Odle moves closer to fifth stickfighting title

FOUR-TIME winner and reigning King of the Rock Oneil Odle has moved on to the semifinals of the National Stickfighting competition, bringing him closer to his fifth title. Odle won the title in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2024.

The preliminaries were held on February 14 at the Moruga Multi-Purpose Youth and Sports Facility, Moruga where hundreds gathered to observe the tradition.

It began with a ceremony to open the gayelle (stickfighting ring) and invite ancestral spirits.

Over a dozen fighters took to the stage, swinging at their opponents hoping to draw blood in five bouts, all to the beating of African drums and chants.

2023 King of the Rock Selwyn John's sons, Vashon, one, and Selvon, three, were seen with sticks in their hands, moving to the chants with little sticks as if practising to one day follow in their father's footsteps and take their place in the gayelle.

Joining Odle in the semifinals will be his brother and last year's third-place winner – Ronald Lewis, John, Daniel Barclay, Anthony Cooper Anderson Marcano, Keston McIntosh, Roddy Ramlogan, Kenson Woods and Wendell Wright. Despite suffering a busted finger from one of Odle's explosive blows in the first bout, Learie Licorish earned a place in the semifinals.

Odle and his brothers Donald and Ronald Lewis made a clean sweep of the competition last year. He walked away with the $30,000 prize while Donald with $20,000 and Ronald with $10,000.

The semifinals will take place on February 19, at the Ojoe Road Recreational Grounds, Sangre Grande, starting at 7 pm.

General admission is $75 and tickets are available at the National Carnival Commission's (NCC) Box Office, Queen’s Park Savannah, the NCC Head Office, Gray Street, St Clair, at all Xtra Foods outlets and online at islandetickets.com.

An NCC release on February 15 congratulated this year’s participants and thanked the public for their ongoing support of the national sickfighting community.