Friday, December 10, 2010

Tidal Wave/Sidewinder

There is really nothing special about these coasters in general. There are multiple clones of this coaster around the world. It's actually the most cloned coaster ever. It is the Vekoma Boomerang. These two in particular are the ones I have been on. The Sidewinder at Hersheypark (Black) and the Tidal Wave at Ocean City. It is a shuttle coaster, for those of you who don't know, a shuttle coaster is one that is not a complete circuit (goes forward, then backward). It's a fun ride, and packs a decent punch in a small area. The reason why it is so significant to me, is because when I was about 7 years old is the first time I saw one. Even though I was tall enough to ride, something about going forward and backward kinda freaked me out, so I was too afraid to ride. Then about a year or 2 later, when I got the opportunity again, I finally rode it. I couldn't believe I was so scared of it, I ended up loving it. This was the coaster that broke my fear, I was no longer afraid to ride any coaster after this one. I still enjoy the ride, however age doesn't treat these well, and they can be a little rough on the head.















2 comments:

  1. At 7 years old you were tall enough to ride? Are you a giant?

    I always used to love the rough wooden coasters and looked upon steel coasters with contempt. That was 20 years ago. Now I'm just the opposite. I rode The Beast at King's Island in October and it just about killed me!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I was not a giant.. and looking back, I was 9, not 7.. my mistake. But I think you only have to be like 4 ft to ride.

    ReplyDelete