It's time for my story again!
How I Learned to Love Roller Coasters and Stop Worrying About the Beast
by Barry Hom
"Inside Edition" reported that your chances of getting into a fatal roller
coaster accident is 1 in 10 million. Yet, everytime I thought about riding
one, I thought that I would die.
I used to avoid riding roller coasters. I chickened out on Space Mountain.
I avoided Busch Gardens Tampa for years. If I didn't ride the roller
coasters, what else is there to do at Bush Gardens? I did ride Big Thunder
Mountain at the Magic Kingdom and I swore to never to do it again!
That all changed when I visited Islands of Adventure in May 1999. I
initially planned to avoid riding the roller coasters. I really just wanted
to ride one ride -- Spiderman. I passed by the Incredible Hulk Coaster and
I kept on thinking, "I'll save it for later." Finally, I decided to ride
it.
I almost ran away from the entrance, but I thought of what my mom said when
I wouldn't eat lima beans -- "How do you know if you don't like it if you
haven't tried it?" I never ate my lima beans and I still don't like them, but I figured I'd ride it once and if I didn't like it, I'd
ride something else. There are plenty of other things to do at the park!
I entered the queue and I felt my heart pounding, my skin crawling, and my
breath becoming shorter. I finally was strapped in and I was terrified! As
the car rolled into the launch tube, people in the back of the coaster
started yelling, "Whoo!" I began to yell "Whoo!" too and suddenly, my fear
turned into excitement and I was launched out!
I yelled "Whoo!" so much that my voice was harsh after the ride. I don't
remember much of what the track looked like because I kept my eyes closed
(especially during the upside-down parts). At the end of the ride, I said,
"What a rush!"
I had planned to ride the Hulk Coaster zero times, but I ended up riding it
seven times. I finally conquered Space Mountain. I visited Busch Gardens
a few months after visiting IOA and enjoyed the coasters there. I'm
planning to visit the roller coaster mecca, Cedar Point, one day.
Perhaps one day I will have the courage to eat lima beans