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I’m questioning if I’m a real coaster enthusiast or not

J

Jarret Stroud

Roller Poster
*delete if not allowed or move to another forum if it’s appropriate**

You can shame me all you want but I want to ask should I even consider myself a coaster enthusiast?

The only coasters I have ridden is a dragon wagon ride (it’s a powered coaster so idk if it counts) at a yearly county fair, the original Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar city and American Thunder at SFSL (2013).

I used to get teased by others for such a low count. I have anxiety (and depression)and it took me years just to conquer American Thunder. I want to ride more coasters but with the teasing I occasionally get (with the recent teasing I got just earlier tonight on Instagram). I still get excited when coasters are announced and I love playing RCT2 and still have a passion for theme parks.

I don’t go to amusement parks because I don’t and can’t just travel anytime I want especially if my blood sugars go above 200 or below 120. The nearest amusement park is Six Flags St Louis and when I went in 2016 (last time I went to an amusement park) I couldn’t even ride American Thunder because I just got nervous. When I first rode American Thunder I have my then girlfriend to ride with me (I was still closest and didn’t come out as gay yet) but when I went in 2016 (and despite being with friends) I just got nervous and couldn’t even get on American Thunder.


Maybe I deserve all the online teasing I get but my question is should I even bother considering myself a roller coaster enthusiast if I can’t even ride American Thunder back in 2016?


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People suck and you absolutely are an ethusiast if that's a label you want to use. There's no right or wrong way to be an enthusiast and not everyone is able to get the same oppurtunities as others. Count is just a number and if anyone is using their count like a big interenet dick ignore them, they aren't necessarily the people you want to be interacting with anyways (yeah I know it can be easier said than done.)
 
Jarret Stroud said:
*delete if not allowed or move to another forum if it’s appropriate**

You can shame me all you want but I want to ask should I even consider myself a coaster enthusiast?

The only coasters I have ridden is a dragon wagon ride (it’s a powered coaster so idk if it counts) at a yearly county fair, the original Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar city and American Thunder at SFSL (2013).

I used to get teased by others for such a low count. I have anxiety (and depression)and it took me years just to conquer American Thunder. I want to ride more coasters but with the teasing I occasionally get (with the recent teasing I got just earlier tonight on Instagram). I still get excited when coasters are announced and I love playing RCT2 and still have a passion for theme parks.

I don’t go to amusement parks because I don’t and can’t just travel anytime I want especially if my blood sugars go above 200 or below 120. The nearest amusement park is Six Flags St Louis and when I went in 2016 (last time I went to an amusement park) I couldn’t even ride American Thunder because I just got nervous. When I first rode American Thunder I have my then girlfriend to ride with me (I was still closest and didn’t come out as gay yet) but when I went in 2016 (and despite being with friends) I just got nervous and couldn’t even get on American Thunder.


Maybe I deserve all the online teasing I get but my question is should I even bother considering myself a roller coaster enthusiast if I can’t even ride American Thunder back in 2016?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Everyone's going to have a differing opinion on whether a high credit count is required to be considered a coaster enthusiast. But, if you genuinely enjoy roller coasters, I think you are a coaster enthusiast. If people can admire expensive cars without ever haven driven them, I think by all means you can be considered a coaster enthusiast. Even if some external factors hold back your "credit count". Also, don't let those people teasing you get under your skin. There's always going to be criticism, what matters is whose critisism you take to heart.
 
As far as I'm concerned, labels are for clothes. I was probably a theme park enthusiast in the 1980s, a roller coaster enthusiast in the 2000s and more of a theme park enthusiast again now. We all adapt to whatever circumstances we're in at the time, but if you're interested, you're interested. Personally, I think it's great to talk to people who pour out real opinions and feelings about things, regardless of how much they've ridden or are currently riding.
 
You're so interested in coasters that you have passion without riding that frequently, I don't think getting into a "who is the most enthusiastic" contest should be a thing but for me I renew my interest by riding, you could argue that you're more enthusiastic than I am based on this. It would be a silly argument to have, but still.

