Hello!

 Hey, everyone. I'm Aaron Reese, a new writer for the site. I'm really glad to be a part of it, and I hope you enjoy my work. I'll be giving regular updates on park news as well as personal editorials.

Here's a brief introduction if you're curious. I've been a long-time theme park goer since a young age, and I've ridden most of the major coasters in the U.S. I can honestly say I've been to a park owned by every major corporation (Cedar Fair, Paramount, Six Flags, etc.), and each has always provided a different experience.

History of coasters, and parks in general, has been something that's been a big part of my free time for many years. I've given speeches in school about coaster and dark ride history. A senior assignment for high school found me building a model coaster as well as theming it and coming up with the specs. I even shot a one minute commercial for a friend who was working on a similar coaster. 

 As of now, I'm a senior in college, and my project for graduation is about the phobias that some people have when riding coasters. Last year, I visited Cedar Point and witnessed as my prof had students ride several coasters, starting small (Blue Streak, Cedar Creek Mine Ride) and working our way up to the Dragster. They were asked beforehand what fears they had about riding, and then they were asked if they overcame these fears upon exiting the ride. (Oh, and all rode by choice. We didn't force them.) This year we'll do the same thing, but with a different group of students. I'll be interviewing them before and after the rides before writing an essay about my results. So, my point here is that I've incorporated my love for amusement history into school quite often.

I'll be graduating soon with a degree in Animation History after working at Walt Disney World for a semester. Not sure what I'll be doing yet, but hopefully it will involve guest interaction.

As far as writing goes, it's been my greatest asset, I think. I've written several community plays which I directed (as well as directing a few that were not my own). I've written and directed several independent films for a professional film course that I took for a few years. One of the ones I starred in was awarded at a Cleveland film festival. As a Journalism student, I've written local articles about the community, and in fact, my first one was about local theme parks. I finished my first novel last year which I'm in the middle of trying to get published.

My favorite park is EPCOT, and my favorite coaster is either Batman Knight Flight (aka Dominator) now at King's Dominion or X-Flight (Firehawk) at King's Island.

Well, I apologize if this is not quite a well-done intro. If you have any questions, let me know. I thank you all for your readership, and I hope you enjoy my future articles.