So, Your Young Child Wants to Ride Wild Thing: Are They Ready?
Melissa Ferlaak
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It’s a familiar story—you are pulling up to Valleyfair in your car, your kids start vibrating with excitement looking at that magnificent park skyline and the FIRST thing they want to do—even your young, elementary school-aged child—is jump on the biggest ride. But maybe you aren’t sure if they are quite ready yet. You don’t want them to be scarred by a bad experience…but you also do want them to experience the amazing feeling of flying high above the world.
Or maybe you have a younger child who is nervous (or curious, but unsure still) of riding the coasters, but you think it's time they joined as your ride buddy. Maybe you aren’t sure where to start.
Of course, parents/guardians, you know your child best and what you think they are ready for. But if you are looking for a little guidance, here are our mom-approved tips on how to get your child ready for Wild Thing, Renegade, and Steel Venom.
Watch Point-of-View Videos Online
We loved watching some of the great Point-of-View (POV) videos on YouTube to prepare for some of the bigger coasters. There are many out there, and Valleyfair has them for all of our coasters on our YouTube channel!
Get Your Child’s Height Measured at Guest Services
Stop by our Guest Services right inside the entrance of the park where you can get your child’s height measured and receive a wristband stating they are cleared to ride coasters within their height restriction. All coasters except Steel Venom have a 48-inch height minimum. Steel Venom has a 52-inch height minimum. This also helps temper expectations on which they can ride before waiting in line and being turned away.
Start Small
There are a few camps on this—either go on the biggest one and get it over with (because it can only be less scary from there) OR start small and work your way up. As the mom of a seven-year-old who is more cautious, but also doesn’t want to be left behind by his big sister, I say the best thing to do is to smart small.
My little guy still likes the Planet Snoopy rides, but he is getting more ambitious and is feeling like he is ready to try more. The first bigger coaster he rode with me was Mad Mouse. As a steel coaster that doesn’t go very high, but still has swift corners and drops, this was a great test coaster for him. He did this a few times and had a blast. Then, he wanted to try another one.
Take it Slow Increasing in Intensity
We went to High Roller next. This wooden coaster has a lot more feeling in the body, goes faster, and has the higher lift hill, second hill, and fast camel backs that can be deceiving as far as intensity. For him, this coaster is a blast, but whew, intense! So far, he is loving life just sticking to those coasters...with an eye to the future with Wild Thing.
As someone who is in the park every day and know these rides well, I’d recommend then giving your child the choice of Corkscrew or Excalibur for the next level of intensity.
Corkscrew of course has loops so your child would need to be ready to go upside-down, but it doesn’t go very high. That can seem intimidating, but it goes by so fast (and no, it won’t make you feel sick).
Excalibur is higher and next level intense than High Roller, which is great to prep for Wild Thing, as it is half the height.
Ride Multiple Times Before Jumping to the Next Coaster
I personally wouldn’t recommend going only once on a coaster before hopping up a step on the hierarchy. Ride each one a few times so your child feels like, “I got this!” If your child goes up to the next intensity, and they maybe didn't feel ready, then you could end up with some tears and fears. Let them be the guide for when they are ready to take on the next soaring challenge.
Then, Take on the Big Guys
You have a few choices from there. If your child had difficulty with the height element but didn’t mind the airtime—then Renegade may be where to go next.
It doesn’t go as high but feels as though you are really whipping through the air on a runaway train. If your child was fine on height, but the jarring and airtime bothered them, then opt for the high beautiful views and smooth glide of Wild Thing.
Save Steel Venom for last. It is the most intense of all the rollercoasters in the park. It also has a higher minimum height restriction of 52 inches tall.
Rollercoasters are safe, fun, and perhaps surprisingly, great for your health! Create fun memories together as you witness your child's bravery, screams of joy, and a great sense of accomplishment. Is there anything better than that? If you can ride rollercoasters, you can do anything!
Get your tickets today!