By: Nathan Geng

The line for the roller coaster called the Menace was very long, and my friend Tom and I had been waiting for over an hour. It was my first time riding a roller coaster, and I was extremely scared. We were getting closer to the platform, which was the biggest in the park. Tom had really wanted to ride this coaster, so if anything went wrong, I blamed him. We were at Movie Park, one of the largest amusement parks in the world. My stomach felt like it was turning inside out, and the butterflies in my stomach were more like flying foxes in size! We finally boarded the ride, and I was truly horrified. After getting buckled up, panic started to set in.

As we ascended the towering 200 ft tall hill, I saw the 70-degree drop awaiting us. The climb felt slow, and my fear only grew as we went higher and higher. I was so scared that I just froze in my seat. The moment of truth was approaching as we were about to drop. I closed my eyes and prepared for the worst. Suddenly, we plummeted down a smooth drop, filled with adrenaline, reaching speeds of 75 miles per hour, and then into a loop. When I opened my eyes, I realized it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. The ride wasn’t as scary or painful as I had expected.

The rest of the ride was surprisingly smooth, with exhilarating airtime stalls, loops, and hills. Eventually, we returned to the station. I actually ended up enjoying the experience.

“You were screaming like a banshee,” Tom remarked.

I agreed, but I also learned an important lesson. You have to try something before you can truly judge it. To this day, I still enjoy riding roller coasters, and I owe it to my courage and Tom’s encouragement.