So you may be asking the question in the title. What is this?
My name is Josh Peterson. Whenever I have an interest, I try to learn as much about it as possible, and I know there are lots of people like that in the world. For me, it's roller coaster enthusiasm. Ever since the late-2000s to early-2010s, I've been hooked. Since then, I've been learning as much about the topic as possible.
My first roller coaster was the Molina & Sons-built Candy Cane Coaster in Cascade, Colorado. At the tender age of 5, it shocked me. Luckily, my grandparents dragged me on the ride, and I fell in love with the sensation of thrills. In my mind, I felt like the bravest person around. I wanted more.
A year later in June 2007, my family took me on my first ever visit to my home park, Six Flags Great America. I started small with Spacely Sprocket Rockets, then went up a bit to Whizzer, then to Demon (my first looping coaster), and ended out on the "super intimidating American Eagle." I've been to Six Flags Great America every year since then, but I didn't officially declare myself a true coaster lover until the 2010-2011 school year. That's when I really started researching the best coasters around, and the stats.
In time after that school year, it only grew. In 2012, I broke the 54" mark, and took on all the B&Ms of the park. I knew that I wanted it bigger, and that Raging Bull wasn't enough to scare me. 2012 was also the year I discovered that I was not alone, and that many, many others shared the common interest.
In about 2013, I was given a mini-camera as a gift for some sort of holiday. I don't remember exactly which holiday. In 2013, we went to my first amusement parks outside of Six Flags Great America; Kings Island and Six Flags St. Louis. At those parks, and the yearly Great America visit, I filmed all the rides. I showed it to everyone in my family, and they were proud that I found my first interest that truly hooked me.
Since then, I've never looked back. I currently have a YouTube channel, a coaster count of 128 (98 steel and 30 wood), accounts on big theme park forums, and now, this blog. I am a true coaster enthusiast, and I will never see the day where I give up on that.
That's just the tip of the iceberg however! What about the actual site?
This is my website. Even though I am very active on my YouTube channel, I wanted something that people could read. I am devoted to make this a website filled with incredible photos, reviews, and reports. As time goes on, who knows? I might make a forum, then I will have a full community for Illinois Coasters. Thanks for taking the time to check me out! I hope you enjoy all you read here!
