Even when I'm having the worst times coasters never fail to cheer me up. When I went to Alton Towers to ride The Smiler in 2013, I got a message that a friend had died. Despite trying to fight back tears in the queues (the friends I was with also knew the guy who died) I had a great day, and every time I ride The Smiler it makes me think of Chris.
You hit home for me. I did the same thing as a kid in school drawing roller coasters and wasn’t the most focused. I couldn’t agree more that roller coasters and amusement parks are an escape from reality. I’ve been going through a lot in my head lately and just want to go an amusement park to escape.
@@KeepRidinCoasters It’s funny you ask! Worlds of Fun! I have lived in KC all my life and luckily live close to another great park in Silver Dollar City. I think it’s awesome that you are living your passion!
Roller coasters were an obsession of mine since 11 years old as I wanted to travel and film every single one. As the years got tougher, life got bitter & so did I, I was never a troubled child nor did I harm my body in any way, I just loved mischief & crime. When I finally got a full time career I pushed my passion towards a side gig, and invested some money into a company I created dubbed East Coasters.🥃
Coaster riding actually helped me out with my weight too. I took my first rides back in 2021 for the first time being scared to death to ever step foot on one. I had a friend who loved coasters come down to visit me and we went to Carowinds so I could try out coasters the first time. We hit, Gold Rusher, Carolina Cyclone, Copperhead Strike, Intimidator, and I reluctantly rode Fury 325. I waited for 2.5 hours for Fury being scared most of the queue until I finally rode it and truly got hooked. I got a season pass and worked up courage for Afterburn which scared me a lot. I found out I was slightly too large for the regular restraints and had to be moved from the front row to the third row to be able to even ride. I convinced my family to go to Williamsburg for Busch Gardens in 2022 and was determined that I wouldn’t be turned away for a front row ride on Alpengiest. Since then I lost a total of around 53 pounds and was able to get my front row Alpengiest ride during that trip. I’m still in the process of losing more weight but coasters have helped me out a ton and getting me out there and more active.
Coasters are pretty good carrots to dangle; I once covered 18 miles in under 12 hours at Cedar Point obsessively trying to lap coasters without staying in the offload station and checking for empty seats. Then again I see many people running around for days on end at Main and Hastings in Vancouver; they don't even take a break to sleep at night half the time. Those people win the weight loss competition, no contest. There are many expensive and even unhealthy habits that can motivate people. Question: What if there was no carrot? What if amusement parks didn't exist ?Would you find another way to loose the weight?
2:50 FR I LITERALLY DID THE SAME LAST YEAR. but for real i will never forget when i turned 48 inches and rode millennium force for the first time. i was always on the shorter side still am as im starting high school in a week, i hear from all of my friends and my sister how awesome it was. when my sister first turned 48. inches the first ride her and my dad did was millennium and my dad made her go front row. and yet, he did the same with 2nd grade me. immediately after me and my mom did the same.it was an experience i will never forget and really sparked my love for coasters, then steel vengeance came out when i was going into 5th grade and that ignited that spark and set everything into full force for me. finally got on el toro this year and loved it. there my national coaster day story also: im trying to jumpstart a coaster yt channel myself and if you have any tips feel free to let me know
Love your story! I also love El Toro! I am going to make a video about starting a coaster channel soon too! But email me - and I share some tips! themeparkpredictions@gmail.com
Getting over my fear of coasters this year helped keep me busy, gave me a goal to accomplish, as I struggle to find a new career after my department was eliminated in January.
There are a lot of coaster channels and each one has some kind of niche or unique aspect. Everyone will have their personal preferences. But what I like most about your channel is exactly what you point out here: the positivity. What's the point of talking about theme parks if you aren't trying to have fun and help others have fun? I appreciate your channel and your positivity Brandon. The coaster community always needs uplifting content and UA-cam definitely needs that.
Hey Zac. I know I say it all the time but I just really enjoy seeing you comment on like every video. Means the world and I always love chatting with you!
Loved hearing your story and background. I enjoyed coasters growing up but about for a long stretch in my 20s I stopped going to them parks. I also live in Memphis so we have alot of parks within 8 hours but none within like 4-5 so not easy access. Then planet coaster came out and boy I am now such a coaster nerd. I feel like 80% of my thoughts throughout the day are about coasters. My wife puts up with it though. Lol.
@@KeepRidinCoasters Yes I do! Thank you! I think I used up my big theme park trip for a few years as I took a week and went to Holiday World, Kentucky Kingdom, Kings Island, Cedar Point and Six Flags Great America. She didn't have any more time off work. But she fully supported me going on the trip. She is the best!
I rode rollercoasters this weekend and it was therapy for me...I hit up sea world and six flags fiesta tx..and I'll say all my problems,all my concerns came ro a pause. At least for those minutes I was in the train I was simply enjoying the time and life as well..I totally recommend riding rollercoasters to anyone who is going through any issues..
I was fortunate enough to get on a coaster around the same age as you, specifically the ladybug coaster in New Orleans. Ever since then my passion for coasters and the amusement industry grew immensely. Having such supportive parents who gave me the opportunities to visit parks to embrace my love and passion for the industry. I knew coasters and the amusement industry was my calling, it was my happy place, it was my safe place. A career in ride maintenance was my dream, working hands on with these beautiful, incredible machines. The past few years ive worked in the industrial maintenance field to gain knowledge and experience to pursue my dreams. Then one day, in the blink of an eye, my passion and love for the industry was shattered. After personally experiencing a preventable incident, i felt completely let down by those I looked up to the most (Manufacturers, Engineers/Designers, Ride Maintenance). To all of you in this community, It's truly been an incredible journey with countless, unforgettable memories that will last my whole life. But today, on National Roller Coaster Day, It's time to say goodbye. - ❤️🩹
I’m a 2x c*ncer beater (and hope to be done with it forever). About a year after I finished chemo during my second bout and got the all clear, I was able to get back to flying (my job). I had a trip to LA and went to Magic Mountain and got absolutely hooked. Learning about different coasters, watching yours and other channels about coasters and parks, planning more trips with my girlfriend, and riding has been a huge and positive distraction for me. If my mind is occupied with good things, coasters being one of them, then it makes less room in my mind to be occupied with negative things. They also bring me back to the days when I was a kid and went to Dollywood with my family without an adult concern in the world. Now I’m a Cedar Fair Platinum pass holder and use my pass to bounce between my home parks and my home gigas- Carowinds/Fury 325 and Kings Dominion/i305 (Raleigh, NC is nicely snug in between the two). On occasions when my job gets me close to a park out on the road, that’s where I’ll be- riding roller coasters!
Wow great video brother especially on National Coaster Day.... I'm here walking around Cedar Point and watching your video....So i became an Enthusiast a year ago and I realized through watching channels like yours that I can come to these Parks all the time and there's nothing wrong with that. I suffer from severe PTSD and extreme severe anxiety so it really is a happy place for me it calms me down and lets me breathe deep and just enjoy the day and that's really really important for me because I have to take life one day at a time and as a husband and a father of two adult daughters who are on their own now and an adult stepson who's on his own I still have a lot of responsibilities and have to be there to support, help and be strong for a lot of people. I'm a business owner so I work from home mostly,.I'm on site a few times a month but this summer I've mostly been working from Cedar Point and Kings Island with my laptop and cell phone as we live in the suburbs of Cleveland. My wife is beyond supportive 💯!she is an amazing partner who comes to the parks with me and we've traveled all over the country this year....next month we're going to Magic Mountain for the first time and we have Six Flags passes Cedar Fair Platinum passes with fast pass Plus all season long and my wife has been so supportive and helpful but I could not do this without people like you and your channel. You give me inspiration and you opened me up to a world I didn't know existed.....So before I start crying while I'm walking thru Cedar Point I'm going to o end my comment by saying God Bless Thank you,, Keep Riding Coasters and always remember your helping people you don't even know and that my friend is priceless 💯 #RideOn🎢🎢🎢
Hey! Thank you... But now you make me jealous because you can ride Maverick right now and I am dealing with a 3.5 year old who is sick lol. That is awesome about your story and how parks help you... They really are therapeutic and I love to see how far the coaster community has grown over the years and will continue to grow. I just don't do the BullSh#t that some coaster peeps try to pull. lol. Anyways - thank you!
@@KeepRidinCoasters Awww I'm sorry about the little one, and if I remember correctly you have a another member of the TPP family on the way right? Yeah those are beautiful amazing times and years that you're living through with the little ones that will be priceless memories for the rest of your life,.that being said it's hard and I can only imagine trying to be an enthusiast and everything you do when you have little ones so God bless brother keep it up, Your doing a great job! and yeah I've joined a couple coaster clubs I joined the largest coaster club, ACE and I've met some people that let's just say weren't for me so I'm looking into maybe joining Coasters and Brews if you have time sometime maybe let me know some recommendations of a cool club I could join because ACE isn't for me some of their events are amazing and I want to do Coaster Con45 and things like that but a lot of the people I met just weren't for me But I follow the East Coasters and Buzz bars and this Coasters&Brews sent me a link so I could join them.... so maybe that'll be my move we'll see...
I love seeing people tell their stories about how theme parks changed their lives, and so I suppose I’ll put mine down here as well. Even though I had been a fan of amusement parks and especially coasters since I was a kid, I hadn’t really been the adventurous kind until around 13 when I rode my first looping coaster. Even then, it wasn’t until around 2016 that I got into coasters. During that time I was struggling with my mental health, and kept to myself a lot. But through all of that, watching coaster videos and learning more about the industry allowed an escape I didn’t realize I needed, and I don’t think I could ever see life without them. I owe a lot to my younger brother whose curiosity in watching POVs initially sparked mine’s as well. Not only that, but he likes to film while I ride, so I have something to post to my own social media pages. It’s way more fun to have someone to nerd out about theme parks with.
I am always excited to watch your vids. It certainly a bunch of positivity! I was born in 1997 and two years later a little game called RollerCoaster Tycoon came out. Now I was a little young at the time, only 2, but I was already playing games back then. When I was four years old I gave a friend of mine a RollerCoaster Tycoon for his birthday. But my dad made sure to make a copy of the CD before giving it as a gift, so I could play it aswell. Sure enough it was my favourite thing to do, making rollercoasters, drowning guests, etc, etc. When RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 came out I bought it for myself of my pocket money. I had been saving up my 50 cents a week in pocket money to get a 20€ game. And later I got the expansions aswell, and then RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 and its expansions when those released. I was a big fan and coaster nerd for my age. I told my best friend at the time I was gonna build a theme park when im older, and he was gonna make a zoo. Well i aint exactly there (yet) but I certainly never went away from the rollercoasters. I loved going out with my family to Hellendoorn, Walibi Holland (Walibi World at the time), the Efteling and some other parks. Back in 2015 my family did a road trip to the Western United States. Here I rode a rollercoaster on top of a hotel in Las Vegas and we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain aswell (beside nature things that I also absolutely adore, yellowstone, grand canyon). How cool was that, the second park for me to visit from my childhood game. Last year I decided I wanted to catch up on the parks I didn't know about. I only started knowing about Cedar Fair back in 2018. I knew of Kingda Ka, but I didn't realize that it had a brother. I expanded my knowledge about the rides and I have been saving up for a coaster trip in the states while visiting my boyfriend in Tennessee. This year we have already gone to Holiday World and in two weeks we will visit Cedar Point for a few days, afterwhich we will go to Kings Island. It's gonna be insane, I am sure! Surprisingly enough I will visit Cedar Point before I will go to Walibi Belgium and Plopsa de Panne. Recently I have visited alot more parks with my friends and I am excited to continuing to do that. I did Energylandia and Heide Park last year. Aswell as Phantasialand twice. There are parks I didn't even know existed. I didnt know of the existance of Toverland until recently, even though it's only three hours away from me. I am learning so much and I love it. Keep crafting these vids, bud! And I'll gladly keep you up to date with the latest news from Europe.
