Influential Coasters of My Childhood is an ongoing series on We Were Inverted showcasing the rides I grew up enjoying in the 1980’s & 90’s. Some of these rides sadly no longer exist and some are far from what I would deem as a “good” coaster nowadays. Nevertheless, these are the coasters that hold a special place among my memories and helped make me the enthusiast that I am today.
The year is 1984 and my grandparents and I are back in Wildwood, N.J. This year however, something big and weird is on the pier – something that made no sense to me at the time. This was my first time seeing Sea Serpent at Morey’s Piers, the first Vekoma Boomerang to be installed in the United States. It looked so tall. It seemed so fast. It went forward and backward. And somehow, the track didn’t connect. At the age of 5, all these things just blew me away.
I didn’t end up riding the coaster that year, but it I loved watching it being pulled up the first spike and watching the craziness that ensued. I stood there for countless cycles during that vacation just watching the coaster run its course. At this point in my life, Golden Nugget and Flyer at the nearby Hunt’s Pier were more my thing. I wasn’t riding the biggest coasters yet, but I don’t even could have at such a young ge. I also doubt my grandparents would have ridden it with me if I could. They’d ride Golden Nugget with me, but Flyer I only recall riding by myself.
A Wild Experience x3
Within a few years, I’d finally ride Sea Serpent. Then, shortly thereafter, I’d experience two other Boomerangs built at places my family visited frequently – Tidal Wave at Trimper Rides in Ocean City, Md. and Sidewinder at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pa. I had no idea that roller coasters were cloned at the time, but I sure didn’t find it to be a bad thing. If anything, it made me like an expert when telling my friends and family how I’ve ridden one somewhere else.
Since all three of these coasters were pivotal in my budding love for coasters, I felt they all deserved to be represented in this series. Instead of giving each one its own installment, all three will be featured here in the order in which they were experienced. The same will hold true in this installment’s Modern Take follow up. Now, onto the memories.
Sea Serpent
Morey's Piers - Wildwood, N.J.
As I said, my first memories of this coaster didn’t involve me riding it at all. Once I did, wow, however, my mind was blown. I’d ride the coaster at least once each year we visited Wildwood, but it wasn’t a ride I’d hop on over and over. Being the newest coaster and the biggest ride, it cost a lot more tickets than the others. I didn’t want to burn through all my tickets too quickly, so I always limited myself to ensure I’d be able to ride some of the other rides and not be done in a matter of minutes.
My first experience, as well as most of the others, came with me riding solo. The only time I remember riding the coaster with anyone else at that young age came when my Aunt Cheryl came along one summer with my grandparents and brother, Brian. Naturally the two of us rode together since she’s the one who got me into riding bigger coasters just a year or two before.
My First-Ever Boomerang Ride: Forward
After boarding Sea Serpent for the first time, I remember feeling my anticipation grow as the coaster began being pulled backward. For a coaster that is only 116.5 feet tall, it sure did feel bigger at the time. I could see for miles and the backward climb felt like it lasted forever. “Would we ever reach the top?” I thought to myself. I soon got my answer.
The pull-car released and a moment of pure weightlessness occurred. It didn’t last long, however, as the train ripped down the hill and through the crowded station. That was another first. It made the coaster feel like it was going 100 mph and felt like the fastest coaster I had ever ridden. In reality, Comet at Hersheypark was actually faster by a few miles per hour. It sure didn’t feel like it though.
Following the station, the train went upside down, then spun right side up for only a moment, before rolling upside down yet again. “Woah! What was that?” was all I could remember. I had only experienced vertical loops to that point in time, so a cobra roll was simply mind-blowing. No sooner did I get my bearings, however, a tight vertical loop had me upside down yet again. Once the train completed the loop, I was able to catch my breath for the first time.
My First-Ever Boomerang Ride: Backward
With all the coaster’s momentum we made it a good way up the second spike. From there, the train was pulled up slowly to the top once more, just facing the top this time. All I could think was, “What’s stopping us from just going straight over the edge of the spike?” My mind was cleared of those thoughts seconds later as we fell backward. Talk about an odd feeling. I had never gone backward on a coaster before and it was unlike anything else.
We hit the vertical loop and the forces I experienced were so intense. The yank dropping out of the top of the loop going backward compared to how it felt going forward was crazy. Then I left to figure which way was up or down as we traversed the cobra roll in reverse. This was easily the most disorienting aspect of the ride.
After hitting the brakes going through the station backward, we peeked back out into the sunlight for a brief moment on the spike one last time. We were then lowered into the station where we could then exit the ride. I felt like everyone waiting was staring at all of us wondering if they made the right decision. My guess was that many were riding it, or any Boomerang, for their first time too.
Tidal Wave
Trimper Rides - Ocean City, Md.
