Jarrett
Most Obnoxious Member 2016
So some of you might have seen that I'm going to Vegas in May unless bad things happen between now and April when I buy the tickets. Anyway, a bit of backstory to what will happen there. I have this cousin who I can't STAND that currently lives with my cousin and her husband. When I found out that she had moved all the way across the country away from me, I was ecstatic, but apparently, getting to put up with her while I'm over there is my punishment for celebrating in front of my family. 
However, for Christmas this year I mailed my cousin and her husband a package containing an 8-opening photo frame with pictures from all of our trips in them and when they opened it, my cousin Facebooked me and said that the cousin I can't stand had gotten a new boyfriend who wasn't a total jerk, so I got a bit of hope that I might be able to go over there without fighting or having to see her crash a funeral (think I'm making that part up...I'M NOT ) and actually enjoy talking to another family member my age, since the only other ones on that side of the family live three hours from everybody else. And then Brittany (my cousin) tells me that her boyfriend has NEVER BEEN TO A THEME PARK!!!!! He's been to Adventuredome but that's it and while I'll be there, I'll be helping introduce this new family friend to roller coasters.
This MIGHT not end well, considering I've tried to get two of my friends to like coasters and it only half-worked on both of them.
First, in 2011, I took my friend Andrew from the cast of the show I was in to Cedar Point in June. All he had ridden was The Beast and he said he loved it, but had an issue with flat rides because spinning made him sick. However, he was psyched to go and said The Beast didn't make him sick, so I was excited to introduce him to this. We got there, run right for Raptor, then hit Millennium and Maverick. He was fine. We then went to grab lunch at TGI Friday's and gorged ourselves on appetizers. Then it started raining and we waited an hour for Dragster to open up. By the time it opens, the line to get into the line is stretching under Corkscrew's corkscrews. We decided to just do Mantis instead. Then we waited an hour to reride Millennium since my dad and sister didn't get to ride it earlier that day. And then we get off, and Andrew tells me, "Jarrett, I'm gonna puke!" I thought he was just joking. BLEGH!!!!! I turn around to see him leaning over the railing puking on the landscape. He then says he's fine and decides he's good to do Wicked Twister. Bad move. We get off, he feels sick, I show him to the trash can, pukes his guts out into this trash can. And a gaggle of college-age girls walking by ran away screaming. He then says he has nothing left to lose, so we decide to close the day out on Gemini Blue. We get on it, and he says he doesn't feel good. And the next thing I know, cropdusting! He's holding his head out over the car's edge as it goes around leaving a trail on the catwalks. Like a cropduster. We gave that act the term "cropdusting" and decided to get home. But apparently, once he gets sick, he does NOT get unsick! Got carsick, hung his head out the window of our car, and puked on the highway. With some old lady driving behind us watching a guy stick his head out the window and lose his lunch. He still has fun on amusement rides, but I REALLY don't think he's cut out to be an enthusiast. XD
This past season (2013), I got an invite from Patricia, an old friend of mine who I've known since second grade. She told me that we were going to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, and that the trip would include their first trip to Dollywood. She said she always thought roller coasters looked fun but had always been too scared to get on one, and said she'd be fine riding one if I were on it as well since I'm an engineering student who happens to know a lot about them. Then the NTG accident happened and she got nervous and I had to explain to her how a restraint works and what could have gone wrong. So we get there, and she decides she's most comfortable with Wild Eagle first since I told her it was pretty tame. I make sure I still fit in the restraint, and the NTG incident scared her so much she was scared she wouldn't fit...she's smaller than me. So we get up there and get on the ride. Didn't work out. She spent the whole ride yelling at me and threatening my life. After getting off, we spent some time on the ground looking around Craftsman's Valley, and after that, went to Thunderhead. Spent the whole time on that threatening me, but towards the end she put her hands up and smiled. We were GOING to buy the photo, but it wasn't good, so we got back in line and decided to ride again. Pretty much the same thing happened. I then decided to maybe split from the group and do Mystery Mine. I TOLD Patricia she'd hate something so rough and wonky, and she didn't listen. I even pulled the "Gerstlauer made NTG too" card and it didn't get her to back out of it. And yup, she hated it. Just as I told her she would. Wants to go to Kings Island with me sometime, though, so that should be...interesting.
