The Best Day of My Life By: Marcus Garza
It was a warm day in May. I didn't get much sleep the night before because I was so excited for the next day to come. It was our annual Worlds of Fun field trip for Spring Garden Middle School. When I woke up the next morning I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be. I could tell it was going to be a great day because I could hear the morning birds chirping and see the bright sun shining in through my window. After I got out of my bed I put on comfortable clothing appropriate for riding roller coasters. I got to school and I walked through the long hallways and into the gymnasium where all of our eighth grade class was talking, waiting for announcements, or playing pickup games of basketball. As soon as I got into the gym, I walked up to my friend "Beers" and we talked about what rides we were going to get on first. The only thought I had stuck in my mind was riding the Ripcord. Being scared and excited all at once was making feel a little sick to my stomach. As I was blocking out "Beers" and thinking of everything running through my mind, I heard a bus pull up and everyone rushed to one door. We all loaded the busses but Beers and I got put on separate busses. As I stepped onto my bus I saw some people that didn't really like me too much and some others that I knew. I ended up sitting in my own seat and looking out the window on the ride down. I opened my eyes from what seemed like a forty-‐five minute nap. Realizing we were on the highway, right next to the park, I started to get really excited because I had a
perfect view of The Patriot and The Mamba (two of my favorite rides). Everyone looked so excited. I only had one fear; the Ripcord. While walking off of the bus one of the staff from school handed me my ticket. I regrouped with some of my friends (including "Beers"), and off we went into the large amusement park. As soon as I caught a glimpse of The Patriot, my friends and I ran to the ride. Surprisingly there was no line at all. We hopped on the ride and got buckled in. This was my first time riding a roller coaster, so I was extremely nervous. The ride started moving slowly and my stomach turned quickly. The ride went up the hill as I looked down at my dangling feet. At about one hundred fifty feet in the air reality finally kicked in. The chains stopped clicking and it was all free-‐railed from there. We hit the drop and I could feel my world slowing down as adrenaline kicked in. Twenty seconds later the ride came to an end. This was just the beginning of the best day of my life! It was still early in the day and I kept switching from group to group. I knew I was going to have to conquer my fears and ride the one hundred eighty five foot Ripcord. Riding with two good friends, Tristen Thomas and Michael Carpenter, made it a lot easier. We were each very nervous, so we decided to have Tristen pull the cord. We got our harnesses on and strapped in. As we began getting pulled up, I started feeling like I had just made the biggest mistake in my life, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it at that point. It was truly the worst feeling I had ever had in my entire life. I closed my eyes all the way up. We hit the top and dangled for about five to ten seconds. Then the operator came on an intercom and said, "Flyers, Three...Two...One...Fly!" I braced myself, but our cord wasn't working! Panic set in. I
looked and saw a wind vane spinning, and unexpectedly we dropped out of the sky hurdling towards the ground. This was the best feeling I had ever had in my life. My heart was pumping, and I was actually having fun. We swung back and forth until we slowed down to a stop and touched the ground again. After riding almost every ride in the park, it was time for lunch. I grabbed a plate and filled it with delicious food. I ate my food fast so I could get back to having some fun on the rides. Out of the corner of my eye I could see my eighth grade crush approaching. She asked me to ride the ripcord with her and her friend. Excitement overcame me. Of course I said yes, but on one condition... I had to pull the cord. I was still shocked she wanted me to ride with her, but I was extremely happy! We were meeting up with her and her friend around one o’clock. All I could think of from that moment on was the fact that I had to pull the cord. Finally, I met with my crush and her friend. We paid our money to ride and I knew there was no backing out now. About ten minutes later we were given our harnesses, and I was given one with an extra orange rope for pulling. The same process that happened before happened again, but while we were getting lifted up I accidently opened my eyes and saw the ground. Terror struck!! We reached the top and got our signal to pull, but something went wrong. I was so nervous that I was shaking. I was shaking so uncontrollably I could not grip the cord good enough to pull it. Finally I managed to get a grip and man up. As soon as I pulled it we were air born. This moment seemed to have stuck in my mind for a long time. It wasn't just
the ride, but the people I rode with. Having these two girls ask me to ride with them was so surprising. As soon as it was over I was glad I had conquered my fears and pulled the cord. After riding the Ripcord, I met up with a new group of friends that included "Beers." Our group rode every ride we passed. We didn't care what it was we rode it! I knew the time would come when we crossed paths with the tallest roller coaster in the park... The Mamba. As we walked closer, I came up with as many excuses as I could to stay off that ride, but none of them worked. "Beers" forced me into one of the cars on the ride and before I could say anything the ride started. The dreadful sound of the small clicking chains, that took us to the top, was hurting my ears. I just wanted get off. The chains stopped, I opened my eyes at the top, and I about fainted. The ride plummeted straight towards the ground as I let out a loud yell of terror, but before I knew it the ride was over. We ran back around and rode it three more times. Rumors were flying that it was almost time to go, so we headed towards The Patriot. My friends and I rode The Patriot one last time before we had to leave. It was a quick, but fun, memorable ride. This will be a day that I remember until the end. Everything just seemed so perfect I felt as if where ever I was at I fit in with everyone. From arriving to the park, riding the ripcord, and even leaving. I will never forget any part about this day.