Fear Phantom
...the other roller coasters in the park which have some decently large hills but nothing that could compare to this. I was starting to become quite nervous and was constantly thinking about what it would be like falling down that huge distance. Once it became our turn I suddenly decided I absolutely could not ride it. As I was attempting to bail out my younger brother and father were trying to force me to go along with them. I refused regardless of how hard they tried. After that I began to develop a fear of any machine heights. I was then unable to even ride the far smaller roller coasters that I have already ridden in the past. Going to an amusement park now was miserable rather than a joy as I was constantly heckled by family and friends for not riding anything with the slightest height to it. I can’t blame them at all either because my actions in those situations were of an extreme coward and really was quite a pitiful show I put on. For example when we need to go on the incline to get to the top of Mt. Washington I was crying and protesting like a very young child that I didn’t want to go. However I didn’t have a choice and in the end the ride was really actually quite boring and I was quite ashamed of my self. This behavior continued on for almost 2 years although I was able in most cases to hide this fear since on most normal days I would not have to confront any type of situation that would bother me. In the summer of 2000 I had decided to finally confront my fears and ride the Steel Phantom. This resolution came as a result of an absolute miserable experience the year before at Kennywood along with I was simply older and bolder in my actions. Plus I decided I did not want to face the shame any more. When it finally came our turn in line I nervously sat down...