Always send me updates! Love your story... I still play RCT 2 at times and introducing it to my son Mason :) Have fun with your boyfriend and at CP & KI. Both top-notch parks! I have some insider guides about those parks on my channel too, so be sure to check those out :)
@@KeepRidinCoasters I've been working alot with OpenRCT2 recently. Been fixing bugs, adding features and such. Really exciting things and such an amazing community
Ever since I started down the pathway of coasters, I have always known that the reason I am so passionate is because I know that theme parks and coasters are one of the only things some people have that makes them happy, and if I could be able to help even 1 person, I would do it in a heartbeat. My original plan was to try to be a designer, but the more that I’ve grown and the introduction of bgsu partnering with cedar fair with the management course, I’m set on going down that pathway because then I can help improve the general ambiance of the parks.
Thank you Brandon, legit you make the most genuine videos out of all the theme park channels. You can really tell you’re extremely passionate about what you do, love all the positive energy, keep it up!
Coasters are love ❤️ I'm thankful my husband indulges my love of coasters and shares every coaster experience with me. Just hit 150 credits during our first visit to Cedar Point. Thank you for sharing your story. That was a great video.
@@KeepRidinCoasters We wanted it to be Steel Vengeance, but timing landed during early entry, so we went with gatekeeper just because it's visually iconic to the park. CP is such a nice park. Makes me miss Magic Mountain back at home, but wish my park had some ambiance beyond the top tier rides.
I love how you mention to smile today and be positive. Sometimes(more than I’d like to admit) I need this reminder. So thankful I found this channel and became part of this wonderful community!
Wow Brandon, your enthusiasm for this form of entertainment is off the charts. If I ever get to meet you I'll probably just lose it like you're a celebrity.
Growing up in the 80s/90s we didn't have much money. It was very rare that my mom could afford a vacation so we only got to go on a day trip every few years. Cedar point was the most memorable and the best times I had with my mom had been talking in queue and seeing her smile and scream. The blue streak and cedar Creek mine ride have the most memories attached. I got to go back in 2021 and since my mother is gone now it felt like she was still around. Rollercoasters can bring people together in a way that isn't common. I think it's the anticipation and the thoughts in the back of everyone's head that can bring a sense of unity when the conditions are right. Striking conversations with strangers and helping parents stoke courage into younger kids. Teenagers being teenagers and older folks holding hands. Sharing overpriced French fries and stepping in gum. The good with the bad, we are all about to be sent through the machine 10, 20, 30 at a time. fodder for the gods of wood and steel. When it's over we get to point and laugh at all our stupid faces we made as we walk passed the photos and than disperse to other queues and do it all over again.
Hey, this video was really inspiring. I’ve watched you since around 3.5K subscribers and I haven’t watched one of your videos and been disappointed. Your videos are really great but so is your personality. Thank you for the great content.
Thank you so much for making this video Brandon cause I feel like the whole community can relate to it extremely well. Each and every one of us has an origin story with theme parks and coasters and it was really interesting to hear about yours. It’s crazy to think that while you were operating rides at theme parks, I was starting my own rollercoaster journey at the ripe age of 4. I too started my enthusiast days on a small wooden coaster like Beastie and from then on I kept getting taller and looking up at all the rides I wanted to venture! I kept pushing the limits and getting on bigger and bigger rides and now I’m here! I hope rollercoasters are always in my life and it’s been really amazing meeting people who have that same belief. Anyways, thanks for making this video, I really enjoyed it 👍
That’s so cool man! Rollercoasters are special to me too, theme parks are a place where the rules are rewritten, you don’t have to worry, and you can have a day of fun as you are immersed in the theming. I’m still in school but plan to visit the European parks when I leave!
So awesome to hear your whole background and all of the awesome parks you have worked at. I remember grabbing all the park brochures as a kid too and dreaming about going to all of them. I remember getting the promo VHS for Raptor mailed to me and telling my parents all I wanted for Birthday AND Christmas was to go to Cedar Point. (My wish was granted) For my 40th birthday I took my husband to Cedar Point for the first time so he could experience it. The older I get the more obsessed I become with coasters and going to new theme parks.
When it comes to rollercoasters and theme parks, I remember my journey began at age 6 with Jaguar! at Knotts Berry Farm as my first ride with my dad. After that single ride I rode Silver Bullet, Boomerang and Ghostrider right after enjoying every part of it feeling so happy. I grew up only wanting Knex theme park build sets, did essays about manufactures and theme park founders, collect pins and even collecting tons of maps. My ever dying passion for rollercoasters since then has grown to me now being 18. Despite being diagnosed with Autism, Depression and an Anxiety disorder, I still love theme parks and go every week to Knotts to bring a smile to workers and guests. I love rollercoasters and am proud to be part of the enthusiasts. People like you sharing predictions, ride operations, and stories bring joy to how much it reminds me of when I was a child going with my dad barely reaching my height requirement to now where my joy still shows with my inner child. Thank you for your story and I'm so glad I found your channel growing up.❤🎢
Hey! Thank you! I love the Jaguar! Such a fun roller coaster! We are thrilled to have you a part of our community and I am so happy to hear that you go to the parks all the time and you won't let anything stop you from doing so!
Thank u Brandon for this video I really needed to hear this today also thank u for reminding me it’s National Roller Coaster Day!!! Love u and the channel thank u so much for ur care support and talent that goes into all ur videos have a blessed day my G!!! 🎢❤️
Yo Brandon I've been following your videos for the past year or so now, and even though I think some of your predictions are insane I love watching your stuff and I appreciate hearing about your upbringing with coasters. My seed was planted on family vacations as a kid to BGW and CP. I was only 5-6 yrs old and too scared/small to ride anything besides Big Bad Wolf, and thankfully I still have a pennant from that trip. My parents got divorced shortly after, and the trips came to an end. RCT was my only outlet as a kid who loved coasters but didn't go to parks (and was too afraid to ride anything anyway). School field trips as a teenager to Hershey and Dorney helped conquer the fear a little, but my friends with season passes to SFGAdv brought me along once in high school. My first ride on Nitro got me hooked, and I developed a closer bond with my buddies as we went to SFGAdv several times a summer throughout high school. I took a long break from coasters after I started college, aside from the occasional Hershey trip every year or two. I connected with a friend from college after I saw him posting about coasters, and we started talking more and more about them. We decided to plan a trip to CP during summer of 2021, and my whole world got flipped upside down. For the past year I discovered the whole community of enthusiasts, I started keeping track of credits, I got into openRCT2, and I've been on a few insane trips. People like you have helped keep the passion fueled, so I really hope you keep it up for a while and I really appreciate your impact on my life!
Hey Nick, Thank you so much for the support and watching my videos!!! Your story is awesome! I am happy that you have the BBW Credit! It was such a great coaster! Never stop ridin Coasters nick and maybe we will ride one together!!
I grew up about 4 hours from SFOG. My first experience(‘84) was waking up REALLY EARLY(4 or 5am) to ride a van up to Atlanta. After walking the park and playing some games on a hot summer day, we ate lunch. We decided to ride Dahlonega Mine Train and the little drop at the end shocked me. My friends wanted to ride again so I went along even though I didn’t feel quite right. As we rushed back around to the Q-line, I left my lunch at the beginning of the station. Over a hundred coasters later and I’ve only gotten sick once. On the DAHLONEGA MINE TRAIN!
That's exactly where my love for roller coasters started- The Little Beasty at Kings Island. Such an awesome kid coaster! Thank you for sharing your story.
Aww love this 🥰 thanks for being you! Have loved seeing your channel grow! My dad brought me to SFGAm when I was 6 and my passion never stopped! So grateful our family toured the Midwest parks when I was growing up and we still do trips together as an adult family! We just brought our 17 month old daughter to her first park last weekend to ride some kiddie flats and she loved it!! Even tho it was Michigans Adventure 😉
Hey Brandon Congratulations on your second child and thanks for sharing your story. That was pretty cool! Random but fun idea. Would you ever do a “what if” Son of Beast got RMC’ed? Haha
I’m gonna say it now. As the younger daughter, I’m so happy I found the channel during the pandemic and staying along since then. The year was 2020. The first 2 months were alright, as I was a freshman in high school. March came along, and I was stuck at home doing online classes. The last 2 months or so I was getting stuff done, as I was focusing on turning assignments in. September 2020 rolled along as I was starting the 2020-2021 school year. That was the start of my sophomore year. It was a lot more tougher that I would’ve anticipated. Luckily I ended my sophomore year as strong as possible. The summer of 2021 was a really good one, as I got to meet you. You are the kindest person I’ve ever met! My junior year was creeping up on me and I started off strong, but I was stressed out. Lots of assignments due, tests coming up, PSAT’s/SAT’s were around the corner. Watching one of your videos was a stress reliever. As I will be a senior in high school, I want to thank you for everything, and bringing your energy. Sending good vibes to you! ❤️
From when I was 1-5 years old, my family went to Cedar Point every year (I live 4 hours away) Finally when I was tall enough to ride Millenium Force at age 7, I was so excited to finally get on a major coaster. This is what started it all. Since then, I have always been anticipating my family’s yearly Cedar Point trip and now several years later I am a coaster enthusiast that just hit 100 credits this year with my 100tj being Shivering Timbers at Michigans Adventure. Your channel has helped my family and I get good strategies to knock out all of the coasters at the parks we visit. Thank you so much for the content you create! #RideOn
First congratulations on kid 2. So happy for you. I have a 17, 15, and a 5 year old. Second we have similar work histories except I ended up working at Disneyland in CA. For 10 years. Rollercoasters help me connect with my family as we all love them. I enjoy hearing what my kids favorite coasters are. There's something about coasters that just make me smile and I will always cherish that Brandon, thank you for all your hard work. Someday, I would love to meet you and ride some coasters with you.
My first coaster was Shamu Express at Seaworld San Antonio, but the coaster that made me an enthusiast was Pandemonium at Fiesta Texas. I was terrified to go on it, but when I did, it was the most fun I’ve ever had. I was hooked. Coasters have helped me with my pstd and I (most of the time) come off feeling amazing. Now I’m a passholder for SFFT and SWTX and I’ve never felt better. Your videos are awesome, and they’ve inspired me a lot. Keep riding coasters!
This is so awesome! I’m happy you were able to live your passion and bring us these great videos. Coasters are the thing that connect me most to the joy of my childhood. And since my kids love coasters too it’s something I use to bring us together. When I don’t have the time and/or money to go ride coasters I’m still able to enjoy them here on your channel. Thanks!
Great video, I find the stories behind what got people into traveling and becoming coaster enthusiasts very fascinating, it seems with most people it went from zero to hundred very fast and the passion never stopped. For me It was when I first went to Seaworld San Antonio with my family for the first time. The first coaster at the park opened and my father was nuts for it because at the time inverts were rare and to have one come to our city was just too much to pass up for my father. So we all went and my father wanted me to ride with him since I was finally big enough and it was what sealed the deal for me. To this day any chance I get to travel and ride coasters I jump at the opportunity, I've only visited 4 parks total but I'm planning on finally making the pilgrimage to Cedar Point some time in 2023.
Such a small world, my family used to go to SFNE in the mid 2000's. I love that park, Superman was my first hyper coaster credit. Now Carowinds is my home park and I'm all about Fury 325!
