Too Scared to Ride...Again?

I was inspired to start this topic after reading this thread. Most of us, as enthusiasts, can't really imagine being too scared to ride any coaster, no matter how crazy or intimidating it may be. But I'm sure we all know at least one person (usually not an enthusiast) who has refused to ride a coaster due to fear. It's a pretty common thing. How many of you, however, have known someone who has ridden a coaster at least once, and refused to ride again because it was 'too scary'? Now, I'm not talking about the people who don't 'waste their time' on a coaster because it's either too boring or too rough, in their opinions. I mean the ones who are actually too afraid to set foot in the queue again because the ride scared the hell out of them.

I would imagine that there would not be too many, but a couple of situations I've experienced actually got me thinking that maybe there are more of these people than I would expect. Here are the situations I was referring to:

In 1999, I was dating a girl who certainly wasn't crazy about roller coasters like I am, but would generally ride at least some of them, if they weren't too tall. Height or long, straight drops seemed to be the determining factor as to whether or not she would ride. She didn't mind looping coasters at all, for some reason. Well, early in the '99 season (June, I believe), a couple friends of mine went with us to Six Flags America (my home park), and this girl had no problem riding any and all of the coasters there (keep in mind that S:RoS had not been built yet). In August of that same year, my company planned a work trip to SFA. She and I arrived when the park opened, but some of my work buddies weren't going to show until a couple hours later. I figured that she and I could hit some coasters for the first couple hours until my friends arrived, but she could not get up the nerve to ride them--the exact same coasters she'd ridden (and enjoyed) two months earlier. Strange.

The second instance was in 2000. I was dating a different girl by then, and while she also wasn't a coaster fanatic, she had no problem riding any coaster, and rather enjoyed them. In August, we took a trip to Hersheypark, Cedar Point, and Kings Island. While at Cedar Point, the first thing we did was get in line for Millennium Force, the main reason for the entire trip (for me, at least). Since it was early, we were on in less than 30 minutes. Upon exiting, my knees weak and my body full of adrenaline, I finally looked at her (after verbally praising the ride over and over as best I could, given that there were very few words to describe what an incredible experience that first ride was) to find that she had tears in her eyes. These were not tears caused by the 93mph wind, but tears from crying. She whimpered, 'I'm not going on that thing ever again.' I wish I could say it the way she did. It was not out of contempt, or pain, or boredom. It was sincere terror. I felt really bad, but her reaction was quite odd to me. She has been on S:RoS, and really enjoyed it, but she said that MF's drop was just too tall, and it scared the hell out of her. Fortunately I managed a couple more rides on it (without her, of course ;) ).

So, have any of you experienced similar situations?

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-Vater
Have you ridden a Toboggan?
*** This post was edited by Vater 4/30/2003 2:22:00 PM ***

My wife refuses to ride Phantom's Revenge again. The ejector air absolutely terrified her.

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SRM 2003-Look for the guy with my name on his chest

Nice stories Vator. Sad, but kinda nice to read.

My brother rides absolutely no coasters at all...no if's, and's or but's. But on opening day(2001) at PKD, he rode volcano with little problem with my dad. When he got off he really looked and talked as though he enjoyed it, but refuses to ride it again. He says it was fun, and says nothing of it being scary, but refuses to ride it a 2nd time.

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G-Forces: The only positive addiction out there!
CoasterCount: 42

I personally had a reaction like 'dude's bro. I went skydiving once and thrroughly enjoyed it. I'd even encourage others to try it. But as for me, I will never willingly jump out of another mechanically sound aircraft from ~10,000ft. There just is no point in testing fate twice for me.

Anyway, back *on* topic, my mother is like this. She is a pretty avid coaster rider, so still reminices over the Riverview Bobs. She's pretty much a trooper on all coasters except stand-ups (which she has never ridden) and anything that goes backwards (dont physically"agree" with her). But back in 1989, she queued for and boarded Magnum. And to this day, she will not ride it again. Now, she's ridden Raging Bull several times in the interim, but she simply will not ride Magnum, not during any of our subsequent visits.

We are tentatively planning an excursion to CP this year. She doesnt think she will ride TTD, though she is toying with the possibility of Millie. But the issue of Maggie is a non-starter. She simply will not ride!

lata, jeremy

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American troops "have started to commit suicide under the walls of Baghdad. We will encourage them to commit more suicides quickly." Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf

I'ven known alot of people who have gone to parks and their first coaster was the park's largest coaster and then refuse to get on another coaster after that! I tell them that they need to ease into coaster riding. If I know someone doesn't ride coasters but would like to, I encourage them to start out small and work their way up, that way they don't end up freaked out on their first ride.

Mark: I can see why your wife and others might not be willing to ride Phantom's Revenge for a 2nd time--that coaster really packs a punch!

I had the same thing happen to me when I was quite young--my older sister took me on Gemini (back in the day when it was the park's biggest coaster) and it freaked me out! I didn't ride another coaster for years after that and you couldn't have paid me to get back on it! She should have started me out smaller (of course, now days, Gemini *is* one of the smaller coasters!)

When standing in line for MF for the first time last year I found that I was scared. It was strange to me because I've never been scared to ride a coaster.

It was partially because it was shut down for about 45 minutes due to thunder and lightning (I thought the ride could get struck since its this huge steel contraption sticking out in the middle of a lake).

To top it off, my friend who was with me, that happened to be a local of CP told me this story of how it was struck one time and it screwed up their computers(?) or something and the ride broke down for a while. I don't know if that's true, but it scared the bejesus out of me. He couldn't persuade me to ride front.

