The thrill of plummeting downhill at top speed keeps Carole Sanderson in search of the ultimate ride. Sanderson is a roller coaster enthusiast and treasurer/partner of Herschman Architects. (A Cleveland, OH, firm with 35 employees, Herschman Architects provides planning, design and architectural services to retail, shopping center, restaurant, food service, commercial, and industrial clients nationally.)

Sanderson's degree in business administration offers a balance to the creative energy of her three architect partners, and together, they have grown the firm dramatically. When she is not crunching numbers, however, her need for speed takes over, and Sanderson becomes a coaster-riding, hill-screaming, fun-seeking amusement park junkie.

"Business and roller coasters have similarities," she explains. "Both have risk. But, actually, being in business is riskier, much riskier than riding roller coasters."

Feeding Her Passion
A roller coaster enthusiast since childhood, Sanderson has ridden more than 500 coasters in the United States and around the world, and she is on a first name basis with a score of amusement park owners and ride manufacturers.

A member of ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) since 1984, and currently vice president of the Executive Committee, Sanderson has been interviewed for Discovery Channel roller coaster specials and has written articles for RollerCoaster! magazine, which is published by ACE.

While the hobby, which is really more of a passion, keeps her on the move, Sanderson says she is able to participate in most of the club's activities without sacrificing her business responsibilities, since many of Ace's events take place on weekends.

"ACE involves more than riding roller coasters," she says. "One of the goals of the club is preservation of the wooden roller coasters. There are 167 wooden coasters in the world. At one time, there were more than 2,000. We also support the smaller parks by bringing publicity to them, since they don't have the same capital and advertising budgets as the larger parks."

The opinions of the members of ACE are respected by the amusement park industry and influence their decisions on what works well at the parks and what doesn't. Sanderson says there is a sense of value in volunteering for ACE and sharing her expertise with such a large non-profit organization that is based on fun and enjoyment.

When Sanderson joined ACE 13 years ago, the group had 800 members. Today, it boasts 8,500 members worldwide.

It was through ACE that Sanderson met two of her closest coaster-riding buddies: Betsy Abrahms of Atlanta and Lisa Scheinin of Los Angeles. Abrahms, a meteorologist with the Weather Channel, is a founding member of ACE; she and her father helped create the organization in 1978, and Abrams and her husband, Matt Crowther, were married on a coaster.

Scheinin is a medical examiner for Los Angeles County and has ridden more than 700 coasters. She has been an ACE member since 1983 and has held many positions in the organization, including being a staff member of RollerCoaster! magazine since the late 1980s. Although she wasn't married on a roller coaster, she and her husband, Warren, renewed their vows on a coaster on their 10th anniversary.

Abrahms and Scheinin have ridden every wooden coaster in North America, as well as many in South America, Asia, and Europe. Sanderson has joined them on trips to Mexico and South Africa, and all three will participate in Ace's first trip to Europe in July 2002.

Sanderson attends about seven ACE events a year, including business meetings, a week-long convention, and park visits. In addition, she visits parks in the northeastern Ohio area 10 to 20 times a year as one-day or weekend trips.

Riding roller coasters isn't as costly as one might imagine. Sanderson estimates she spends $5,000 annually on the sport. She carpools whenever possible, uses frequent flyer miles for far-away places, and bunks three or four in a room for travel economy and efficiency.

"We take public transportation when we are in a foreign country, and we visit cathedrals, parks and cultural areas. Then, we look for a four-star restaurant to do the dining experience," she says.

The Simple Things in Life
Both Sanderson and Scheinin say they are attracted to coaster riding because it is a safe thrill, relieves stress, and allows them to become kids again.

"Coasters are pure fun, and you don't have to think when you're riding them," Scheinin says. "I have a high-pressure job that requires me to be mentally on my toes. Coasters offer a great counterpoint and help keep me life in balance."

One of Sanderson's most exciting memories since taking up coaster riding is of a three-hour marathon ride (from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.) on the old Crystal Beach Comet, which was relocated in 1994 from Crystal Beach, Ontario, to the Great Escape Fun Park in Lake George, NY. ("It felt like we were plummeting right into the lake, and it was particularly exciting because the operator let us ride with the lap bar up," Sanderson recalls.)

Another memorable experience was riding The Beast at Kings' Island in Cincinnati, OH, in 1989 - in the snow.

This year, Sanderson was again on hand for Press Day at Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. This year's Press Day included the introduction of the park's newest coaster, the Wicked Twister, billed as the world's tallest and fastest double-twisting impulse coaster. While she enjoys these types of events, of course, Sanderson says the attraction for her is always the coasters and the friends.

"I love riding roller coasters," she says. "It's something you can do alone or with a group and have fun. It's a physical experience that seems risky, but it is extremely safe and very exhilarating."

JEANNE BLUFFSTONE is president of Bluffstone Public Relations, a 16-year-old Cleveland, OH, firm specializing in media relations and marketing communications.