I was completely coaster-phobic as a kid. I got over that as a teenager, but went for a long period in adulthood without riding coasters, only rediscovering them after I had a family of my own. Honestly I think one of the reasons I like coasters so much is that on some level they still scare me--I struggle with anxiety a lot in my daily life, and being able to conquer something that causes such fear and just let myself experience all the extreme feelings and scream them out, knowing that they can't hurt me, is a cathartic thing, like a small drama. I'm playing with anxiety when I ride coasters, bringing it on and taming it in a controlled context. One of the last coasters I rode as a young adult was Busch Gardens Williamsburg's infamous Drachen Fire. I enjoyed it, but it kind of drove me out of riding them for a while because I assumed that new coasters had evolved to the point where they were all rough, punishing experiences like that, and I'd need to be in a very special mood to enjoy it. I didn't know Drachen Fire was unusual and considered a misstep. But one of the things that got me back in was that many years later, after the Web existed, I wondered "hey, what ever became of Drachen Fire--that was a pretty intense ride," and looked it up and learned this whole story. And that pulled me into the online fandom. So in a way Drachen Fire was what got me back in too.
That’s a great story and I’m so glad that coasters help you out! They are so much more than a giant machine. Jealous that you’ve ridden drachen fire’ haha
I say to my partner in crime wife Lisa of 30 years, i have never ever seen anyone pull in the station without a smile, wide eyed, sometime if ya lucky teary eyed but most of all laughing their asses off. This is why parks are always great vibes because everyone is in w fantastic mood which is because we influence our surrounding LOVE PRAYERS AND HAPPINESS TO YOU AND YOURS
What a great story. Coasters are the best fun ever. My first experience with The Bat at Canada's Wonderland was that I was a chicken to go on it. My 2 friends dragged me onto it and I loved it ever since. Congrats on the channel.
I love coasters more than pretty much anything. My girlfriend plans vacations, I plan coaster trips. Lol. Unfortunately I work a retail job and live in North Western PA so my coaster season is about 3-5 months due to the weather patterns in this area. I start planning what parks I'm hitting in a year as soon as new years day hits. I usually can only hit one to 3 parks in a year, but they are what I look forward to every year. I spend a fair amount of my free time watching UA-cam videos about coasters. I'm basically obsessed with them.
I was terrified off heights I meet my girlfriend in July 2018 and she got me hooked on riding coasters and I haven’t looked back since and that’s when I started watching your videos from the very beginning you got me more interested in coasters and how they work
Coasters got me through the pandemic and I am eternally grateful for the amazing content made by you and so so so so many more channels ❤️. Its content that is easily watchable and digestible. Nothing is overly complicated and is just nice to watch.
Great video. Loved hearing about your background. Gives me the feeling of “knowing you” event though it’s just through a video. My parent took me to six flags and fairs when I was small and my love for coasters and rides just grew from there. Six Flags St. Louis is where I went the most frequently but would call Dollywood my home park now, although it’s further, we visit it more often. I also have a little one coming in just under a month and share your enthusiasm with sharing that experience as they grow (will be our 3rd child). One of my favorite channels sir. Keep up the great work. Hope to make it out to Carowinds in the next couple of years.
@@KeepRidinCoasters Have an almost 4year old and 20 month old. Needless to say we stay busy. Both of them already love rides and rollercoaster that they can ride though so it’s great! How about yours?
I always said riding rollercoasters was cheaper than therapy...and I'm in therapy because I can't ride at the moment. LOL. Brandon, I have notebooks full of my writing from high school that have coasters drawn in them. I think in high school too, I drew some coasters in text books.
Excellent video, Brandon! Thank you for your videos as they've been very helpful. I honestly did not know yesterday was Coaster Day, and I rode on Kingda Ka for the 1st time! I grew up in Massachusetts and had parks and fairs all around, but was scared of bigger coasters. I was on maybe two or three in my life before last year I finally visited Six Flags NE multiple times and then SFGA yesterday and rode everything. I'm definitely not scared much anymore and I'm 45 now😄
It was absolutely insane! I can't quite comprehend a ride like that exists even afterwards. The searing Hisssss through the launch and the deceleration before rocketing vertically into the sky are going to stick with me! El Toro was crazy fun and hilarious, a bit rough, but so wild with the ejectors. My 11 year old loved it as well.
Even though I haven’t been really going through hard times other then Covid and making sure my grades were good, coasters were always there for me. It all pretty much started when I was 5 I went to my first ever park: Carowinds which was a 35 minute drive away. And so we got there and our friends came too and we went to camp snoopy (before the renovation) and we rode a few rides but then it was that moment I saw my very first coaster, that moment I ran to my parents and my friends parents so exited to say “LOOK THAT LOOKS AWSOME.” In a way and so I got everyone to get to it and even though it was wilderness run (a really small kiddy coaster) I was so pumped to ride it and so was my friends and so we hoped on and there was no wait the whole day and so we just kept lapping it so many times with the ride operator exited to do it for us, that was the moment I knew coasters are my thing. And so things go on I get on bigger rides and then here I am going everywhere I can to keep rid’n coasters. Thank you for reading my story and have a great day 🙂
Hey Brandon. Love your work. I wanted to thank you for help inspiring me to start a mission to ride 400 different coasters. I lost my left foot in 2019 and then the pandemic hit. So I had a lot of time to become an enthusiast. Your videos are awesome and I enjoy watching them, as well as the other usual suspects. I hope that if you ever make it to canada or western New York in the near future. It would be my honor to ride a few coasters with you. :)
My first coaster was Roller Coaster at PNE in Vancouver, CA. That was a long time ago. I’m a little older then you Brandon and it’s great to see someone my age that’s just as passionate as I am. I don’t have the opportunity to travel too much due to a lot of issues out of my control. And I’m not gonna lie but envy wants to creep in. Life has been very hard and it’s easy to get down but I know my faith in Christ will carry me through. And with that said, I’m honestly grateful that you do this work. I can experience new parks and coasters through your you tube channel. Like others have said, I really do look forward to your videos and your positive, optimistic outlook. With Valleyfair as my home park, I’m one of the last remaining optimistic enthusiast left.😀 In the year 20- Valleyfair is going to get a brand new, shiny _________ coaster!!!
Roller Coasters makes me wanna fly like an angle and bring my happiness. Coasters like B&M Hypers made my arms spread like freedom. Candymonium, at Hershey park in Hershey, PA, for example got my hands up the whole ride. It’s an floater Airtime city, especially it’s like sitting while flying. Hypers and Flying coasters makes me wanna say “TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!!” That quote was from Toy Story (1995) and Disney Pixar Lightyear.
I’ve been riding coasters since 1974, when I was 5. I got bored with them before my son was born in 2009. I started traveling to a lot more parks in 2016 and got my son to try all the coasters he was tall enough to ride at Cedar Point. On his 7th birthday we started on Blue Streak and by the end of that day he rode Millennium Force. He became an enthusiast that day and it also rekindled my passion for coasters. I visited Carowinds for the first time while being in Charlotte for the Carolina Rebellion Rock Music Festival in 2017. Fury 325 got me to love new coasters again and I hit a few new parks. I went crazy in 2018 and got credit #150 on Steel Vengeance that May… I continued traveling all over the country riding coasters and in March of this year I got credit #600 on Iron Gwazi. That’s 450 new coasters in under 4 years! My son recently got his 200th credit last month on Pantheon, he just turned 13. It’s nice to have something we can share a passion for. I was 40 when he was born and there aren’t many things that will make you a cool dad to your teenage son, but this is one thing I do that he doesn’t call “cringe”! lol Thanks Brandon for your background story and congrats on becoming a father again!
this was beautiful man. I am glad that you were able to find your passion and are able to make a living at it, many people cant say the same. I have always like how your background on the inside gives your takes and predictions a grounded and realistic feel (the reaction to CP's mouse illiterates this to a T). I like how you are almost always positive and see the benefit to every more and outcome. you have found your nitch and the people are right in coming for it. congrats on the second kid (playing tag with Chris are we?) I cant wait to follow your content for years to come
My name is Liam. I am 17 years old and just started my senior year of high school. I am pretty happy with my life right now and have great friends I’ve met through sports and activities. While I am happy now, my life hasn’t been perfect but coasters have always made the difference. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, my first roller coaster was the Little Dipper at kiddie land amusement park before the park shut down for good. Some years later when I was 9, the McDonald’s corporation which my dad used to work for rented out six flags great America on a Friday night. My mom suprised me by pulling me out of school an hour early so that I could go up to six flags great America for the first time ever. I remember being nervous about it but after my first big coaster (Viper), I was ready for anything. I then did demon and American Eagle afterwards and I couldn’t believe how fun those rides were to me at the time. I started watching roller coaster countdown videos on UA-cam sparking a slight interest until it eventually became a full on hobby after Goliath was built the next year changing everything. After my first ride on that amazing RMC, I knew I had to ride even more coasters. I eventually hit 54 inches the next year and was able to complete all the big B&M’s along with V2 at the park. As I’ve grown up about 1 hour from the park, I’ve made dozens of visits with my family, friends, neighbors and more. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have such an outstanding home park and the fact that roller coasters have changed my life. As of today I have visited six flags great America, six flags st. Louis, Nickelodeon universe in mall of America, kings island (twice), cedar point, Dollywood, adventureland and silverwood (stunt pilot is amazing!). Thank you so much Brandon for supplying us with amazing content and keep riding coasters!
since kindergarten ive been fascinated with roller coasters even thought ive visited my first park and riding my first coaster (scorpion, bgt) when i was sic, weve never really beem to a lot of amusement parks, just a few smaller local parks every few years (im from germany btw). But ever since weve been to europa park in 2019 i was comepletley hooked and emidiatly jumped on a learning trail to get to know all theres to know about coasters. when covid hit i made a lot of online connections witz other thoosies thru discord and in summer of 2020 i went on my first coaster trip with my mom thru northern germany. 2021 i was a full fledged enthusiast and we did another trip, now to the netherlands. a few smaller trips to single parks in between and i built a perfect base of coaster experiences in europe. Fast forward a year to 2022. This summer was crazy for me, i graduated from school in june and then got a job to get money for my biggest trips yet. in august i was on vacation with a friend in italy and later 3 weeks in america with my family, doing a few parks on the way. but in late september i decided to go on a complete benelux tour for 11 days including 9 parks all on my own and it was amazing! So shortly after this, 2 weeks ago frim when im writing this comment i went to energylandia for 2 days meeting up with 7 other enthusiasts. Those 2 days were maybe the best theme park experience ive ever had and now i know fit sure i found passion!
I went across your channel a year or so ago. I thought it was meh. I watched a couple more and I was wrong! Thank you for the great attitude and videos!!!
my whole love for coasters started when i was six and my family took me to SeaWorld San Antonio. i rode the steel eel with my dad and it freaked me out but i wanted to ride it more and more until i could eventually put my hands up. i ended up riding it like, 3 or 4 times that day and loved every second of it.
First off. What a great video. Secondly we are living similar lives because as a fellow daytonian who grew up bullied and found a home at Kings Ialsnd, I too created this page not too long to hopefully achieve the happiness you have...Orlando is even on the timeline for our first home. I would love any tips you would have because your story is so inspirational(at least to nerds like us) We would love to chat! Also...YOUR SONS NAME IS MASON AND IT JUST CLICKED. I hope the reference is what I think it is. Happy Coaster day!
My science fair projects for 6th and 7th grade was building a roller coaster with popsicle sticks, plastic coated clothes wire and legos, and lots of glue. This was the mid 80's before toys came out that did this.
My first coaster was Beastie at Kings Island when I was 3, and unfortunately, my experience wasn’t as good as yours. I didn’t want to ride and was taken on the ride by adult family members who didn’t listen when I was afraid. The fear remained strong until I was about 9 years old. Once again, I was taken on a roller coaster crying; this one was sooperdooperlooper at my home park of Hersheypark. Once it was over, I decided to try it again even though I was scared. I took a thing that I was afraid of and made it something that would come to identify me. Now I am 45 and have ridden 124 coasters, half of them since 2021. I was very lonely during the pandemic isolation due to my chronic illnesses, and theme parks made it possible for me to get out in a reasonably safe environment outdoors. Anytime I need a quick pick me up, I go 30 minutes up the road to Hersheypark and ride roller coasters until I feel better. This summer, my girlfriend and I rode Woodstock Express together so that I could remember it with happiness instead of fear. I was happy to have come full circle and to help my inner 3 year old feel better! Thanks for a great channel and congratulations on your new addition to your family!
