Bumpers or Dodgems?

Bumper cars or Dodgems?

The late Dawsons' Amusements in Bray, Co. Wicklow included activities designed to while away your Saturday afternoon. Push penny, arcade games, the slots... but the main attraction was always the dodgem cars.

Spinning them around, smashing into each other, reversing out of trouble kept us amused. There was a lad in charge who hopped onto a car as it moved, stepping easily off the floor and holding the upright. He would reach down to the steering wheel and spin it fast. Usually he aimed for the girls' cars amidst the squeals and the laughter.

We called them bumpers. If someone had a few bob,

Let's go down to the bumpers

we'd cry.

But if you think about it, there's a lesson here about labels. The management called them dodgems. You can see the conflicting agendas here: 2 very different objectives at play, those who wanted to protect their investment by avoiding collisions, and those who who wanted to knock the hell out of them with as many collisions as possible.

The supplier and the customer.

Businesses run on the dodgem model will focus on protecting what they have, whereas businesses run on the bumper model will welcome conflict as a way to get in front.

Dodgem leaders will sidestep confrontation; Bumper leaders will say

Bring it on!

So, are you a dodgem or a bumper?

Take 2 of Bray's finest as test cases: Katie Taylor and Jack Conan. World Champion boxer and Lions rugby forward. I would suggest these are both prime examples of bumpers! Another 2 test cases, born not in Bray but within shouting distance of the Five Lamps in Dublin's North Inner City. Kellie Harrington: Olympic Champion Bumper. Gerry Hutch: European Champion Dodgem!