'Ah bet yu a beat yu?' You ever throw down that or some other equivalent declaration as a friendly challenge to your peers? It's an invitation to battle. Yeah, it's a request for a 'fight'. Whether it's via a quick sprint race, a game of scrabble or scrimmage, a round of dominoes, or even a dancehall sound clash; we have real fun 'fighting it out' with friends.

Call me warped, but I think fights can be fun and great therapy for both competitors and onlookers. Yu si, in my book, fighting it out doesn't mean throwing punches and flinging kicks - although that can work too, if rules are established and safety is considered.

I got to thinking about this after reading the trailer-load of feedback to my comments last week 'bout 'Olympic fever'. A lot's been said about that this past week though; so all I will say is this: the medal count is between China and USA and the sprints are between Jamaica and the USA. And we nah ramp fi fight it out!

Diversify participation

Based on responses to last week's box though, it look like nuff people support my idea that we need to diversify our Olympic participation and include events where the requisite skills match some of our basic proclivities - like jumping, flinging, shooting and fighting; especially fighting! Whether onstage at an international festival, in session at the House of Parliament or chilling out at a night club, we always ready for a fight.

We're not only quick to bruck fight, we also adept at encouraging, inciting, organising and facilitating fight. I read a STAR report couple months ago about residents of a Kingston community organising street fighting as entertainment and recreation. That's a brilliant initiative, and I'm still amazed that no attempt has been made to assist them in formalising and marketing the idea. Imagine if we have a network of organised and regulated 'fight clubs' all around the island utilising all the various styles? We could be not only the sprint factory, but the fight factory as well. With experts in karate, kung fu, tae kwon do, judo, oil wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, shadowboxing, tracing, water fight, pillow fight etc. we would beat everybody at the Olympics; even the judges.

Family feud

When I was a bwoy, I witnessed a memorable fight between two of my older brothers. My father organised it after he got complaints that they were fighting. He called some people, and then he ordered his sons to take off their shirts and fight. They had a choice. Either they beat the crap out of each other while the neighbours watched, or he beat the crap out of them while the neighbours watched. They were reluctant. But Pa waved his belt and stuttered, "M-m-m-mi tired fi hear b-b-b-bout unnu and unnu f-f-f-fighting. So since unnu love fight, f-f-f-fight!"

The yard was full of people egging them on, and slowly but surely di fighting start. There was no referee, no red corner or blue corner; but in the dutty-foot corner was Derek and in the tear-up-bottom-pants corner was Junior. Both had numerous fights with countless wins and plenty losses, but no draws. People, dem fight till dem fought! Each time they tried to stop Pa raised the belt. They continued until their legs couldn't hold them any longer and they could hardly raise a hand. Completely exhausted, they finally collapsed on each other. The crowd cheered. In retrospect, I think it was a sick and cruel episode. I thoroughly enjoyed it though. And guess what? Derek and Junior never fought again.

Yu waan fight me? Do it inna poetry, or form it inna comedy and box-mi-back@hotmail.com.