So happy that you were able to make it through your illness and the pandemic! Scary stuff... I am even more Happy to know that you're back to riding coasters! Thank you so much :)
Right before the pandemic in October of 2019 I got to finally go to Fright nights at Thorpe Park and Alton Towers scarefest as I was finally 1.4 meters tall and could get on The Smiler and Nemesis Inferno. Needless to say, I loved both of them. And when the pandemic hit what kept me going was that eventually I'd be able to get back to parks again and ride more coasters. And now over 2 years later, I'm a massive enthusiast and even though I've gone to parks outside the UK such as energylandia and portaventura where even better rides are, I still always love going to Alton to ride The Smiler or Thorpe to ride Inferno, and I do whenever I've got free time between revision and exams.
Parks in general are my way to relax. I work hard, sometimes too hard. My happy place/relaxing place is my home parks of Cedar Point and Kings Island. Lately, I find myself less about ride ride ride, and just am happy to be there. Maybe catch a show here and there. I've been going to parks since I was 5. Used to go to Geauga Lake all the time since it was only about 30 mins away from home. Used to go to Conneaut Lake Park to ride the old Blue Streak (now defunct because the a-hole who bought the place) a lot too. Now, I am SO lucky to have 2 seriously top tier parks still in my home state. I can't even decide which one to call my home park. Our family goes to each park about the same each year. So far it's 40 times in each park this year. While Kings Island is a 4 hour trip, and CP is just over an hour, I'm still in the parks a lot. I love them, my wife loves them, and our 4 children love them. Now, we found out that we will have one more child to get to love coasters as well.
Hey, congrats on the 5th!! How exciting and I love your story!!! It's a shame that Geauga Lake closed. I always loved that park! Thank you for watching!
@@KeepRidinCoasters Thanks. We are done after this one though. I'm not trying to have my own show on TLC lol. Plus.... I'm getting to the age now, that when this one graduates, people won't know if we're parents or grandparents lol. 😳
As a small child, my father often took us to roadside carnivals at shopping centers in our hometown. I enjoyed riding the kiddie rides. I remember I wasn't tall enough to ride a double-rotating Ferris wheel, which was OK with me because the sight of it scared me. As I grew up, I would ride things like the Zipper and other flat rides. The constant repetitive motions made me sick to my stomach. When I was nine, my dad took my brother and me to Kings Dominion, about an hour from our home. My brother and I loved Hannah Barbera Land, and the water rides, like White Water Canyon. My dad liked roller coasters and wanted us to ride them, too. So, one day he made me get on the Anaconda, a looper that had just opened at Kings Dominion. In those days, they took your photo at the top of the drop hill, and I looked like I wanted to die. After the drop, I loved every single second of the ride. Something inside me changed, and I felt an exhilaration like never before. I felt alive. I spent the rest of the day riding the Scooby Doo (Woodstock Express) and loving it. That was the day I became a fan of coasters and theme parks. We would continue visiting Kings Dominion through my elementary and middle school years. Sadly, I only went once in high school, and then I stopped going altogether. The fond memories lived in my head. About 10 years later, following a visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg with my wife (then girlfriend,) my entire family and I returned to Kings Dominion. The park had changed a bit, no longer owned by Paramount. New rides were added. I rode a new coaster that opened that same year called Intimidator 305 and nearly passed out. It was a fun visit, but for some reason, I felt disconnected from the park I loved as a kid. During the lockdowns, my wife, who also visited Kings Dominion a lot when she was a kid, and I started watching UA-cam videos about the park on everything from how it was built, to the removal of Volcano and Hypersonic XLC, to the history of the rides I loved as a kid. It rekindled our interest in the amusement park. Now that our child is two years old, we purchased season passes to Kings Dominion in the spring and have been enjoying the park with our family, her parents, and our friends. The park is my happy place, and it's so much fun just to be there riding a coaster, in the waterpark with my wife, or the Whirliebirds with my daughter. This past weekend, I rode I-305 for the first in 12 years. Technically, it was my second time on the coaster, and I sat with my good friend in the front row. I've spent the entire summer looking up at the drop hill as it towers over the park, taller than its signature Eiffel Tower. I've ridden Racer 75 (it'll always be the Rebel Yell to me) as it reached the turnaround, only to see the monster giga coaster towering overhead, seemingly staring back at me, daring me to come to ride. I wanted to ride, but after reading that so many people blacked out on the coaster, I was nervous. This summer, I suddenly lost someone with whom I worked and respected. In the days after her death, I decided life was short and that I would ride I-305. My friend and I waited about two hours to snag a seat in the front row, and the ride was worth it. I screamed so much (mainly to keep the blood flowing to my head so I wouldn't pass out) that I nearly lost my voice. The drop was excellent, and the rest of the ride was unlike anything else. I once again felt like I did when I was a kid on the Anaconda. Thank you for all of the good you give to this troubled world. Your tag lines of staying positive and keeping riding coasters resonate with me and so many others. Please keep up the good work. Congratulations on your second child!
Very touching story... Love to hear how you rode i305 in honor of your friend and in the front row... Congrats on the little one!!! Be sure to do the Pre-K pass for them when they turn 3, So they will be allowed in the park for free still :)
Oh yeah... as far as to just how important roller coasters are to me.... When I met my wife in 2011, one of the first questions I asked her was if she liked them. She said she loved them, and said she really hoped that I do too, or our relationship may just not work out. Now that's a keeper, lol.
Thanks for sharing! I plan on heading out to the east coast again next summer. We should plan something! I think I may shoot a video kinda like this and tag you. Maybe it can be a trend!
@@KeepRidinCoasters my home park is Kings Island or Cedar Point really haha. I live in Columbus. I am planning on taking a road trip next summer for KD and BGW and probably Hershey as well.
My first coaster was „Speedy Bob“ at Bobejaanland. I remember being scared of it and I thaught I would Never ride a roller coaster again. In 2014 I went to Phantasialand with my parents and I loved all of the coasters. Back then I wasn‘t Interested in roller coasters. But then a friend from school wanted to show me a Pov of „Revolution“ at Bobejaanland but he clicked on a Riview by an german youtuber named „Ride Review“ where he talked about the ride. My friend from school didn‘t found it interesting and stopped the video. At home I watched so many videos about roller coasters and I started getting interested in themeparks and roller coasters. Now I‘m 14 years old and have ridden 94 different roller coasters. My favourite one is „Untamed“ followed by „Taron“ and „F.L.Y., ….. . So I became a roller coaster enthusiast since I was 8. Greetings from Germany🇩🇪
I remember going to cedar point skipping school in 2000 to ride millennium force I skipped school to wait in line for 5+ hours 🤣 but question? What did you think of geauga lake? Did you ever go there and it have an impact on you?
I loved Geauga Lake! I went in 2000, when it was Six Flags Ohio and loved it! I then went just about every year until it closed... Such an underrated park!
Even when I'm having the worst times coasters never fail to cheer me up. When I went to Alton Towers to ride The Smiler in 2013, I got a message that a friend had died. Despite trying to fight back tears in the queues (the friends I was with also knew the guy who died) I had a great day, and every time I ride The Smiler it makes me think of Chris.
That is awesome! And I know Chris knows that you think of him while riding the Smiler! Great story!
I’m so sorry for your lost even though it was long ago
@@jameson_coasterlover3411 thank you.
@@KeepRidinCoasters he wasn’t a fan of coasters, mainly cos he didn’t fit 6’8” 300lb rugby players rarely do (was a happy bag watcher though).
You hit home for me. I did the same thing as a kid in school drawing roller coasters and wasn’t the most focused. I couldn’t agree more that roller coasters and amusement parks are an escape from reality. I’ve been going through a lot in my head lately and just want to go an amusement park to escape.
Hey Terry! It's so cool to see that so many people have done the same things I have...What's your home park? Hope you're able to visit a park soon!
@@KeepRidinCoasters It’s funny you ask! Worlds of Fun! I have lived in KC all my life and luckily live close to another great park in Silver Dollar City. I think it’s awesome that you are living your passion!
Roller coasters were an obsession of mine since 11 years old as I wanted to travel and film every single one. As the years got tougher, life got bitter & so did I, I was never a troubled child nor did I harm my body in any way, I just loved mischief & crime. When I finally got a full time career I pushed my passion towards a side gig, and invested some money into a company I created dubbed East Coasters.🥃
Let's continue to change the game brother!
This is so true!!! I literally ride coasters for my mental health! It helps me escape!
I love this guy. He’s just so wholesome
Why thank you :)
Coaster riding actually helped me out with my weight too. I took my first rides back in 2021 for the first time being scared to death to ever step foot on one. I had a friend who loved coasters come down to visit me and we went to Carowinds so I could try out coasters the first time. We hit, Gold Rusher, Carolina Cyclone, Copperhead Strike, Intimidator, and I reluctantly rode Fury 325. I waited for 2.5 hours for Fury being scared most of the queue until I finally rode it and truly got hooked.
I got a season pass and worked up courage for Afterburn which scared me a lot. I found out I was slightly too large for the regular restraints and had to be moved from the front row to the third row to be able to even ride.
I convinced my family to go to Williamsburg for Busch Gardens in 2022 and was determined that I wouldn’t be turned away for a front row ride on Alpengiest. Since then I lost a total of around 53 pounds and was able to get my front row Alpengiest ride during that trip. I’m still in the process of losing more weight but coasters have helped me out a ton and getting me out there and more active.
THIS IS FREAKING AWESOME!! Congrats on losing the weight! That is so amazing! Keep up the great work!
Coasters are pretty good carrots to dangle; I once covered 18 miles in under 12 hours at Cedar Point obsessively trying to lap coasters without staying in the offload station and checking for empty seats. Then again I see many people running around for days on end at Main and Hastings in Vancouver; they don't even take a break to sleep at night half the time. Those people win the weight loss competition, no contest. There are many expensive and even unhealthy habits that can motivate people. Question: What if there was no carrot? What if amusement parks didn't exist ?Would you find another way to loose the weight?
2:50 FR I LITERALLY DID THE SAME LAST YEAR. but for real i will never forget when i turned 48 inches and rode millennium force for the first time. i was always on the shorter side still am as im starting high school in a week, i hear from all of my friends and my sister how awesome it was. when my sister first turned 48. inches the first ride her and my dad did was millennium and my dad made her go front row. and yet, he did the same with 2nd grade me. immediately after me and my mom did the same.it was an experience i will never forget and really sparked my love for coasters, then steel vengeance came out when i was going into 5th grade and that ignited that spark and set everything into full force for me. finally got on el toro this year and loved it. there my national coaster day story
also: im trying to jumpstart a coaster yt channel myself and if you have any tips feel free to let me know
Love your story! I also love El Toro! I am going to make a video about starting a coaster channel soon too! But email me - and I share some tips! themeparkpredictions@gmail.com
Probably the best roller coaster video I’ve watched in my life keep up the good work
Thank you, Kindle! I appreciate it! And you!
Getting over my fear of coasters this year helped keep me busy, gave me a goal to accomplish, as I struggle to find a new career after my department was eliminated in January.
Start a UA-cam channel in the meantime :)
There are a lot of coaster channels and each one has some kind of niche or unique aspect. Everyone will have their personal preferences. But what I like most about your channel is exactly what you point out here: the positivity. What's the point of talking about theme parks if you aren't trying to have fun and help others have fun?
I appreciate your channel and your positivity Brandon. The coaster community always needs uplifting content and UA-cam definitely needs that.
Hey Zac. I know I say it all the time but I just really enjoy seeing you comment on like every video. Means the world and I always love chatting with you!
