regain

Accidents on roller coasters are rare. But that is precisely why when they happen, they are so disarming and affecting. Places such as theme and amusement parks are where we go to momentarily escape the stressors of daily life, often with friends or loved ones.

Last week, Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, 42, of Atlanta, was ejected from a roller coaster at Six Flags Over Georgia and struck other riders as he fell, the Cobb County Police Department said in a statement. It’s tragic and heartbreaking, and the type of event that can make all fans of these spaces begin to question their safety, and whether theme parks can be a third space where we can go for a respite.

It’s been a particularly rough year for Six Flags, a company still in transition after merging with Cedar Fair just a couple of years ago. Last month, Six Flags Magic Mountain closed its X2 coaster permanently after a history of injuries. While it’s important to note that there is no connection or similarities between the two incidents, their combination creates an overall public perception that the brand is compromised. The industry will be closely watching how Six Flags responds in the weeks and months that it may take to complete an investigation.

In the days since the Georgia accident, I have been asked repeatedly, by friends and even members of the media, if I have been scared on a roller coaster or would hesitate to get on one.

They’re not easy questions to answer. For one, roller coasters are safe, and yes, I have been scared on them, but they are designed to frighten, to thrill and provide airtime in our seats that makes us wonder just how secure they are. To be sure, this is not a flaw. This is their intent.

I was also reminded of a 2003 accident at the Disneyland Resort, when a guest died after a derailment on Big Thunder Mountain. The ride was shuttered for about six months before it was reopened, and when it did so it was immediately met with long lines and cheers. Such is the pull and trust of Disneyland, but the company at the time was relatively transparent about the cause of the accident — two bolts on the locomotive’s left guide wheel assembly fell off — and measures taken to retrain workers.

It took officials from the state of California three months to investigate the incident, and Disney detailed to the media the changes it made to park maintenance procedures. Big Thunder has operated without any headline-generating incidents since.

We don’t yet know what happened in Georgia, and it may be some time before we do, but I only hope Six Flags is similarly direct, especially if this accident was the result of mechanical or human error. There’s too often little reporting on roller-coaster incidents, in part because rules and regulations can vary by state, and also because most infractions are deemed relatively minor and quickly handled in-house by the various parks. Journalists, including myself, should do better when it comes to requesting public records and educating ourselves on coaster engineering.

And when the unthinkable happens, such as what occurred last week, the public should be made aware of exactly what caused it. We’re owed that. To be sure, this is less about assigning blame for an accident, and more about ensuring measures are taken to guarantee it doesn’t happen again. Park operators would be wise to realize the issue just won’t be forgotten or disappear.

Of course, nothing is 100% fail-proof. Daily life is full of risk-taking endeavors such as getting behind the wheel of a car, and riding a roller coaster is strictly optional. But theme and amusement parks — despite the warnings that accompany most any attraction — enter an unspoken contract with their guests. And that is that here, you are safe. I don’t know when or if Six Flags will regain the trust of those who may be rightfully coaster-timid at the moment. But I know that the way they respond can determine whether they’ll lose it for good.

This week in SoCal theme parks

The dinosaurs on the Disneyland Railroad.

