Disney Kicks Out Some Pop Warner Teams After Fight

[NHdisneylover]

FWIW, I'd be upset too if my family was kicked out in the middle of the night due to the actions of others, BUT I'd be upset at the team leaders who let these 14 to 16 year olds hang out in an arcade at 1am. I'd be upset at the kids who got into the brawl. I wouldn't be upset at Disney!

EXACTLY! Being angry at Disney is just irreeponsible and silly. The anger should be directed at the people responsible for the bad behaviour
I also totally agree with you on the throwing Mickey into the lake issue. That is a very dangerous and cruel act. It doesn't strike me as even remotely funny.

 

[perdidobay]

although when I read about the HS groups throwing Mickey in the lake .....it made me kind of smile... I don't know why...I guess because it sounds like a scene from a bad comedy......

You do realize that it is usally a small female in that costume... which is heavy when wet? Who may or may not know how to swim. This is IMHO at the least an assault.

 

[perdidobay]

I am sure that they feel just as their parents have raised them to feel -- that Disney had no right to treat them like this and that they are victims of draconian policies which should not apply to THEM. Because they are the most special people in the world, you know.

ITA!

 

[cteddiesgirl]

I am sure that they feel just as their parents have raised them to feel -- that Disney had no right to treat them like this and that they are victims of draconian policies which should not apply to THEM. Because they are the most special people in the world, you know.

Sooooo true!

As for the throwing of Mickey into the lake, it is extremely dangerous. Those coastumes are very heavy dry. I'd hate to think of how heavy they are wet.
Plus, most of the time, those inside the costumes need help getting them on in the first place. The zippers are in the back and they are difficult to get to without the help of someone else.
Even a strong swimmer may not be able to swim with the costume on. The person could very easily have drowned in that instance.

 

[LVSWL]

Couldn't copy them all, but I totally agree with the last six posts! NOT funny to through Mickey or anyone else in the lake. NOT responsible to let
teens stay out without supervision and yep if it was me and I was with one of those teams that got sent home I would be rethinking whether or not my kid would make that trip next year unless everyone was on the same page about supervision and behavior.

 

[Joanna71985]

I dunno... the idea of throwing Mickey in the lake gave me a very bad feeling. Those costumes are heavy. What if the cast member got caught in his costume and couldn't swim? Or what if he just didn't know how to swim in the first place? I think it would be terrifying for the poor cast member.

I'd be appalled if either of my children were that cruel toward another human being, just because he happened to be working in a costume. No one deserves to be pushed around and thrown, into a lake or not.

Not to mention, if the costume was ruined, that's a lot of $$ out of Disney's pocket.

FWIW, I'd be upset too if my family was kicked out in the middle of the night due to the actions of others, BUT I'd be upset at the team leaders who let these 14 to 16 year olds hang out in an arcade at 1am. I'd be upset at the kids who got into the brawl. I wouldn't be upset at Disney!

I agree,

Of course as a guest at disney I would not want to be around any trouble.....
although when I read about the HS groups throwing Mickey in the lake .....it made me kind of smile... I don't know why...I guess because it sounds like a scene from a bad comedy......

I don't think it's funny. Its really dangerous, not to mention assualt.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The event was over so they needed to just spend the night and most going home that morning I would think.


But I know of a Paintball Team that got banned for shooting their Markers at one of the All-Star resorts about 4 years ago. They were not allowed back to the event either

That's what I was thinking so thanks for the confirmation. I would also bet if the games were still going on the two teams would have been banned from playing, just like in the story you described.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

Curfew??

Chaparones??

Rules & Boundaries??

Where were these??

IMHO, this is a failure of the team's parents and supervisor to set forth their expectations and consequences.

Hey, life's tough. It sucks they were shown the door in the middle of the night, but those concerned should have issues with the kids that fought & the parents that tacitly allowed it through their failure to supervise the kids properly.

I'll probably get flamed for using my broad paint brush again, but oh well, here goes.....

I lived in Hawaii for 3 years, and then moved straight to the Baltmoire/DC Suburbs, and have been here for almost 3 years. Both Hawaii and Baltimore have high levels of poverty and atrocious schools. I knew of several parents in Hawaii who sent their kids back to the mainland to live with relatives b/c attending school there (even private, IF they could afford it) was so detrimental to their educations. Reading levels of Hawaiian students are consistently a few years behind those of average mainland schools... Also, one thing I will always remember about Hawaii is going to the Wal-Mart in Waipahu and noticing the kids that just run free, all over the store! You could walk in at 2 am any day of the week, (and we frequently did) and the place would be PACKED, and there would still be kids running around like chickens with their heads cut off!! You just got used to kids bumping into you while you shopped. The culture there is very different from "mainstream" culture. A vast majority of natives don't really push their kids to get an education, and there is a lot of gang issues with the "kids". My SGT had a lot of issues with her kids b/c they were black and went to a school in Waianae (HUGE native population, DO NOT like Haoles, [what they called us white folks] infringing on their turf); they were frequently harrassed and beat up and teased about being black. She got absolutely no help from the local school board or police. She ended up sending them to live with her family back on the mainland for the remainder of her time on island. It doesn't surprise me at all that there were Hawaiian kids who were unsupervised, or that they got into a violent fight, OR that the parents are placing the blame on others.