It wasn’t long after riding Sea Serpent that I would find myself on another Boomerang. Just like with Sea Serpent, the coaster was located at a beach park. Enter Tidal Wave at Trimper Rides in Ocean City, Md. While not in as scenic of a location as Sea Serpent, Tidal Wave gives a better view, in my opinion. Located toward the southern end of Ocean City, the ride’s placement allows riders to look up the coast for miles on end before feeling that cable car release.
Of all three of the Boomerangs featured in this installment, this is the coaster I have ridden the least – probably less than 10 times in total, to be honest. While my family did visit Ocean City often growing up, it wasn’t at the frequency I visited Wildwood with my grandparents, or at the rate I’d get to visit Hersheypark for Sidewinder. Like with Sea Serpent at Morey’s, Tidal Wave also featured a higher ticket cost, so I never rode it over and over during any of our vacations.
Showing Off to Relatives
While I don’t have as many experiences riding Tidal Wave, I do remember one year in the late-80’s to early-90’s when my dad’s cousin’s kids, Chevon and Kyle, came to visit. They were from Philadelphia and while they were with us in Baltimore, my parents took us to Ocean City. Having four kids, we naturally ended up going to some of the arcades and Trimper Rides.
When we walked into park, I went straight to Tidal Wave. I was talking up how awesome it was and how we should all ride it together. One problem, no one but me wanted to ride. My brother considered it, but once Chevon and Kyle said they wanted to go in the fun house and ride some of the other rides, he decided he wanted to hang with them. I still wanted to ride, so my dad gave me my tickets and I rode it by myself.
Everyone stood there by the bottom of the first spike watching me ride. I can still remember seeing them down on the ground as the train was pulled backward. They got smaller and smaller before I forgot all about them when the train was released. Once the ride was over, they all asked how the ride was and told me I was crazy for riding it alone. That fed my young ego.
From there we rode a few of the park’s other rides and I did manage to talk them into getting on Toboggan, which was a ride I had a lot of experience riding throughout the years.
Sidewinder
Hersheypark - Hershey, Pa.
Seven years after Sea Serpent debuted, in 1991, Hersheypark added their very own Boomerang called Sidewinder. My first rides came in 1993 while visiting the park during two separate field trips in the eighth grade. Since then, Sidewinder has gone on to be the Boomerang I’ve ridden the most. Growing up and living only 1.5 hours away from Hersheypark, I have visited the park too many times to count. And unlike Morey’s Piers and Trimper Rides, I never had to worry about tickets when visiting Hershey, so re-rides were never an concern.
8th Grade Honor Roll & Concert Trips
In 1993 our school was rewarding those who were on the Honor Roll every semester with an opportunity to go to Hersheypark. The music program was also doing a trip to Hersheypark for those who took part in the spring concert. Now, I hated music classes my entire life, but I signed up for that concert just to go to Hersheypark. Since I also made the Honor Roll every semester that meant I got to go twice! What a deal!
Back in the early-90’s Hersheypark didn’t have the coaster collection it features today. Still, I loved riding Comet, SooperDooperLooper, and Trailblazer. Imagine my surprise when we walked into the park in 1993 and there was Sidewinder. My friend Dave and I grabbed a few of the guys and ran over to ride. We waited in line for over an hour, easily, that first time. During the wait all I did was run my mouth about how awesome this ride is going to be because I rode two other ones just like it at Wildwood and Ocean City. The guys were all ears and couldn’t wait to ride.
I honestly don’t remember much about the ride, just waiting in line with the guys and talking about ride, along with Beavis and Butt-Head, Ren and Stimpy, and all the other cool things we were into during the early-90’s. I was so glad to see Hersheypark with a new coaster and one I loved riding in Wildwood and Ocean City. I also like that theirs was black. It seemed just a little more badass because of that fact.
A few weeks later, I was back riding the coaster once more with Dave and some of our other friends. We tried to get some of the girls to come ride with us too, but none of them wanted anything to do with the ride because it went backward. On the bus ride home I remember all of us bragging about riding the coaster, feeling like we were so much braver than everyone else. Ah, the days of being a kid!
Kid Vision
When I set out to write this series, I knew that a few of the coasters I would feature might be ones people would be surprised to see. Here in 2022, it’s easy for us enthusiasts to forget what it was like looking at these coasters through kid vision and experiencing some of these older coaster models in their prime. I am sure there are many out there who hate Boomerangs and couldn’t be bothered to ride one for more than a credit. That’s not how I view these three coasters.
Sea Serpent, Tidal Wave, and Sidewinder will always hold a special place in my heart due to these early childhood memories. I’m glad so see all three of them still standing in their original locations to this day, especially since so many Boomerangs have been relocated over the years. It’s also great to see some of the love these coasters continue to receive with newer trains and updated paint schemes. All that is something I will be sure to talk about in the Modern Take follow up, however. Be on the lookout for that coming to We Were Inverted over the next week.
