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scottbre

Do Skydivers Get Excited About Rollercoasters?

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I've learned to enjoy roller coasters even more now that I'm skydiving.
Something about relaxing a bit and enjoying the ride makes it so much more enjoyable.

Lummy
P.s. I think you have to pay duties for alcohol.
Oh and Budweiser is actually a better beer over there :)

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I went to an amusement park for the first time since I began skydiving over winter break. I had an awesome time on the rollercoasters (but it may be due to all the free beer I drank Busch Gardens...) It also helped that there were no lines, and I got in for free. My opinion's biased, but I still love rollercoasters just the same! I can't wait to go to Cedar Point this semester!!!!!!
"You laugh at me because I am different, and I just laugh at you."

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To be honest I don't like rollercoasters for a few reasons:
Firstly, being and engineer by trade I understand how they are designed, built and the sorts of loading they are put under and that everything is predictable.
Secondly I realise that they are maintained under very strict budgets and corners can be cut (some of the work I have seen on them is scary), the sort of corners that no skydiver would ever allow for his/her rig.
Thirdly, I know whats going to happen next.
Nick

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Quote

Thirdly, I know whats going to happen next


What about skydiving? Let's see, plane ride, door opens, you jump and do a few things and pull. Then you land, pack your rig, plane ride...I mean, nothing too unordinary is going to happen. You're not going to fall up... :)Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.-General George Patton-

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I did several bungee jumps about 10 years ago, and was no where near as nervous doing them as when I did my AFF L1. The jumpmaster was talking to me on the way in the plane, and I could barely talk to him. The bungee jumping required no skill; we had about 10 minutes of instruction. I was the first to go in my group, and just climbed over the railing of the bridge, looked down, and dove. It was fun but didn't even compare to skydiving. We were doing back when it was illegal, and were jumping in the Sierra Nevada mtns near Angels Camp. The guys organizing the jump had people with walkie talkies at each end of the canyon so the police couldn't nail us. It added to the fun a little. Later on we were going to bungee jump the Golden Gate bridge, but the FBI went after the guys organizing it, so that never came about. I haven't gone on a roller coaster since I started skydiving, but I doubt it will be as much fun as jumping.

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A while back, Six Flags Over Texas took the Judge Roy Scream (one of their first coasters) and put the trains on backwards for a summer. That was cool, totally felt like a different roller coaster.
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.-General George Patton-

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Six Flags Over Texas has a really good track record, from what I understand, except for a freak accident with the Roaring Rapids (the water rapid ride that EVERY theme park has with the big round boats...). Where it had the wrong wing loading and hooked in. (It was loaded too heavy on one side and flipped over). Other then that, I *think* they've been really safe. They have a couple newer rides (The Titan for instance) that are really intense. One of the Batman rides fires you electromatically from 0-70mph in something like 2 seconds. Wild, fast ride. Very cool. Similar to the acceleration that I feel if I go from belly to sit to stand real fast. ;) They don't even let people wear earrings or sun glasses on it.
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.-General George Patton-

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Did a good water slide the Sun City it was like vertical for about 80 foot (slide of death or some predictable name like that), I know that nothing like skydiving but your only wearing a pair of shorts!!!!
Not noticed it myself but apparently rides are different at the end of that day to the beginning and the wheels start to soften up a bit.
Nick

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The folks who organized our bungee jumping were 2 brothers who did the Rebock commercials involving bungee jumping (if you can remember back that far), wanted to break the world distance record for bungee jumping which at that time was held by some people in Oxford, UK. The 2 brothers took a hot air balloon up to about 5000 feet, each of them attached their feet to a 500' bungee cord and jumped off of the balloon. They fell approximately 1000' (the bungee cord stretches to twice its length). After the bouncing up and down stopped, they then cut the cords and skydived for a very short bit, and then pulled and rode their chutes in. Now that would be an adrenaline rush. I think this whole thing was written up in Sports Illustrated in '92 or so.

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Roller coasters don't do anything for me. I took my son to Six Flags last summer. He was having a blast so I enjoyed seeing that but personally they don't do much for me. I was pissed that the 200 FT "Base jump simulator" was not running that day! I might have liked that a bit more.
"I got some beers....Let's Drink em!!!"
Clay

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Rollercoasters although still fun dont produce any hyphed up adreniline for me anymore now on the other hand I was up in the mountains and standing on the edge of a (approx) 300-400 ft cliff, and got all kinds of nervous to think that there are people that would jump off this f%cker!!!!!!! I always said I'd like to try BASE, but after being right there n the edge and looking down....................I got a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGG way to go before I may consider that!!!!!!!
I have bungied before and that was scary but I think jumping off that edge would be scarier!!!!
jason

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love 'em! Like to ride 'em all with my feet locked under the seat and my hands up in the air... in the front, back, middle, doesn't matter, wooden ones are terriific, also like clean upside-down loops and stand-up type; the sideways loop thang messes with my inner ear...
Brokeneagle.
I'm really very gentle, no matter what my kung-fu teacher says...

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I still enjoy roller coasters. No, not as much adrenaline as skydiving, but I swear, nothing can ever beat The Beast!
The Beast is the best roller coaster ever designed. 4 and a half minutes of pure wooden roller coaster hell! Better than most of the new ones they're building!
C'mon, those of you in and around Ohio who have been to Kings Island know what I'm talking about!

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>And as for bungee jumping: never tried, but sure want to.
>Anybody know of a good place to jump in or near Holland?
Fonzy, just check behind Amsterdam Central station there is a permanent bungy-setup.
Been there with a few buddies of mine who did a jump together (I was broke..as usual..only filmed them)
Read somewhere that (I believe) Joe Jennings did a couple of bungy jumps to train for his first base-jump.
Sounds like a great way to practice Base-exits (if you wanted to, not for me though..I'll just stick to 'normal' jumping :-)
Cya,
JC

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