LAGOON — Amusement parks are a haven of all things fantastical.

Crazy rides, exotic animals and themed mini-villages provide a perfect venue for believing that anything is possible.

My brother once convinced a 9-year-old me that gnomes were real at a theme park. It took him a half an hour of storytelling and fake Google evidence, but I still don’t think I would have bought it without an extensive string of magical rides to loosen my grip on reality.

From young kids finding unimaginable spurts of energy to teenagers participating in funnel-cake flavored kisses and parents donning fanny-packs — which would be unthinkably unfashionable anywhere else — the heightened reality of theme parks is beyond persuasive. Spikes of sugar and adrenaline, long hours, and a frenzy of new experiences are almost-universally strange and lovely.

Of course, that’s without even mentioning the carnival games, which is where this teen shows off his own Lagoon-day miracle.

A good game at the Dodgers baseball booth is a perfect place for sibling rivalry. When your brother throws down the gauntlet with a fiery 98-mph pitch, you’ve got no choice but to show him up in every way possible.

Thus, the immense need to one-up an older brother, one too many Slurpees, and the energetic atmosphere were possible motivators for this impressive triple-digit throw.

Of course, when your brother is Nate Dahle, signed with the College of Southern Idaho, and you're Jake Dahl, player for the University of Utah, your rivalry is bound to be better than most.

The crowd goes as wild as if it were a game in a real stadium, and that excitement is infectious.

I’m sure he got a great prize and a magical story to tell.

Yesterday's HYST?

Have You Seen This? Dust twister in Syracuse

When KSL.com found this video on Facebook about a twister, I immediately thought of the 1996 classic “Twister.” Yeah, I said classic. I figured I’d be seeing Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton look-alikes strapped to a pole as they levitate inside of an F5 tornado and watch a cow flyby.

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