Hundreds show up in Nebraska for fight over name Josh

The Joshes battled it out with pool noodles. Photo / AP

A fight over the name of Josh drew a crowd from around the country to a Nebraska park on Saturday for a heated pool-noodle brawl.

It all started a year ago when pandemic boredom set in and Josh Swain, a 22-year-old college student from Tucson, Arizona, messaged others who shared his name on social media and challenged them to a duel.

Hundreds showed up at Air Park in Lincoln — a location chosen at random — to participate in the silliness.

The festivities started with a "grueling and righteous battle of Rock, Paper, Scissors" between the Josh Swain from Arizona and another Josh Swain from Omaha.

KLKN-TV reports that the Arizona student won that competition, allowing him to claim the title of the true Josh Swain.

The pool-noodle competition that followed was open to anyone with the first name of Josh.

The victor of that competition was a 5-year-old, who was crowned with a Burger King coronet.

The five-year-old winner. Photo / AP

Lincoln native four-year-old Joshua Vinson Jr. is crowned the ultimate Josh on Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo / AP

Swain, the organiser, said he was a little surprised about how the whole thing blew up.

"I didn't expect the whole internet to take it and start contacting every 'Josh' they knew."

"I did not expect people to be as adamant about this as they are right now."

- AP