So have you ever had any good or bad experiences introducing friends to this hobby? Discuss! I'd love to hear stories like this from other people!
However, for Christmas this year I mailed my cousin and her husband a package containing an 8-opening photo frame with pictures from all of our trips in them and when they opened it, my cousin Facebooked me and said that the cousin I can't stand had gotten a new boyfriend who wasn't a total jerk, so I got a bit of hope that I might be able to go over there without fighting or having to see her crash a funeral (think I'm making that part up...I'M NOT
) and actually enjoy talking to another family member my age, since the only other ones on that side of the family live three hours from everybody else. And then Brittany (my cousin) tells me that her boyfriend has NEVER BEEN TO A THEME PARK!!!!! He's been to Adventuredome but that's it and while I'll be there, I'll be helping introduce this new family friend to roller coasters.This MIGHT not end well, considering I've tried to get two of my friends to like coasters and it only half-worked on both of them.
First, in 2011, I took my friend Andrew from the cast of the show I was in to Cedar Point in June. All he had ridden was The Beast and he said he loved it, but had an issue with flat rides because spinning made him sick. However, he was psyched to go and said The Beast didn't make him sick, so I was excited to introduce him to this. We got there, run right for Raptor, then hit Millennium and Maverick. He was fine. We then went to grab lunch at TGI Friday's and gorged ourselves on appetizers. Then it started raining and we waited an hour for Dragster to open up. By the time it opens, the line to get into the line is stretching under Corkscrew's corkscrews. We decided to just do Mantis instead. Then we waited an hour to reride Millennium since my dad and sister didn't get to ride it earlier that day. And then we get off, and Andrew tells me, "Jarrett, I'm gonna puke!" I thought he was just joking. BLEGH!!!!! I turn around to see him leaning over the railing puking on the landscape. He then says he's fine and decides he's good to do Wicked Twister. Bad move. We get off, he feels sick, I show him to the trash can, pukes his guts out into this trash can. And a gaggle of college-age girls walking by ran away screaming. He then says he has nothing left to lose, so we decide to close the day out on Gemini Blue. We get on it, and he says he doesn't feel good. And the next thing I know, cropdusting! He's holding his head out over the car's edge as it goes around leaving a trail on the catwalks. Like a cropduster. We gave that act the term "cropdusting" and decided to get home. But apparently, once he gets sick, he does NOT get unsick! Got carsick, hung his head out the window of our car, and puked on the highway. With some old lady driving behind us watching a guy stick his head out the window and lose his lunch. He still has fun on amusement rides, but I REALLY don't think he's cut out to be an enthusiast. XD
This past season (2013), I got an invite from Patricia, an old friend of mine who I've known since second grade. She told me that we were going to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, and that the trip would include their first trip to Dollywood. She said she always thought roller coasters looked fun but had always been too scared to get on one, and said she'd be fine riding one if I were on it as well since I'm an engineering student who happens to know a lot about them. Then the NTG accident happened and she got nervous and I had to explain to her how a restraint works and what could have gone wrong. So we get there, and she decides she's most comfortable with Wild Eagle first since I told her it was pretty tame. I make sure I still fit in the restraint, and the NTG incident scared her so much she was scared she wouldn't fit...she's smaller than me. So we get up there and get on the ride. Didn't work out. She spent the whole ride yelling at me and threatening my life. After getting off, we spent some time on the ground looking around Craftsman's Valley, and after that, went to Thunderhead. Spent the whole time on that threatening me, but towards the end she put her hands up and smiled. We were GOING to buy the photo, but it wasn't good, so we got back in line and decided to ride again. Pretty much the same thing happened. I then decided to maybe split from the group and do Mystery Mine. I TOLD Patricia she'd hate something so rough and wonky, and she didn't listen. I even pulled the "Gerstlauer made NTG too" card and it didn't get her to back out of it. And yup, she hated it. Just as I told her she would. Wants to go to Kings Island with me sometime, though, so that should be...interesting.
So have you ever had any good or bad experiences introducing friends to this hobby? Discuss! I'd love to hear stories like this from other people!
