Adrenaline Rush, Where Are You?

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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