Believe it or not, at one time I was terrified of roller coasters. I would not ride them, especially if they were taller than 100 feet or went upside down. My paranoid mind was sure that I would vomit the moment the train inverted.
Gradually, however, I began to venture outside of my comfort zone to ride bigger and “scarier” coasters. The turning point in my coaster career came at the ripe age of 12, when I made the bold decision to enter the Wildfire queue at Silver Dollar City. I don’t remember what motivated me to ride.
I remember pulling down my restraint. If I wasn’t already sweating from the 90-degree heat, my hands were perspiring enough to keep my entire body cool.
“Well, this is it. I’m really doing this. There’s no turning back now,” I mumbled to my dad as one of the ride operators checked to make sure my restraint was locked into place.
The train departed the station and turned towards the 12-story lift hill.
A seismometer would have registered the vibrations coming from my throbbing chest. Prior to Wildfire, the largest looping coaster I had ridden was Demon at Six Flags Great America. This was a big step up.
Before I had time to realize what was happening, the ride was over. It was a blast. I enjoyed it. I survived.
Wildfire marked a turning point in my coaster career. In the years following, I saw no limits in what I could ride, aside from spinning coasters which nauseate me. I tackled giants such as Raging Bull at Six Flags Great America and Sheikra at Busch Gardens Tampa.
As I braved these larger coasters, I experienced an extreme adrenaline rush in the time leading up to the ride. Even in the days before visiting a park, I would get anxious at the thought of the riding a new “big” coaster. I still saw them as unfamiliar territory.
While I was still intimidated, I knew that I could handle them. I rode Wildfire.
As much as I despised the nervousness and sweaty palms that preceded a new coaster, the resulting adrenaline rush made the ride experience considerably more intense.
Now that I’m accustomed to and seek out the biggest coasters, I no longer experience that rush. I know what’s coming. The butterfly sensation in my stomach during the first drop isn’t as breathtaking. I’m just enjoying riding a coaster.
Don’t get me wrong, I still get very excited about riding a coaster, especially if it is one that is new to me. But until I go on a monster such as Kingda Ka, I’m not sure that I’ll ever experience that heart-racing adrenaline that was a commonplace during my early coaster-riding days.
Perhaps I should venture into a new frontier. My heart races at the thought of skydiving.
What do you do to bring back that intense rush of adrenaline? Share in the comments section below.
Great article. I remember riding SF Over Georgia’s Scream Machine for the first time. These girls were freaking out on the lift hill and I was yawning. I wished for a moment that I could be that challenged again. To my surprise that coaster was wild and surprisingly intense. There could always be a surprise woodie out there that might give you a rush. Ever ridden Phoenix as Knoebels or Family Kingdom’s Swamp Fox? Tons of airtime and those old school lap bars so you’re FLYING out of your seat.
Recently, I’ve had to branch out beyond coasters in order to broaden my knowledge and experience at theme parks. That has led to some new adrenaline rushes like riding a S&S tower at Worlds of Fun recently. I’d done drop rides, but not the ones that shoot you upward. That wasn’t all that challenging, but it was a rush as it was something completely new.
Outside of ‘coasterdom’, I went white water rafting and zip lining at the White Water Center here in Charlotte last week. Both were rushes especially the rafting as I knew there was a possibility of getting tossed out of the boat.
@TheCoasterCritic, drop rides still get me. The anticipation alone is the worst part. White water rafting is thrilling too, with a complete lack of safety harness.
Thanks for the reply!