I'm all about going to parks and riding things, I don't really do the whole RCT/Planet Coaster/No Limits thing - and that's fine. When I decided to get into the hobby friends woulds say "I didn't even realise a coaster enthusiast was a thing a person could be", as though there's some central office of hobby validity. Enjoy what you enjoy, skip what you don't, life's too short to do anything else.

Also when it comes to fear, a lot of the joy in this hobby is in playing with fear, when I see someone who is scared of coasters, I see myself back when I was scared and I hope that they're able to feel the same elation when they overcome those fears. Fear isn't something to be ashamed of, I am more scared of Rush at Thorpe Park than I am of Hyperia, objectively that's a bit absurd, but fear is weird like that.
 
By definition, being an enthusiast simply requires you to be enthusiastic about something.

So if you’re enthusiastic about theme parks @Jarret Stroud, you’re definitely a “proper enthusiast”! There’s no definition of enthusiast beyond simply being enthusiastic; it doesn’t matter how much you’ve ridden, how often you visit parks, or whether you even do any of these things at all, it’s a simple matter of personal enthusiasm.

There’s no barometer for what is and isn’t an enthusiast beyond that enthusiasm. It really doesn’t matter whether you visit parks and ride coasters frequently or not. It’s not a competition; even though I do count credits and log data, that’s purely for my own satisfaction rather than to get one up on other people.
 
You're posting on a coaster forum. I think that gives you some idea :)

Am I as enthusiastic as Matt posting above - certainly not.

Do I run around like an excited child in a toy shop when I go to a new park? Certainly.
 
I believe it is a matter of opinion but as long as you're passionate about theme parks and rollercoasters, you're an enthusiast.

We have enthusiasts of different types and around the world.

We have those who go to theme parks around the world, some who go to the theme parks domestically (in the UK, we have quite a few who enjoy just going to Merlin parks) and some who enjoy theme parks but don't necessarily go on the rides.

The enthusiast community is very welcoming and as long as you do what makes you happy, that's what's important.
 
I mean, there are plenty of astronomy enthusiasts who have never been to space, and even the ones who HAVE been to space don’t go very often. If you love it, that’s enough.
 
Jarret Stroud said:
*delete if not allowed or move to another forum if it’s appropriate**

You can shame me all you want but I want to ask should I even consider myself a coaster enthusiast?

The only coasters I have ridden is a dragon wagon ride (it’s a powered coaster so idk if it counts) at a yearly county fair, the original Fire in the Hole at Silver Dollar city and American Thunder at SFSL (2013).

I used to get teased by others for such a low count. I have anxiety (and depression)and it took me years just to conquer American Thunder. I want to ride more coasters but with the teasing I occasionally get (with the recent teasing I got just earlier tonight on Instagram). I still get excited when coasters are announced and I love playing RCT2 and still have a passion for theme parks.

I don’t go to amusement parks because I don’t and can’t just travel anytime I want especially if my blood sugars go above 200 or below 120. The nearest amusement park is Six Flags St Louis and when I went in 2016 (last time I went to an amusement park) I couldn’t even ride American Thunder because I just got nervous. When I first rode American Thunder I have my then girlfriend to ride with me (I was still closest and didn’t come out as gay yet) but when I went in 2016 (and despite being with friends) I just got nervous and couldn’t even get on American Thunder.


Maybe I deserve all the online teasing I get but my question is should I even bother considering myself a roller coaster enthusiast if I can’t even ride American Thunder back in 2016?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Ron Toomer the father of the corkscrew, head of Arrow Dynamics and designer of many things we take for granted in modern day coasters.

He hated riding coasters and didn't like riding the rides he actually designed.

You're fine my man. And anyone who takes the piss out of your credit count is a heathen 🙂
 
I remember back in the day I was obsessed with Air, which made me an enthusiast. But it took a lot to actually brave the ride, I wasn't much of a thrill seeker but I loved the engineering and theater. I didn't even ride Nemesis or Oblivion till a couple years later.

I'd ride most things now, but I've reached the other end of the spectrum, where I don't ride anything that looks like it might give me a headache or make me sick haha.

Basically you can be enthusiastic about coasters and theme parks without riding them. I even find just as much pleasure watching these rides than I do riding them.
 
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