Coasting

The headline, in this case, describing both the content to come and the level of effort the assembled Gheorghieage put forth during my trip to the University Cheer Association (UCA) national championships in Orlando. Bygones.

There are people in the world who have a serious rollercoaster jones. They've got a club and everything (the American Coaster Enthusiasts, in case you're interested). They plan vacations around hitting the fastest, highest, newest coasters. I am not one of these people.

But I do enjoy a good thrill ride. The only parks I really ever get to are Busch Gardens Williamsburg, DisneyWorld, and Universal Studios, so my recent experience is a bit limited. I dig The Griffon and Verbolten at the former (and count the venerable Loch Ness Monster as my first ever big-boy coaster experience). Disney's short on real coaster muscle, though Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios has a nice jackrabbit start and Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom has one of the best sets I've seen. I also really like The Incredible Hulk at Universal - first time I did it I felt like I was drunk when I got off, in terms of the effect to my equilibrium. 

This past weekend, as noted in the comments thread a few days ago (which is probably the same thread that's been up for five days), I got to ride Universal's newest whip, VelociCoaster. It is damn near impossible to describe the sensation of riding a fast, looping, spinning coaster, and so I won't really try. This one gets up to 70 mph, which is fast, but not excessively so in the context of global coasters (Formula Rossa at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi gets up to 150 mph, which sounds preposterous). Its genius comes in the unrelenting nature of its speed and g-forces. VelociCoaster has no chill - it's spins on turns on loops on accelerations on climbs on drops, as you can see here:

VelociCoaster was rated the best new coaster in America by the Golden Ticket Awards in 2021, and was ranked the #5 overall steel coaster in 2022 by the same folks. Beauty (and exhilaration) being in the eye of the beholder, your mileage may vary.