AGAWAM – Once a year, Six Flags New England opens up the park to the local media and thrill-seekers to unveil their latest ride. While the past few years the new additions to the park have included rides for the most daring individuals (see: Six Flags’ Goliath coaster and Harley Quinn’s Spinsanity), this year the amusement park came out with one that may apply to those who are a bit ride-shy: Cyborg Hyper Drive.

The DC Comics-inspired ride is indoors and lasts approximately two minutes. As guests walk through the line, they’re able to read a series of comic-like strips lining the walls. When they enter the room the ride is located in, 24 park guests sit in their seats, which have overhead restraints, and begin their journey through a skit with the hero, Cyborg, and his arch-nemesis, Grid. The ride spins and rotates up to two stories in the air indoors, all while Cyborg narrates, working to regain control from Grid.

Cyborg Hyper Drive is located near other popular DC Comics rides, Batman The Dark Knight and Superman The Ride. I have had the privilege of attending the last three media day festivities at Six Flags, experiencing the opening of Gotham City Gauntlet, Harley Quinn Spinsanity, and now Cyborg Hyper Drive. Out of the three, I must admit, Cyborg provided the least amount of thrill. With that being said, I would describe this as a family-friendly ride that offers a thrill without scary heights.

After Managing Editor G. Michael Dobbs and I experienced Cyborg, I told him we had to go on one more ride in honor of his birthday. Mike’s 65th birthday was the date of the media day, so naturally, I told him we had to experience a good thrill to ring in his new year.

Leading up to the media day I joked with Mike that we should go on Superman, Six Flags’ largest coaster that features a 221-foot drop and reaches 77 miles per hour. The ride sits alongside the Connecticut River, which offers a rolling, albeit stunning, view. Mike insisted that he was not interested in the ride, disliked the height of it, and was not going to go on it. I laughed, and was fine with it – I wasn’t trying to make Mike do anything he didn’t want to do!

As we walked away from Cyborg, which is located next to Superman, I realized Mike was no longer walking next to me, and I looked back. I found him pausing beside Superman, staring up at the coaster, which was racing across the 5,400 feet of twisting track. I could tell he was pondering whether or not he should go on it. Taking advantage of his momentarily lapse in judgment, I asked him if he wanted to go on. He decided to throw away his reservations and give it a shot.

Nearly a week after Mike had his Superman experience, I asked him to describe the ride in one word. His word: daunting. For me? Hilarious.

The first time I went on Superman I was roughly 13 or 14 years old – that’s when all of the new-ride excitement, screams and closed-eye nervousness occurred for me. Mike brought me back to my childhood as he squeezed his eyes shut as we made the climb up to the rides peak, clutched to the lap bar and screamed words that I cannot put into print as the ride dropped.

All jokes aside, I was proud of Mike for spending a small portion of his birthday on the ride that scared him the most and tested his limits. There’s nothing like ringing in 65 with a good scream at “the thrill capital of New England.” Happy birthday, Mike!