Coasting for Kids 2012 - Be part of Team TPR!

My name is Chris and I will be 24 years old in four minutes. I am a full time Preschool Teacher in Los Gatos, CA. I have been working at my Preschool site for little over two years now and I love my job. The fact that I get to teach three and four year olds just makes my life amazing. My family has done Foster Care for over 19 years. We have had over 102 children and infants in and out of our house. We mostly deal with medically fragile infants. We adopted my little sister when she was just two days old and recently adopting my little brother who has congenital heart disease and whom I am doing this amazing event for.

 

When I was a child, I was extremely afraid of roller coasters. I started playing RCT and got really into the theme park world. When I was 13 years old, I finally worked up my nerves and rode Top Gun at CGA and got off and instantly becoming a fan of them. When I was a teenager, I worked at California’s Great America for about three seasons and absolutely loved it.

 

Random facts about myself:

 

-My birthday is on Apirl 1st

-Favorite bands are Green Day and Billy Joel

-Love emo music

-Have four piercings

-I wear black eyeliner when I got to most concerts.

-Favorite color is Blue

-Have been to over 50 concerts

-I am a Preschool Teacher

-Had a really bad speech problem when I was a child and was in speech all the way from kindergarten through Jr. High.

-Struggle with ADHD and Depression but I fell it only makes me stronger.

-If I won the mega-lotto I would buy my parents a new house

-Love eating at Chili’s-Addicted to Angry Birds

-Love Goofy and Aladdin

-Favorite ride at Disneyland is Indiana Jones

-Really enjoyed John Carter

-Only wear Vans shoes

-Boxer briefs

-Love Dr Pepper

-Love Italian food

-Hate drinking milk

-I have three sisters and as of July, one brother.

-Hate math. Love English

-I want to have three kids

-Own a bearded dragon lizard named "Nimrod"

-Favorite show is Supernatural

-Favorite movie is The Prestige

My cousin and I at a Green Day concert

My little brother and I who will be soon be part of our family.

Me at Great American when I was 14

Albino Ball Python

When I was three years old

My little sister and I

My Bearded Dragon

Edited April 1, 2012 by c0sterfreek

Nick McSparrin came into the world on April 22, 1979. I was born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, due to my dad being in the Air Force. Ironically, that is the only time I have been to Florida, and I don't even remember it! My childhood was a fairly normal one growing up. I played with the awesome toys of the '80s, like Transformers and GI Joe, and I watched cartoons when they were actually on Saturdays!! First of many random fun facts - In the 5th grade, despite my parents not wanting me to wear shorts to school, I snuck and wore them anyway.....and was called to the office for wearing "shorty shorts". Smooth.

 

My parents actually divorced when I became a teenager, and although it was rough, I turned to my sense of humor and laughter to help get through it. This was also about the time that I discovered a new hobby and turned to it for comfort - riding roller coasters. My first roller coaster ride happened when I was 4 and my dad took me on the Jack Rabbit. My passion for riding coasters wasn't truly unlocked until 1991, when I conquered Kennywood's Steel Phantom. After that, the coaster nut who still exists today was born!

 

I do have 1 brother, who is 8+ years younger than I am. We get along much better now than we did when I was younger, and we even share a love for roller coasters, which is awesome.

 

High school was high school....I did well, but had zero game with the ladies. Fun fact - My prom date ended up hitting on our limo driver. She sat in the front seat with him going home. They proceeded to date for several years and even got engaged! I went to college at Penn State and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Electro-Mechanical Engineering. I got a job with Emerson Process Management later in 2001, where I still work today as a turbine projects engineer. We basically design control systems that run turbines in power plants.

 

Here is my donations page: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/nickmcsparrin/DorneyPark

 

Okay, before I totally lose you (I see you nodding off!!), time to start sprinkling in pics:

 

As a kid I though it'd be cool to be a cowboy. Apparently the urge never left me....

I do like donuts a lot, though sometimes I struggle knowing if they are real or not.....

 

Mmmmm, donuts!

Pizza is another favorite food of mine. Favorite Topping? Pepperoni!

 

Nom, nom!!

Here's what I would look like with a mullet!

I met my beautiful wife Erin in 2006 on a blind date. I work with her uncle, who thankfully took a chance on setting us up! We hit it off immediately, and the rest (as they say) was history. Fun fact - I did briefly freak her out on date #4 when I told her I loved her. She responded with "Thaaaanks!" Luckily she didn't run for the hills, and she said it herself a couple months later. We got engaged in November of 2007, and married on November 29, 2008. Erin is my soulmate, and I love her more than anything in this world. She is more amazing than anything I could type here! Want to meet her?

