4-H +1

head, health, heart, hands . . . and hit . . .

http://richmondtimesdispatch.com/frontpage/MGBB8FGNWHD.html

4-H boys reportedly forced to fight

BY REX BOWMAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Jul 09, 2003

Investigators are looking into allegations that children at a 4-H camp in Franklin County may have been forced into fistfights by camp counselors who charged $1 admission and placed bets on the young fighters.

Franklin investigators fanned out across Bedford County and Lynchburg yesterday to talk to the boys allegedly involved in bare-knuckle fights last week with boys from Halifax County.

One of the children possibly broke his hand in one of the fights, Franklin Sheriff W.Q. Overton said.

(snip)

Investigators are looking into the possibility the camp counselors exploited a rivalry between the Bedford and Halifax 4-H clubs, staging the fights in one of the camp's nine lodges, Overton said. The counselors allegedly charged children $1 to watch the fights, and more than 50 campers attended some of the fights.

The counselors wagered on the outcomes and also took bets from children, Overton said.

- more . . .

http://richmondtimesdispatch.com/frontpage/MGBB8FGNWHD.html

I used to think cockfights and dogfights were among the most disgusting American entertainments . . . I think this tops them . . .

if they forced them to fight, bad deal. If they accepted volunteers, well, not good, but less bad.

We had "fight nights" at the summer camp I went to as a child. Everybody who fought volunteered (we picked our own pairs), and we wore protective gear (gloves and helmets). It served a useful purpose in that kids that were going to fight waited until fight night, and did so in a ring instead of in the barracks. Nobody got hurt badly, and there were far fewer unsupervised fights than otherwise.