Inner City Baltimore is the same way and is known for having horrible crime levels. They also have huge issues with gangs and gang violence. It also doesn't surprise me, one bit, that kids from Baltimore were unsupervised, or got into a violent fight.

I am assuming, that the reason Disney took such drastic measures is b/c the fight was pretty violent and included many kids. I wouldn't be surprised if it was reported as "gang-like" violence. I wouldn't want anything resembling gang violence on my property, around families and young children for more than 30 minutes either. If you don't want to be ostracized, treated badly, or "discriminated" against; well, stop being a crappy parent and raise your kids up right.

Again, just the first thought that popped into my head, b/c of my experience with living in both areas....

 

[Camster0307]

I have no sympathy for the families that were woken up in the middle of the night and told to leave. These families had NO PROBLEM enjoying the PERKS of travelling with a group and the discounts they received for it; but then they want to be distanced from the "group" when there's trouble and consequences that need to be faced? The "adults" need to accept the pros & CONS of travelling that way.

 

[DawnCt1]

I dunno... the idea of throwing Mickey in the lake gave me a very bad feeling. Those costumes are heavy. What if the cast member got caught in his costume and couldn't swim? Or what if he just didn't know how to swim in the first place? I think it would be terrifying for the poor cast member.

!

I agree. I can't think of one thing to "smile" about. There is nothing funny at all.

 

[MELSMICE]

The event was over so they needed to just spend the night and most going home that morning I would think.

So, if that was the case, & it was after midnight then "officially", they were being asked to the leave on the day they were checking out. I realize checkout isn't until 11 a.m., but in all reality, they were being asked to leave on the day they were checking out anyway - just a little earlier than planned.

I don't fault Disney & I personally don't believe the parents should be angry at Disney. Be angry at your child's team mates & their parents for allowing this to happen.

In most cases (& this is probably no different) there is more than one warning or one incident that would cause an organization to be evicted from an event. This was probably no different.

 

[mom2my3kids]

I don't feel sorry for them, they really need to make sure these kids understand the rules. We are going to Orlando in march with my daughters cheer squad, while we are not staying at Disney world the girls will understand the rules and consequences. Also one of the mothers have been to disney for a cheer competition and she said at night they would duct tape the door so they knew if the kids got out when they were supposed to stay in the room..I am sure it was just a strip not the whole door so no flames..

 

[Marla Hellwig]

What kind of team has an 10 or 11pm curfew??

Don't know about all teams - but our swim team was just recently at a out of state swim meet - our curfew was 10:00 p.m. - our coach taped all the door shut -

We were up at 5:00 a.m. to feed the swimmers and get to the pool (1/2 hour away) as our warm up time was 7:00 a.m. -

 

[Shutterbug]

From a Hawaiian newspaper

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071212/NEWS01/712120425/1001/NEWS01

Disney hotel kicks out Hawaii families after brawl
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

A brawl involving two Hawai'i Pop Warner football teams and a team from Baltimore landed one child in an Orlando hospital and led to the families being thrown out of a Walt Disney resort.

Seventy O'ahu residents were asked to leave the Orlando resort at 3 a.m. Saturday following a fight in a video-game arcade that sent a 15-year-old Kahalu'u boy to the hospital with a broken nose, according to family members and Walt Disney Co.

"Emotionally, he was shaken up, and we jumped into the ambulance and physically he was in pain. He is scheduled to see a nose specialist on Friday," said April Kong, Kahulu'u Pop Warner association president who was on the trip and returned to Hono-lulu on Monday night. "It was a pretty scary, awful ordeal to go through. We had no ties with this team (from Baltimore) at all."

Kong was not at the fight but was trying to find out from other parents what happened.

The teams were the Westport Patriots of Baltimore, the Kahalu'u He'eia Broncos and the Wai'anae Tigers.

The brawl broke out in the arcade at about 1 a.m. Saturday and involved an undetermined number of players from the three teams.

Jerry Neuman, president of Pop Warner football in Hawai'i, said he cannot comment other than to say "there was a fight that had taken place while several players were returning to their rooms."

"This is the first time since we've been involved in the national championship that something like this has happened," said Neuman, who was told of the fight by Pop Warner Hawai'i board members who had accompanied the teams.