 

There she is!

Fun fact - Erin's married name rhymes! And speaking of weddings, here's a few pics from ours:

 

Awwwww

I really was such a pretty groom!

We live just outside of Pittsburgh with our dog Lacey. We enjoy hanging out with our family and friends, occasionally traveling (both to parks and otherwise), great sex (how'd that sneak in there? ), and just having plenty of FUN together! Erin teaches preschool, and for the most part really enjoys it. As for more Nick info, get ready for the whirlwind photo finish that gives a nice glimpse into me.....

 

Flock of Seagulls anyone??

Right after our wedding, we spent 4 days in NYC....Erin called this our "mini-moon". The next year we took our true honeymoon in St. Lucia!

From the same NYC trip, in our hotel lobby

We do clean up nice.....

.....but we usually keep it casual!

Taken in front of our summer home.....either that, or we visited DC.....

I had a brief attempt at a career in modeling....

....but my campaign as a corn dog spokesmodel fell flat! Those jerks!

I got to pet a wolf once, which was awesome!

Sometimes I admittedly struggle to control my emotions....

Random Pirate boobs from Kennywood.....because boobs rock!!

I once was almost eaten by a shark, and that was scary stuff!

Hanging out at my alma mater

Erin has coined this awesome footwork "The Nick". Relish in it!

We do love our sports teams around here, especially the Steelers and Penguins!

 

It's a hockey night in Pittsburgh!

My 2 closest friends I have known for decades. They're an awesome couple that are a ton of fun! You might as well meet 'em!

 

Us with Jonathan & Melissa

I volunteer at my work and play Santa for the annual children's Christmas party! I've held this position for the last 8 years and have such a blast doing it!

 

Ho ho ho!!

 

Almost there.....here's some last-minute quick hitting facts:

 

*Favorite color - Blue

*Car I drive - 2010 Subaru Forester

*Home park - Kennywood

*Middle name - Ebbert (named after my great grandfather)

*Favorite athlete (in my lifetime) - Mario Lemieux

*Wood or Steel? - Steel

*Favorite season - Fall

*Favorite Disney character - Tigger

*Lifetime Disney visits - 0

*Favorite coaster - El Toro!

*Favorite cuisine - Italian

*Favorite bands - Breaking Benjamin & Staind

*Best concert - Bon Jovi, 2011

*Favorite sport - Football

*Favorite musical - Wicked

*How many kids do I/we want? - 2 or 3

*Favorite holiday - Christmas

*Favorite TV show (currently) - Modern Family

*I don't drink very often, but when I do, I like Long Island Iced Teas

*Shoe size is 10 and a half

*Fast food of choice - Arby's

*My first car was a Dodge Omni.....it met a firey death on the side of the road when the fuel line ruptured. Luckily we got out safely!

*I once was a paper boy

*Harry Potter, yay or nay? - Yay....I did enjoy the movies, although I never have read the books

*Best vacation taken - Our honeymoon to St. Lucia

*Facebook user? - Yes

*Favorite app for my iPhone or iPad - Need to get one first

*We own a Wii, and my favorite game for it is Super Mario Galaxy (both of them)

*Favorite animals - Tiger, Dolphin, Polar bear

*I am a worrier

*I am mildly OCD about some things

*I like my job, but I cannot picture myself being there my entire career

*Favorite park - Busch Gardens Williamsburg

*Besides my home park, I have been to Cedar Point the most

*TTD or Kingda Ka? - Top Thrill Dragster!

*Favorite cookie - Oreos

*Admitted chocolate lover

*I really like Pixar movies!

*Favorite website - Theme Park Review

*I would like to take a TPR Trip at some point

 

Well, that's me in a nutshell. I have to reiterate that it is a pleasure to be taking part in this wonderful event supporting this amazing charity. I look forward to meeting some TPR peeps on June 10, and until then I will work my tail off raising as much money as possible! Please consider donating to one of Team TPR's riders! And if you can't decide who, why not send a donation over to my page?....Senor Nick would really approve!

 

Ole!! Coasting for Kids es muy bueno!

Edited May 27, 2012 by robbalvey

Interested in checking out Toronto and Leviathan over Leviathan Bash Weekend?