Loved hearing your story and background. I enjoyed coasters growing up but about for a long stretch in my 20s I stopped going to them parks. I also live in Memphis so we have alot of parks within 8 hours but none within like 4-5 so not easy access. Then planet coaster came out and boy I am now such a coaster nerd. I feel like 80% of my thoughts throughout the day are about coasters. My wife puts up with it though. Lol.
You have a great wife... Keep her lol
great story! :) thank you for sharing!
@@KeepRidinCoasters Yes I do! Thank you! I think I used up my big theme park trip for a few years as I took a week and went to Holiday World, Kentucky Kingdom, Kings Island, Cedar Point and Six Flags Great America. She didn't have any more time off work. But she fully supported me going on the trip. She is the best!
I rode rollercoasters this weekend and it was therapy for me...I hit up sea world and six flags fiesta tx..and I'll say all my problems,all my concerns came ro a pause. At least for those minutes I was in the train I was simply enjoying the time and life as well..I totally recommend riding rollercoasters to anyone who is going through any issues..
I was fortunate enough to get on a coaster around the same age as you, specifically the ladybug coaster in New Orleans. Ever since then my passion for coasters and the amusement industry grew immensely. Having such supportive parents who gave me the opportunities to visit parks to embrace my love and passion for the industry. I knew coasters and the amusement industry was my calling, it was my happy place, it was my safe place. A career in ride maintenance was my dream, working hands on with these beautiful, incredible machines. The past few years ive worked in the industrial maintenance field to gain knowledge and experience to pursue my dreams.
Then one day, in the blink of an eye, my passion and love for the industry was shattered. After personally experiencing a preventable incident, i felt completely let down by those I looked up to the most (Manufacturers, Engineers/Designers, Ride Maintenance).
To all of you in this community,
It's truly been an incredible journey with countless, unforgettable memories that will last my whole life. But today, on National Roller Coaster Day, It's time to say goodbye.
- ❤️🩹
Don’t say goodbye. Always keep dreaming and reach for the stars.
The darkness nights make the brightest stars. ❤️❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻🎢🎢
I’m a 2x c*ncer beater (and hope to be done with it forever). About a year after I finished chemo during my second bout and got the all clear, I was able to get back to flying (my job). I had a trip to LA and went to Magic Mountain and got absolutely hooked.
Learning about different coasters, watching yours and other channels about coasters and parks, planning more trips with my girlfriend, and riding has been a huge and positive distraction for me. If my mind is occupied with good things, coasters being one of them, then it makes less room in my mind to be occupied with negative things. They also bring me back to the days when I was a kid and went to Dollywood with my family without an adult concern in the world.
Now I’m a Cedar Fair Platinum pass holder and use my pass to bounce between my home parks and my home gigas- Carowinds/Fury 325 and Kings Dominion/i305 (Raleigh, NC is nicely snug in between the two). On occasions when my job gets me close to a park out on the road, that’s where I’ll be- riding roller coasters!
Josh, love love love your story! Congrats!!! I am so glad you get to experience this stuff with your gf too! Sounds like she is a keeper!
Wow great video brother especially on National Coaster Day.... I'm here walking around Cedar Point and watching your video....So i became an Enthusiast a year ago and I realized through watching channels like yours that I can come to these Parks all the time and there's nothing wrong with that. I suffer from severe PTSD and extreme severe anxiety so it really is a happy place for me it calms me down and lets me breathe deep and just enjoy the day and that's really really important for me because I have to take life one day at a time and as a husband and a father of two adult daughters who are on their own now and an adult stepson who's on his own I still have a lot of responsibilities and have to be there to support, help and be strong for a lot of people. I'm a business owner so I work from home mostly,.I'm on site a few times a month but this summer I've mostly been working from Cedar Point and Kings Island with my laptop and cell phone as we live in the suburbs of Cleveland. My wife is beyond supportive 💯!she is an amazing partner who comes to the parks with me and we've traveled all over the country this year....next month we're going to Magic Mountain for the first time and we have Six Flags passes Cedar Fair Platinum passes with fast pass Plus all season long and my wife has been so supportive and helpful but I could not do this without people like you and your channel. You give me inspiration and you opened me up to a world I didn't know existed.....So before I start crying while I'm walking thru Cedar Point I'm going to o end my comment by saying God Bless Thank you,, Keep Riding Coasters and always remember your helping people you don't even know and that my friend is priceless 💯 #RideOn🎢🎢🎢
Hey! Thank you... But now you make me jealous because you can ride Maverick right now and I am dealing with a 3.5 year old who is sick lol.
That is awesome about your story and how parks help you... They really are therapeutic and I love to see how far the coaster community has grown over the years and will continue to grow. I just don't do the BullSh#t that some coaster peeps try to pull. lol.
Anyways - thank you!
@@KeepRidinCoasters Awww I'm sorry about the little one, and if I remember correctly you have a another member of the TPP family on the way right? Yeah those are beautiful amazing times and years that you're living through with the little ones that will be priceless memories for the rest of your life,.that being said it's hard and I can only imagine trying to be an enthusiast and everything you do when you have little ones so God bless brother keep it up, Your doing a great job! and yeah I've joined a couple coaster clubs I joined the largest coaster club, ACE and I've met some people that let's just say weren't for me so I'm looking into maybe joining Coasters and Brews if you have time sometime maybe let me know some recommendations of a cool club I could join because ACE isn't for me some of their events are amazing and I want to do Coaster Con45 and things like that but a lot of the people I met just weren't for me But I follow the East Coasters and Buzz bars and this Coasters&Brews sent me a link so I could join them.... so maybe that'll be my move we'll see...
I love seeing people tell their stories about how theme parks changed their lives, and so I suppose I’ll put mine down here as well.
Even though I had been a fan of amusement parks and especially coasters since I was a kid, I hadn’t really been the adventurous kind until around 13 when I rode my first looping coaster. Even then, it wasn’t until around 2016 that I got into coasters. During that time I was struggling with my mental health, and kept to myself a lot. But through all of that, watching coaster videos and learning more about the industry allowed an escape I didn’t realize I needed, and I don’t think I could ever see life without them.
I owe a lot to my younger brother whose curiosity in watching POVs initially sparked mine’s as well. Not only that, but he likes to film while I ride, so I have something to post to my own social media pages. It’s way more fun to have someone to nerd out about theme parks with.
This is a great inspirational story! Thank you so much for sharing . 💯❤️🎢
I am always excited to watch your vids. It certainly a bunch of positivity!
I was born in 1997 and two years later a little game called RollerCoaster Tycoon came out. Now I was a little young at the time, only 2, but I was already playing games back then. When I was four years old I gave a friend of mine a RollerCoaster Tycoon for his birthday. But my dad made sure to make a copy of the CD before giving it as a gift, so I could play it aswell. Sure enough it was my favourite thing to do, making rollercoasters, drowning guests, etc, etc. When RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 came out I bought it for myself of my pocket money. I had been saving up my 50 cents a week in pocket money to get a 20€ game. And later I got the expansions aswell, and then RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 and its expansions when those released. I was a big fan and coaster nerd for my age. I told my best friend at the time I was gonna build a theme park when im older, and he was gonna make a zoo. Well i aint exactly there (yet) but I certainly never went away from the rollercoasters. I loved going out with my family to Hellendoorn, Walibi Holland (Walibi World at the time), the Efteling and some other parks. Back in 2015 my family did a road trip to the Western United States. Here I rode a rollercoaster on top of a hotel in Las Vegas and we went to Six Flags Magic Mountain aswell (beside nature things that I also absolutely adore, yellowstone, grand canyon). How cool was that, the second park for me to visit from my childhood game. Last year I decided I wanted to catch up on the parks I didn't know about. I only started knowing about Cedar Fair back in 2018. I knew of Kingda Ka, but I didn't realize that it had a brother. I expanded my knowledge about the rides and I have been saving up for a coaster trip in the states while visiting my boyfriend in Tennessee. This year we have already gone to Holiday World and in two weeks we will visit Cedar Point for a few days, afterwhich we will go to Kings Island. It's gonna be insane, I am sure! Surprisingly enough I will visit Cedar Point before I will go to Walibi Belgium and Plopsa de Panne. Recently I have visited alot more parks with my friends and I am excited to continuing to do that. I did Energylandia and Heide Park last year. Aswell as Phantasialand twice. There are parks I didn't even know existed. I didnt know of the existance of Toverland until recently, even though it's only three hours away from me. I am learning so much and I love it. Keep crafting these vids, bud! And I'll gladly keep you up to date with the latest news from Europe.
Always send me updates! Love your story... I still play RCT 2 at times and introducing it to my son Mason :)
Have fun with your boyfriend and at CP & KI. Both top-notch parks! I have some insider guides about those parks on my channel too, so be sure to check those out :)
@@KeepRidinCoasters I've been working alot with OpenRCT2 recently. Been fixing bugs, adding features and such. Really exciting things and such an amazing community
Ever since I started down the pathway of coasters, I have always known that the reason I am so passionate is because I know that theme parks and coasters are one of the only things some people have that makes them happy, and if I could be able to help even 1 person, I would do it in a heartbeat. My original plan was to try to be a designer, but the more that I’ve grown and the introduction of bgsu partnering with cedar fair with the management course, I’m set on going down that pathway because then I can help improve the general ambiance of the parks.
You are the future of theme parks... Passion passion passion... thank you for being you and working in the parks...
Awesome to hear where you came from! You’ve made quite the choice and journey! Thank you for always keeping us happy and smiling!
Thank you for always watching! :)
im perusing RMC to design them. they've been my favorite thing of all time since I was four or five.
Thank you Brandon, legit you make the most genuine videos out of all the theme park channels. You can really tell you’re extremely passionate about what you do, love all the positive energy, keep it up!
thank you Rusty! I appreciate it
Coasters are love ❤️ I'm thankful my husband indulges my love of coasters and shares every coaster experience with me. Just hit 150 credits during our first visit to Cedar Point. Thank you for sharing your story. That was a great video.
How was CP? What was your 150th? Thank you of watchin :)
@@KeepRidinCoasters We wanted it to be Steel Vengeance, but timing landed during early entry, so we went with gatekeeper just because it's visually iconic to the park. CP is such a nice park. Makes me miss Magic Mountain back at home, but wish my park had some ambiance beyond the top tier rides.
I love how you mention to smile today and be positive. Sometimes(more than I’d like to admit) I need this reminder. So thankful I found this channel and became part of this wonderful community!
Yo, thank you for being you. Seriously. This channel is so much more to
Me then just making videos. 💕🎢🙏🏻
Wow Brandon, your enthusiasm for this form of entertainment is off the charts. If I ever get to meet you I'll probably just lose it like you're a celebrity.
Ha, hopefully we will meet, and you don't have to lose it- I am just like you - a guy who loves coasters my friend :)
Thank you so much for the videos they are always a great part of my day and I can tell how much love you put into them
Thank you Will :) Means a lot!
Growing up in the 80s/90s we didn't have much money. It was very rare that my mom could afford a vacation so we only got to go on a day trip every few years. Cedar point was the most memorable and the best times I had with my mom had been talking in queue and seeing her smile and scream. The blue streak and cedar Creek mine ride have the most memories attached. I got to go back in 2021 and since my mother is gone now it felt like she was still around.
Rollercoasters can bring people together in a way that isn't common. I think it's the anticipation and the thoughts in the back of everyone's head that can bring a sense of unity when the conditions are right. Striking conversations with strangers and helping parents stoke courage into younger kids. Teenagers being teenagers and older folks holding hands. Sharing overpriced French fries and stepping in gum. The good with the bad, we are all about to be sent through the machine 10, 20, 30 at a time. fodder for the gods of wood and steel. When it's over we get to point and laugh at all our stupid faces we made as we walk passed the photos and than disperse to other queues and do it all over again.
Blake, this comment is really touching. That is an amazing story and I really thank you for taking the time to share it with me!
