New giga coaster at Carowinds is fast, Fury-ous

Somewhere on the ground, beneath the mammoth steel poles supporting the track of Fury325, Carowinds newest roller coaster, is a small, silver earring.

The earring was in my ear when the ride left the loading station, with me, nervously waving and making small talk with the 13-year-old boy next me. He was telling me I should keep my hands up the entire time and I was telling him that I would try to resist the urge to maintain a death-grip on the restraint holding me in my seat.

But, by the time the car slid back into the station, my earring was gone, my hands were shaking, my eyes were stinging and the boy next to me was saying how he couldn’t wait to go again.

And I couldn’t either.

I’m no novice when it comes to roller coasters. Big, small, wooden, steel, drops, twists, loops, whatever someone clever has dreamed up to get people to give up good money to scream their heads off for a few minutes, I’ll ride it. I’ve probably ridden 100 coasters in my lifetime.

Fury325 beats them all.