Cyclone roller coaster fans disappointed by last week’s opening day snafu were back in line this weekend to get that first ride of the season.
For 17-year-old Adam Myers from North Bellmore, Long Island, the excitement of riding the most famous roller coaster led him to camp out with his friends around 12:30 a.m., early Saturday morning, to earn his seat on the thrill ride. The 88-year-old Cyclone was taken out of commission last Sunday when it got stuck at the top of its first peak, forcing people to take an unnerving walk down the wooden roller coaster. No one was injured.
“It was definitely worth the two waits,” said Myers, a roller coaster fanatic who was on the malfunctioned Cyclone last week.
At the first drop, where the Cyclone had its mechanical problem last week, “I started screaming, ‘we made it!'” said Myers, who was in the second car of the first row. He immediately got back on for a second go-round.
With the iconic roller coaster fit for service this weekend, Angie Morris, a spokeswoman for Luna Park at Coney Island, deemed the second opening day a success.
“Guests were eager to ride the Cyclone and even camped overnight to be first in line,” she said.
That is a testament to the Cyclone’s place in New York history. Myers called the Cyclone, “the grandmother of all roller coasters”; he wants to study engineering in college to become a roller coaster designer, helping to keep Coney Island’s influence alive.
His mother Susan, 58, is supportive of her son’s career goals.
“It’s all because of the Cyclone,” she said.
