Whoosh : Thrills: American Coaster Enthusiasts convene for a weekend of rides on the wild side.

For Liucija Ambrosini, 44, a well-designed roller coaster is like a complex work of art which is best understood after multiple viewings.

Even though she and about 200 other members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts club rode the “big four” roller coasters at Magic Mountain for nearly three hours straight on Friday night, they were back at it at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

The club members had gathered at the Valencia theme park Friday night for the first portion of their annual national convention. They would move on to San Diego late Saturday to ride the 65-year-old Giant Dipper roller coaster--one of just two West Coast seaside coasters--which recently reopened after 14 years.

On Friday night, Ambrosini, a Chicago schoolteacher, rode Viper twice, Ninja twice, Revolution three times and Colossus five or six times. But that did not dampen her enthusiasm for more on Saturday. “My husband and I will ride a really good roller coaster 30 or 40 times,” Ambrosini said.

Every roller coaster has subtleties which cannot be appreciated in the heady rush of a first or second ride, she said. In addition, the coaster experience differs from seat to seat on the train. Sitting at the front of a coaster will give the rider a “whoosh” pulling sensation, while sitting in the back gives the rider the sensation of being pulled, she said.

While standing in line, Ambrosini confessed that she is afraid of heights. But sitting atop the highest point of the giant Colossus, her favorite ride at the park, does not disturb her at all. On a roller coaster, she said, she has “a wonderful sense of security.”

“It is taking me on a wonderful journey,” she said. “I love fast turns, great drops. They have to have that feel of throwing you out.”

Ambrosini, who teaches drama to high school students, and her husband, who publishes At the Park and Roller Coaster magazines, have ridden more than 300 coasters. She has traveled to Japan, Canada and a remote park in England to experience new and different rides. She has waited in lines for more than three hours to ride a new one on its first day.

Her willingness to travel long distances and brave huge crowds is not unique. Coaster enthusiasts from 32 states, including many from the East Coast, traveled to Southern California for the ACE national convention this weekend. Some ACE members, who all speak a lingo known as “coaster-ese,” are not interested in just riding coasters. They also study coaster history, construction techniques and trivia.

“It seems frivolous, but it is just as viable an alternative as other interests that people have,” Ambrosini said.

She said she prefers coasters made of wood, like Colossus, rather than those made of steel.

“Wood gives when you ride it,” she said. “It gives you a feeling like you are really inside the ride. You start to be a part of that ride. With a steel coaster, you are definitely on a ride.”

In addition, wooden roller coasters are affected by the weather and feel different in different seasons, she said.

Yet she also appreciates Magic Mountain’s steel coasters’ unique qualities. The Revolution is well-landscaped with trees that seem to rush at you during the ride; the Ninja, which has cars hanging from--rather than rolling on--the track, gives the rider the sensation of flying, she said.

It is that potential for a magical journey--away from worldly problems--that is, for Ambrosini, the most appealing aspect of a roller-coaster ride.

“I can’t think of anything else when I am on a ride. It is a total focus, a total commitment,” Ambrosini said. “That’s where the key to all of this lies. It is the rarity of an experience that is total. You can’t be distracted on a roller coaster.”