Why are coaster enthusiasts weird?

[DBru]

Let me ask this another way--do you think there's a correlation between liking roller coasters and "being weird?" Think about it. In general, are people who LOVE sports weird? Nah. Tons of people love sports. How about people who LOVE cars? Not really. But if you have attended a coaster event, you probably found yourself thinking, "Hm. A lot of these people are quite...different." I'll admit it, there are things about me that are pretty darn weird, and I've been obsessed with roller coasters since age 4.

 

I know this might be a tad to philosophical, and maybe kind of offensive, but I've genuinely been considering this question for a long time. Is there something that draws weird people to being roller coaster enthusiasts?

 

What are your thoughts?

[viking86]

My opinion is that you find weird people in all hobbies, and coaster enthusiasts are not unique in this context. For example I would consider myself rather obsessed with soccer, I go to all the matches to watch the local team and also travel to a few away matches, and trust me when I say there is a lot of weird people among the fans as well. Yes, coaster enthusiasts might be a small group compared to other more "normal" interests, but in terms of weird people I don't think it's that much different from the rest of society.

 

So I would say that generally there is a lot of weird people out there!

[julioot]

Yes they/we are, I blame vekoma for giving most of us brain Injuries.

[flaffstar]

What viking86 says. I have a few other Hobbies as well (e.g. Pyrotechnic/Fireworks; Coasters are the biggest one though) and there's always a big group of weird people (At least they seem weird to me, for others they are maybe "normal").

[A.J.]

The public gets exposure to sports every hour of every day of every year. A car is a tangible thing that you can show off. You can play a video game with your friends. You can go running or exercising together. All of these are hobbies that have at least some ability to give you instant gratification.

 

Coaster-riding is very niche - you often have to drive out of your way to go somewhere, and then do a lot of walking, to ride a coaster, which is inconvenient for people who aren't as big of coaster fans. By contrast, you can watch a sport without being totally interested in it (like myself with American Football), yet be able to engage with the people that are. And, in the span of a single American Football game, you may only get to experience a coaster four times, with the rest of the time spent trudging around or standing in a queue staring awkwardly at each other.

[Physical]

The more niche the hobby, the weirder the people (generally)

 

Coasters have widespread appeal, but I'd say 98% of the population only goes to their local park once or twice a year, and wouldn't be willing to travel halfway across the country, or even half way across the state, just to ride coasters.

[Jcoaster]

I attest to the sports fan comment. As a huge sports fan myself I can say without a doubt there are sports that are just as on par with their weirdness as coaster nerds/ themepark junkies.

 

There are normal people and weirdos in ever facet of life. Legitemately every hobby has a forum now, endless amounts of weirdos out there.

[Ed Farmer]

Think about it. In general, are people who LOVE sports weird? Nah. Tons of people love sports.

 

Oh, they're there. College Basketball, and especially College Football are filled with the worst kinds of scum as fans. It gets especially frightening and bizarre when it comes to NLI/Signing Days. The internet has only (exponentially) worsened their behavior. It's certainly not everyone, but it's a sizable group, and they're loud as f***. I've lost just about all interest in NCAAB and NCAAF because of this.

 

The best thing one can do when presented with degenerates, whatever their hobby may be, is to do one's best not to be like them in all facets of life.

[coasterbill]

I attest to the sports fan comment. As a huge sports fan myself I can say without a doubt there are sports that are just as on par with their weirdness as coaster nerds/ themepark junkies.

 

There are normal people and weirdos in ever facet of life. Legitemately every hobby has a forum now, endless amounts of weirdos out there.

 

I've always been a sports fan and I can confirm that there are plenty of sports fans who are incredibly weird (like people who show up to minor league baseball games 5 hours early to get collectible bobbleheads or hang out for HOURS after the game in a parking garage / parking lot exit to get autographs from the players as they leave the stadium / arena... I've met them... they're really creepy), but it's a VERY small percentage overall. With this hobby the percentage is unbelievably high.

[prozach626]

I view this thread as a bunch of fat kids in fat camp sitting around the fire self consciously talking about how the kids in the fat camp next door are way fatter than they are, in order to feel better about themselves. (relax, it's only an analogy)

 

Here's how you get over it:

Step 1: Embrace the fact that this is a very nerdy hobby.

Step 2: Stop giving a crap that this is a very nerdy hobby.

 

This hobby attracts a ton of nerds. If you enjoy this hobby, you without a doubt have a little bit of nerd in you. Nerds tend to be weird. You probably don't realize that you're a little weird, or you don't want to admit it, so you seek out people who are much weirder than you are in order to feel better about your nerdy hobby. The problem is that you care. Just be yourself.

 

I see no point in this thread other than dogging really weird people so we can all feel better about ourselves, regardless of how someone will undoubtedly try to justify a different intention of this discussion. I'm not playing this game.

