Pumpkin chunking

Pumpkin chunking

Pumpkin chunking (or Punkin' Chunkin' or pumpkin chucking) is hurling a pumpkin by mechanical means over great heights and distances in an attempt to hurl the pumpkin the farthest. Pumpkin chucking competitions, formal and informal, exist throughout the United States in the fall, when pumpkins are harvested [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21197135/ How far will a pumpkin fly? - Seasonal - MSNBC.com ] ] , and a European Championship has been held in Bikschote, Belgium since 2004.

In order of increasing effectiveness, the devices include compound slingshots, catapults, trebuchets, and pneumatic air cannons. The last has fired pumpkins as far as 4434.28 feet (1,351 meters).

The range achieved by devices greatly depends on their mass, shape, and size; the yield limits, stiffnesses, pitch, and elevation of the hurler; and the wind speed.

Some pumpkin chunkers grow special firm pumpkins for use as a projectile, since sabots are often prohibited in competitions. These special pumpkins are often not good for eating.

A usual rule is that the pumpkin must remain whole after leaving the device for the chunking to count. Pumpkins that burst after leaving the barrel intact are referred to as "pumpkin pie in the sky").

World Championship Punkin' Chunkin'

The World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' is name of an annual championship pumpkin-throwing contest held the first weekend after Halloween in Sussex County, Delaware. Competing teams construct and fire a variety of pumpkin-launching devices, including catapults, trebuchets, centrifugal machines, and pneumatic air cannons. Contestants compete in divisions against machines of the same type.

It started in 1986 in Millsboro. Due to the increasing space required as the machines are upgraded to fire the pumpkins farther, the event has moved several times from where it began. About 75 teams competed in the 2007 event, held outside Bridgeville near Coverdale, Delaware. That year the event drew more than 20,000 people and grossed more than $100,000 in ticket sales and associated revenues. More than 70% of that money will be donated to a variety of community organizations [citeweb |title=Punkin Chunkin Founders |url=http://www.punkinchunkin.com/founders.htm ] .

Each type of machine competes in different categories, including height, fan favorite, straightness, and most importantly, range. Each launcher counts the best of three shots. Launchers typically hurl white pumpkins because they can better withstand the forces of launch than the regular orange ones. Each chunk is then marked with a small, color coded flag by officials in the chunking zone on ATVs. The sole fatality of the contest has been a duck hit by a hurled pumpkin.

There is also a carnival area for spectators with amusement rides, food vendors and pumpkin recipes in a cooking contest.

World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' Current Records

The World Championship Punkin' Chunkin' Current Records as of the 2007 Championship. [citeweb |title=Current World Records |url=http://www.punkinchunkin.com ]

ee also

*Spud Gun

References

External links

* [http://www.punkinchunkin.com/ Punkin' Chunkin'] The official event site
* [http://www.smithsoniannetworks.com/site/smithsonian/show_wildnwacky.do Punkin' Chunkin', Smithsonian Networks]
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/general/news/story?id=3107378 Punkin Chunkin feature on ESPN.com]


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