How did you become a coaster enthusiast?

Let's face it, even though all of us here are coaster nerds, none of us started out that way. It seems like everyone has a different story of how it happened to them, and they are always quite interesting, so feel free to tell yours in this thread. I'll share mine here...

Back when I lived in Florida, I went to Islands of Adventure with a few friends, and one of them kept on bugging me to ride Dragon Challenge with them, and even though I was still quite scared of coasters at the time, I eventually gave in to stop the pestering. The whole time I was waiting in line, I was very panicked about riding it because I was scared of going upside-down, and I was one of those dumb GPs that thought roller coasters were unsafe. While we were getting seated and then going up the lift hill, my panicking reached its height. However, once we were on the break run, I was in awe of the experience, and couldn't wait to ride it again. So basically, in less than a minute, I went from being deathly afraid of coasters to loving them. I ended up riding Dragon Challenge four times that day, twice on each side. However, I have to give the credit to Manta and Kraken at SeaWorld Orlando as the two rides that really sparked my enthusiasm for roller coasters. Still, without that ride on Dragon Challenge (it was the red side, by the way), I would not be sitting here typing this. I really wish I could have visited more parks and gone on more coasters before I moved away form Florida .

[Paradox]

I really liked coasters when I was like 4 and I hate to admit this, but Robb Alvey became my hero for some time.

I strayed away from TPR as I got older and after I rode Bizarro I got over my fear of heights and tall drops.

I was really obsessed with trains and Thomas the Tank Engine when I was a little kid, and at some point it evolved into a passion for coasters and learning about them since they both have similarities.
I still am interested in trains but the interest is kinda downplayed.

My Dad got me into roller coasters, My first ride was the blue streak at Conneaut Lake park when I was 8, back in 82'. Then I did a lot of reading about the defunct Euclid beach Park, (about 20 mins from home), when I was a kid, And dad would take me out to show me where the rides used to be even though its apartments and a McDonald's now. He even let me skip school one day to go to a Euclid beach park presentation at our local library. almost makes me wish i got into structural engineering instead of computers.

[Blase Rhine]

Lets see... When I was younger I was obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and Dragon Tails. I was obsessed with the 2 shows for a few reasons. Flying, The trains and the tracks they rode on, and of course Dragons lol. As I got older I would always make up roller coaster tracks and ideas with my grandfather. I got to ride my very first coaster (not counting the Wacky Worm at the fair) when I was 5. Ever since then I have fallen in love with the idea of coasters, flying, and how they work.

Oh my god, there's others who were obsessed with Thomas? I'm not alone!

I actually did start out being terrified of roller coasters, usually riding the little rides like the Racer and Jack Rabbit @ Kennywood because my friends were. Then a few years ago, my friend got me to ride the Phantom's Revenge the first time, and after that something shifted and I became the coaster nerd that I am now, still not sure what happened there! Also helps that I'm a huge physics nerd

I probably started riding coasters when I was somewhere between 5-7. My family took a trip over to Legeland San Diego and I rode all the coasters there when I was about 5. I hated the wild mouse but was too embarrassed to tell people. So then when I went to Kennywood at around 6 and rode Racer and Jackrabbit. Again I hated them but didn't admit it. Eventually rode Thunderbolt, Gemini, and Corkscrew when I was seven and started loving them ever sense.

[rcmaniac25]

I asked for a bunch of things for Christmas one year. When Christmas came, I was very happy but realized I didn't get something on it. After whining a lot, my parents told me I could pick out any PC game I wanted at a local store. I ended up grabbing the recently released Roller Coaster Tycoon and became obsessed with it. I was into engineering, cars, trains, etc. and wanted to learn more about the roller coasters, so I bought books, discovered RCDB, and waited to grow up to get on a "real" roller coaster instead of kidy ones. On a summer camp-trip to Dorney Park, everyone got on Laser... with only the first seat available. I sat in the front with the councilor. First "real" roller coaster and first loops too . I proceeded to ride every other coaster in the park. RCT2, RCT3, No Limits, numerous books, even a stint with studying to become a roller coaster engineer. Ended up getting into computers instead... and tried a bit to make my own versions of RCT. Still going strong on the obsession...

[Dirk_Ermen]

For me my addiction got pretty much fed in by my parents. As a young kid we already went every holiday to a themepark. First to the Efteling and eventually when I grew up it also became visits to Walibi Flevo, Hellendoorn, Bobbejaanland and Warner Bros Movie World Germany. Some time later my dad got a coupon from work, which allowed free entry visits to various themeparks around the area (and beyond!). So on a pretty early age I also went to parks like Walibi Wavre and Walibi Schtroumpf. We even could have visited some parks further down in France but that was too far of a drive for us.
The actual themepark and coaster enthusiast started for me when Six Flags suddenly took over half of the themeparks here in Europa. Seasonal passes were introduced and pretty much every free day we had, was an excuse to visit a themepark which was in the seasonal pass.