@@KeepRidinCoasters No problem. Thanks for doing what you do. Keep it up!
Hey, this video was really inspiring. I’ve watched you since around 3.5K subscribers and I haven’t watched one of your videos and been disappointed. Your videos are really great but so is your personality. Thank you for the great content.
Thank you seriously... You watched my other channel too... Really really do appreciate it my friend .
Thank you so much for making this video Brandon cause I feel like the whole community can relate to it extremely well. Each and every one of us has an origin story with theme parks and coasters and it was really interesting to hear about yours. It’s crazy to think that while you were operating rides at theme parks, I was starting my own rollercoaster journey at the ripe age of 4. I too started my enthusiast days on a small wooden coaster like Beastie and from then on I kept getting taller and looking up at all the rides I wanted to venture! I kept pushing the limits and getting on bigger and bigger rides and now I’m here! I hope rollercoasters are always in my life and it’s been really amazing meeting people who have that same belief. Anyways, thanks for making this video, I really enjoyed it 👍
That’s awesome! Theme parks are life my friend :)
That’s so cool man! Rollercoasters are special to me too, theme parks are a place where the rules are rewritten, you don’t have to worry, and you can have a day of fun as you are immersed in the theming. I’m still in school but plan to visit the European parks when I leave!
That's great! Keep up wth good work Reece!
So awesome to hear your whole background and all of the awesome parks you have worked at. I remember grabbing all the park brochures as a kid too and dreaming about going to all of them. I remember getting the promo VHS for Raptor mailed to me and telling my parents all I wanted for Birthday AND Christmas was to go to Cedar Point. (My wish was granted) For my 40th birthday I took my husband to Cedar Point for the first time so he could experience it. The older I get the more obsessed I become with coasters and going to new theme parks.
That’s amazing!! Brochures are amazing sad they don’t reallly have a huge role in the industry now!
Thank you for sharing your story :)
When it comes to rollercoasters and theme parks, I remember my journey began at age 6 with Jaguar! at Knotts Berry Farm as my first ride with my dad. After that single ride I rode Silver Bullet, Boomerang and Ghostrider right after enjoying every part of it feeling so happy. I grew up only wanting Knex theme park build sets, did essays about manufactures and theme park founders, collect pins and even collecting tons of maps. My ever dying passion for rollercoasters since then has grown to me now being 18. Despite being diagnosed with Autism, Depression and an Anxiety disorder, I still love theme parks and go every week to Knotts to bring a smile to workers and guests. I love rollercoasters and am proud to be part of the enthusiasts.
People like you sharing predictions, ride operations, and stories bring joy to how much it reminds me of when I was a child going with my dad barely reaching my height requirement to now where my joy still shows with my inner child. Thank you for your story and I'm so glad I found your channel growing up.❤🎢
Hey! Thank you! I love the Jaguar! Such a fun roller coaster! We are thrilled to have you a part of our community and I am so happy to hear that you go to the parks all the time and you won't let anything stop you from doing so!
Thank u Brandon for this video I really needed to hear this today also thank u for reminding me it’s National Roller Coaster Day!!! Love u and the channel thank u so much for ur care support and talent that goes into all ur videos have a blessed day my G!!! 🎢❤️
Thank you! You're more than welcome. Smile :)
Yo Brandon I've been following your videos for the past year or so now, and even though I think some of your predictions are insane I love watching your stuff and I appreciate hearing about your upbringing with coasters.
My seed was planted on family vacations as a kid to BGW and CP. I was only 5-6 yrs old and too scared/small to ride anything besides Big Bad Wolf, and thankfully I still have a pennant from that trip. My parents got divorced shortly after, and the trips came to an end. RCT was my only outlet as a kid who loved coasters but didn't go to parks (and was too afraid to ride anything anyway).
School field trips as a teenager to Hershey and Dorney helped conquer the fear a little, but my friends with season passes to SFGAdv brought me along once in high school. My first ride on Nitro got me hooked, and I developed a closer bond with my buddies as we went to SFGAdv several times a summer throughout high school.
I took a long break from coasters after I started college, aside from the occasional Hershey trip every year or two. I connected with a friend from college after I saw him posting about coasters, and we started talking more and more about them. We decided to plan a trip to CP during summer of 2021, and my whole world got flipped upside down. For the past year I discovered the whole community of enthusiasts, I started keeping track of credits, I got into openRCT2, and I've been on a few insane trips. People like you have helped keep the passion fueled, so I really hope you keep it up for a while and I really appreciate your impact on my life!
Hey Nick, Thank you so much for the support and watching my videos!!! Your story is awesome! I am happy that you have the BBW Credit! It was such a great coaster! Never stop ridin Coasters nick and maybe we will ride one together!!
I grew up about 4 hours from SFOG. My first experience(‘84) was waking up REALLY EARLY(4 or 5am) to ride a van up to Atlanta. After walking the park and playing some games on a hot summer day, we ate lunch. We decided to ride Dahlonega Mine Train and the little drop at the end shocked me. My friends wanted to ride again so I went along even though I didn’t feel quite right. As we rushed back around to the Q-line, I left my lunch at the beginning of the station. Over a hundred coasters later and I’ve only gotten sick once. On the DAHLONEGA MINE TRAIN!
That’s too funny! And a great story!! Who would have thought, that ride 😂
That's exactly where my love for roller coasters started- The Little Beasty at Kings Island. Such an awesome kid coaster! Thank you for sharing your story.
Hey Brenden - for sure! Thank you for sharing a piece of yours :)
Aww love this 🥰 thanks for being you! Have loved seeing your channel grow! My dad brought me to SFGAm when I was 6 and my passion never stopped! So grateful our family toured the Midwest parks when I was growing up and we still do trips together as an adult family! We just brought our 17 month old daughter to her first park last weekend to ride some kiddie flats and she loved it!! Even tho it was Michigans Adventure 😉
Haha that’s amazing joy! I’m glad she enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the story!!!!! The doodling instead of studying hit me hard lol that was my school life glad I'm not the only one!
Right! I'm like - give me an A in coaster design... Forget the rest :)
7th grade science class we had an inertia project based on coasters best few weeks EVER!!!!
Hey Brandon Congratulations on your second child and thanks for sharing your story. That was pretty cool! Random but fun idea.
Would you ever do a “what if” Son of Beast got RMC’ed? Haha
Maybe :) I like random and fun
I’m gonna say it now. As the younger daughter, I’m so happy I found the channel during the pandemic and staying along since then.
The year was 2020. The first 2 months were alright, as I was a freshman in high school. March came along, and I was stuck at home doing online classes. The last 2 months or so I was getting stuff done, as I was focusing on turning assignments in. September 2020 rolled along as I was starting the 2020-2021 school year. That was the start of my sophomore year. It was a lot more tougher that I would’ve anticipated. Luckily I ended my sophomore year as strong as possible. The summer of 2021 was a really good one, as I got to meet you. You are the kindest person I’ve ever met! My junior year was creeping up on me and I started off strong, but I was stressed out. Lots of assignments due, tests coming up, PSAT’s/SAT’s were around the corner. Watching one of your videos was a stress reliever. As I will be a senior in high school, I want to thank you for everything, and bringing your energy. Sending good vibes to you! ❤️
I will never forget our Wicked Cyclone ride together!!! That was a great moment of my life too! Never change Sara :)
@@KeepRidinCoasters yes it was really fun! You are so kind and never forget that! ❤️
From when I was 1-5 years old, my family went to Cedar Point every year (I live 4 hours away) Finally when I was tall enough to ride Millenium Force at age 7, I was so excited to finally get on a major coaster. This is what started it all. Since then, I have always been anticipating my family’s yearly Cedar Point trip and now several years later I am a coaster enthusiast that just hit 100 credits this year with my 100tj being Shivering Timbers at Michigans Adventure. Your channel has helped my family and I get good strategies to knock out all of the coasters at the parks we visit. Thank you so much for the content you create! #RideOn
That’s awesome! 100 credits!! Even better!! 200 is next! Glad my insider guides helped you ❤️🎢🙏🏻
AMAZING Video. Everything you said was spot on. Our family really find coasters to help us get thru the tough times. Great story, thanks for sharing!
First congratulations on kid 2. So happy for you. I have a 17, 15, and a 5 year old.
Second we have similar work histories except I ended up working at Disneyland in CA. For 10 years.
Rollercoasters help me connect with my family as we all love them. I enjoy hearing what my kids favorite coasters are. There's something about coasters that just make me smile and I will always cherish that
Brandon, thank you for all your hard work. Someday, I would love to meet you and ride some coasters with you.
YES for sure! And thank you! Loved your story too!!! Always enjoy hearing from you Ben!
My first coaster was Shamu Express at Seaworld San Antonio, but the coaster that made me an enthusiast was Pandemonium at Fiesta Texas. I was terrified to go on it, but when I did, it was the most fun I’ve ever had. I was hooked. Coasters have helped me with my pstd and I (most of the time) come off feeling amazing. Now I’m a passholder for SFFT and SWTX and I’ve never felt better. Your videos are awesome, and they’ve inspired me a lot. Keep riding coasters!
Hey there! Love this story!! I’ve been on that Shamu express lol when I was like 25 haha
This is so awesome! I’m happy you were able to live your passion and bring us these great videos. Coasters are the thing that connect me most to the joy of my childhood. And since my kids love coasters too it’s something I use to bring us together. When I don’t have the time and/or money to go ride coasters I’m still able to enjoy them here on your channel. Thanks!
Thank you! That's great! How old are your kids?
Great video, I find the stories behind what got people into traveling and becoming coaster enthusiasts very fascinating, it seems with most people it went from zero to hundred very fast and the passion never stopped. For me It was when I first went to Seaworld San Antonio with my family for the first time. The first coaster at the park opened and my father was nuts for it because at the time inverts were rare and to have one come to our city was just too much to pass up for my father. So we all went and my father wanted me to ride with him since I was finally big enough and it was what sealed the deal for me. To this day any chance I get to travel and ride coasters I jump at the opportunity, I've only visited 4 parks total but I'm planning on finally making the pilgrimage to Cedar Point some time in 2023.
Hey Anthony! Great story!! You’re going to love cedar point! Thank you for sharing! I love SWSA!!
Such a small world, my family used to go to SFNE in the mid 2000's.
I love that park, Superman was my first hyper coaster credit. Now Carowinds is my home park and I'm all about Fury 325!
I love being 10 minutes from Carowinds :)
I was completely coaster-phobic as a kid. I got over that as a teenager, but went for a long period in adulthood without riding coasters, only rediscovering them after I had a family of my own. Honestly I think one of the reasons I like coasters so much is that on some level they still scare me--I struggle with anxiety a lot in my daily life, and being able to conquer something that causes such fear and just let myself experience all the extreme feelings and scream them out, knowing that they can't hurt me, is a cathartic thing, like a small drama. I'm playing with anxiety when I ride coasters, bringing it on and taming it in a controlled context.
One of the last coasters I rode as a young adult was Busch Gardens Williamsburg's infamous Drachen Fire. I enjoyed it, but it kind of drove me out of riding them for a while because I assumed that new coasters had evolved to the point where they were all rough, punishing experiences like that, and I'd need to be in a very special mood to enjoy it. I didn't know Drachen Fire was unusual and considered a misstep. But one of the things that got me back in was that many years later, after the Web existed, I wondered "hey, what ever became of Drachen Fire--that was a pretty intense ride," and looked it up and learned this whole story. And that pulled me into the online fandom. So in a way Drachen Fire was what got me back in too.
That’s a great story and I’m so glad that coasters help you out! They are so much more than a giant machine. Jealous that you’ve ridden drachen fire’ haha
It was a clever, exciting layout, but it also hurt. Take a giant B&M looper like Kumba and make it unacceptably janky.
