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At what age did you start loving coasters?


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My love for all things roller coaster began at age 6 when I rode Titan at SFOT. I'm not sure if I was even tall enough (they didn't measure me), but I guess since I was with my dad they didn't mind. All I remember is telling my dad to hold me on the lift hill, banging my head into the side of the train on the helix of death... and then wanting to ride again

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Though I've always loved riding them, I didn't really get into enthusiam until I was 19, when I worked my first coaster. I was just looking for a job, so I went to Knott's. The screener told me the only thing that was hiring was traffic. So I said "fine". But a rides manager got my application and interviewed me and a week later I was at Xcelerator.

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Honestly, I've loved amusement parks since I was little and we went to the fair all the time. Unfortunately, we just went to the fair for the shows (my sister did dancing out at the fair) and had no time for rides. Occasionally we would go to Great America or Santa Cruz. Though afraid of the larger rides, they always fascinated me. I always wondered how coasters made it through the loops without derailing (did not know about upstops, thought it just went fast enough like my hotwheels cars). Another one that baffled me as a kid and always wanted to see work was the Tidal Wave (Schwarzy shuttle loop) since I always just saw the train take off from nowhere and never saw the train get towed backwards up the rear spike (like a Boomerang). I always did the flat rides when I was younger and I can remember going to parks as early as 4 or 5 years of age. After going to the parks, I always attempted to draw the rides I went on or saw...or tried to recreate them with my legos.

 

As I got older, my addiction really started up after gaining the courage to ride the Giant Dipper at the Boardwalk. Several more years go by, I visit Knotts Berry Farm and ride my first inverting coasters (WindJammer, Boomerang). I stumble upon Theme Park Review at an even later date (when I believe TPR was selling VHS tapes?) So I would say that I've been fascinated with parks since as long as I can remember.

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I was about 6 years old and it was the Big Dipper at Great Yarmouth in the UK, used to stand watching it in absolute awe for hours, I was too small to ride that year but the next year I did and it was AMAZING, went on it again last year (aged 40) and it was still brilliant I now can't get enough of theme parks and rollercoasters in general, just wish I had the money to be able to join TPR on their trips

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As I was growing up, my parents would always take me to Riverside Park (now Six Flags New England). I slowly made my way up the intensity scale until I summoned up my courage to ride Mind Eraser at age 7. Even after this, I refused to get back on big coasters (and not because it was an SLC). However, when I turned 12, I forced myself onto Batman: The Dark Knight and I loved it. When I got home, I looked up the roller coaster online to see how fast I went. The next visit, I conquered Superman. I was convinced that Superman was the tallest, fastest coaster ever, until I heard of Top Thrill Dragster (and the fact that there were other roller coasters in the world). At that time, there were a lot of empty spaces in my life. I had no favorite band, no idea what I wanted to do in the future, no hobby (that wasn't crap) and roller coasters filled in many of those gaps. So I'd have to say the magic number is 12.

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When I just turned 11 I went to CGA with my mom, dad, & a friend's family from school summer 1993. I was afarid to go on the Demon because it went upside down. My friend got me to go on it so I sat with her dad. I was scared. But I loved it after so I went again. Then that horrible Vortex. We got to go again with out getting off. I can't believe we were all so excited. Top Gun I didn't go on since I guess I wasn't tall enough. My dad went on it though & lost his hat or sunglasses. Today I will go on any except the spinny ones. I love coasters more than ever. Especially the ones at Disney & SFMM.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I always thought coasters were fun when I was much younger, but then at the age of 12, my little home park decided to briefly jump into the "coaster wars". In 1991, Kennywood built the Steel Phantom, and it was awe-inspiring to me! At the time, it had the world's biggest drop and was also the world's fastest coaster. I had never been on anything that large and intimidating before! I rode it for the first time with my dad, and when we got to the station, I admittedly got pretty nervous. But once I rode it, a coaster enthusiast was truly born! I was simply blown away, and I then instantly wanted to go to new parks to ride the best coasters they had to offer.

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I want to say 13, maybe 14. My first coaster was Space Mountain but my first big coaster that made me want to ride everything in the park was Nitro. Amazing coaster for anyone's first ride, amazing coaster no matter how many you've been on or how many times you've been on it.

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I was in kidergarden when someone showed me a website called www.coastergallery.com. I was immediately enthralled, and over the course of a month or two, I looked at every single picture, and the fact that went with each, in total, over 2,000 pictures.

 

I was a coaster fan until 05' when our family took a trip to Ohio to visit cousins, and went to Cedar Point. I wasn't quite 54' yet, so I didn't get any inversion coasters at CP. Millenium Force was what turned me from a knowledgeable coaster fan, to full on enthusiast. That ride was something, especially when you are a member of the GP, like I was then...

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I have a pretty interesting story...

 

There's a very small park about a half an hour from my house (Adventureland in Farmingdale NY (It's in the park index with barely any pics)) and I would always go there with my family when I was about 3 or 4. They had a kiddie coaster that I hated the first time I went on. They had two other coasters. One was a clone of Hurricane at SCBB and the other was a Zierer ladybug. I was really intrigued by them and went on them as soon as I was tall enough. That was really the only park I went to regularly and I never really researched coasters. I went to IOA and BGT when I was about 11 and loved all the rides but they never really stuck with me when I got home. Last year however, I found out I was going to SFGAdv over Spring Break. It would be my first SF and from there on I became OBSESSED! I went to SFMM over the summer and CP in the fall and hope to go to SFNE this year.

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I was probably 4 and rode the Mini-Mine Train at SFoG. As soon as I was old enough, the Mine Train was next - then at about age 12, Mindbender. After that, I was totally hooked and it still ranks in my top 10.

 

David

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  • 3 weeks later...

Probably some kiddie coaster I don't remember. My first true coaster was Space Mountain at Disneyland when I was 5. Also, until I was 48" tall, I practically lived on Ninja at Magic Mountain and Jaguar at Knott's, because those were the only coasters I could ride.

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I really don't remember my age, all I know is that after my first rollercoaster I loved em. It took me a couple years later to get the courage to ride a coaster with inversions though.

 

First coaster ever for me was either Steel Eel at Sea World San Antonio or Wildcat at Frontier City, I can't remember.

 

My first coaster with inversions was Ice Dragon at IOA

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