Love Rollercoasters? This Rosemount, MN Man Has You Beat!
There's obsession and there's addiction. I don't know which it is for Mike Cameron when it comes to rollercoasters but he definitely loves riding them. Mike is from Rosemount, MN and he rode the 'Renegade' rollercoaster at Valleyfair in Shakopee, MN on the first day it opened in 2007.
But he didn't just ride it once that day. He rode it over and over again, all day long. He kept track of how many times he rode it. Then he went back the next day and did it all over again. Then he did it the next day. You get the idea. In an interview with Fox 9 he said, "I just love the speed of it. The air time, the different G-forces."
This Summer he hit 23,000 rides on that particular rollercoaster. He's become friends with different park employees each year and he says that's part of what keeps him going back. Plus, he gained the nickname "Renegade" Mike Cameron for his amazing number of rides. Valleyfair even gave him a plaque to commemorate the feat.
He has a shrine to the ride in his living room. There are black poker chips on the shrine, each one representing 1,000 rides. But "Renegade" Mike isn't done yet. He hopes to hit 42,236 rides. He says that equates to the amount of riding Renegade around the world.
I mentioned obsession or addiction at the beginning of this story in relation to Mike's love of this rollercoaster. In his interview with Fox 9 he was asked if he was addicted to it. He acquiesced and responded, "I guess I am. There are worse things I could be addicted to so I'm happy to be addicted to this."
Speaking of Valleyfair, their Tricks and Treats event opens on September 23rd. Get all the details HERE.