[Hilltopper39]

^What this guy said.

 

There are weird/strange/awkward people in every hobby. See crossfit/running/other health type activities. Plenty of normal people who do it for fun/exercise/friendships etc., but some that are batshit crazy about it. I won't even get into the Disney running events, but yeah.

[bert425]

I view this thread as a bunch of fat kids in fat camp sitting around the fire self consciously talking about how the kids in the fat camp next door are way fatter than they are, in order to feel better about themselves. (relax, it's only an analogy)

 

Here's how you get over it:

Step 1: Embrace the fact that this is a very nerdy hobby.

Step 2: Stop giving a crap that this is a very nerdy hobby.

 

This hobby attracts a ton of nerds. If you enjoy this hobby, you without a doubt have a little bit of nerd in you. Nerds tend to be weird. You probably don't realize that you're a little weird, or you don't want to admit it, so you seek out people who are much weirder than you are in order to feel better about your nerdy hobby. The problem is that you care. Just be yourself.

 

I see no point in this thread other than dogging really weird people so we can all feel better about ourselves, regardless of how someone will undoubtedly try to justify a different intention of this discussion. I'm not playing this game.

 

wait.. so if I'm a Theme Park Enthusiast, does that make me less nerdy than a Coaster Enthusiast then?

 

we've passed "credits" in a park, to go ride a carousel instead.

 

(I mean..if you wanna feel thinner, go stand next to a fatter person .. .it's all in perspective)

 

[coasterbill]

I see no point in this thread other than dogging really weird people so we can all feel better about ourselves, regardless of how someone will undoubtedly try to justify a different intention of this discussion. I'm not playing this game.

 

You're right, and you're undoubtedly taking a higher road than me but I mostly feel the same way. Occasionally I'll play the game though even though I know I shouldn't. I have enough self awareness to admit that.

 

Generally though I don't have a huge problem with overly weird enthusiasts (well... the ones that shower at least). I don't necessarily want to hang out with them, but I don't want to sh*t on them or put them down either. The individuals in the coaster community that I really have a problem with are the arrogant ones that think that they're more important than they really are, that they're better than the other guests that visit the park ("the GP") and act as if the parks / the coaster clubs / the world owes them something.

 

If there was a thread called "Why are coaster enthusiasts such entitled a**holes", I would write an essay. As far as the people who are just "weird", I don't usually jump on people for being weird unless it crosses over to the point where it's creepy and makes everyone uncomfortable (i.e. the guy who didn't shower that wanted to switch places with me at Dorney so he could sit next to my fiance on Talon and made her extremely uncomfortable... obviously that wasn't happening). Otherwise, do your thing.

[SFOG1991]

I feel like the more niche a hobby is, the weirder the biggest enthusiasts of that hobby appear to be.

 

I've been to ACE events (and other coaster events) and when you get the diehard obsessive enthusiasts, yes many of them are very "weird" but I try to live and let live. I will admit some people can be downright annoying. I'm sure to the "general public" even I am a bit weird and annoying, but I try to tone it down a few notches at least, especially when I consider my audience.

[jarmor]

This topic was brought up a short while ago. Here are some of the response . . .

 

I think it might be a tendency for socially awkward people to grasp an obsession with something, so it's less so coasters-->awkwardness than the other way around, if that makes sense. That said, I have met a lot of cool people in this hobby and it's always good to be passionate about something (to an extent). I've been an introverted person in the past but (especially in the last few months) have met a lot of really cool people, some even close friends now, because of coasters... so it really goes both ways.

 

Just from my observations, no formal psychological training, it seems that people who become enthusiasts of anything are the sort of people predisposed to want to know how something works, not just what to do with something. They want to know what makes an engine run, not just how to drive a car.

 

Most people are content with knowing their role in the world. They ascribe to social conventions without really worrying about whether they make sense. But the sort of person who always wants to know why something is how it is will have difficulty understanding these social conventions, which often are formed over long time periods by large numbers of people and for a myriad of different reasons. It's difficult for these people to join in with social conventions precisely because it's difficult to understand them.

 

For people of this propensity, machines are far easier to understand, even highly complex ones like roller coasters. Every part of a roller coaster is designed for a purpose, and they all work together. Reason and design yield easy answers to "why" questions and therefore are much more comfortable.

 

So I think that we're not seeing causation here, but rather two parallel manifestations of the same neurobiological condition. In other words, social awkwardness is neither the cause nor the result of roller coaster enthusiasm, but a tendency toward social awkwardness and enthusiasm are both the result of a certain genetic trait that causes that personality type.

