Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2013, Page 185

Description:	Jennifer TuckerDrew TurnbuBrenna Two BearsTwo roller coasters stand at Cedar Point in Sandusky,Ohio. This amusement park was one of Denekampsfavorite destinations for riding coasters.Until the day his family took him toHoliday World in the third grade,senior Johannes Denekamp wasdeathly afraid of roller coasters - thatis, until his family dragged him ontoThe Legend. Denekamp loved theride, and his love for roller coastershas continued to grow exponentiallyover the years. Eventually, hediscovered an organization calledAmerican Coaster Enthusiasts, agroup dedicated to the enjoymentand preservation of roller coasters.ACE was the largest group of its kind,and its members were entitled to perkssuch as discounted admission toseveral amusements parks in theUnited States.Noticing his passion andfascination for roller coasters,Denekamps family joined the ACE,and in his three years as a member,Denekamp has already had theopportunity to experience numerousexclusive behind-the-scenes events.His most memorable moment was atCedar Point, where he was given abackstage tour of the Top ThrillDragster and an in-depth look at itslaunch system. Since the event tookplace before park hours, Denekampespecially liked the feeling of havingthe entire park to himself and theability to ride the Top Thrill Dragsteras much as he wanted without havingto bear the usual 1-2 hour wait.While this was one ofDenekamps favorite behind-the-scenes events, his favorite momentinvolving roller coasters occurred twoyears ago, when he and his familywent on a two-week tripencompassing four amusement parksacross three states. The parks theyvisited - Cedar Point, Kings Island,Holiday World, and Six Flags - wereall among Denekamps favorites, andthey were home to some of hisfavorite roller coasters as well. Mostof all, though, he cherished theopportunity for him and his family tospend time together with an activitythat they all could enjoy.In the summer of 2013,Denekamp planned to work at CedarPoint as a cook in one of the parksrestaurants. He preferred the idea ofworking as a ride operator, but due tograduation constraints, was not ableto receive the proper amount oftraining for the job. Either way,Denekamp was glad that he would beable to spend more time in one of hisfavorite amusement park destinations.-WALTER WHITELuis ValdovinosRobert VanceAndrew VandeventerBryce VandivierMaxwell VickersCarlos Vidaurri-RodriguezEmily ViersAnna VoskuiEmily WagnerSfcEmma Walsh!
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/8737
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

Further information on this record can be found at its source.