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When did you become an enthusiast?


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Mine was kind of different:

 

I always liked coasters, would go to SFMM weekly (when I was in HS and College), always watched the Discovery and Travel Channel shows and would say "Wow, it would be cool to go there", but I never did.

 

We were the "Disney" people for awhile because our kids were so young it was pretty much the only place we could go to and they could ride stuff with us. At this point we would make yearly trips to SFMM or Knott's, but Disney at least once a month.

 

A few years ago we were planning a trip to WDW (which we still haven't taken) and I found Laughingplace.com. That led me to Westcoaster.net and our good friend Jim Disney.

 

For about a year we were just doing the SoCal parks and then we met Robb and Elissa and we all instantly hit it off. It wasn't until then that I started getting into the whole "Coaster" thing and finally got on some trips last year with them.

 

It's really only been since then that I have been keeping up with what is going on outside of SoCal and planning trips.

 

I also think that RCT had alot to do with it.

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It took me until I was in 8th grade (94/95ish) to get on my first coaster. It was Kumba at BGT. After that, I knew I had a problem... a good, fun problem... But, I would have to say it wasn't until 1999, when I graduated from high school and was able to actually travel out of the *lovely* state of Florida, that I became a true entusiast. During this year, Islands of Adventure opened. I also took my first coaster trip out of state the following year to Ohio and hit PKI, CP, GL, SFGAdv, and SFoGA! By this time... it was pretty much the end of all *normal* life as I knew it. I officially became a coaster geek. LOL

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Believe it or not, its was Flashback! at SFOT (Vekoma Boomerang) .. I was terrified of coasters, got paid to ride it .. and loved it. Rest is history I guess.

 

Scary to think a Vekoma insipired me .. although this was when it was rather new still .. 1993/1994ish

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:? 8) Look I can use emoticons!!

 

Anyway...

 

I was in my early teens I think. I was terrified of them in my childhood. My mom didn't ride them and Dad was always on the big ones with my brother so I never really got started on the kiddie ones.

 

Mindbender at SFOG was my first looper I think and after that the rest is history.

 

I didn't start traveling to other parks until about 95 when I drove to BGW. (2nd trip, but first as an adult).

 

*raises glass to 10 years of coasting* lol

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When I got on Demon at PGA last year. I had been on the Giant Dipper at the boardwalk more times than I could count, but never really considered myself an enthusiast until I went on a coaster with inversions. What's strange is that I went from being so deathly afraid of roller coasters to not being able to get enough

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As a little girl growing up in the Old Country, er, Cincinnati (sorry, after reading the posts of all these 16/18 year olds I am starting to feel like someone's grandmother ) my family went several times a summer to Old Coney, and then Kings Island.

 

I love coasters, but my real passion is just the whole amusement park experience. I love rides in general, plus all the other stuff-shows, fireworks, food, games, costumed characters. I have either had a season pass for or been an employee at PKI every year since 1981. I have been to Cedar Point, Geauga Lake and BGW. I have also been a huge Disney fanatic my whole life, and when I made my first visit to WDW in 1985 it elevated my Disney fanaticism like you would not believe. I am one of those people who, if you said "You can go anywhere you want in the world on a free vacation..." I would pick Disney.

 

I have been blessed that my husband and older stepdaughters love amusement parks and our daughter is a fanatic too. I am hoping to take her to Holiday World this summer.

 

Shari "Give me a funnel cake" Shoufler

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As most other kids, I really loved going to parks, sometimes when i was out of school, my late uncle would take me and my sister to Tivoli 3 or 4 times a week! Oh, ye spoiled childhood. When i got my first computer with internet, and the RCT demo was bundled on a cd with it, i was hooked. But as I saw all the insane (remember, biggest thing I've rode back then was a side-friction!) rides in RCT, I ventured out on the internet to see if they could really be real. I never returned from there... And another hyped up addict fanboy was born! Horray!

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I became an enthusiast after my first time riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Orlando... (hey i was three at the time!) Since then, I ride as many as I can, and i watch every coaster show I can. (i've even watched shows when I've been babysitting.)

-Randi "I drive my parents/sister insane from all my coaster talk"Bass

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Well, I didn't really start to fully like coasters until I forced myself to go on Hangman (now Kong at SFMW) at the now defunct Opryland when I was 10. Yeah, its an SLC, but this ride was actually awesome. I still remember it like it was yesterday. The coaster, at the time, was actually really smooth.

 

Anyway, to answer the question, I would say I became a full blown enthusiast when I was in sixth grade. That's when I really started to hassle my 'rents to take me to parks.

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I was hooked after riding Magnum in it's 2nd year.

 

I spent most of my teenage years with 1 visit to PCW, and 1 visit to CP each year. I followed the website Thrillride through out it's time at the top. I would keep track of everything, wishing that I could ride the rides I was seeing, but thinking I never would.

 

I never really did much travelling as my family and freinds were never interested. Then I joined Rideworld 3 years ago and met a bunch of really cool people.

 

Now I've got a good core group of freinds that I can meet up with at parks. And now I travel all over to visit parks.

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When I was 7, I got RCT for Christmas, I really liked the game. I was intrested on how a real roller coaster felt. I rode Revelution and loved Roller Coasters ever since! Now, my friend Isaac and I ask our parents to go to Magic Mtn every Weekend we don't have homework! We are currently 12 and in the 7th Grade.

Kevin"Please let Homework become extinct!" Bujold

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A couple of years ago I was watching a Travel Channel show on coasters and they had Dueling Dragons at IOA and Alpengeist at BGW among others. I had a chance to ride both a couple months later when I went on business to the East coast. I have been hooked ever since.

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