The smell of cotton candy. The click-clack of wheels against wooden roller coaster tracks. Bright colors and mascots all around. Typically a cheerful scene. But on June 29th, 2024, there were only screams and the morbid fixation of eyes on James O’Neill as he fell to his death on Dragons’ Bay’s “The Flood.”
The mock trial case that Chaminade and numerous other Missouri schools are debating this year involves the defense, Adventure Holdings LLC. (the company running Dragons’ Bay Adventure Park), and the plaintiff, Kennedy O’Neill (one of James’ parents). The basis of the plaintiff’s claim is that Adventure Holdings LLC. were negligent in their safety practices and therefore responsible for James’ fall off “The Flood.” However, the defense counteracts this claim by asserting that James recklessly stood up on the ride, something that their safety practices could never account for. Witnesses played by Chaminade gentlemen include Raven Jones, a twelve-year-old genius who was the only eyewitness to the accident, and Parker Gillam, one of James’s closest friends who was working at Dragons’ Bay on the day of the accident.
Chaminade already braved its first trial on January 13 at the Clayton Courthouse, where our school’s four teams fought tooth and nail with teams from high schools all across the state of Missouri. Chaminade’s junior, sophomore, and freshman teams unfortunately all came up with losses despite their valiant efforts. However, the senior team was able to come out with a win by a four-point margin, placing the team within the top 16.
To get a better understanding of the inner workings of mock trials and how the teams took the first trial, I interviewed team captains and attorneys Will Ludwig, ’26, and Jack Brinton, ’27. Will described to me how the preparation for the year during October, when the case packet (“the case itself” as described by Ludwig) and each team decides which attorneys are going to be assigned to each witness, and who’s going to play each witness. Will also mentioned bi-weekly practices and conferences during school hours where “members of the team collaborate on a number of documents in order to tailor examinations and statements” for the trial.
Teams will then gather in person to rehearse and scrimmage, working out kinks and practicing objects.
“By the time the trials come around in January and February, the team knows the case inside and out and is ready to conduct the trial,” Will enthusiastically claimed.
Will’s favorite aspect of his team’s first trials was his attorney’s ability to object because “the sheer amount [of objections] overwhelmed the other team, and they often weren’t able to respond, giving us a definite leg up.”
On the witness side, Will highlighted Ethan McDaniel, ’26, whose performance as Kennedy O’Neill was “dramatic and moving, catching the other team off guard and leaving the other team unable to respond through the storm of tears and bawling.”
Will thinks his team is looking pretty solid going into their second trial, and with some work on “the memorization of our examinations and the tenacity that some of the witnesses need to show,” he’s certain the team can “bag another win.”
Jack emphasized his team’s great chemistry and declared that his team “is full of enthusiasm.” He mentioned that his directing went smoothly and specifically shouted out Roarke Watson, ’27, as the MVP because “his performance as witness [was] the best overall.” Jack and his team plan to focus on their level of seriousness for the next trial and their objections.
The mock trial team will proceed to their second preliminary trial on February 10. From there, the top 16 teams will go on to regionals. With the senior team already in the top 16, and coach Dr. Neels expressing his desire to bring multiple teams to state this year, one can expect the next trial to be both exciting and hopefully fruitful.
