Hey guys,
I just wanted to share and hear stories of when you first went to the park, or when you first brought a friend. Looking back, we can try to remember what their first impressions were on the park.
The first time I went was September 2005. I was 12 and had never been on a roller coaster (due to the lack of my parent's liking for rides) so I went with my good friend on a private event, Homeschool Day. We went on Triple Play first, I loved it. Viper was next-uh, yeah, bad idea. We were screaming, yelling, screeching our heads off. Every hill was a torture. Even worst-we were in back row. We should have DEFinitely ridden Whizzer, then Demon. Oops.
Well, we swore to never ride another roller coaster in our life. We went the rest of the day riding small flats, like JWR or Whirli. We rode Spacely's too, but that barely counts as a roller coaster. Finally, I got the courage to try Revolution. It was just pure heaven for me at the time, and it became my first love! (Hence the username)
I don't know when or how I changed my mind. It just came to me. Then I went with my parents on a business trip, and it happened to be near Mall of America, and yep, I went to the park there. I rode Pepsi Ripsaw, a fun little roller coaster a shade of green and banked turns resembling Whizzer.
I loved, so I went home, got a pass to SFGAm, and there it be-I'm
hooked forever.
Another story is when the same good friend, her mom and I took her good friend, who swore she wouldn't ride any of the rides bigger then Hometown Fun Machine. Luckily, her mom is a great convincer (if that's even a word ) and we had learned our lesson from last year. We warmed her up slowly, and she ended up loving roller coasters.
I regret not loving roller coasters the minute I stepped on one, but I guess that's how it has to be. I can be thankful Brinney got a good start!
So, what are your stories? How did you become attached to SFGAm?
First time I went was in June of 2000. I was 10. I pretty much just rode flats and kiddie rides, and also went on Spacely's alone for the first time. I'd only been on Little Dipper and the Dragon before this. I was pretty scared, but I survived. I went on it many more times. I rode ERC a lot that day because it was so fun. Whenever I was on ERC, I would stare at Batman cause it looked really interesting. I was way too afraid to ride it though. At one point while on ERC, some kid was in the same car as me, and he noticed I was looking at BTR. He asked me if I'd been on it, and I said no I'm too scared. He said that it's not scary and it's one of the best rides in the park and that I should try it. I wasn't brave enough that day, though.
But 2 months later, on our 2nd trip there, my brother (who went on pretty much all the coasters there) and my parents were totally making me ride it. When we got there, I decided I wanted to ride ERC first. But I don't think they let me, they encouraged me to go on BTR to just get it over with. I went with my brother. I was scared out of my freakin' mind, let me tell you. Going up the lift almost made me cry. My brother kept telling me it'll be okay. I wanted to kill him. I pretty much held on tight, screamed my lungs out, and had my eyes closed the entire ride. When it was over, I could hardly breathe, but my eyes were wide open and my brother asked "How was it?" and I said "That was AWESOME!" I still thought it was scary though. I rode it 3 more times that day, and also rode Whizzer. Eww... Whizzer with my brother! Oh well, I didn't care back then, lol. I was addicted to Batman, which also made me become addicted to SFGAm.
In 2001 within 3-4 visits I eventually rode all the other coasters, except Deja Vu.
First time I ever went was right when Viper opened. I still have the old giant water bottle from there and Demon . Sky Whirl always scared me and Iron Wolf made me think I'd fall out.
http://themeparkcritic.com/scripts/profile/ViewProfile.asp?ViewID=2909 A furious storm once roared `cross the sea, catching ships in its path, helpless to flee. Instead of a certain and watery doom, the winds swept them here to Typhoon Lagoon!
The first time I ever went in the park was 1994 (i think). I was really little (about 4) and the only ride I could go on was the Whizzer. I think I rode it like 6 times. But the first thing we did was go on ALL the water rides. Loggers Run, (which was then) Yankee Clipper, Roaring Rapids, then Splash Water Falls. By that time we went back to the car and I had a "lunchable" while watch Shockwave run. When we went back in the park my mom said we would go in that movie theater. But we ended up going on Whizzer. Which I didn't realize until we got up to the station. I rode it and loved it so much that we went on it again.....and again and again....
Before we left though, I had a "Big Chill" ice cup and wanted to keep the cup. So I had to keep it in my shirt while I rode the Whizzer one more time. And as we were leaving, I stared at shockwave in awe as it went down the drop, loops, then into the pretzel loop. I remember the really bright flash (on-ride photo) as the train went through the inversion and would light up the whole structure. And as we left the park I watched the rest of the rides run until I could only see the last light...which was the light on top of Sky Trek Tower. It flashed red until it faded away into the emitting light of the freeway.
my first time to SFGAm was in May of 1999 for music in the parks. I remember I went on Whizzer, but I don't really remember much else. I went in May 2000 too, and that's when I went on bigger things. I remember riding Batman.
