The Dragon Coaster Exists Solely To Scare Minnesota Kids [OPINION]
I couldn't ride a rollercoaster until I was in eighth grade and the peer pressure added up to a fever pitch on a school trip to Valleyfair. When I got home I told my grandma that I had finally built up the courage to go on a rollercoaster and she was truly shocked.
I wasn't sure why I was scared of rollercoasters up until that day, when my grandma explained that they had put me on the Dragon rollercoaster at the Kids Midway at the State Fair when I was little and apparently it traumatized me for years and years after that.
Not only did I not want anything to do with rollercoasters, I also avoided trains, the Mouse Trap ride.. basically anything that MIGHT end up being as scary as that dragon.
Fast forward to 2021 when I have a kid of my own that really likes going on rides, even by himself. He has tried the big Ferris Wheel, the airplane ride, pirate ship, etc... but there's one ride he will not go on again.
That darn dragon rollercoaster got him just like it got his dad years ago! He did NOT enjoy his time on there and started freaking out but the ride operator (who likely has heard all of this before) just kept the ride going to completion. Rude.
As it turns out, my wife is ALSO deathly afraid of rollercoasters and, big shock, her trauma is also related to this dragon coaster.
Is this something that all Minnesota kids ride on and become deathly afraid of? Are there kids in the state that actually look forward to riding the dragon coaster?!?