.
I've never really been scared of coasters so I can't really identify with that type of feeling. The first time I went on big rides as a kind I got an excited feeling, and the only time I've gotten that since then was with MF. That just added to the rush that I get from the ride. I do think that riding coasters back when I was younger had much more of a thrill factor because I could only ride them once a year, vs the many of the past few years.
I was just talking to my friend today as to why I want to go back to CP this year when I've already been there 7 times. I told him it all had to do with the rush and the experience of being in the moment. That is one of the most treasured things about coasters and amusement parks. Suddenly, for a whole day, the whole world fades away, there are no more bills to worry about, there are no more grades to think about, and all you are focused on is a great experience.
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LocoBazooka--Sevendust, Nonpoint, Stereo Vent, Mushroomhead
Korn Tour (With no name)--Korn, Puddle of Mudd, Deadsy
I rode my first "real" coaster, The Beast, in 1990 when I was 15. All my friends were there with me, but they were all wussies and wanted to stay in the arcade playing Karate Champ all day, not riding anything.
So after about three hours in the arcade, I said, screw it, and went off to ride The Beast by myself.
I was so scared that I was gripping the bar with one arm wrapped underneath and the other on top, wrapped around the bottom... almost hugging it. But I can honestly say that from the time I hit the second lift to the present, I have never been scared by a roller coaster.
btw, of the friends who wouldn't ride with me, only one I am still friends with today. He still hates coasters, though I have made him ride Raptor and FoF in the last couple years. His reactions to both were hilarious.
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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.
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