by Dillon Tinsley

Created on: September 11, 2009

Fear. It's an odd feeling that comes from many different things: scary movies, the dark, strange noises, loneliness, the ocean, spiders, etc. In that large list of possible fears, comes a large hunk of steel or wood, and rightly so. Taking a plunge of perilous heights and attaining un-Godly speeds are anything but comforting with nothing but a bit of padding holding you in. Conquering the fear of roller coasters is just like conquering every other fear: facing it. Whether they want to admit it or not, everyone that's ridden a roller coaster has been afraid of them at some point in their life. So how do you become one of those daring fools who attack the tallest and fastest coaster in the world? How do you even defeat a small 80 foot high wooden coaster?

It's perfectly natural to deny the fact that fear has over-taken you when you see the beasts of thrills. "Oh, I'm tired. I'll just wait. You guys go ahead." That's a perfectly useful, and can even be truthful, response. But what if you actually want to get on them? Let's look at the different aspects that cause the fear on roller coasters.

First up is the simple fear of heights. There are innumerable amounts of people with this fear. How do you conquer it? Face it. Now, that's not to say go up to the Empire State Building and lean over the edge. Try smaller rides at first, not roller coasters. Work your way up to say, 50 foot rides (such as swinging ships.) Then take your first punch at a roller coaster. A family coaster works well here, usually one that's 50 feet or shorter in height. Obviously, you'll be afraid, given the fact that you're 50 feet in the air with a few steel tubes or wooden planks holding you up and a small bar holding you in your seat. That's when the fear and adrenaline take over. Succumb to the adrenaline more so than the fear. Pump yourself up and breathe deeply and hold on tight. After it's over, you'll realize that you're still alive, and one of two things will happen: 1) you'll be extremely happy that you've conquered your fear and will move on to a higher roller coaster, or 2) you won't be quite ready to have your heart explode from adrenaline over-dose so you'll wait and ride the smaller coaster a few more times before you move up to the next stage.

Secondly, there is a fear of falling. Some may get confused and think it's the same as having a fear of heights, but it is not quite the same. A person with a fear of falling has no problem going to the roof of a 20 story building, just

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