Gary Coleman, pictured front right, of Monfort Heights, celebrates his 7,000th ride on Kings Island’s Diamondback roller coaster on July 4, 2012. Photo provided/Kings Island
A Cincinnati man celebrated ride number 7,000 — yes, that’s right — on Kings Island’s Diamondback roller coaster this week.
Gary Colemen, 70, of Monfort Heights, took the milestone plunge Wednesday on the Mason amusement park’s tallest and fastest coaster.
Considered one of the top-ranked steel coasters in the world, Diamondback hurls riders through “5,282 feet of steep drops, twists and turns through 10 acres of terrain at speeds up to 80 miles,” according to the park’s website.
Coleman began riding the coaster in 2009 “just for fun,” but said it soon turned into an all-consuming passion. He has spent more than 350 hours on Diamondback in the past four years and has coasted roughly the equivalent of a ride across the U.S. and more than halfway back, park officials estimate.
Coleman, who has a platinum season pass, has racked up more than 1,100 rides on Diamondback in just 30 visits to the park this season, for an average of 37 rides a day, including a personal single-day record of 111 rides on June 17.
Kings Island, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is open daily through Aug. 26.
Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Kings Island |