I say to my partner in crime wife Lisa of 30 years, i have never ever seen anyone pull in the station without a smile, wide eyed, sometime if ya lucky teary eyed but most of all laughing their asses off. This is why parks are always great vibes because everyone is in w fantastic mood which is because we influence our surrounding
LOVE PRAYERS AND HAPPINESS TO YOU AND YOURS
Yes indeed you're right!
I definitely need to ride more coasters! Great video!
What a great story. Coasters are the best fun ever. My first experience with The Bat at Canada's Wonderland was that I was a chicken to go on it. My 2 friends dragged me onto it and I loved it ever since. Congrats on the channel.
That's great Claire - when was that?
@@KeepRidinCoasters opened in 1987. Can't remember the exact date I rode it. Very long time ago.
@@KeepRidinCoasters
I’m touched by your story and coasters are truly a great experience for everyone.
I love coasters more than pretty much anything. My girlfriend plans vacations, I plan coaster trips. Lol. Unfortunately I work a retail job and live in North Western PA so my coaster season is about 3-5 months due to the weather patterns in this area. I start planning what parks I'm hitting in a year as soon as new years day hits. I usually can only hit one to 3 parks in a year, but they are what I look forward to every year. I spend a fair amount of my free time watching UA-cam videos about coasters. I'm basically obsessed with them.
Hey Daniel that is awesome!!! Hope you have hit up some great parks this year! Sound like your GF is a keeper :)
Awesome video Brandon! Love the story and positivity!
I was terrified off heights I meet my girlfriend in July 2018 and she got me hooked on riding coasters and I haven’t looked back since and that’s when I started watching your videos from the very beginning you got me more interested in coasters and how they work
Hey Chris, thank you! That's awesome!!
Coasters got me through the pandemic and I am eternally grateful for the amazing content made by you and so so so so many more channels ❤️. Its content that is easily watchable and digestible. Nothing is overly complicated and is just nice to watch.
Thank you and exactly! :))
Great video. Loved hearing about your background. Gives me the feeling of “knowing you” event though it’s just through a video. My parent took me to six flags and fairs when I was small and my love for coasters and rides just grew from there. Six Flags St. Louis is where I went the most frequently but would call Dollywood my home park now, although it’s further, we visit it more often. I also have a little one coming in just under a month and share your enthusiasm with sharing that experience as they grow (will be our 3rd child). One of my favorite channels sir. Keep up the great work. Hope to make it out to Carowinds in the next couple of years.
Hey Josh thank you so much! I love dollywood too!!! Yes come to Carowinds!!! How old are your kids? Congrats on the new kid :)
@@KeepRidinCoasters Have an almost 4year old and 20 month old. Needless to say we stay busy. Both of them already love rides and rollercoaster that they can ride though so it’s great! How about yours?
I always said riding rollercoasters was cheaper than therapy...and I'm in therapy because I can't ride at the moment. LOL. Brandon, I have notebooks full of my writing from high school that have coasters drawn in them. I think in high school too, I drew some coasters in text books.
lol Hope you can ride them soon !
@@KeepRidinCoasters Me too, B!
This was great man, thank you for sharing
Excellent video, Brandon! Thank you for your videos as they've been very helpful. I honestly did not know yesterday was Coaster Day, and I rode on Kingda Ka for the 1st time!
I grew up in Massachusetts and had parks and fairs all around, but was scared of bigger coasters. I was on maybe two or three in my life before last year I finally visited Six Flags NE multiple times and then SFGA yesterday and rode everything. I'm definitely not scared much anymore and I'm 45 now😄
Hey Darin!! How awesome was that!!! What did you think of kingda ka??? What about El Toro? Those are some of the best coasters around!!
It was absolutely insane! I can't quite comprehend a ride like that exists even afterwards. The searing Hisssss through the launch and the deceleration before rocketing vertically into the sky are going to stick with me! El Toro was crazy fun and hilarious, a bit rough, but so wild with the ejectors. My 11 year old loved it as well.
Out of all of them, I think I like yours the best. Congrats!
Thank you!! :-)
Even though I haven’t been really going through hard times other then Covid and making sure my grades were good, coasters were always there for me.
It all pretty much started when I was 5 I went to my first ever park: Carowinds which was a 35 minute drive away. And so we got there and our friends came too and we went to camp snoopy (before the renovation) and we rode a few rides but then it was that moment I saw my very first coaster, that moment I ran to my parents and my friends parents so exited to say “LOOK THAT LOOKS AWSOME.” In a way and so I got everyone to get to it and even though it was wilderness run (a really small kiddy coaster) I was so pumped to ride it and so was my friends and so we hoped on and there was no wait the whole day and so we just kept lapping it so many times with the ride operator exited to do it for us, that was the moment I knew coasters are my thing. And so things go on I get on bigger rides and then here I am going everywhere I can to keep rid’n coasters.
Thank you for reading my story and have a great day 🙂
Daniel, what a great story! Good luck on your grades and maybe you’ll see me at the park sometime! :)
@@KeepRidinCoasters thanks! I hope I can see you in the park! 😁
Bro gotta get that nf hat tho. But fr theme park predictions ur goated.
Also why do I relate to this video so much?? With the naming thing and drawing stuff in school
Man I'd get in so much trouble from teachers and my parents lol.
nfrealmusicmerch.com/collections/hats/products/nf-hat it's my 2nd one... Love it!
Hey Brandon. Love your work. I wanted to thank you for help inspiring me to start a mission to ride 400 different coasters. I lost my left foot in 2019 and then the pandemic hit. So I had a lot of time to become an enthusiast. Your videos are awesome and I enjoy watching them, as well as the other usual suspects.
I hope that if you ever make it to canada or western New York in the near future. It would be my honor to ride a few coasters with you. :)
Hey Chris!! Ouch man, hope you’re ok! Scary stuff! Yes, 400!!! Then next up would be 500! Let’s go!!!
My first coaster was Roller Coaster at PNE in Vancouver, CA. That was a long time ago. I’m a little older then you Brandon and it’s great to see someone my age that’s just as passionate as I am.
I don’t have the opportunity to travel too much due to a lot of issues out of my control. And I’m not gonna lie but envy wants to creep in. Life has been very hard and it’s easy to get down but I know my faith in Christ will carry me through. And with that said, I’m honestly grateful that you do this work. I can experience new parks and coasters through your you tube channel. Like others have said, I really do look forward to your videos and your positive, optimistic outlook. With Valleyfair as my home park, I’m one of the last remaining optimistic enthusiast left.😀 In the year 20- Valleyfair is going to get a brand new, shiny _________ coaster!!!
Hey William - thank you for your comment... I think it's important for older people to be just as passionate or more about theme parks and coasters!!
Nice video man
Hey thank you! Hi
@@KeepRidinCoasters I love your channel man. What are your thoughts on if top thrill dragster will open for the 2023 season
Roller Coasters makes me wanna fly like an angle and bring my happiness. Coasters like B&M Hypers made my arms spread like freedom. Candymonium, at Hershey park in Hershey, PA, for example got my hands up the whole ride. It’s an floater Airtime city, especially it’s like sitting while flying. Hypers and Flying coasters makes me wanna say “TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!!” That quote was from Toy Story (1995) and Disney Pixar Lightyear.
This is awesome!! 🎢❤️🎢
I’ve been riding coasters since 1974, when I was 5. I got bored with them before my son was born in 2009. I started traveling to a lot more parks in 2016 and got my son to try all the coasters he was tall enough to ride at Cedar Point. On his 7th birthday we started on Blue Streak and by the end of that day he rode Millennium Force. He became an enthusiast that day and it also rekindled my passion for coasters. I visited Carowinds for the first time while being in Charlotte for the Carolina Rebellion Rock Music Festival in 2017. Fury 325 got me to love new coasters again and I hit a few new parks. I went crazy in 2018 and got credit #150 on Steel Vengeance that May… I continued traveling all over the country riding coasters and in March of this year I got credit #600 on Iron Gwazi. That’s 450 new coasters in under 4 years! My son recently got his 200th credit last month on Pantheon, he just turned 13. It’s nice to have something we can share a passion for. I was 40 when he was born and there aren’t many things that will make you a cool dad to your teenage son, but this is one thing I do that he doesn’t call “cringe”! lol Thanks Brandon for your background story and congrats on becoming a father again!
my dad had me when he was also 40
Awesome story Robert - As always - I appreciate you always leaving comments :)
Amazing story congratulations it seems so well deserved after a lot of hard graft and thank you for an awesome insight video
You’re welcome - thanks for watching!
this was beautiful man. I am glad that you were able to find your passion and are able to make a living at it, many people cant say the same. I have always like how your background on the inside gives your takes and predictions a grounded and realistic feel (the reaction to CP's mouse illiterates this to a T). I like how you are almost always positive and see the benefit to every more and outcome. you have found your nitch and the people are right in coming for it. congrats on the second kid (playing tag with Chris are we?) I cant wait to follow your content for years to come
Thank you Mitchell... I really appreciate it. I am just glad I share my love and passion for people and help the industry out.
My name is Liam. I am 17 years old and just started my senior year of high school. I am pretty happy with my life right now and have great friends I’ve met through sports and activities. While I am happy now, my life hasn’t been perfect but coasters have always made the difference. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, my first roller coaster was the Little Dipper at kiddie land amusement park before the park shut down for good. Some years later when I was 9, the McDonald’s corporation which my dad used to work for rented out six flags great America on a Friday night. My mom suprised me by pulling me out of school an hour early so that I could go up to six flags great America for the first time ever. I remember being nervous about it but after my first big coaster (Viper), I was ready for anything. I then did demon and American Eagle afterwards and I couldn’t believe how fun those rides were to me at the time. I started watching roller coaster countdown videos on UA-cam sparking a slight interest until it eventually became a full on hobby after Goliath was built the next year changing everything. After my first ride on that amazing RMC, I knew I had to ride even more coasters. I eventually hit 54 inches the next year and was able to complete all the big B&M’s along with V2 at the park. As I’ve grown up about 1 hour from the park, I’ve made dozens of visits with my family, friends, neighbors and more. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have such an outstanding home park and the fact that roller coasters have changed my life. As of today I have visited six flags great America, six flags st. Louis, Nickelodeon universe in mall of America, kings island (twice), cedar point, Dollywood, adventureland and silverwood (stunt pilot is amazing!). Thank you so much Brandon for supplying us with amazing content and keep riding coasters!
Liam, love that you’re getting out to more parks, and I LOVE viper at SFGAM! Such an amazing coaster. Thank you so much for sharing your story. ❤️❤️
since kindergarten ive been fascinated with roller coasters even thought ive visited my first park and riding my first coaster (scorpion, bgt) when i was sic, weve never really beem to a lot of amusement parks, just a few smaller local parks every few years (im from germany btw). But ever since weve been to europa park in 2019 i was comepletley hooked and emidiatly jumped on a learning trail to get to know all theres to know about coasters. when covid hit i made a lot of online connections witz other thoosies thru discord and in summer of 2020 i went on my first coaster trip with my mom thru northern germany. 2021 i was a full fledged enthusiast and we did another trip, now to the netherlands. a few smaller trips to single parks in between and i built a perfect base of coaster experiences in europe. Fast forward a year to 2022. This summer was crazy for me, i graduated from school in june and then got a job to get money for my biggest trips yet. in august i was on vacation with a friend in italy and later 3 weeks in america with my family, doing a few parks on the way. but in late september i decided to go on a complete benelux tour for 11 days including 9 parks all on my own and it was amazing! So shortly after this, 2 weeks ago frim when im writing this comment i went to energylandia for 2 days meeting up with 7 other enthusiasts. Those 2 days were maybe the best theme park experience ive ever had and now i know fit sure i found passion!
Congrats on your baby!!!!!!
Thank you! :-)
I had no idea you operated Flying Eagles in 04. Back in the day, my dad and I loved that ride!
Oh yea, I loved it! It was so much fun! That and the Beast!!!
