The first time I rode Dragon Challenge was in 2001, when it was still Dueling Dragons. Your choices weren’t Chinese Fireball or Hungarian Horntail but Fire, or Ice. You still had that wild moment where it looked like you were hurtling 60 miles an hour into the other coaster track…
Logically, you knew you weren’t about to die by Dragon Coaster in the middle of a theme park in central Florida but the adrenaline made you scream like your insides were about to pour out of your throat anyway.
Back in 2010 it turned into Dragon Challenge and was retrofitted with a delightful Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire theme, complete with Flying Ford Anglia, Tri-Wizard Cup, and your favorite champion’s banner.
Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself called it a “real standout” of the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. At some point after it re-opened as Dragon Challenge, too many people got injured by things flying out of other people’s pockets and the ride was never run simultaneously again.
While this change made it lose a lot of its terrifying joy, I for one will miss one of my favorite roller coasters of all time.
Here’s hoping the next Harry Potter ride replacing it will be just as fun.
Chinese Fireball, I will miss you most of all.