Am I An Adrenaline Junkie?

UNITED STATES—A family member recently said something that caught me off guard. They called me an adrenaline junkie, and I stopped for a second and replied, “What are you kidding me?” Not in a million years would I consider myself such an individual. Why? I’m not jumping out of an airplane, I’m not skydiving or getting on a jet ski, and I’m damn for sure not taking a hike.

So in my mind I kept asking myself where is this coming from? I recently visited Cedar Point, its an annual family trip that I take with my sister and nieces. We do it every year and I guess I am a bit of a thrill-seeker when I visit this amusement park that has some of the best roller coasters in the country. Trust me we will debate the issue in massive details because I still don’t know an amusement park that has close to 15 coasters like Cedar Point that delivers exhilarating screams like they offer.

I wish I could put into words the feeling I get whenever I get on a rollercoaster. I can’t, I have tried, but I think its a pure, escape. I’m not in control of things and in life I’m always trying to control everything that happens. With a coaster, that feeling of being in control dissipates and I am at the mercy of that coaster. For 60 seconds to 240 seconds I get the opportunity for an exhilarating experience unlike any other.

I am not afraid of heights, I never have been, but what scares me are massive bodies of water. Yeah, I’m not a fan of water, in some ways I’m petrified of it, perhaps that could be a direct result of me almost drowning after being pushed by my cousin into a pool when I was a child. Riding roller coasters and thrill rides might be my way of trying to overcome those fears.

Yes, I’m nervous every single time I get on a rollercoaster, but I ultimately get over those nerves because the moment that coaster starts to move up that track its too late; there is no going back. I’m one of about twentysomething people who are about to scream, yell, shout and endured butterflies in my stomach, unlike ever before. A rollercoaster does something to the body that I cannot place into words. It feels like you’re flying and you’re able to see things you normally can’t see safely.

Can you imagine being shut into the air more than 200 feet and not knowing when that launch is going to take off? That is what it feels like getting on the Power Tower. Perhaps you can imagine being on a swing like structure that goes back and forth to heights of more than 125 feet, where you feel like you’re being raised out of your seat on the Sky Hawk. Yeah, its gutsy, but that is a favorite of mine. I have to get on that ride every single time.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Cedar Point if I didn’t get on the Magnum XL that takes you over 200 feet before the coaster plunges overlooking Lake Erie and has perhaps the greatest up and down movement you can imagine from a rollercoaster. Yes, every single time I get on that coaster I feel the aches and pains days later. The Millennium Force is iconic, 318 feet drop, going 90 mph and you are mere feet from Lake Erie, it is easily the scariest drop from a coaster in the entire park.

The Valravn is a hawk like ride that tilts you at a 90-degree angle before dropping you close to 220 feet and when I say the butterflies are felt, I mean it; through every single inch of your body. Can’t forget about another favorite of mine in the Raptor that has inversions and is one of the few roller coasters where your feet freely moves as you go throw loops while dropping more than 125 feet.

The Rougarou is like the Raptor on steroids with more loops and twists than you can imagine. It used to be The Mantis that had its riders standing up, but was alerted to accommodate the public’s comfort. No one can forget about the Gatekeeper that drops over 220 feet and you’re literally flying in the process and go through to inverted keyholes that appear like you’re going to collide into the concrete walls.

You still have iconic rides like the Gemini, Blue Streak and Corkscrew which are more for beginners when it comes to coasters, but they deliver just like some of the best rides in the park and never get old if you ask me. My recent outing at Cedar Point allowed me to get on two coasters I hadn’t been on in years, the Steel Vengeance and Maverick. The Maverick ALWAYS as a long wait nearly 2 hours each time and that might be a result that only 12 people can get on each track, and there is only 4. Unlike most coasters that take at least 24 to 30 people per track.

With that said, the ride takes off a record speed with inversions and twists and turns that are just fantastic. I loved every minute of it, even though it appeared to be only 60 seconds of fun. My fav has to be the Steel Vengeance that drops over 200 feet with a 90-degree angle drop and several inversions that are so crazy. To those who don’t know, Steel Vengeance is formerly known as the Mean Streak. This coaster is the longest at the park clocking in over 2 minutes and 30 seconds with more twists, turns and movements that make you feel like you’re going to fall off the coaster itself.

I can’t finish off my adrenaline rush without chatting about Top Thrill 2. It was formerly known as The Dragster. Here is the funny thing: I’ve ridden The Dragster several times before, a coaster that took off at 125 feet and drops over 420 feet. Scary as hell, the revised ride you take off fast at 74 mph to go up that unbelievable drop only to fall backwards traveling at speeds of 101 mph to go upwards another tower before dropping back down and moving at 120 mph to actual reach the 420 feet drop before tumbling down.

I have not felt the excitement for this coaster because every time I have tried to get on the coaster, the ride has broken down. Literally waited 2 hours once, was mere feet from getting on the ride and it breaks. This also happened to me when I tried to get on the park’s latest ride, Siren’s Curse, a coaster where the track lifts into the air and tilts you straight down before taking off.

That ride is constantly breaking down as well. Will it ever operate where I can get on? I don’t know, I’m hoping they can figure out the kinks so that when I return to the park I can experience this ride that I have heard such amazing things about. As I’ve written this column, I have come to the conclusion that I am indeed an adrenaline junkie.