When did you become an enthusiast?

[Musketeer]

I was always scared of big rides when I was a kid. Heck, even Dumbo scared me cause it went "too high!" But even with that fear, something about Disneyland always intrigued me. Just because I thought of it as this magical place. When I finally got to about 6th grade I discovered TPR, probably when I was looking for Disneyland pictures or reviews or something, lol. TPR definitely opened my little eyes to the world of Theme Parks and roller coasters. I read so much and then when I finally visited SFMM, I was hooked. I loved the thrills, and then being able to visit a place like Disneyland for the environment. I love that different theme parks offer different experiences, which makes me want to travel and visit more!

[3Mutts]

It was a born thing for me, I've interested in coasters my whole life, however when I really became a enthusiast was when I found this site and learned more about other parks (international parks) and other manufacturers besides the basic ones (Intamin, B&M, TGG, GCI, PTC, ect)

[imawesome1124]

I've been an enthusiast as long as I can remember. I knew what airtime was when I was 5, I've always been able to name the current tallest and fastest coaster in the world, and in 5th grade one of my assignments was to write a business letter, and I wrote mine to Premier Rides telling them how much I loved Flight of Fear.

[jray21]

I've always loved roller coasters, and dreamed of working at amusement parks. I worked for a water from when I turned 16, to about 22. I also worked at WDW and that was my dream job. However, I didn't really become a full blown enthusiast until about 2005, when I joined TPR!

Edited February 25, 2013 by jray21

[Zem]

I got into coasters around the age of 7 and starting looking at sites like this when I was about 10. I was more into model coaster building back then than actually ridding coasters since I hadn't been able to visit many parks. I've always been extremely interested with coasters from a design standpoint and love creating them is software like NoLimits. It's only as of lately though that I have gotten into the coaster enthusiast community and begun attending events and such. I hope to continue this hobby for the rest of my life and visit many parks across the world.

[larrygator]

I didn't consider myself an enthusiast when I drove with a girlfriend from New York to Ohio and ride coasters at CP and KI in 1991, since the coasters were an add-on to her visiting potential grad schools.

 

August 2001 Labor Day weekend was the moment. Out of the blue on that Thursday I decided I was going to drive the next day to Cedar Point and Kings Island a 4-day period. That was my first trip expressly for amusement parks. I didn't even make reservation anywhere, I just got on the rode and started driving. Kennywood was not even part of the scheduled trip until I saw a brochure for it at a rest area on the way home and deciced to stop. I remembered seeing a Travel Channel special that featured their amazing bumper cars. I didn't think were very special, but I loved Phantom's Revenge and Jackrabbit with a leather strap as a restraint.

 

It wasn't until two years later that I realized that those amazing bumper cars were not at Kennywood, but at another Pennsylvania amusement park that began with the letter K.

[CorkscrewFoley]

I was always fascinated by roller coasters right from an early age. Even if I was too small to ride or too chicken, I just couldn't get enough of them. I didn't consider myself an enthusiast until I discovered forums for people like me. It sounds hokey, but I really love coasters and being an enthusiast. I'm just happy being at park.

[Randomman295]

I got the first RCT game when I was 5 and was interested in coasters since, but it was only when I took my first trip to Cedar Point when I was eleven that I started to consider myself as an enthusiast. Things took off from there.

[154bmag]

For me, I'm not sure what started it, but I was 9 at the time when I became interested in rollercoasters, it was about that that I first heard of TPR, and got my copy of RCT, which was probably a big step for a lot of people.

[DougMJr]

Probably since RCT came out. I used to put HOURS, into that game. Once I became old enough to go to the parks I think that solidified it.

[coasterbear30]

I was like a lot of others in that I was afraid of coasters when I was little. Dahlonega Mine Train was my first coaster at about age 6 or 7 and I wasn't too fond of it. Around age 12 I really enjoyed it but was still scared to go on the bigger rides. At age 14 I tried Ninja (SFOG) for the first time and I loved it(don't ask me why now.) I rode everything else in the park that day. Ever since then I have loved coasters but I didn't become a full fledged enthusiast until around 2006 when I started travelling to ride coasters. Now I can't stop.

[thrillseeker4552]

When I was 4, my parents took me to Knott's Berry Farm for the first time. I remember watching Jaguar go around the helix over the midway and thinking, "Do people ride in that? How scary!" About a year later I rode Jaguar and Montezooma's Revenge and became hooked. I then made it up to the big boys like Silver Bullet, Ghost Rider, and Xcelerator and knew that someday I'm gonna build one of my own.