CEDAR POINT Hair-raising thrill

By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
OP THRILL DRAGSTER, Cedar Point's newest roller coaster, is not just fast, it is really, really fast. A 10,000-horsepower launcher propels it to 120 mph in just four seconds.
That is so fast riders can't hear themselves -- or the person sitting next to them -- scream. That might be a good thing, but it's unlike anything I've ever experienced.
From the starting line, the 16-passenger dragster train -- it really looks like a race car, complete with Firestone tires and open headers -- shoots like a bullet straight forward then zooms straight up into the stratosphere like a rocket.
It twists 90 degrees just before cresting the top of the 42-story hill, where passengers experience the sensation of weightlessness before twisting another 90-degrees and free-falling straight down.
It's over in a flash.
The wait in line was another story. Hundreds of reporters, photographers and videographers lined up for the debut of Cedar Point's 16th roller coaster Thursday only to find that if they really wanted to ride, they were in for a long wait.
Lightning and then rain prevented Top Thrill Dragster from operating in the early morning. By about 9 a.m. the weather had cleared and it appeared the wait to ride wouldn't be long. Nevertheless, the fastest coaster in the world got off to a slow start.
Trying start
Long delays between launches and several test runs without passengers frustrated a few reporters who opted to leave rather than wait up to 41/2 hours in line to experience a ride that lasts less than one minute.
Those who did stick it out had plenty of time to study the coaster and enjoy the reactions of riders at the front of the line.
"That thing is flat-out getting it," exclaimed a broadcaster from a Cleveland area radio station.
Another radio broadcaster spotted her co-workers several yards closer to the front of the line and apologetically nudged her way through. "I want to die with people I know," she explained.
A computer geek from an Internet publication wondered aloud when it was that he last threw up.
Then, after seeing the reactions of passengers on the first dragster to zoom by -- mouths agape and hands clutching the lap bar -- the computer geek tried to coax one of his co-workers into calling his girlfriend and telling her that one of the trains crashed.
As hours ticked by, he tried again and again to get his co-worker to make the call.
"She didn't want me to come here," he said. "I know she thinks I'm dead since she hasn't heard from me by now. She's crying right now."
His co-worker never made the call but he did manage to snag her pager and e-mail a message to his girlfriend.
"Are you pulling my leg or are you still alive?" the girlfriend e-mailed back.
Decision time
Just before reaching the turnstile to the boarding deck, the reporter who had nudged her way through decided she wasn't ready to die after all, and waved goodbye to her co-workers as they climbed into a dragster, latched their safety belts and pulled the lap bars snugly over their thighs.
My turn next.
Darn. I forgot a rubber band to tie down my hair.
Because I really didn't want it to hit the person seated next to me in the face, I twisted it into rope and tied it into a knot at the back of my neck -- a tight knot.
Then, I slid into my seat, tossed my press kit, jacket, sunglasses and notebook onto the deck where we'd disembark -- no loose items are allowed aboard the dragster -- tightened my lap belt and held on.
The engine revved once, twice -- I lost count -- then I heard the sound of squealing tires and we were rocketing off at the speed of light. At least that's how it felt.
The wind hit me in the face so fast I don't know how I kept my eyes open. Up, over and Oh my God, down. We squealed to a stop.
Wow!
Now I know what fast really feels like.
A sign posted on a fence near the ride informs thrill-seekers that dragster drivers are required to wear helmets but on Top Thrill Dragster the wind will blow through riders' hair.
They weren't kidding. It untied the knot I put in mine. That's OK. I don't think it bothered the guy sitting next to me -- it was standing straight up once we rocketed to the top of the 420-foot hill.
Cedar Point has more roller coasters than any other amusement park in the world. Top Thrill Dragster is expected to attract more than 2 million coaster enthusiasts from around the world this summer. The park opens Sunday.