Scared Coaster Enthusiast!

[A.J.]

Okay, you may think I'm crazy to be a coaster enthusiast and be too chicken to ride, but hear me out.

 

I started playing RCT over 10 years ago, and wanted to be a professional roller coaster designer ever since. But, RCT gave me an irrational fear or roller coasters the first time a ride broke down with a station brakes failure and crashed. I want to overcome that fear.

 

I'm going on a youth trip on Wednesday to Hersheypark. Give me some advice please - what's the best "big" coaster in the park for a chicken like me to overcome his fear? Also, if you have any other advice to help me out a bit, that would be appreciated...

[paintballer]

OK first of all, Rct2 ain't accurate at all, second of all, Fahrenheit, for me, the most intimidating coaster there, so go for it, you'll have fun on the rest!

 

And as they say "JUST DO IT!"

[ebl]

If you can get through a ride on X2, you can do anything. That's the only ride that I was actually considering backing out of before my first ride.

 

Eric

[Jds03]

Hershey park is the greatest park to overcome your fears! They have a perfect lineup to get used to coasters in steps. Start with Trail Blazer, then move to Roller Soaker (if there's no wait). Next to Comet, and Sooperdooperlooper. After that, take on Wild Cat and Lighting Racers. Then try Sidewinder (but don't get a bad impression from it, it's a boomerang after all)and move on to the Great Bear. Finally, do Storm Runner and Fahrenheit.

 

Plus not to mention, Hershey has a world renowned ride safety reputation so it’s a perfect place to feel safe on rides.

 

Believe me, you just have to take the steps, and always remember that coasters are not even remotely dangerous. I think like statistically you're somewhere around twenty times more likely to get killed in a car crash on the way to the park, than on a coaster, and just about 95% of coaster fatalities are also Darwin awards, because they were a result of someone doing something stupid on or around the ride.

 

The RCT thing where the rides explode is just some stupid thing the game manufactures threw in, it never actually happens. In real life there are block sections and censors connected to computer monitoring systems that wouldn’t allow two trains on the same segment of track until the first train has cleared. The possibility for a head on collision is almost physically impossible on modern rides.

 

There is nothing to be scared of on coasters. It’s all in your head. That’s what their designed to do!

[Sir Clinksalot]

First off, kind of hard to call yourself a "Coaster Enthusiast" if your afraid of coasters.

 

Second, as was said above, RCT2 is NOT an accurate description of actual coaster riding. It's a game. Nothing more.

 

Third, as was said above, Hershey is a great place to "pop your coaster cherry". I agree, start with Trail Blazer. I'd then move over to Comet and SooperDooperLooper is a GREAT looping coaster. I wouldn't try Storm Runner or Fahrenheit until you are comfortable on all of the other rides first.

 

Then again, if you just want to get the fear done quick, head right for those two.

[Goliath513]

Sidewinder -- it's impossible to crash like your RCT ride with a station brakes failure because the ride is a Vekoma boomerang and can only run one train since it's a shuttle coaster.

[netdvn]

You need some tips?

 

1. Don't close your eyes. It only makes things scarier anyway.

2. Try hitting everything when the lines are short. Less wait=less anticipation.

3. Start with small tame coasters and work your way up. OR start with the biggest, scariest coaster and work your way down. You're better off with the second choice because once you've conquered the larger coasters, you can do everything else with ease.

4. Watch tons of Hershey POVs to get yourself familiarized with the layouts. That way, you know what to expect before you ride.

5. Remember, you take a bigger risk of dying just getting out of bed than getting hurt at an amusement park/theme park.

 

Don't forget to have fun!

[monsterfan99]

^ Dead right on not closing your eyes and defiantly watch the POVs.

 

My other advise is to take breaks as needed and maybe hit some tame rides as well.

[A.J.]

Thanks everyone.

 

I completely understand that RCT is fictional. However, that one instance just hit me and caused the fear.

 

The thing is, I think I'd be fine once the ride starts. It's just getting from the station platform to the seat!

 

If I don't feel up to doing Fahrenheit or Stormrunner, maybe I'll start in the middle-ish and ride Wildcat or Lightning Racer...

[CreditCrazy]

Just don't think about it too much. Get there, and get right on something. Tell yourself you're going to ride it and force yourself on.

[Team Thriller]

Here are all the tips I tell my friends/family who are scared to ride. Since we are all family and friends here on TPR, I'll share them with you.

 

1.) Don't be forced to ride something by your friends that you don't want to ride. Go on all the rides at your own pace and under your own decision.

 

2.) Watch the coaster a few times before riding. (You might have to if there's a line).

 

3.) Don't close your eyes because if you do, you will not know what to expect.

 

4.) Watch POV's before your trip so you know what to expect

 

5.) Ask someone who has been on it before for reassurance right before you board (Don't be forced to ride though)

 

6.) Ride a ride that fits how you feel at the time. Even though many people say to ride the big ride first to get over your fears, that can be correct, but it can also be incorrect. Ride the ride that you feel like riding at the time.

If you aren't in the mood for a thrill ride, then don't ride it. Work your way up. Of course, make it a goal to ride all the big rides before you leave, that way you will be sure to accomplish your goal.

 

7.) Have fun riding. And remember to make it a goal to ride all the scary and big rides.

 

I think that's all the ones that stand out in my mind right now. Good luck and happy ridings!

 

--James

[Crazy_Behemoth_Lady_Jess]

I can definitely understand how you feel as I have a fear of heights myself. Here's some tips:

 

- Watch the POV's of a coaster that you've never been on multiple times so you know what to expect.

 

- Start off on the smaller coasters in the park to work the way up.

