Facing The Force Essay, Research Paper

This past May, the Marching Band traveled to Cleveland, Ohio. While we were in Ohio, we took time to visit the Cedar Point Amusement Park, which is the home for the monumental roller coaster: Millennium Force. With a 310-foot drop at an 80-degree angle, the coaster reaches speeds of more than 90 miles an hour. Upon arriving at Cedar Point, I could see the massive coaster from far away. The coaster was by far taller then any other ride in the park. It looked as if the huge coaster was intruding the clouds in the sky. It looked too extreme for me before I even entered the park; there was no way I was going on that ride. Plus, I was too afraid of roller coasters.

As the day went on, my friends slowly talked me into riding the huge coaster. I was not quite sure about riding the Millennium Force, but before I could even think twice about it my friends were pulling me towards the coaster. Because the Millennium Force opened only the day before we had arrived at the park, there was a 3-? hour wait. As I stood in line waiting to ride the huge roller coaster, one by one I noticed each band member began to have second thoughts as they examined the height of the coaster. As we got closer to the boarding area, we acted as support for each other. We also started to reason ourselves out of the fear of riding. Someone said, ?Hey, our odds of being hurt in a car accident are higher than being hurt on this roller coaster.? Everyone quickly agreed, and before I knew it, it was our turn. The Millennium Force operator directed us to the futuristic cars that resembled silver bullets ready to shoot us in to the air. We jumped in with excitement. I realized that I had stood in line for 3 ? hours, and the ride would be over before I would even open up my eyes. I was scared again; I wanted to get off. The operator said, ?Dispatch!? I knew there was no turning back.

As we were lifted 310 feet into the sky, I could not make myself look down. We arrived at the peak of the roller coaster; there was a slight hesitation, and then down we went. I screamed out of fear. Tightly, I gripped my hands to the bar in front of me. We got to the bottom of first drop and were headed back up for the second drop. At that point, I wasn?t scared anymore. I released my tight grip. Before I knew it my hands were over my head, and I was screaming with excitement. I knew within seconds the ride would be over. I was having so much fun; I didn?t want it to end. As we exited the ride, my parents stood with my jacket, and sunglasses. They both gave me a hug and said, ?I can?t believe you were brave enough to ride that roller coaster.? I said to them, ? Me either.?