Comments on: How to Overcome A Fear of Roller Coasters

By: Your Mom

Your Mom — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 03:51:06 +0000

My boyfriend thinks this will fix everything…ooops!

By: Seth Falgout

Seth Falgout — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:58:33 +0000

Hey my girlfriend is deathly afraid of rollercoasters, and NOTHING I say can convince her to try one. It’s really disappointing to me because I’d love to take her to theme parks to ride all the awesome coasters with me. Is there anything I can do to change her mind?

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 01:23:58 +0000

I actually for over my fear or roller coasters by getting on a big ride first (: I had only been on small coasters like (the mummy at universal studios) but I was always terrified of speed and drops so when we went to six flags for grad night my best friends made me get on Tatsu first and I worked like a charm ! Every other ride has been breeze. Went to Knotts berry farm last week and I got on ALL of the roller coasters

By: Dillon

Dillon — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:33:11 +0000

I completely agree with that, I got my cousin to ride everything at Carowinds by getting him to start with Intimidator, then stepping down from there. Worked like a charm!

By: The Coaster Critic

The Coaster Critic — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:49:55 +0000

Thanks Matt. I've always tried to make that a goal for the site. To bridge the super geeky and the general public as best I can.

By: Matt McIrvin

Matt McIrvin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 11:36:50 +0000

Yeah, maybe if you're at the point of realizing that airtime can be scarier than loops, you know too much about coasters to really need the Thrill Scale…

I always appreciate it when knowledgeable people are willing to reach out to the general public in that way!

By: The Coaster Critic

The Coaster Critic — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:48:27 +0000

Good point on the quibble. I think I created it that way because of the reactions that I've overheard thousands of times in queues from people wondering if a ride "went upside-down" or not. It seems to me that the average park-goer puts loopers on a higher intensity scale than even an intense woodie from just the looks of rides. Of course, this isn't always accurate, but the scale's meant for the general coaster riding public and I think it works that way. Good point though, I can see what you mean completely. Thanks for the comment.

By: Matt McIrvin

Matt McIrvin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:34:47 +0000

…My daughter, however, has informed me on the basis of POV viewing that she's never going on an inverting coaster, and if she doesn't change her mind, that's OK. They just aren't for some people.

Loops are interesting, though–I was terrified of the *idea* of them before I had actually ridden one, but, in my youth, when I finally worked up the courage to ride the good old Loch Ness Monster at BGW, I was surprised to find that the loops were the least scary thing about the ride! Big drops and big airtime always unnerve me a least a little, but, somehow, loops and other inversions are just fun, not frightening. I think I just get more of a scare from negative Gs than from visual discombobulation.

(Which is my one quibble with the Critic's Thrill Scale: to me, old-timey woodies (class 2) are scarier than simple steel loopers (class 3)! But this is a subjective thing that will vary from person to person, so I don't suppose it's a legit objection.)

By: J3ss1

J3ss1 — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 23:42:34 +0000

Well, my 1st roller coaster was Dragon Challenge at Islands of Adventures and Rockin' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios. When I went on it, I was actually holding on to the holding bars and half of the ride I had my eyes closed, later I just opened my eyes and found out that everything was O.K ….. it was in 5th grade. Last year I was in 7th grade and I chickened out to go on Dragon Challenge!!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!Now i'm in 8th grade and i'm going in Oct. 29 but I want to ride it without chickening out!!!!

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:48:15 +0000

I am somewhat guilty of the first tip. Anytime my friends chicken out on rides I make fun of them and really try to force them on the rides. Although I do say alot of tips to them like the chances of dying and that the rides are inspected every day. I don't want them to miss out. I don't have that problem anymore because my method worked. Almost all my friends love roller coasters now. One of my friends puked on his first coaster and won't go on anymore coasters, and wont even go to an amusement park now though. But most of my friends love to go to amusement parks and ride roller coasters.