Spencer H

My first roller coaster

         When I was in the fourth grade my family went to Bush Gardens and the Great Wolf Lodge for a vacation.  The Great Wolf Lodge was a hotel that had an indoor water park inside and Bush Gardens is a European themed amusement park.  I had been on some rides at other water parks at that point so I was very excited when I rode some of the waterslides at the hotel.

  After I rode the water slides I convinced myself I was going to ride the roller-coasters at the amusement park.  Then we went to Bush Gardens and when we pulled into the parking lot the first thing I saw was a towering purple roller coaster called Apollo’s chariot.  When I saw it I was terrified but I did not admit it to my family.  I continued to act excited about riding the big rides.  It felt like hours trying to get into the park because of the long lines at the entrance, and as I waited in line I was getting more freaked out about riding the roller coaster.  Once we finally got in the first roller coaster we saw was the Lockness Monster.  My dad and I waited in a huge line but it seemed to fly by too fast and as I waited I became more nervous.  Before I knew it I was in the seat and the lap bar was lowering.  As the roller coaster slowly started to climb that first big hill it seemed like it took years to get up to the top.  When we finally reached the top I tried to scream but I was too scared and nothing came out.  Then on the way down I could not stop myself from screaming it felt like my stomach was in my throat.  I was terrified for the rest of the ride and ducked forward in my seat and kept my eyes closed.  When the ride ended my Dad and I stopped to check out our photo, but I did not show up in the picture because I was so hunched over in my seat.  After I joined back up with my mom, she wanted to ride it but she would not go alone, so my Dad said I would ride with her.  I was even more scared this time because I knew what it would be like.  After I went the second time I was even more scared of the other rides at the park.  I missed out on most of the other rides that day.  Then when we got back to the hotel I was even too scared to ride the waterslides that I had already been on.

  The next day we went back to Bush Gardens and I still would not ride any rides.  I just watched with my grandmother while the rest of my family rode.  I was feeling very frustrated and wasn’t enjoying myself at all.  At around lunchtime my mom, dad and sister all rode the Big Bad Wolf which was one of the smaller roller coasters.  I watched them and I worked up enough courage to ride it.  When they got off my mom and I got in line to ride it together.  I was petrified in the line leading up to the ride.  When it started I was even more scared until we went down the first big hill.

  Once that was over I was not scared and enjoyed myself.  After that ride I was not scared to ride the other roller coasters.  Now I love roller coasters and I have to talk my parents into riding rides.