In regards to the March 18 Saint Patty’s Brawl and all of the negative opinions surrounding it, I felt compelled to write this letter. I attended the cage fight and was very impressed with the professionalism of the West Coast Fighters promoters and all of the participants.

The event was very well organized and the crowd well mannered. It should be considered a privilege for a small community to host such an event. Our community clearly benefits from events such as these, considering the amount of people from out of town buying food, hotels, gas and whatever else. I noticed spectators from many different counties enjoying the event, young and old alike.

As for the drinking, it was well monitored, OLCC was present, and there were local law enforcement officers as well. I sort of doubt that there are going to be many kids willing to risk drinking right in front of these authority figures when they are fully aware of the consequences. If they are going to engage in underage drinking, it won’t be in a closely monitored area full of security and policemen standing there waiting for them to do so. Alcohol is present in our community whether it is in a monitored area or not.

Unfortunately, during events such as these, injuries are possible. Consider several of our community events such as rodeos, demolition derbies and high school sporting events. These athletes are trained for these events before they step into the cage, and are aware of the possibility of injury. So please keep in mind that any contact sport carries with it a risk of injury.

Will Hunt

John Day