 

Up for auction, benefiting Coasting for Kids, is a two night stay for two in Uptown Toronto at the Novotel Toronto – North York

 

Centrally located in a prime spot between Canada's Wonderland and Downtown Toronto!

 

Click here to find out more!

 

If you make the first bid, I'll donate $5.00 to the rider of your choice!

Totals have been updated for my offer.

 

Updated totals for those who have taken my offer to write new park reviews for the Park Index

 

Nicole at $1 - I'll give you credit since I forgot to include that in the original post.

 

Bobby at $1 - Jolly Roger is acceptable

 

gromithere at $10

 

Kumba830 at $4

 

Nozzy at $10

 

PhantomNick at $10

 

Shirley at $9

 

thrillgeek - $1

 

That's $46 so far

Edited April 1, 2012 by larrygator

Ok, I'm off the plane and I see four really awesome profiles! Here's what I'm going to do... I'm going to give you each $25!

 

As soon as I get back to my computer you'll have some money donated!

 

Congrats guys!

Thanks Robb! Means alot to me.

Thank you! It'll make me almost halfway to my goal!

Thank you Robb, hope you got a few good laughs out of each profile, and well done everyone!

Thank you so much Robb! That is awesome! And I have to say, I thought all the other profiles were great. Nice work by everyone!

Looks like Team TPR has passed $8,000. Keep up the good work.

Edited April 1, 2012 by larrygator

I reached my goal of $200 dollars! This only modivates me to raise even more! Thanks robb for helping me reach my goal.

"Welcome Home!" is what the families hear upon check-in and when they return from the parks each day. GKTW guests stay in whimsical two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas during their weeklong vacation. These "castles," as the kids call them, have varying architecture and color schemes throughout the 70 acre resort, and each is personalized with the family's name on the bunny sign out front. The buildings are duplex-style so that larger families can share an adjoining villa.

 

GKTW currently has 140 villas and is in the process of fundraising to construct an additional 30. Sadly, the Village surpasses occupancy many months out of the year and off-site accommodations at partnering resorts are utilized when all the villas are full. The off-site families are encouraged to enjoy the meals and entertainment offered at the Village and are moved on property later in their vacation if at all possible. It is GKTW's goal to never have to ask a family to stay off property in the future.

Thanks loads Robb

well I'm getting there, I'm up to $40 out of $150... the "Fun at Mikey's Expense" contest is still open. Who ever makes the highest donation to my donation page can decide on a fitting club initiation for me and I will provide pics for everyone's amusement.

Those profiles were awesome, way to go guys!

 

Kara, those villas look fabulous. I hope that you guys get to raise the money to build all that you need!

Kara,

 

The villas sounds amazing! Thank you so much for all of your detailed information. I love learning about things like this that involve children. I sure hope you guys get the villas built that you plan on!

Super excited...only $5 away from reaching 50% of my goal. Got there a lot quicker then I expected.

same here, I'm only $15 shy of the minimum with just 3 donations so I had to raise my goal to $150 and I'm already to 40% of that goal now, its awesome to see all the people's generosity.

I can not help but to keep saying how happy I am so many TPR members have come together to assist this AWESOME charity! June 10th is going to be such a great day across the nation!

Another family favorite are the character visits! Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, Nickelodeon Suites and Gaylord Palms partner with GKTW to bring their friends to the Village each week for exclusive character visits with the families. These one-on-one meet and greets allow guests of GKTW to spend time visiting with their favorite characters without waiting in line at the theme parks. It's a great opportunity for autographs, photos and memories.

 

Regular guests include Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Belle, Goofy, SpongeBob, Dora, Curious George, Shrek, Barney, Avatar and more. I wish you could see how much the kids' faces light up when they see that a character has come to the Village especially for them!

I still need 40 dollars to get me to the amount of 75 that I need. Any help is greatly accepted.

 

 

Chris...I got you to the $75!!! Do you need me to send you some Vicodin for your back when your done with all of those bunny-hops on the Magnum?

^^ Kara, another great update! I had no idea the characters came specifically to GKTW....that is so cool! Also, the villas you showed earlier look unbelievable!! Here's hoping Team TPR raises a boatload of money to help more of those get built!

 

Totals have been updated for my offer.

 

Updated totals for those who have taken my offer to write new park reviews for the Park Index

 

 

PhantomNick at $10

 

 

That's $46 so far

 

Larry, I decided to add another 5 park reviews for good measure, since I love the rating system!