Neuman said he will talk to Pop Warner national committee members in Philadelphia by phone today.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department sent six units to the scene, and along with Disney security, had the situation settled by 2:20 a.m., according to Jim Solomons, a spokesman with the sheriff's department.

No arrests were made, he said.

The Pop Warner Super Bowl takes place in the first week of December every year in Orlando.

The teams had finished the final day of competition and were preparing to enjoy the weekend in Orlando.

Shortly after the fight, at about 3 a.m., the 70 players and family members from O'ahu as well as families from Baltimore were given written notices from the Walt Disney resort informing them that they had 20 minutes to vacate the property or Orange County sheriff's deputies would be called to remove them.

The notice prompted panic. Entire families, including small children, were awakened and told to gather in the corner of a parking lot as emergency lodging arrangements were made, Kong said.

"It was frantic, trying to find us a place to stay. The little ones were scared just being woken up and pulled out of bed. They were crying and wondering what was going on," said Kong. "We felt abandoned and helpless. We understand they have a no-tolerance rule, but we didn't appreciate how they handled it."

DISNEY POLICY

According to the Walt Disney World Web site, Disney's group package policy includes a provision that if "one or more person(s)" in a party takes part in a violent act, everyone will be forced to leave.

"This was unfortunate, but with thousands of guests staying at the resort, we have to maintain a safe environment for everyone," Jacob DiPietre, a spokes-man for Walt Disney World, said Monday. "All participants were made aware of our strict zero-tolerance policy regarding any physical disturbances. Any teams involved in fighting are subject to disqualification and eviction. We were in direct consultation with both Pop Warner officials and law enforcement throughout the course of the event."

Florida Pop Warner officials did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment yesterday.

ROOMS FOUND BY 4:45

Many people were upset by the way Disney handled the early-morning eviction. Kong was able to find the families rooms at a Holiday Inn by 4:15 a.m. Saturday after organizing a convoy of taxis to transport baggage and people.

"They could have handled it so much better, you know? They really could have," said Labryanna Kubo, a parent traveling with the Hawai'i teams, speaking to Central Florida News Channel 13.

"They could have said, look, you know what? Fine, you guys have to leave in the morning," Kubo said. "Then our babies — we have 1-year-old, 2-year-old, 3-year-olds — that we had to just jerk out of bed and they were just crying. You know it was just a bad scene. It was really a bad scene."

 

[RickinNYC]

Disney security AND six units from Orange Country Sherrif's Dept. is MORE than just a couple of big tough-guy football players posturing, shouting epithets and throwing a couple of punches. That much reaction from the police is because it was a friggin' brawl.

Disney made the right decision to get those snots off property pronto.

The policy is clear. If any of the families were not aware, it was because they opted not to read the fine print.

Tough.

 

[Jennasis]

HOW exactly could Disney have "handled it better"??? If they had waited until the morning to toss these troublemakers out, what would have stopped them from heading out into the parks beforehand, or seeking one another out again to continue the brawl?

They all got what they deserved for letting the kids run rampant unsupervised through the resort at a ridiculous hour. No sympathy here. I don't buy the "they were heading back to their rooms" bit at all.

I was planning to go to Disney from 12/4-12/8 next year, and will now have to really think about where I stay. The hopes were Pop Century or ASMu.

 

[Shutterbug]

The fight started around 1am. The sherriffs dept and Disney security had things restored by 2:20am. So this went on for almost 1 1/2 hours?????

 

[agnes!]

Okaaaaaaaay, innocent parent-chaperones of these particular Pop Warner football teams who had little cherubs asleep in their rooms, riddle me this...

WHY WERE THE MINOR CHILDREN YOU WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUT AT 1 AM ?!?

It was a BRAWL involving multiple juveniles, that took SIX units of law enforcement + additional on-site security at least 1.5 hours to get settled.

The BRAWL, my dear Kong & Kubo, was the real BAD scene. Wonder if other guests were injured. Or scared. Or crying.

Maybe Disney should have just had these incipient hoodlums ARRESTED and the CHAPERONES would then have had to actually GET UP out of BED and DO SOMETHING.
Like go down to Central Processing to post bail.

agnes!

 

[storzo]

The fight started around 1am. The sherriffs dept and Disney security had things restored by 2:20am. So this went on for almost 1 1/2 hours?????

The fight was most likely broken up quickly. The 1 1/2 hours is probably how long it took to get the "actors'" information, the witnesses' information and to take all the statements.

I wasn't there, so I don't know but IMO the paperwork part is probably what took so long...I could be wrong.

 

[akhenaten]

You do realize that it is usally a small female in that costume... which is heavy when wet? Who may or may not know how to swim. This is IMHO at the least an assault.

of course i understand that and IRL I would NEVER even remotely think it was funny!!!
The thought of throwing a character into a lake never even crossed my mind until i read it here...and it seemed so absurd and surreal... like a scene from a movie....is what I said!!