4-H Camp Counselors Accused Of Arranging Fistfights

WFTV ^ | July 8, 2003 | Associated Press

[Recourse]

4-H Camp Counselors Accused Of Arranging Fistfights

POSTED: 5:42 p.m. EDT July 8, 2003

ROANOKE, Va. -- Police are investigating charges that 4-H camp counselors in Virginia arranged fistfights between campers as young as 9 years old. What's more, there are reports that the counselors charged admission -- and that they and the campers made bets on the fights.

The sheriff's office said the youngsters were told to lie about the fights after several campers suffered black eyes and one broke his hand.

About 300 children ages nine to 13 attended last week's camp near Roanoke.

The investigation began after a parent said his 10-year-old boy returned from camp with a black eye, claiming it was a basketball injury. He said his son was forced to defend himself five times during the week; he won the first four fights and was knocked out the fifth time.

Girls attended the camp, but the sheriff said the fights involved only boys. Boys who didn't want to participate were reportedly confined to their cabins.

A camp spokesman said the 4-H camp was supervised by four teenage counselors and two adult counselors when the fights allegedly occurred.

[Publius]

The first rule of the Fight Club is...don't talk about the Fight Club.

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[AdamSelene235]

and one broke his hand.

Kids today, can't even make a proper fist.

[humblegunner]

The first rule of the Fight Club is...don't talk about the Fight Club.

Amen to that.

[ElkGroveDan]

...and no one is going to mess with these little guys when they get home from camp.

[HairOfTheDog]

Police are investigating charges that 4-H camp counselors in Virginia arranged fistfights between campers as young as 9 years old.

Huh? What the...

[HairOfTheDog]

Did you do a little streetfighting in 4-H Humblegunner? Is there a pin for that?

[laconic]

If some adult counselor/supervisor goes to jail over this, wouldn't it be fun to be a prison guard so you could "arrange" fights between the jerk and some of his fellow inmates. See how tough they are. Of course, you couldn't threaten him with "confinement" if he wouldn't fight.

[Salman]

When I was kid, the Boys' Club of New York offered boxing lessons. Parental permission required of course, but few refused it.

[lelio]

Boys who didn't want to participate were reportedly confined to their cabins.

Which really wasn't an option as someone wrote Croatoan on the cabin door. Run away!

[Larry Lucido]

Girls attended the camp, but the sheriff said the fights involved only boys.

There goes their Title IX funding.

[ladylib]

Lots of stupid adults in childrens' lives today:

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/education/nyc-suit0708,0,4857724.story?coll=nyc-topheadlines-left

[Scenic Sounds]

Gladiators!!

[Xenalyte]

And the second rule?

[lelio]

Its right here:
"I pledge my Head to clearer thinking,
my Heart to greater loyalty,
my Hands to larger service,
and my Health to better living
. . . for my Club, my community, my country and my world."

You know, that does sound a lot like Fight Club.

[humblegunner]

I can't talk about it, see rule #1. ;-)

[strela]

"So li'l Timmy, do ya like movies about ... gladiators?"

[Petronski]

I wonder if they have an Operation Mayhem.

[HairOfTheDog]

Man - 4-H is not like I imagined..... I thought it was about steers and goats and pigs!

[ItsOurTimeNow]

While I can find the humor in this story, I'm also equally distressed by it.

It's gotten to the point where you can't entrust your kids to anyone these days. Boy Scout Leaders, YMCA leaders, now the 4-H.

There's a much larger issue here regarding a complete lack of respect for children at the hands of these counselors...but I just don't have the energy to get into it right now.

[dljordan]

Bullsh*t! You hit somebody in the head with your fist and you can break the hell out of it. Hit somebody in the mouth and you can get an infection that will make your hand fall off. I worked my way through college as a bouncer in a nightclub and we ALWAYS used a five-cell maglight for unruly gents and sometimes ladies. I don't guess they'd let the kids use those though. The guys who did this should be made to fight each other.

[HairOfTheDog]

It's gotten to the point where you can't entrust your kids to anyone these days. Boy Scout Leaders, YMCA leaders, now the 4-H.

I think you can.... as far as you can trust your own judgment and 'spidey sense' about people in clubs and groups you join with your kids, or let your kids join. In most of those cases, somebody's 'spidey sense' was malfunctioning for a few people with questionable judgment to have gotten in.

It only seems like you can't trust any of them because every single freak thing that happens becomes news that the whole country hears. Before 24 hour national news and roving 'scandal of the week' reporters.... and international websites, we didn't hear about everything that happens as if it were happening to us. 50,000 other 4-H camps were also held this summer where nothing untoward happened. I have to believe that this feeling we have that the world is full of sickos and is not safe is only because we now get to look at closeups of them on TV all the time, bringing them constantly into our living rooms even though they are 2,000 miles away. We never should have blended 'local news' type reporting of a crime or a local interest story into the national news. No crime by or against ordinary people, no murder, no child tragedy, no weird scandal at a youth camp should be of national interest. There is a voyeuristic quality to our interest in it.... we have become gawkers and gossips.

[AdamSelene235]

Bullsh*t! You hit somebody in the head with your fist and you can break the hell out of it.

Palm strike/backfist to the nose or even better an elbow strike to the head is acceptable.

Punching somebody in the head is a bit like punching a brick on top of a post. Not advisable.

Usually what happens is the puncher fails to keep his wrist straight and crunch.