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

• A dinosaur spotlight. The other week, I noted a recent ride around the park on the Disneyland Railroad was looking particularly spiffy, thanks to a refurbishment of the Grand Canyon diorama and dinosaur-heavy Primeval World section of the attraction. No changes to the dinos, but the lighting overall felt more lively and theatrical. Later Walt Disney Imagineering posted a behind-the-scenes look at the updates on Instagram, noting there had been a full lighting overhaul. A switch to an LED-based system gave the team greater control and flexibility in the tone of the lighting.
• A Magic Mountain coaster reopens. Six Flags closed a number of rides around the country, including Goliath at its Valencia park, after a man fell to his death from a roller coaster at one of its parks in Georgia. After a two-day shutdown and review last week, Goliath reopened by the end of the week.
• A can’t–miss Disneyland double feature. We’ve highlighted the current Walt Disney Studies film program at Santa Ana’s Frida Cinema before, but this Sunday will have a showing that’s particularly notable to park fans. The movie theater will be screening “Disneyland Handcrafted” and “Disney Worldbuilders,” two films that I’ve praised. The screening, hosted by author/historian Jeff Kurtti, will feature a discussion with former Imagineer-turned-historian Tom Morris as well as Roland Betancourt, who wrote the fascinating “Disneyland and the Rise of Automation: How Technology Created the Happiest Place on Earth.” Tickets are $16 for the 5:30 p.m. event on Sunday.
• Get ready for candy cane season. Disneyland has unveiled the dates in which guests can attempt to snag one if its handmade, oversize 18-inch candy canes. They are available select dates at Candy Palace in Disneyland and Trolley Treats in Disney California Adventure beginning Nov. 27. Prepare to rope drop the park if you want one, as guests will need to head straight to the candy shop to score a wristband to purchase one. I bought one back in 2018 or so, and used it primarily as a holiday decoration. Since then, they’ve become a coveted item thanks to social media hype, and I’ve struck out in attempts to snag another one. @FoodatDisneyland has all the dates.
• Attention, Haunted Mansion fans. Disneyland Magic Key holders can starting this week pick up one of four lenticular cards celebrating 25 years of Haunted Mansion holiday. They’re free, and released on Mondays at Disneyana in Disneyland, Kingswell Shop in Disney California Adventure and WonderGround Gallery in Downtown Disney. Limit one per guest, and the cards come with a display frame. More information is available on the Disneyland Magic Key site.
• Meow Wolf noodles! The opening of Meow Wolf’s L.A. locale is now just a couple months away, and the Santa Fe, N.M.-based art collective is in the midst of a promotion with Tsujita Artisan Noodles. The latter, with local locations in the downtown Arts District as well as in Sawtelle, is currently serving up what it’s calling the Meow Wolf Anti-Gravity Noodles. The noodles on the latter appear in a frozen, midair state, and Meow Wolf fans may also want to go for the branded chopsticks.

Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.

Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.

Ride on,

Todd Martens

P.S.

The Ghost of Halloween Future (Samantha Aotaki) in “A Halloween Carol.”

(Lawrence Meyers)

On a lighter note, it’s spooky season, and that means the L.A. immersive scene is at its best. I’ve long maintained that there is a big overlap between the the theme park community and those who appreciate interactive, immersive entertainment, and that is why I would heartily recommend “A Halloween Carol,” which has a few more dates open before its run concludes next week.

The show, as the name implies, is a twist on the Charles Dickens classic, only here we are visited by the ghosts of Halloween past, present and future. It’s an insightful look at how, from a young age, we are asked to don metaphorical masks of sorts. The show asks us to grapple with what aspects of our personality we are hiding, or putting forth, and does so via intimate, one-on-one conversations, many of which take on a philosophical bent.

If you come ready to play, you may find yourself being disarmed to the point of vulnerability. I wouldn’t call it scary — some may even find some moments near the end a bit sexy — but it does ask us to thoughtfully confront how honest and performative we are being to get through the day.

It is a result that could be the catalyst Chelsea needed to push on and put pressure on Manchester City, who face Arsenal next in the WSL (Sunday, 16:30 BST).

Chelsea’s match-winner Alyssa Thompson said their victory over the Gunners was “amazing for team morale”.

Even Bompastor admitted Chelsea are “a different team from last season” and there are tangible examples of their improvements.

England midfielder Keira Walsh was a standout performer against Arsenal and it was her strike which was parried into the path of Thompson for the only goal.

Her new parternship with 20-year-old Lexi Potter is flourishing and has allowed Walsh to get further up the pitch and play with more freedom.

Bompastor said the 29-year-old was “a boss on the pitch” when she reaches those levels and it helps the team have “better foundations”.

Goalscorer Thompson has consistently delivered up front, while the arrival of summer signing Melvine Malard from Manchester United has given them an outlet.

