Even the exorbitant amount paid for a bottle of spring water, alternately sipped and dribbled over the top of his head to combat the scorching sun, isn't enough to deter Steven. "This'll be my third one today." he says, refering to the number of rides he and the other members of his coaster riding club have braved Batman, the parks most popular attraction.
So is it worth it? The near hour-long waits in line,the sweaty masses of people and sore feet, all for an adrenalin-pounding rush that last no longer then the 40 seconds or so that it takes to be slung through the ride at spine-numbing speed?
"Oh,heck yeah," Steven exclaims. "Better than sex-nearly."
His endorsement echos that of millions of thrillseekers across North America, 242.9 million visitors passed through turnstiles of the 50 most popular amusement parks in 1998.
Hitting a peak in this last decade of the 20th Century, no fewer than 60 new coasters are due to open this year, the most since the "Golden Age" of the 1920s when 1,500 wooden roller coasters, or "woodies", were in operation.
Today, 27 different varieties of coasters - racers, suspended, trackless, enclosed, and twisters to name a few, push the envelope for bragging rights to the title of biggest, longest, and scariest. They've come a long way from the newly refurbished Leap-the-Dips, the world's oldest roller coaster still running. Built in 1902 in Altoona, Pa., the venerable old girl still carries her riders at the mild speed of 6 MPH.
Now even speed is no longer king. The more loops, drops, spins, and twists engineers can incorporate into a rides design the better. Coasters with terror-inducing names like Tremors, Serial Thriller, Megaphobia, Exterminator, and Mind Eraser are built in a friendly game of oneupmanship.
One such duel involves Six Flags Magic Mountain and Cedar Point, home to 13 roller coasters, located in Sandusky, Ohio.
Who lays claim to fame as the home to the nation's fastest coaster? With it's Millennium Force rising 310 feet and hitting 92 MPH, Cedar Point's soon to open ride appears the clear winner. Not so say officials at Magic Mountain, who's own Superman the Escape reaches a maximum 100 MPH.
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