For some people, going on thrilling roller coaster rides is part and parcel of the ultimate theme park experience. In fact, there are theme park enthusiasts who are so passionate about having the best ride of their life that they would even travel around the globe in search of it.
Of course, not all of us are daredevils who deliberately get on death-defying rides.
While some people do enjoy the jaw-dropping twists and turns of a roller coaster, for most of us, actually, it takes quite a bit of coaxing to get us to strap in and “enjoy” the ride.
Two Malaysian theme park fans share stories of how they braved their initial fear of roller coasters to eventually find unexpected joy.
Finding joy in fear
It starts with the first click of the seat belt buckle, confirming that you’re strapped tight into your seat. Then you find yourself slowly ascending into the air.
Suddenly, the train stops.
That’s when gravity starts to pull you down – along with everyone else on the train – and you’re free falling from an unimaginable height. You then continue on this thrilling journey, passing through treacherous twists and turns.
This is pretty much what one experiences on a roller coaster ride. It sounds like an absolute nightmare for people with acrophobia, but for others, like thrill seeker Michael Smith, it’s the best experience.
Despite being terrified of heights, the 21-year-old university student finds unexpected joy in going on various rides with his friends.
“As a kid, I would try rock climbing, but the moment I looked down, I would mentally break down because I’m so high up,” Smith says.
Smith was only 14 years old when he experienced his first roller coaster ride at Berjaya Times Square in Kuala Lumpur. He admits he was initially hesitant to go on the ride.
“I was looking at all the adults going on the roller coaster and at one point, the ride would stop at the loop and everyone would be hanging upside down. I thought to myself, ‘no way would I ride on that’,” he says.
Despite being more shaken up than thrilled for his first ride, Smith decided to overcome his fear and just went for it.
He liked it!
That experience encouraged him to seek more adrenaline-pumping adventures.
“As I grew up, I started to like doing things that were ‘dangerous’, in particular, things that I was afraid of doing. For some reason, doing these things gave me an adrenaline rush and hyped me up a lot,” Smith explains.
Before he knew it, his worst fear had become his remedy.
After being careened through the air and plummeted from great heights in multiple rides, Smith saw progressive improvement in his acrophobia symptoms. Getting on roller coasters also made him more comfortable being in high places.
“It was one of the things that has significantly helped me overcome my fear of heights,” Smith says.
He reveals that being on these thrill rides gave him an opportunity to appreciate the magnificent scenery from above.
“The view from up there is actually pretty nice,” Smith shares.
To date, Smith has been to multiple theme parks around the world, including some carnivals in Canada. Of course, he’s also been to many of the theme parks in Malaysia.
However, his heart will always remain with the Berjaya Times Square Theme Park, as well as the Sunway Lagoon Theme Park in Selangor. These were his usual haunts during his childhood.
Although Smith still gets the occasional jitters on thrill rides, he feels euphoric taking part in them as it exhilarates him. In the future, he plans to challenge himself by getting on the ever-famous Kingda Ka ride at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, the United States, the tallest roller coaster in the world.
“Part of me is scared but I want to go for it because it’ll be so exciting,” Smith concludes heartily.
Fun family affair
Laila Zain is terrified of roller coasters, but she gets on them because of peer pressure. In fact, she was once even tricked into getting on one.
“I got tricked into getting on the Revenge Of The Mummy roller coaster at Universal Studios Singapore. I was with a group of colleagues. The two people who had been on it before assured us it was just a speedy ride that goes back and forth,” says the content head at a media company.
That particular ride, as Laila, 34, discovered later, does more than just going back and forth.
“It was an underground roller coaster that had ups and downs and quick drops but you couldn’t see a thing because it was pitch black! I screamed my head off, but it was really fun,” Laila recounts.
Laila even has a photo from the ride which her boss bought as a souvenir.
While Laila isn’t the biggest fan of extreme roller coasters, she loves theme parks. Apart from the local ones, she has also visited popular parks abroad such as Disneyland Paris and Europa-Park in Germany.
And whenever she’s at a theme park, she likes going on rides – as long as they are firmly tethered to the ground.
“I have a fear of falling, so my go-to rides are always the ones that stay on the ground like spinning teacups, helter skelter (a ride that goes down in a spiral), merry-go-rounds and bumper cars.
“I love the speed of roller coasters and the mild ups and downs. But not so much the big drops,” she says.
Her favourite ride is the Trans-formers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle at Universal Studios Singapore, which has a 3D feature.
“It’s so intense, fun, and feels 100% real. It was just an amazing adrenaline rush. And when the height gets too much for me to handle I just close my eyes and the feeling goes away,” she says with a laugh.
Laila now shares the joy of going to theme parks with her family.
“My children are 13, 10, six and three, with one more on the way in March. Going to theme parks with the kids is amazing. They each went on their first ride when they were around five with their dad, and have awesome stories and memories of their experiences,” she says.
Laila loves seeing her children all excited before a big trip to the theme park, as she has always felt that the real joy of visiting theme parks is the anticipation.
“It takes more planning with little ones, but otherwise, the joy and excitement is just as spectacular, if not more. It’s the preparation and excitement leading up to visiting a theme park that makes it really special. It’s not an ‘every weekend kinda thing’ as it also takes money to make it happen.
“Of course, now as a parent, seeing that excitement from my children is what I love the most. They’re so happy from the time they pack their clothes to lining up for tickets, then walking into the parks, and seeing and trying everything,” she shares, before concluding that she hopes all theme park operators have stringent hygiene measures in place amid Covid-19.
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