Does Frequent Riding Cause Brain Damage?

I have been seeing all these Cedar Point "die hards" like Maverick Lance and Single Rider 2 and I'm wondering if frequent riding causes brain damage because these guys are defintely off...or, is it that it takes a person who is slightly off to want to ride roller coasters nonstop every day for 5 months? I'm not knocking them, everyone has their guilty pleasures but I find it slightly ironic that these dudes seem like they suffer from head injuries.

I think I read somewhere that riding roller coasters can have a negative effect on you if you take it too far. So the kind of nonstop riding that some of the hardcore regulars do could have some long term effects.

And if it's any consolation, Single rider 2 is a desert storm veteran (or so he says) so maybe something happened during the whole deal. Of course I don't have any true facts to make any kind of assumption on. It's just some food for thought.

However, I agree that he, and a few others, are a few trucks short of a convoy. :)

Hahaha...I like the convoy analogy. I made the mistake of getting into a conversation with him at the Resort gate Sunday and when he found out I was in the Army I heard his antecdotes about coming back from Iraq and going to Cedar Point and whatnot...and perhaps Desert Storm had something to do with it but I wouldn't be surprised if all those G's subtract brain cells at half-life speed.

i havex benen riding cozasters forf yers now and my brwain is just finnee ;)

My friend speculated at Coaster Mania that a lot of the "extreme die hards" seem like they could possibly have some form of autism, which often carries some sort of an addictive personality trait. Makes sense to me I guess.

I have many present day "duh" moments that could've been caused by frequent riding in my preteens. I blame the Mantis and Corkscrew for banging my head from side to side. :)

CP also brings out one's competitive side. For the first few years after the Mean Streak opened, no one, and I mean no one, on a Sunday morning would beat me to the front of the line after the long run from the Resort Gate. The MS employees started calling me "Flash." LOL, the good ole days!

^Hey don't be knocking my ride :)

I'll be honest when I have to test ride...I've found pushing out on your harness, planting your feet in the front of the car, and bracing your body my head doesn't bounce around...I let myself just sit there one ride and I got the typical corkscrew headache...But everytime I brace up I'm fine

I'll try that next time I'm there! It's been awhile, so I hope I remember. WHen Jungle Larry's was still there, I remember walking around checking out the animals and hearing moans and "ouches" coming from riders waiting outside of the station during, ahem, 3 train operation.

Sorry, I had to throw that in there! :)

3 train op seemed to work well right up until the "well thought out" and "absolutely necessary" seatbelts were added.

I remember when the Blue Streak had no seat belts. My dad and I would intentionally leave the lap bar loose to get some good air time!

Yeah, I'm sure I have some CP brain damage. :)

My friend speculated at Coaster Mania that a lot of the "extreme die hards" seem like they could possibly have some form of autism, which often carries some sort of an addictive personality trait.

Which is most like a degree of something called Asperger's syndrome. One of the curious aspects of this syndrome is an obsession with a particular hobby or self-interest. In fact, I have used video footage of one of the Millennium people in a lecture on Asperger's to my class.

If one rides a rougher coaster time and again day in and day out, of course you could open the door for at least some degree of brain trauma. To my knowledge there is no research out there on this, though.

Sounds like a good topic for a documentary. I'll get right on that.

Anyone remember Geauga Lake's "Rotorman?" GL regulars said his face was squished a little from riding so much.

Yeah, there is a facebook page dedicated to him. He was definitely off as well...definitely a pattern.

While some of the discussion here is valid, it seems to have started with less than honorable intent.