 

It is hard to blend in, especially when you see people who can rave about football and video games with their friends and yourself being the only person you can talk to about rollercoasters. When you try to get your mum and sister into rollercoasters and they get so bored they eventually start being sarcastic and yell at you. It especially all comes out when they have drunk a bit. Then other people around you call you sad for knowing lodes of rollercoasters. Then you become totally isolated . This is why you then get socially awkward as that is what happens when you have nobody to talk to about the one thing you can confidently talk about. Which could explain your statistic of 70% of coaster enthusiasts being "different" when they talk. Confidence is further lost in one's self when they notice in themselves how badly integrated into 'normal' society they have become, leading them, and who they are, to be backed up into a metaphorical and mental corner of their mind. A dark place.

 

This is why being banned for a month totally sucked.

 

Just from my observations, no formal psychological training, it seems that people who become enthusiasts of anything are the sort of people predisposed to want to know how something works, not just what to do with something. They want to know what makes an engine run, not just how to drive a car.

 

That's interesting & I believe it's true for some enthusiasts, but it isn't how my mind works. To me, coasters and parks (well, good parks), put me in a zen-like state of total relaxation. Riding and even just watching a good coaster is a work of art. I feel like some people can recognize it as art, and others just don't ("that's for kids!").

 

I love the ebbs and flows of a coaster layout because it's a physical/sensory kind of storytelling that you put your whole self through, physically and emotionally. At the same time, the sights, sounds, and experience of being at a park just melt away my daily stress, and frankly it's like my version of going to church -- I know it's simply spiritually good for me to ride coasters and go to parks. It recharges my batteries and loosens me up.

 

In the course of being an enthusiast, sure, I've learned a lot about how coasters work, but I'm not motivated by the premise of how things works. For others, I can see that being the case, though. There are many paths up that mountain that have brought us here!

[storms555]

I honestly want to know what makes one nerdy because they like coasters so much anyways. I mean coasters bring joy to a big majority of people and they are just fun. Its not like coasters are this weird thing.

[boldikus]

I view this thread as a bunch of fat kids in fat camp sitting around the fire self consciously talking about how the kids in the fat camp next door are way fatter than they are, in order to feel better about themselves. (relax, it's only an analogy)

 

Here's how you get over it:

Step 1: Embrace the fact that this is a very nerdy hobby.

Step 2: Stop giving a crap that this is a very nerdy hobby.

 

This hobby attracts a ton of nerds. If you enjoy this hobby, you without a doubt have a little bit of nerd in you. Nerds tend to be weird. You probably don't realize that you're a little weird, or you don't want to admit it, so you seek out people who are much weirder than you are in order to feel better about your nerdy hobby. The problem is that you care. Just be yourself.

 

I see no point in this thread other than dogging really weird people so we can all feel better about ourselves, regardless of how someone will undoubtedly try to justify a different intention of this discussion. I'm not playing this game.

 

[RaceBoarder]

I honestly want to know what makes one nerdy because they like coasters so much anyways. I mean coasters bring joy to a big majority of people and they are just fun. Its not like coasters are this weird thing.

It's not enjoying coasters that is the problem. It's being oblivious to social norms that are accepted among the masses that is the issue. As mentioned, every hobby has them. I see them in my personal interests all the time (Coasters, Sports, Fishing, Snowboarding/Skiing, and Comic Books).

 

Something else to consider is how popular a hobby among the masses and what perceived stereotypes are associated with it. What type of person do you think of when if you were asked to describe a die hard NFL Fan? What about a die hard Comic Book Fan?

 

In our current society, the NFL fan is perceived as common and generally accepted. People that openly dislike football are in the minority. Being a Comic Book fan, although it's come a long ways towards being accepted by the masses, is still not generally accepted.

 

People like to be accepted, so they side with the majority by default. They then shun the minority.

[Samuel]

The is a global hobby that crosses many ages, education levels, demographics, and cultures, & it draws people in from wherever there are coasters on planet earth. That's one of the things I love about the community, but it's also more difficult to expect that many people will neatly fit into our own singles scene and social mold, so-to-speak. Sometimes you're an 18-year-old from Kentucky getting ready for college and your riding partner is a 64-year-old Korean woman and new grandmother. You just have to challenge yourself to be open to others and give them space to be themselves. I've met a lot of interesting and fantastic people over the years by just listening to their stories and what compelled them to fly halfway around the world to ride Phoenix, for example. Now, with that said...

 

There's (1) a "weird" that means we're self-aware of having a nerdy amount of knowledge about parks and coasters. There's also (2) a "weird" that means some of us are a work-in-progress with social skills, whether that's being overbearing or a little bit shy. The former is annoying, but neither is unusual at all when strangers meet. But, there's also (3) a warning "weird" that's code for saying someone you would not allow near your children. Plain and simple, some people raise all kinds of flags. I've ridden with adults who've smelled so badly of B.O. that I've had to lean away from them while trying not to gag.