First looping was also pretty interesting. Me and my mom were both standing in front of the Looping Star at Slagharen. I wasn't totally sure yet of riding it and so was my mom. She eventually said: If you're riding, I'm riding as well. So we both took the step and rode it. I can't remember how many laps we've ridden that day but I know it was a bunch. The first rides I just didn't dare to look in the loop so I pretty much looked down in the car. But after every lap I slowly started looking more up until it was outside the car.

Not sure when I exactly got introduced to RCT, but I do know it was on a Birthday party from family. A family member introduced me to RCT and gave us a copy. (Yay for piracy!) Pretty much ever since then I started thinking up crazy contraptions and building them withing the limits of RCT. I do remember having battles with my dad for having the better park value. It was amazing!
My introduction to NoLimits was thanks to my brother. He was a huge IT nerd/geek so he received a weekly magazine. One of the articles was about NoLimits and showed it to me. We pretty much bought the game immediately by the good ol' way of actually sending money through the mail. A few weeks later we got the NL1.1 installation file and the rest of my coastergeekness has been fed and build the most weirdest unrealistic stuff which seemed cool ride. Without thinking of g's and whatsoever. Soon after, I joined Coastersims, received tips, started building some more seriouos stuff, Did stuff a 13 year old would do on the web, get banned and end up back here on WWS.

It's been a long ride so far and I hope it's not over yet.

my dad got me ultimate ride game and rct3 like 10 years ago .-.

I started off more of a Coaster game nut at first, with RCT and later on NL1. I enjoyed coasters games a ton, and didn't really care for the actual rides a whole lot for the longest time, and hell, industry wise, I didn't know anything about new coasters coming along/new technologies/etc. Over the years I started enjoying the rides a lot more and becoming a bit more savvy on the industry side of things, but still mostly a fair bit clueless.

Eventually (around 2009/2010 I think), my love of coasters just plummeted and I didn't care for them anymore as I got more into music, going to concerts and such, it wasn't until mid 2013 that the TPR video for the Gatekeeper media day popped up in the related videos on Youtube and just thinking "wtf" at the idea of a B&M Wing coaster. Over the following weeks, I started finding out more and more about things that had happened in my absence from coasters (B&M Gigas, Wing Coasters, RMC, The Smiler, etc) and my love of coasters came flooding back.

And to think, if it wasn't for that TPR video, I probably wouldn't be here now.

My father was a Coaster Nut (And still is) and he used to take us to themeparks every weekend. Usually SFNE as we had season passes, but occasionally Lake compounce and Canobie Lake Park. I was never scared of rides (Except TOT at WDW until I was 8) and I had a big interest in them. Just kinda grew up loving coasters, later getting into RCT and Nolimits. I also developed a breathing passion for Haunted Houses. Not the real ones, the Walkthrough horror mazes you see at themeparks during halloween.. I love em.

Completely forgot to mention RCT3 (which seems very odd)! I got it actually long before I rode the Phantom's Revenge, somewhere around 2008 I believe? I then started making videos of it in 2009, founding the "RCT3rox" channel - and the name quickly stuck even though I dove into Nolimits shortly after. Kind of funny though that I was terrified of riding coasters but loved designing them

Ooh! Good thread!

I started when I was seven or eight. I spent the entire summer at my grandma's with my brother and a few cousins. We got season passes to Six Flags Great America and went almost every week. Having never been to a real theme park before, I was intrigued with the one hundred plus foot machines people were crazy enough to ride.

My parents got me Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 when they realized how much I enjoyed going to SFGAm and my enthusiasm evolved from there.

I started this whole thing with RCT3. I played it since I was 5, but I really got serious about roller coasters once I was tall enough to ride most of them. My first coaster was Behemoth at CW (rode it on opening day!) and it was amazing. A couple years later I rode everything at SFGAdv and I discovered NoLimits and it took off from there.

I rode Millennium Force when I was 10 (twelve years ago) and I've been hooked since.

When I was like 6 or 7, I made this train out of Knex, and I played with it everywhere and I stuck it up my butt about a trillion times and ever since then the concept of roller coasters has always really intrigued me.

I went to Universal Studios when I was about 9 and seeing the The Hulk and Dueling Dragons just amazed me. It really struck a chord for me and I haven't stopped loving them since.

[Paradox]

GerstlCrazy wrote:

I stuck it up my butt about a trillion times.

You had an interesting childhood.

I don't remember exactly how the only memories I have is lake compouce when I was a child riding boulder dash as my first coaster ik I went to Florida on vacation but don't remember it as much as boulder dash

deere839 wrote:

I don't remember exactly how the only memories I have is lake compouce when I was a child riding boulder dash as my first coaster ik I went to Florida on vacation but don't remember it as much as boulder dash

I thought you lived in Florida? Me confused.

I'm originally from Connecticut but I live in Florida now and found out I lived originally a hour away from mrcrolly appertly when I lived there lol

deere839 wrote:

I'm originally from Connecticut but I live in Florida now

I thought thats what you were saying. just checking!

[Paradox]

I envy you deere. I hate it here in CT and I would love to move down to Florida.

CT-Worst state evar.

^I acutely miss the state of Connecticut for 2 reason boulder dash and my home town