Let Us Begin.....Shall We?

What The Funk Is This?

Hey! What's Going On? My name is Will Holder and welcome to the first ever edition of the Thrill Holder Blog. Now before I begin I have to get the legal mumbo jumbo out of the way. My views are mine and mine only. They in no way shape or form reflect that of the Coaster Crew, Two Guys Productions, this webmaster, or anybody else affiliated with this project. I would say that I have free speech but if I do say something that might not fly well, Clint Novak will have already deleted it anyway. What a bastard! He can be somewhat of a dictator....but we can save that for another day.

Now this blog was born out of the demand that people wanted to hear more from me. Why that is the case, I have no clue. But since the Coaster Crew and In the Loop is very personal-able, we shall meet those demands. Now I am going to be upfront with everybody right away. I have no idea what direction this will go in, so please just bear with me. There is a reason I don't post much on forums. I'm not much of a guy who puts his thoughts into words. So let's just go along for the ride.

A Little About Me!

Now since everybody will be following my wisdom from here on out, I guess it would help if you people knew a little about me. Up until now, the only little bit of Will Holder you have received has come behind the microphone or behind the camera on In the Loop. Well it's time to get personal and let you all in on the real me. Hopefully it will let you understand me more and make this blog more enjoyable for you.

I was born July 31, 1983 in Silver Spring, Maryland. I've lived in the Washington Metropolitan Area for my entire life, up until last year. Currently I callFredericksburg, Virgina home. I love D.C. though. I love it's sports teams, especially the Washington Redskins and Wizards. I love all the history and sites. The poor homeless people who sleep under newspapers on Van Dorn Street, yeah I love them too. And believe it or not, I love following the politics that goes on in this city. On TV if I'm not watching the Skins or the Wiz playing, I'm laughing at Homer and Bart, enjoying a good movie or loving all the action that goes on inside the squared circle. Thats a wrestling ring for you dummies out there. I've been to many wrestling shows, mostly in D.C. and Baltimore. Say what you want....oh it's not real....or oh it's really gay.....blah blah blah. I like it....brother. Besides wrestlers are the nicest celebrities you'll ever meet in real life too.

Now as far as this coaster hobby goes, truth is I only very recently in my life became an enthusiast. My first rollercoaster was Big Thunder Mountain at Disney World back in 1988. I don't remember much from it, only the stuff that exist on the POV footage my dad shot with his old ass VHS camcorder. You know, those really big ones that weighted a ton. My next coaster wouldn't come until 1992 when I rode Rebel Yell at Kings Dominion. Now that I was a little older I realized that what I just did was scary, and for many years after that I was very scared of coasters. I rode a few coasters hear and there over the next few years, but I was usually crying my eyes out in the queue line. My mom then dragged me on the rides. Eventually I rode them no problem, they were fun, but not the obsession that I have now. My favorite rollercoaster is El Toro and my favorite park is Disneyland. Want to learn what turned me into an enthusiast? Of course you do. Well it's story time.

Goodbye To The Ride That Started It All!

Well now it is official that HyperSonic XLC is being removed before the start of the 2008 season at Kings Dominion. This news also closes a door on a personal chapter in my life. I used to only go to Kings Dominion once a year, twice if I was lucky. In June of 2000 I went onto what was at the time Kings Dominion's very crude website to look up info on operating hours that day. What I saw however was a picture that said "New in 2001...HyperSonic XLC". The picture of a car going up and down 90 degree hills totally blew me away. Plus when I read that it would have a launch of 0 to 80 in 1.8 Seconds, I was speechless. Now you have to understand that at this time, I only visited Kings Dominion and Hersheypark once a year. That was the extent of my park travels. I only cared about rollercoasters if I was at the park, never speaking of them again for another year.

Now that day at the park with my family, the first hints of geekism began to show. I was actually going around the park wondering where the ride was going to go. Also believe it or not, I also was on the lookout for pieces of the ride. Looking back on that now its so funny that I was doing that at the time. It's like I secretly knew all along how to be a coaster nerd. Now for the first time ever I was siked about a ride for an entire year. All off season I was doing Internet searches, trying to find out more information on HyperSonic. I discovered many websites like Coasterbuzz and even the famous RCDB. Reading message boards alone opened me up to a new world I never knew existed. When HyperSonic did finally open the next year, I rode it and it was the greatest ride I had ever ridden. It's hard to believe that the first year, it was smoother then a B&M coaster. Hey now!! Don't laugh, it's very true. It's a shame what happen to it over the years.

I finally, officially became an enthusiast/coaster geek when me and my brother Joe took a journey to Sandusky, Ohio for 4 days in the summer of 2003. Our mission was to ride Top Thrill Dragster. My first ride to the top of the 420 foot tophat had me wearing one of my very few coaster shirts. My first coaster shirt I had ever bought........HyperSonic XLC. This will be an emotional off season for me. When we do some shoots of them taking the ride down, don't be too shocked if I get a little chocked up on camera. But as is life, nothing lasts forever. We must move on and move on I will. Bring on Dominator I say.

Last Words!!!

So I hope you enjoyed the first edition of the Thrill Holder Blog. Like I said this is a work in progress. Feel free to leave me some feedback and suggestions. Let me know what you would like to see in this piece of work.

Thank You Very Much and I'm Glad You Could Join Me! Now Sit Back, Hold On Tight and I'll Blog To You All Next Time!!!!