 

I've added: Dorney Park, Hersheypark, Holiday World, Michigan's Adventure, and Morey's Piers!

I was born at home on a cold January morning back in 1978. My birth certificate has my grandmothers name as delivering physician. I have lived most of my life in Stockton Ca and the small portion that I wasn't here, I was in the small town of Linden Ca 40 miles East of Stockton. Growing up, I did normal things like playing Little League baseball and riding bikes. When I got older, and led the league in hit by pitches, my coach recommended I take up hockey. I did and I was a natural. In high school I played on a competitive inline hockey team. When I saved enough money to get the very expensive goalie gear for ice hockey, I did. I transitioned well but I was too old to get much further than recreation level. I have worked at a few retail jobs, most recent Red Wing Shoes. I have a perfect 4.0 grade point average in college, but I've only taken 2 classes. Now on to the checklist!

 

-Favorite Disney character is Chip and Dale...but really that is two so perhaps more Dale than Chip

-Fast Food is easy In-N-Out double double ketchup and cheese only, fries well done, Dr. Pepper with a slice of lemon

-Pizza topping either pepperoni or Hawaiian

-how I got into coasters....ghetto carnivals...then I got real

-if I won the mega millions I would have, in this order, paid off my credit card debt, bought a car, spend 6 weeks doing all the Disney parks worldwide, build a house with my own ice rink, buy a vacation home on Kauai, give a crap load of money to charities like this one, invest

-right now I am wearing olive dockers, a work polo shirt, and my waterproof Red Wing boots

-apps on my iPhone...sorry I have a droid...but the apps I use most are Fandango, Facebook, Foursquare, Netflix, The Chive and Nhl and ECHl....why there no TPR app?

-Favorite band...hmmm I did a short stint as an internet DJ so I have a lot of music on my hard drive....Bowling for Soup, Foo Fighters, Aquabats, Metalica, Ac/Dc

-where was I when John Carter flopped? In an IMAX 3d theater with my wife enjoying the movie...I liked it.

- my high school mascot was a Lion

- I have raised my pet cat since before her eyes were open. Her mother was hit by a car a few days after she was born and I had to care for her. I've now had her for over 15 years.

- I got married last September 18. I was engaged for 7 years. I proposed at Disneyland

- I was my high schools top scorer for Academic Decathalon

- The food I cook best is spaghetti

- My drink of choice is Cherry Pepsi or for more adult tastes MGD, Mojitos, or Mai Tai

- I love chips and salsa, as a kid I hated spicy food

- I am named after my father and his father before him...so I am the 3rd

- I am pretty good at fixing computers and see them as a personal challenge to figure out.

- Xbox live gamertag is Phreke33

-I own around 30 hockey jerseys

wedding

more wedding

Santa Cruz

Log ride at Santa Cruz

Kayak not dot com

old goalie

USH

There is only 1 place in the US you can still do this

Lake Tahoe

Big Blue behinds me

Hawaii

self pic from underwater

more Goalie guy

The Stanley Cup and Kelly Cup (ECHL)

one of my mom's kittens

doh wheres the toe

my brush with celebrity

my cat

not really flying

trick shot!!!

Just to incriminate myself...one of my prom pics

and the other one

It is no surprise that at GKTW Village, the kids get the master bathroom-- complete with a large, roll-in shower and luxurious jetted tub. It even comes stocked with their own collection of personal care products in fun and fragrant scents like Sweet Vanilla Ice Cream and Juicy Strawberry Ice Cream.

 

We never know which detail will be the most memorable for our guests...so as you're probably realizing, we try to think of it all. Believe it or not, a simple bathroom means a lot to the families. I've heard numerous stories of moms "asking permission" from the wish child to use their jetted tub for a bubble bath, a role reversal that you can imagine brings smiles and laughs. Perhaps the most touching story, though, is that of a sixteen year old girl. Upon check-out, we like to ask each family member what their favorite part of the trip was. With so much to choose from, it's often a difficult choice. For a sixteen year old, you might guess that her answer would be experiencing the Harry Potter area at Universal, or feeding the dolphins at SeaWorld. This girl, however, stated rather emotionally that "being able to take a shower by myself for the first time in my life" was her favorite part. Amazing what we all take for granted, right?

The bathroom is gorgeous. thank you for sharing that story.