But afterwards, the ride became the highest adrenaline rush of my life and I've fell in love with coasters ever since. :)
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Tales for the L33t

My girlfriend (man there are a lot of scared girlfriends out there) barely made it out of the Screamin' Eagles station at SFSTL. During the ride, my life was verbally threatened more than once and many other phrases that I cannot repeat here were emitted. However, she loves coasters and has ridden many since then, including SE.

Another girlfriend / wife story here... My wife refuses to ride Deja Vu. She tried it once and was scared, but that's normal for her. She is often scared on her first time on a new coaster. She rode it a second time a few months later, and she got just as if not MORE scared that time. She then swore she will never ride DV again, because she it's too scary. She'll still ride anything else.

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SCREAM with me... in 2003!

In my very early enthusiast years there was one time i was scared on a roller coaster, my first time on Iron Wolf (and my first standup). Dont know why but even after batman, BBW, LNM, and American Eagle that coaster had me scared going up the lift, once we crested though there was no problems :)

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Summer 03-CP, HP, Canobie, SFNE, SFWOA, and SFGAm.

Roller coasters used to scar the crap out of me! But the best way to have a good time is just to go on the coaster with a smile on your face. Come on!, ur at a amusement park ppl.

I took a trip to Cedar Point back in 2000 with the girl I was dating at that time. Naturally we got in line for Raptor first thing, and she wasn't scared in the line. Once seated, though, she nearly chickened out (I convinced her to stay on). We rode it and she got off and said she enjoyed it but did not want to ride it again.

The funny thing was she had no problems with any other other coasters that we got to ride (although she didn't ride MForce).

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Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

My wife is like the first Vater girlfriend. She has no problem with looping, but hates Really Big Drops.

She hasn't yet only ridden something once and never again. However, she is considering the possibility of Magnum this year...

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http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~bnoble/

When i started with coasters i was scared to death of them, then my friend convinced me to go... we went on Nitro, at SF:Gadv, 215 foot drop, fastest, tallest coaster in the park, pretty sick.. My first coaster ever, well i was Excited/terrified after i got off yet i jumped right back in line, rode it again and from then on, I am a coaster freak and i go on every coaster i can get my Hands on! Just to show that even the people that think they will "never go on that thing" also come to love or... even obsess coasters later.

Well the first truly big coaster I ever rode was the Mean Streak, now sadly Cedar point has killed it with brakes, but then, it was one of the nations best rides. I had been working up to it all day, riding bigger and begger rides, and after I was comfortable with Gemini, I decided to take a spin(mind you I was very young then) and I had my eyes closed the whole way. At the time, it was up there with the Beast and Grizzly intensity wise, and the only thing I could say when I got off was "intense". I vowed to never ride it again, but my wonderful dad had me back on in less than 10 minutes:-)

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Save LeSourdesville Lake!!! It was the best park ever!!!

When I first met my girlfriend she would always ride with me, but would always be fearful everytime I said "hey lets go to (insert north eastern PA park here". Nitro was the worst for her, she actually needed to sit and be calmed down for 30 minutes.

Strange thing though, after a while (and coaxing from her best friend) she's started to like coasters. She even wants to go on TTD in '04..........

My Aunt hates drops, and (especialy) the floarting airtime they provide. For several years in a row, she rode the Demon at SFGAm, and claimed to enjoy it very much. Then, one day, she just said that the first drop was too much for her, and she would never ride it again.

And she hasn't.

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I hear America screaming...

I was in A Major Amusement Park last summer and took a ride on the Rainbow. No way would I ride that one again that day in that park!

Not because of any of the usual reasons, but because this particular Rainbow was oscillating in a most peculiar manner, moving along an axis along which a Rainbow is not supposed to move at all...!

Does that count? :)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

To me the pittfall comes in mine when I think of this. I can ride it once when I'm at kennywood and that's all I need. I just get really scared looking out at the world 251 ft. above ground. It's likes you are dropping for hell!

I remember I first rode the Scooby Doo (PKD) with my dad, and I loved it. But, when I wanted to ride it by myself, I couldn't muster up the courage to ride it again. About a year later, my dad took me on it again and I loved it.

The same happened with me on Rebel Yell. It was my first big coaster, and my friends took me on it. I loved it the first time, but I couldn't ride it by myself. My sister was gonna take me on it, but she wanted me to sit in the front, so I started to cry. (I WAS SMALL!) Of course, I'll gladly hop on it now.

I also used to never ride a coaster for the first time by myself, but I did with the Hurler, and I loved it too. Now, I'm all good for doing a new ride by myself. Infact, I go often to parks by myself because none of my friends ever wanna go when I want to go.

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Free Falls on Drop Zone: 5!
Batwing Flights: 7!
Superman: Ride of Steel Airtime-age: 10!

I remember I first rode the Scooby Doo (PKD) with my dad, and I loved it. But, when I wanted to ride it by myself, I couldn't muster up the courage to ride it again. About a year later, my dad took me on it again and I loved it.

The same happened with me on Rebel Yell. It was my first big coaster, and my friends took me on it. I loved it the first time, but I couldn't ride it by myself. My sister was gonna take me on it, but she wanted me to sit in the front, so I started to cry. (I WAS SMALL!) Of course, I'll gladly hop on it now.

I also used to never ride a coaster for the first time by myself, but I did with the Hurler, and I loved it too. Now, I'm all good for doing a new ride by myself. Infact, I go often to parks by myself because none of my friends ever wanna go when I want to go.

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Free Falls on Drop Zone: 5!
Batwing Flights: 7!
Superman: Ride of Steel Airtime-age: 10!