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Some become parents by choice, and such parents give their children the best lives possible. How else would you describe an Ohio couple who built a roller coaster in their backyard for their kids?Jon and Natasha Cain of Lancaster, Ohio, spent a few weekends and $700 on something their kids would remember for years: a roller coaster in the backyard, according to a report by ABC News.
They had no engineering training but had the willpower to teach themselves the basics of how a roller coaster works.
A summer project
Most kids would spend their summer holidays at a theme park. But often, the thrill of a ride is accompanied by a long queue. In the summer of 2009, the Cains took on the project of building a roller coaster. They used readily available materials that one could pick up at a local store: wood, concrete and PVC pipes.
They put it together for their two children, daughter Olyvia and son Samual.The finished track rises 12 feet at its highest point and winds through a series of twists and turns. They worked on the roller coaster for three weeks and spent $700. But building a ride was not simple. It had to hold a child, negotiate tight curves and remain upright throughout every ride.
Learning on the job
The Cains weren’t engineers. The couple ran a car dealership, but they both enjoyed making things with their hands.
They are the kind of people who cannot say no to a good DIY project. That was enough for them to get started on the roller coaster. The couple began by planning the layout. They went to a local store and bought the supplies they needed. The plan was to work out the rest as the project progressed.They thought the whole thing could be built for about $300. But when the final bill came, it was more than double the estimated cost: $700.
Yet it was worth every single penny. Their kids could enjoy a ride without leaving the yard.Olyvia was only three when the roller coaster was built, and she was unsure at first. “My daughter was three when we built it and she loved it. At first, she was hesitant, but not scared,” Natasha said.Before building the roller coaster, the Cains also checked with local officials. Rather than shutting them down, the city encouraged the project.
Jon later recalled receiving a simple go-ahead from officials.Once the roller coaster was complete, the Cains also filmed their children enjoying the ride. They uploaded the video to YouTube, and it went viral. The video showed Jon pushing Samual through the 12-second run, with the boy squealing with joy.After successfully completing their DIY roller coaster, the couple moved on to their next project. They wanted to build a log cabin. But their DIY adventures didn’t end there. “We did talk about doing a Ferris wheel at the new house … not like a ginormous one, just one that you could manually do,” Natasha added.
