What kind of enthusiast are you?

The Phoenix at Knoebels Amusement Resort

I've been a fan of roller coasters and amusement parks for as long as I could remember.  We lived 45 minutes from Hersheypark but only ever made it to their regular season once.  Maybe it was that denial that led me to want to learn more about them and eventually work at one.  My employment with Hersheypark allowed my love to grow and gave me eagerness to understand how everything worked on every ride.

Once the internet and Facebook entered the scene the obsession was complete.  I now have a season pass to the Six Flags franchise, the Cedar Fair franchise and to my home park, Hersheypark.  I've also joined two coaster clubs which brought me to the realization that there are so many types of fans.

The “No way, Jose” – These people won’t even venture near an amusement park, they will drive 2 miles out of the way if it means they can avoid seeing those roller coasters reaching into the sky.

The Casual Observer – These people like to people watch, whether it’s watching their kids or grand kids on a ride to watching people screaming on the latest crazy scream machines.  They may enjoy the monorail or giant wheel and meandering.

The “I’m Just Here for the ride crowd” – These people are just here to ride whatever strikes their fancy.  They don’t care much about statistics or even what the rides called, they just want to know where to get on.

The Screamer – these are the people that scream on almost everything, big rides, kiddie coasters, the Ferris Wheel and the carousel.  (That may have been an over exaggeration.)

The Safety Patrol – These people swear that every ride they are on is going to fall to pieces at any second.  They wish there was a seat belt on the carousel and monorail.  If anyone so much as blinks they are freaking out that someone is going to get hurt.

The Technical Geek – These people love statistics and they love to know how the ride works.  When you talk to one of these people in line you will probably have to repeat yourself because they are too busy figuring things out.  Chances are they have liked every manufacturer of theme park equipment on Facebook.

The Know-It-All – Sadly, these are the most annoying of the amusement park community.  They spend hours a day stating how the park should operate and what they should add.  Usually they are not pleasant with their opinions and if you try to disagree with them they will shut you down.  Sad little trolls of the internet, they just need a hug.  It should be noted that they act like they know everything but quite often don’t know anything of how a business is run.

This list is not a complete list and most people are probably a mixture of two or more.  I would say in my younger days I was a mix of “I’m just here for the ride” and technical geek.  Now a day I’m more of a casual observer mixed with technical geek.

What kind of amusement park person are you?




Check out some of my amusement park stuff for sale at www.etsy.com/shop/supkophoto and follow me on facebook at www.facebook.com/supkophoto.