My 1st time at SFGAm was when I was (I think) 8-10 yrs old. I was TOTALLY scared to do the coasters....I think we went on flat rides/water rides the whole day....
No one got me on a roller coaster until I was like 17, and that was in Myrtle Beach, SC at The Pavilion (RIP).
1st time on a coaster at SFGAm, I was out of high school and about 21 yrs old...
Wow, my first time there was when I was 2 in 1992. Obviously, I don't remember much of it. From the pictures I've seen though, we didn't do too many rides, just various meet-n-greets.
The next time I can remember though was in probably 2001/02(?) with my church's Altar Servers. I was with a bunch of friends and being the jeniuses(spelled wrong on purpose) we were, we were absolutly convinced that Viper and Bull were the same ride, it just switched from the brown one to the orange one. We went on Viper and were dissappointed to see that Bull wasn't attatched. One of my firneds and myself decided that at some point during the day we would go on Bull. That never happened we were too scared.
My first visit was in 1997. I don't remember much, but I remember riding Sky Whirl, Whizzer at night, Space Shuttle America, Special Effects in the Pictorium, and the Warner Bros. Western Stunt Show in the Amphitheater.
Actually, I still have the park map from that day.
My first visit that I can remember was in 1994 when I was a young four year old. I was tall for my age and remember riding american eagle. I tried to take my toy barbie from mcdonalds on it and I still have that thing now...somewhere in my box of junk. That's all I remember.
My first trip was in 1990 if i'm not mistaken, I went on the Whizzer for the first time and I loved the Whizzer, after that I went back in 2001 the year before Shockwave closed. Shockwave was my first upside down coaster, oy vey that was a killer. That day I went, we rode Shockwave 5 times and then we went to ride on Eagle and my sister told me the ride stopped on the barrel with the water in the middle and that people were ejected into the water, i didn't ride Eagle for a year how gulliable am I. After Shockwave was I think Viper and then Bull, but I didn't ride Bull till 2003 I think, I have a bad memory of when I went to the park but I remember going on Bull for the first time and we sat in the 2nd row. The entire time I gripped onto the side of my seat and didn't let go, I was scared and crying and in 2004 was the first time I rode Vu and I cried my eyes out, I am the biggest baby ever.
My first time was when i was 11
i was so scared because i could go on every ride there
that day i went on evry roller coaster there and got stuck on the viper
I Love Raging Bull
Say hi to flash and say do u know Matt Short because i know him
punkbunny24242 wrote:My 1st time was 1983 and I was 3 years old and in a stroller. I don't remeber any of it but my parents took video
I'm close to being in the same boat with punkbunny. Mid 80's was my first visit to the park. I couldn't help but laugh when I see so many members saying they were 5 in 1997 when they first went to the park.
Ok now I really feel old, haha because my first time there was in 1976 when I was 5 years old.
The only thing I remember was being on the train and being totally scared when we rode past the bunny hills for the Turn of the Centrury(now the Demon). Even the little hills looked huge and when the train of screaming riders went by on the track I swore never to ride a roller coaster ever(ha). I do remember this one ride called the Yukon Yahoo and I loved it. It was sort of a flat ride but had a mini coaster train that went around in circles. The other ride I liked was the Orleans Orbit(now called the Orbit).
A couple years later I went back with my sister(who is 16 years older than me) and she took me on the Whizzer and I was scared when the train banked sideways. Then she tricked me into going on the Tidal Wave(I just barely made the height requirement) and I was sick the rest of the day
Then a couple more years later I saw commercials for both the Eagle and Demon and got all brave and said I would ride both of them. When we went that summer I saw the Demon and said no way. I also cringed when I saw the Eagle and refused to even watch the trains go down the drop.
I didn't go on anymore coasters till I was 13 but then after going on the Demon I became addicted and have been ever since.
First time was at the age of 9 back in 1996! I rode the kiddy rides..but that's it! It wasn't until 1998, after going to Disney World, that I rode my first Great America roller coaster---WHIZZER!!!!!!!!!! I also rode in front row back in August 2002 for the third to the last vehicle EVER on that ride (or at least that's what they said), and cried like a man!
RIP: Trailblazer and Deja Vu...heck, even Alien Encounter
) and we had learned our lesson from last year. We warmed her up slowly, and she ended up loving roller coasters.
