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Fear. Do you fear rides? When someone asks me this, my answer is usually "no." I thoroughly enjoy the smooth ride up lift hills such as Superman, Nitro, Steel Force, and Griffon, and find myself enjoying the view of the surrounding areas instead of cringing and sinking my spine deep in the train like most riders do. I used to say that I have full "confidence" in the industry and even our lawmakers in that they insure us patrons safe rides, even at the expense of some, if not a lot of, fun. Well, I proved myself wrong yesterday. Nestled at the end of a sleepy old neighborhood just minutes from New York City lies one of the few rides that makes me feel insecure, inexperienced, and frightened. 25 miles per hour was never so frightening. Not even on a Jet ski, in which 20 mph on a windy day provides Phoenix-caliber negative Gs, was I so scared of such a seemingly pitiful speed. At least on a Jet ski-ejection the landing would be nice, shallow, and watery, whereas a simple loss-of-balance on the Derby Racer could leave one plummeting 5 feet to a wooden platform! It never occurred to me, (do to my ignorance of not looking at pictures) even after reading all these reviews that the ride was more or less a fast carousel. I saw this thing giving out one its first rides of the day yesterday, and I thought "that looks cool," so I got in line. None of the coasters were operating at the time, and had they been operating, I may have actually skipped this gem, in pursuit of precious "credits." So, the ride starts up, and I'm feeling okay. My feet are in position, and I don't have to quite "lean to the left" yet. The ride seems to keep getting faster and faster, and lasts for a good long cycle. Perhaps I was a bit too tall to ride properly, but it felt like I had a hell of a time just sitting on the horse. My hands got sweaty, my upper body felt like it was wobbling, and I felt completely insecure-exactly what I DON'T expect from thrill rides. The ride itself was pretty enjoyable, although I can't admit that I wasn't a bit thankful when it was over! Lucky to have survived with no injuries or embarrassment, I walked away feeling perplexed and relieved! What does this ride tell us about the state of thrill rides? Can rides like this exist today, and will they exist 10 years from now? I am not sure, but I am sure glad I was able to experience this when I did.
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