Few things compare to the feeling of racing down a 300-foot hill at 90 miles per hour, screaming at the top of your lungs as your stomach seems to leap into your chest. There is no thrill quite like riding a rollercoaster. Amusement parks are an affordable and safe way to get an adrenaline rush without having to perform crazy stunts or tricks. A day spent at an amusement park is a great way to bond with friends and family and experience some thrills that are sure to take your breath away, even if you are sitting down for the entire ride. However, I have not always felt this way about rollercoasters, in fact, I used to dread trips to amusement parks because I knew it would mean being peer pressured into riding rides that scared me to no end due to my fear of heights.
My complicated relationships with roller coasters started from an early age of about 5 years old when I visited Kennywood amusement park in Pittsburgh. I enjoyed myself on all of the kiddie rides until my brother and I sat down on the "Little Phantom" and I was given my first taste of roller coasters. It was too fast, too loud, and not at all what I expected, I cried and immediately begged to be let off before the other passengers went for another round. From that point, I shied away from all roller coasters sure that any roller coaster experiences would end the same way. Growing up in Cleveland and living only an hour and a half away from Cedar Point made this quite difficult. Friends, school trips, and band trips all dragged me to "the Rollercoaster Capital of the World" where I would sit by as my friends went on the biggest roller coasters, only to be persuaded to venture onto the smallest coasters that most amusement park fanatics would not even consider to be true rides.
I wanted to get over my fear of coasters but I was too worried that something would happen to the ride, or I would get sick, or some other terrible doom would befall me mid-ride. It took a lot of convincing from friends, and myself, to finally conquer my biggest fear, Millennium Force. Standing at a daunting 308 feet and reaching speeds of up to 93 miles per hour, this ride was my worst nightmare. As we stood in line, I could feel my stomach tying up in knots and my legs felt weak. Sitting down on the ride I felt an immediate sense of dread and it took every ounce of willpower in my body not to hop right out of my seat. The ride started up the hill and I had to look directly up to see the top. I wanted to cry. Two minutes later, I was convinced I had just experienced the greatest thrill of my life. I could not believe it took me so long to realize how fun and exciting roller coasters are.
After my experience on Millennium, I became much more excited about visiting amusement parks and going on roller coasters. Looking up at the top of a rollercoaster that seems to touch the sky still makes me feel a little dizzy and weak in the knees but I know now that once I get over the first hill, and my fears, the fun can really begin.