 

Worse, and seriously, I've seen one or two loners over the years (still a huge outlier) who've given off genuinely creepy vibes. As an adult who's helping to raise kids, I intuitively watch for yikes-vibes being given off by others. I'm in no way paranoid, but you have to be vigilant on that front in a hobby that welcomes all ages.

 

Good news/bad news is that if you take a general swath of the public at a typical mid-level restaurant, shopping mall, bowling alley, Comic-Con, or dare I say WalMart, you'll definitely see a lot of people with whom you wouldn't want to spend time -- and some you wouldn't let anywhere near your kids. In most of these places, however, the protocol is to just give mutual strangers common courtesies that seldom veer away from pleasantries and excuse mes. At coaster events, you're spending hours or sometimes days with strangers, so conversations are inevitable. In most cases, just be open to getting to know new people and you'll realize that most simply do what we all purport to do -- love coasters and parks! For the few people who love the Tin Man, be nice but don't feel obligated or committed to them.

 

Edited January 20, 2017 by Samuel

[storms555]

^All I can now picture is 70 mph B.O flying though the air...... Oh dear god poor souls you have to be that close to someone who smells that bad. I even feel bad for the people who are there after them too ,as they leave behind a stench, and that bad smell then gets in the persons clothes and suddenly you have some random strangers B.O stuck to you. For god sakes shower people!! How can you be that lazy?!?! and i admit i can be pretty lazy myself but man is that just to far! yuck......

[michaellynn4]

Worse, and seriously, I've seen one or two loners over the years (still a huge outlier) who've given off genuine creep vibes. As an adult who's helping to raise kids, I intuitively watch for those vibes being given off by others. I'm in no way paranoid, but you have to be vigilant on that front in a hobby that welcomes all ages.

 

Reminds me of Robb's story of the creepy, ungrateful guy from one of their past trips:

 

Don't even get me started on the creepy af guy who wouldn't shower, was hanging around the kids areas shirless just a little too much, caused drama at just about every park we went to, and then during an ERT split off from the group and harassed a ride op to let him wear the maintenance harness and go climb a lift hill of a roller coaster!!! YES!!! I'm not making this crap up!!!

[Nrthwnd]

^ Yes, we remembered him well. He also decided to immediately sleep on the floors of the 3 ferry terminals we waited at.

I think when we all found out about the guy's unsanctioned "Twister Hike" in Grona Lund, we just couldn't believe

he did that. And yet, he did.

[MrSum1_55]

^Well, now I completely understand why Robb and Elissa do not do open trips anymore!

(I am kind of sad about that, because I have always wanted to go on one, but with people like that, it is understandable to burn out on this)

 

The simple act of liking roller coasters is not weird. Theme parks are a multi-billion dollar industry that, as in the case of Orlando, can cause an entire major city to be built.

 

I think the real question is why being a coaster enthusiast is such a polarizing hobby. And, as others have said, the answer lies in how difficult it is to get active in it. For example, I live in Nevada, but I like the Baltimore Orioles. If I want to watch them play, I can find a medium, whether through television or online, to watch the game from my own apartment. I do not have to physically fly myself to Baltimore to see them play. Granted, I have seen them play in Baltimore in real life, but I was also visiting the city for other reasons.

 

But my favorite roller coaster is Skyrush. Yes, I can watch a POV of Skyrush at any time, but if I want to ride it, I have to physically buy a plane ticket to Philadelphia (which is probably a 2-legged flight and full day of travel from where I live). Then, I either need to rent a car, or buy a train ticket to Harrisburg to get out to Hershey. By this point, I have already spent a couple hundred, so the $70 or so admission fee is a drop in the bucket, and not to mention the extra $50 I would spend on a fastpass (because I already traveled that far anyway). So in short, I need to spend hundreds and a full day of travel just to ride my favorite roller coaster.

 

For these reasons, coaster fans are very polarizing. Most people do not really take the time to look up manufacturers or theme park news simply because there is no need for them to do this. Your average person in California might follow what the California parks are doing, but that is about it, because most people in CA will never visit another amusement park outside CA. So, even if he likes roller coasters, there is really no need for the average person to follow what is happening in Pennsylvania, if he does not have the drive to visit the state for that specific reason. So, we rarely hear about people like this for that reason.

[storms555]

^If you dont mind explaining what is the Twister Hike?

[Nrthwnd]

^ I'm just being silly. He went up (hiked up?) the lift hill of the wooden coaster Twister, in Grona Lund.

And a few of the people on the tour actually saw him up there. And this was done during time before the

park was open, too. Robb was busy with people who were going to take turns being group lifted up the

Star Flyer to it's top. For photos. And a marriage proposal I remember. So this guy got away

with that, before Robb could stop him.

 

What I remember, about it all. If this is all wrong, sorry in advance.