I stopped to watch several amusement rides in operation as I walked the trade show floor last November at IAAPA Expo. There were lines composed mostly of younger folk, waiting patiently to ride the big, colorful hunks of steel excitement.
As I observed, my mind took me down a rabbit hole. I began reminiscing about the rides I enjoyed when I was their age, which took me to the terrifying day in 1956 when I rode my first roller coaster, the Jet Flyer (now known as Sea Dragon), at the Columbus Zoo Amusement Park in Powell, Ohio. My first-ever ride was several years earlier on a small carousel that my father had taken me on at the Ohio State Fair, but hey, a coaster ride meant I was growing up.
I embraced the idea that I was now tall enough for a real roller coaster, and was all for it, even after I saw the cars speeding down that terrifying 37-foot drop. I was a brave 9-year-old as I walked up the ramp and started to climb into the Jet Flyer. I remember being scared but felt safe and secure, having just come from St. Catherine’s Catholic Church where I had received my first Holy Communion.
This was the first of the 600-plus roller coasters I was to ride during my life.
Taking that first ride is a monumental step for any human. When my two daughters were ready and big enough, I made sure I was the one with them. My oldest, Carrie, rode the canoe ride at Lake Winnepesaukah in Rossville, Georgia, and I was there to help her into that little boat. Later, she would add 100-plus coasters to her list. My youngest, Molly, was a bit older when she first took her first-ever ride, on the Rock n’ Roller Coaster at Opryland in Nashville. We rode together, and when the park permanently closed, I ended up with a little piece of blue wood from the coaster, which she now has.
My granddaughter Sonora, Carrie’s daughter, took her first ride on the Endangered Species Carousel at the Indianapolis Zoo. Unfortunately, I wasn’t there, but I had my camera ready when Molly’s young one, my grandson Liam, took his first ride on the Liberty Carousel at Belmont Park in San Diego.
I was on the phone chatting with Jim Pattison Jr., 2023 IAAPA Chairman of the Board and my former boss at Ripley Entertainment as I was preparing to write this column, so I inquired about his first-ever ride. It was the Tilt-A-Whirl at Vancouver’s Playland on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). He was content at the time but was dreaming of the day he would be tall enough to conquer Playland’s wooden coaster. He’s still riding, but now with a more critical eye.
First rides usually involve a lot of trepidation, for both the child and the parent. In addition to reading, counting, and saying “please and thank you,” we also need to teach our kids how to trust, love, and appreciate what the attractions industry has to offer. Our futures depend on it!
Tim O’Brien is a veteran attractions journalist and longtime Funworld contributor. He is the author of many books chronicling the industry’s attractions and personalities. He is also the only journalist inducted into the IAAPA Hall of Fame.