 

- If you're like me, that you're fear is more to do with falling than the actual height, I like to keep in mind that even though I'm at a height and what goes up must come down, I'm not coming out of this train, and the train is on a track so theres only one way it can go. My fear is not so much heights but more so to do with falling from a height and SPLAT! onto the ground.

 

- "Know your limit, play within it". If you feel too uncomfortable while waiting in line, don't worry about making a fool of yourself if you have to back out. In the past, I've had to back out of riding certain coasters because I just didn't think I was up for it. Backing out doesn't make you a wimp no matter what anyone tells you, it actually shows that you know your own limit and respect it. And remember it's ok to be scared. Fear is a natural response.

 

- Some people find that while waiting in line, watching the coaster go puts their mind at ease by knowing what to expect (they're usually general public, as they don't know about watching POVs ahead of time!). If watching the coaster go makes you more nervous, try looking away from the coaster and thinking about something else.

 

- Learning relaxation techniques and mindfulness can help too in the long run, not just for coasters but the general fear. If the fear really bothers you enough that it affects your everyday activities, it would be advisable to speak to a counsellor or someone you trust. (Mind you, I'm not a psychiatrist or a doctor in anyway)

 

- Whatever you do, don't hold your breath if you get too scared. Just scream, it helps get the adrenaline going and gets the oxygen to your brain so you don't pass out from being too fear. You'll actually feel less scared when you scream.

 

~ Jess "Psychiatric help: 5 cents" Chan

[cal1br3tto]

If you can ride a coaster more than once, consider closing your eyes. It really neutralizes the fear, but unfortunately it also takes away a lot of the excitement, so don't do so if you'll only get to ride the coaster once that day. A good compromise is to "try" to keep your eyes open, but "allow" yourself to close them if you're too scared. That way you still get pieces of the full ride experience.

If you do like closing your eyes (some people don't), stop doing so as soon as you can so you can start getting the complete experience!

 

Other than that, just do the obvious. Hold on and scream. Stop holding on as soon as you can (unless you just like to), but don't stop screaming--it doesn't mean you're scared in a "bad" way.

 

Not only are rides short, but individual elements are even shorter. Drops, loops, etc. are completed almost instantaneously. Time didn't seem to "stretch out" for me, even when I was very frightened, so you might not have to worry about that.

 

Fully trust the ride and the restraints, since you're extremely unlikely to become a victim. It's best if you just don't worry about safety, since you don't really need to anyway.

 

It is almost always better to commit to a ride than it is to back out, no matter how you feel. I know the standard advice is "don't let yourself be forced", but almost nobody truly needs to skip a ride. It's fine to avoid certain rides because of fear, but realize you don't "need" to.

 

Don't "move backwards". If you've done something successfully once, do it again, even if you're still scared.

 

For me, overwhelmingly nerve-wracking fear became a non-issue very quickly. It didn't take long for a tipping point to occur between extreme fear and average fear, and there's a big difference between the "before" and the "after".

[.TP.Emma.]

I Know how you feel because I used to get scared to go on rides, but now I am okay and I feel like I can go on anything.

However if I am scared, when I watch the ride I am hoping to bravely go on, I tend to watch one person and see how fast they move, their reaction and how they feel after coming off.

This makes me feel a lot better and I always find that once I have sat down and been strapped in, I feel very safe and ready to ride!

Hope this helps

[rollerboy]

A few people have said here that closing your eyes is worse. For me, it is the opposite. I closed my eyes on SAW and Stealth and it made less scared. Though it's different for everyone.

 

My opinion: Just do it! You'll regret is else.

[Mr. Starr]

Sing a song, or have a normal conversation with someone else riding before the scariest part.

[Crazy_Behemoth_Lady_Jess]

Or just scream when it gets to the scariest part (usually the first drop)! I was so scared to the point of nearly crying when I rode Behemoth and going up that lift hill, I was telling myself "its ok, I'm not comming out of this train...Ahhhhhhhh!"

 

Singing a song...I've done that too, going up Titan's lift hill I was singing "What goes up...must come down" over and over again. You all know that song right?

[monsterfan99]

Sing a song, or have a normal conversation with someone else riding before the scariest part.

My fiance sings Monster Mash or Purple People Eater on any spinney type ride. You know, after she started doing it, she is ok. Before, it was mean a 20-30 minute break afterwords. So it can work for some people.

[MattC]

I find the best technique is if I'm scared is to adopt a kamikaze approach. I just don't give myself a chance to be worried by watching the coaster go round and round. I find that's the worst thing for me. I just line up and talk for the whole line. Makes time pass real quick.

[disneyland123]

Believe it or not, up till 2005 I was fairly scared of coasters myself. My son was scared of them until he tried CA Screamin' in 2007, so I'm pretty much experienced with having fears for rides. Here are some of my ways I try [to get my son or myself] to overcome the fear.

 

~ If you're afraid of backing out of the line, hit up a coaster with little/no wait time. This will give you less time to change your mind about riding. Sometimes, if you want to go in the other direction, go for a long line so that you have plenty of time to rest before the ride

 

~ If you're afraid of coasters crashing, get on something that you feel comfortable with (that looks safe enough). Or you could do a little research beforehand to see what rides or what kind of rides have perfect/good safety records, like B&Ms in general

 

~ If you're afraid of getting stuck somewhere on the coaster, don't worry because eventually you'll be able to get off the coaster

 

~ If you're afraid that the brakes fail (which is a very uncommon accident), maybe you could go on a ride running one train (OK this one's a stupid one but it just might work)

 

Hope this helped in some way(s)

[The Bebes]

Hi A.J.,

 

I just came across your thread! I'm interested in hearing how your trip to Hersheypark went!! What did you ride? Have you conquered your fears??

 

I hope so.

 

- Lady bebe