My son was 15 when he decided he wanted a job — an idea with which I enthusiastically concurred.
So, he wrote up his brief resume and cover letter, and we set out one afternoon, hitting all the spots his friends, or friends of friends, worked — The Keg, Nando’s, some warehouse and a few others. Each time, I would wait in the car (well out of view) as he went in, asked to speak to the manager, who was never there, and handed over his papers.
Finally, we came to what was then (five years ago) the recently-opened trampoline facility Extreme Air Park — now you see where this is going.
As per our M.O., I waited while he went in to do the deed. Again, he was back in short order, but this time as he climbed into the car, he said, “Yeah, she said they’d call me to come in.”
“That’s great,” I said, “you got an interview.”
“I think it’s to work.”
“No, no, Sweetheart, it’s an interview. They have to interview you first.”
As is our way, we argued about it the rest of the way home, me being slightly amused at his naivety.
Well, damn if the kid wasn’t right — hate it when that happens. They called him to start his first shift the following Saturday. When I went to pick him up, I nearly fell over watching him busily picking up empty bottles, throwing away pizza boxes — this was the kid who couldn’t put a plate in the dishwasher without 10 minutes of haranguing.
A first job is a beautiful thing.
When my son and I talked recently about the horrible tragedy last week in which a 46-year-old man died at that same trampoline park after failing to land a jump, I mentioned there were some online comments from witnesses saying staff didn’t seem to know what to do.
“I wouldn’t have known what to do,” he responded.
To be clear, we still don’t know just what happened in the incident, or if anything could have been done to prevent it. And, for sure, accidents of this severity are rare. But it is also becoming clear there are precious few regulations to ensure equipment safety, staff training or emergency protocol at any of these types of facilities. This park is not alone.
And the idea that an owner can be absolved of responsibility when things go awry by requiring people to sign a waiver is ridiculous. I understand buyer beware, but it is also entirely reasonable to expect significant safety regulations are in place in such a facility. And I’m not just talking about a list of rules posted on the wall. I’m talking about authoritative bodies providing regulation, oversight and enforcement.
A tragedy like this is sickening for everyone. Of course for the family, but anyone who witnessed it as well. And if you were a 15-year-old kid working your first job now being maligned on social media for not knowing what to do — ouch.
If there can be any silver lining, let it be a hard look at an industry that has been bouncing high with far too few safety nets.