The French striker missed their opening two matches with a minor injury but scored on her debut against Birmingham City and caused havoc against Arsenal.

“She’s massive for us. She puts in work off the ball and sets off the press,” said team-mate Walsh.

“Her awareness of people around her and her ability… She’s an incredible striker and she will be very good for us.”

That press, led by Malard, has moved higher up and teams have struggled to break through, while full-back Ellie Carpenter continues to overlap dangerously.

Katie McCabe, who switched from Arsenal to Chelsea this summer, has brought leadership and bite – an aggression that was lacking at times last season.

Most of all, the Blues look like a team who believe they should be champions and are willing to work for it.

It was in contrast to toothless Arsenal, who have one victory in their first four WSL games and scored just twice.

“We’ve got both sides to our game and we showed that tonight in spells. Everyone was fighting for each other. Every first and second ball was ours,” added Walsh.

The Southern Section has no authority to tell a school to get rid of a coach. It has no control over personnel matters. But there’s precedent that when a coach knowingly plays an ineligible player, it expects a school district to take appropriate action.

In the case with Inglewood football coach Mil’von James, he has a history of using ineligible players. James came to Inglewood, which is 4-1 this season, after being fired at Hawkins in 2016 following the discovery of ineligible players, resulting in Hawkins forfeiting all of its games to finish 0-13. Since then, the City Section established a rule that teams must exchange rosters before games to verify that players are eligible, known as the “Hawkins rule.”

Inglewood Unified School District administrator James Morris told the Daily Breeze that James is scheduled to return to coach on Friday after missing last week’s game against Long Beach Poly at SoFi. That means he received a two-game suspension for using two ineligible players in a game last month, since it is believed he also didn’t coach a game against Elk Grove Franklin.

James appears to have knowingly played two players listed on the Southern Section transfer portal that had not been cleared when Inglewood played in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 28. Video obtained by The Times shows the players in the game.

Add to that, both players’ names and numbers were missing from Inglewood’s MaxPreps’ roster, something that was also a tactic when James coached at Hawkins and resulted in the new City Section rule to exchange roster before games.

Shame on the Inglewood Unified School District for failing to hold its coach accountable for a serious violation of CIF rules.

If the two-game suspension stands, shame on the Southern Section, too. The message being sent to other coaches and other schools is that it’s OK to cheat as long as you don’t get caught, and if you get caught and only get suspended for two games, it’s worth it.

The Southern Section, under commissioner Mike West, went out of its way to try to catch those breaking transfer rules last year. It was a sign maybe things were changing and people were paying attention to the games being played with more than 17,000 transfers in California. But if the Southern Section settles for a two-game suspension for James, it will lose credibility among coaches and programs trying to follow CIF rules.

Southern Section spokesman Thom Simmons has declined comment and declined to make West available.

As always, they’re afraid of legal action. And it must be pointed out again the Southern Section has no authority to discipline coaches. But at some point, to save credibility, they will need to address this breaking of rules that goes to the core of what the CIF is supposed to guard against.

The Southern Section Council has a meeting on Thursday. If any of the representatives have concerns, maybe then they’ll get to ask West how this could be acceptable.

In 2014 Long Beach Unified suspended Long Beach Poly basketball coach Sharrief Metoyer for one year for after he was caught using an ineligible player during a state basketball playoff game. He did it on purpose being frustrated at the CIF transfer policies. The CIF could not tell administrators what to do. But if they did nothing or put in only a two-game suspension, there’s no doubt that the Southern Section leadership had the authority to take action.

According to Southern Section’s Blue Book rule 500.5, “Any school knowingly or unknowingly violating the rule may be suspended from membership in the CIF Southern Section.”

Hopefully the Southern Section is keeping its options open, but it’s time for West, the commissioner since 2023, to get his credibility back. If not, it’s up to the Southern Section Executive Committee to launch its own investigation of what the section is supposed to do when schools and districts don’t take their rules seriously.