I went across your channel a year or so ago. I thought it was meh. I watched a couple more and I was wrong! Thank you for the great attitude and videos!!!
haha! I appreciate the honesty! Glad you're here! :) Thanks for watching!
Love the channel. Keep up the good work.
Thank you!
This is why I love your channel so much. 😊😊
Thank you so much :)
@@KeepRidinCoasters thank YOU for being a great person.
my whole love for coasters started when i was six and my family took me to SeaWorld San Antonio. i rode the steel eel with my dad and it freaked me out but i wanted to ride it more and more until i could eventually put my hands up. i ended up riding it like, 3 or 4 times that day and loved every second of it.
That's awesome! Wonderful story! And that is a great park!!!
First off. What a great video. Secondly we are living similar lives because as a fellow daytonian who grew up bullied and found a home at Kings Ialsnd, I too created this page not too long to hopefully achieve the happiness you have...Orlando is even on the timeline for our first home. I would love any tips you would have because your story is so inspirational(at least to nerds like us) We would love to chat! Also...YOUR SONS NAME IS MASON AND IT JUST CLICKED. I hope the reference is what I think it is. Happy Coaster day!
Hey. Email me themeparkpredictions@gmail.com :)))
Loved this so much!
Thank you!
I got my start on Woodstock Express too! Albeit the one at Carowinds
Great coaster my 3 year old loves it!
My science fair projects for 6th and 7th grade was building a roller coaster with popsicle sticks, plastic coated clothes wire and legos, and lots of glue. This was the mid 80's before toys came out that did this.
That's amazing! How cool! :)I loved Lincoln logs! haha
Love your channel Brandon. 2019 og. Hope to catch you at KD/BGW one day
YES! For sure! Next year maybe!
My first coaster was Beastie at Kings Island when I was 3, and unfortunately, my experience wasn’t as good as yours. I didn’t want to ride and was taken on the ride by adult family members who didn’t listen when I was afraid. The fear remained strong until I was about 9 years old. Once again, I was taken on a roller coaster crying; this one was sooperdooperlooper at my home park of Hersheypark. Once it was over, I decided to try it again even though I was scared. I took a thing that I was afraid of and made it something that would come to identify me. Now I am 45 and have ridden 124 coasters, half of them since 2021. I was very lonely during the pandemic isolation due to my chronic illnesses, and theme parks made it possible for me to get out in a reasonably safe environment outdoors. Anytime I need a quick pick me up, I go 30 minutes up the road to Hersheypark and ride roller coasters until I feel better. This summer, my girlfriend and I rode Woodstock Express together so that I could remember it with happiness instead of fear. I was happy to have come full circle and to help my inner 3 year old feel better! Thanks for a great channel and congratulations on your new addition to your family!
So happy that you were able to make it through your illness and the pandemic! Scary stuff... I am even more Happy to know that you're back to riding coasters! Thank you so much :)
Right before the pandemic in October of 2019 I got to finally go to Fright nights at Thorpe Park and Alton Towers scarefest as I was finally 1.4 meters tall and could get on The Smiler and Nemesis Inferno. Needless to say, I loved both of them. And when the pandemic hit what kept me going was that eventually I'd be able to get back to parks again and ride more coasters. And now over 2 years later, I'm a massive enthusiast and even though I've gone to parks outside the UK such as energylandia and portaventura where even better rides are, I still always love going to Alton to ride The Smiler or Thorpe to ride Inferno, and I do whenever I've got free time between revision and exams.
that's great! Well you should make It a goal in 2023 to go to Energylandia :)
Parks in general are my way to relax. I work hard, sometimes too hard. My happy place/relaxing place is my home parks of Cedar Point and Kings Island. Lately, I find myself less about ride ride ride, and just am happy to be there. Maybe catch a show here and there. I've been going to parks since I was 5. Used to go to Geauga Lake all the time since it was only about 30 mins away from home. Used to go to Conneaut Lake Park to ride the old Blue Streak (now defunct because the a-hole who bought the place) a lot too. Now, I am SO lucky to have 2 seriously top tier parks still in my home state. I can't even decide which one to call my home park. Our family goes to each park about the same each year. So far it's 40 times in each park this year. While Kings Island is a 4 hour trip, and CP is just over an hour, I'm still in the parks a lot. I love them, my wife loves them, and our 4 children love them. Now, we found out that we will have one more child to get to love coasters as well.
Hey, congrats on the 5th!! How exciting and I love your story!!! It's a shame that Geauga Lake closed. I always loved that park! Thank you for watching!
@@KeepRidinCoasters Thanks. We are done after this one though. I'm not trying to have my own show on TLC lol. Plus.... I'm getting to the age now, that when this one graduates, people won't know if we're parents or grandparents lol. 😳
Awesome video!
Happy National Roller Coaster Day! 🎢
Same to you! Thank you!
@@KeepRidinCoasters You’re welcome, my fellow coaster enthusiast! Let’s all celebrate by riding some roller coasters! 🎢
Cool story. We dig your channel.
Thank you so much :)
Good stuff buddy!
Thank you bro. Hope you're well!
My daughter discovered the roller coaster bug earlier this year and it’s been a great year so far!
That’s awesome!! Hope you guys get to ride a bunch this year and going forward! thanks for watching!
As a small child, my father often took us to roadside carnivals at shopping centers in our hometown. I enjoyed riding the kiddie rides. I remember I wasn't tall enough to ride a double-rotating Ferris wheel, which was OK with me because the sight of it scared me.
As I grew up, I would ride things like the Zipper and other flat rides. The constant repetitive motions made me sick to my stomach.
When I was nine, my dad took my brother and me to Kings Dominion, about an hour from our home. My brother and I loved Hannah Barbera Land, and the water rides, like White Water Canyon.
My dad liked roller coasters and wanted us to ride them, too. So, one day he made me get on the Anaconda, a looper that had just opened at Kings Dominion. In those days, they took your photo at the top of the drop hill, and I looked like I wanted to die.
After the drop, I loved every single second of the ride. Something inside me changed, and I felt an exhilaration like never before. I felt alive.
I spent the rest of the day riding the Scooby Doo (Woodstock Express) and loving it. That was the day I became a fan of coasters and theme parks.
We would continue visiting Kings Dominion through my elementary and middle school years. Sadly, I only went once in high school, and then I stopped going altogether. The fond memories lived in my head.
About 10 years later, following a visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg with my wife (then girlfriend,) my entire family and I returned to Kings Dominion. The park had changed a bit, no longer owned by Paramount. New rides were added.
I rode a new coaster that opened that same year called Intimidator 305 and nearly passed out. It was a fun visit, but for some reason, I felt disconnected from the park I loved as a kid.
During the lockdowns, my wife, who also visited Kings Dominion a lot when she was a kid, and I started watching UA-cam videos about the park on everything from how it was built, to the removal of Volcano and Hypersonic XLC, to the history of the rides I loved as a kid. It rekindled our interest in the amusement park.
Now that our child is two years old, we purchased season passes to Kings Dominion in the spring and have been enjoying the park with our family, her parents, and our friends. The park is my happy place, and it's so much fun just to be there riding a coaster, in the waterpark with my wife, or the Whirliebirds with my daughter.
This past weekend, I rode I-305 for the first in 12 years. Technically, it was my second time on the coaster, and I sat with my good friend in the front row.
I've spent the entire summer looking up at the drop hill as it towers over the park, taller than its signature Eiffel Tower. I've ridden Racer 75 (it'll always be the Rebel Yell to me) as it reached the turnaround, only to see the monster giga coaster towering overhead, seemingly staring back at me, daring me to come to ride.
I wanted to ride, but after reading that so many people blacked out on the coaster, I was nervous.
This summer, I suddenly lost someone with whom I worked and respected. In the days after her death, I decided life was short and that I would ride I-305.
My friend and I waited about two hours to snag a seat in the front row, and the ride was worth it. I screamed so much (mainly to keep the blood flowing to my head so I wouldn't pass out) that I nearly lost my voice.
The drop was excellent, and the rest of the ride was unlike anything else. I once again felt like I did when I was a kid on the Anaconda.
Thank you for all of the good you give to this troubled world. Your tag lines of staying positive and keeping riding coasters resonate with me and so many others. Please keep up the good work. Congratulations on your second child!
Very touching story... Love to hear how you rode i305 in honor of your friend and in the front row... Congrats on the little one!!! Be sure to do the Pre-K pass for them when they turn 3, So they will be allowed in the park for free still :)
Oh yeah... as far as to just how important roller coasters are to me.... When I met my wife in 2011, one of the first questions I asked her was if she liked them. She said she loved them, and said she really hoped that I do too, or our relationship may just not work out. Now that's a keeper, lol.
That is the best kind of marriage! haha
2:34 Hey, I rode that one a week ago!
Lucky you! haha
@@KeepRidinCoasters Honestly it's getting worryingly rough. Might need another retracking.
What part of Dayton are you from? I’ve lived all over the US and I have to say Dayton has some of the best people . Thanks for all the great videos.
I grew up in Kettering but lived in Dayton for a while too.. My dad lived in the Oregon District for around 10 years!!!
Thanks for sharing! I plan on heading out to the east coast again next summer. We should plan something! I think I may shoot a video kinda like this and tag you. Maybe it can be a trend!
That would be great!!! What's your homepark again?
@@KeepRidinCoasters my home park is Kings Island or Cedar Point really haha. I live in Columbus. I am planning on taking a road trip next summer for KD and BGW and probably Hershey as well.
I also grew up in Dayton, we nay both have a greatly rare credit. Did you ever go to Americana AKA Lesourdville Lake and ride Screaching Eagle?
Yesssss! It was great! And the other steel coaster there too!
@@KeepRidinCoasters Yes! It was a Zyclon called Serpent, it was my first "Big" Coaster!
Me and my brother worked at Kings island during the 2005 season. I worked the beastie and you probably worked with my brother on the beast.
Who was your brother?
@@KeepRidinCoasters John Hutzel lll
Pretty sure he’s the one that drew the giant eye ball in the closet area of the beast lol
My first coaster was „Speedy Bob“ at Bobejaanland. I remember being scared of it and I thaught I would Never ride a roller coaster again. In 2014 I went to Phantasialand with my parents and I loved all of the coasters. Back then I wasn‘t Interested in roller coasters. But then a friend from school wanted to show me a Pov of „Revolution“ at Bobejaanland but he clicked on a Riview by an german youtuber named „Ride Review“ where he talked about the ride. My friend from school didn‘t found it interesting and stopped the video. At home I watched so many videos about roller coasters and I started getting interested in themeparks and roller coasters. Now I‘m 14 years old and have ridden 94 different roller coasters. My favourite one is „Untamed“ followed by „Taron“ and „F.L.Y., ….. . So I became a roller coaster enthusiast since I was 8.
Greetings from Germany🇩🇪
That's amazing! How cool and those are 3 amazing coasters!
COOLEST STORY EVER!!!
Thank you! Just Happy to make an impact :)
Fellow Dayton Ohio guy here, I knew I liked you. 😄
Haha. What part of Dayton?
@@KeepRidinCoasters Englewood
Nice. Then there are a bunch. Dated a girl from Huber. So we’re always in that area
@@KeepRidinCoasters Do you get back this way much?
My first coaster I rode at 3 or 4 it was at Sesame Place I did Super Grover’s Vapor Trail
That’s awesome! Such a fun coaster!
I remember going to cedar point skipping school in 2000 to ride millennium force I skipped school to wait in line for 5+ hours 🤣 but question? What did you think of geauga lake? Did you ever go there and it have an impact on you?
I loved Geauga Lake! I went in 2000, when it was Six Flags Ohio and loved it! I then went just about every year until it closed... Such an underrated park!
@@KeepRidinCoasters it was! It was my home park and it is highly missed in our area of northeast Ohio
Amazing
Thanks 😄