Air Cannon 'Second Amendment wins Punkin' Chunk! Congrats to the World Champion Punkin' Chunkers!
But new records set at this year's pumpkin-flinging
championships
By ROBIN BROWN
Bear Bureau reporter
11/04/2002
A Michigan team ousted the two-time local champ Sunday to win the
World Championship Punkin Chunkin and bragging rights for a year.
Bone-chilling weather kept the crowd at the 17th annual
pumpkin-flinging contest a couple thousand shy of the expected
25,000, said Brenda Sennett, a top organizer and seasoned chunker
herself.
Despite the nonrecord crowd, Sunday's mash-fest did hit a few new
records:
• A record 79 contraptions competing for trophies and bragging rights.
• Three new distance records, in human-powered set by Gene's
Machine, centrifugal-force set by Bad to the Bone and catapult set by
Hypertension.
• A record level of documentation - from the first use of global
positioning equipment to record the exact splat locations to the six
camera crews from the Discovery Channel, working on a documentary
to air in spring.
The three-day event in arented cornfield near Millsboro raised
thousands of dollars for St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Philadelphia
and will provide about a dozen scholarships, which have increased
from $10,000 to $12,500, Sennett said.
She said this year's event had plenty of what makes Sussex County's
homegrown sport so much fun.
"Lots of drama," she said.
The Big 10-Inch, with team members from the Delaware valley, and
Universal Soldier, of Harbeson, were battling it out for first, when the
Second Amendment, from Howell, Mich., made its second shot into the
trees. Under chunkin rules, if they find the gourd in the woods within
30 minutes, it counts.
But theirs was over a gully and the spotters had to wait until all other
shots were made to figure the exact length of that one - with The Big
10-Inch at 3,816.64 feet and Universal Soldier at 3,631.79 feet.
Finally came the announcement of the shot into the woods: 3,881.54
feet. The number meant the trophy would leave Delaware after two
years in its native Sussex County.
But some of the day's drama came with the comeback of The Big
10-Inch, said to be named for the size of its barrel. Two years ago,
that team already won with its second shot and had a third to go. So
they did a test shot powered by a mix of air and helium.
After the team was presented first place, the daughter of the man in
second, Joseph "Wolfman" Thomas, yelled about the unfairness and
the helium.
Because this is an all-air-powered contest, The Big 10-Inch got the
boot and Wolfman got the championship. When The Big 10-Inch
appealed, they got banned from the whole deal last year.
Chunkin regulars were kind of nervous about how things would go with
Big 10-Inch coming back and Wolfman excited about trying for a third
win.
"Beer powers these machines," he told Discovery Channel show host
Bryan Callen. "But you won't put that on TV, will you?"
Wolfman said he had a great time being world champion punkin
chunker, even if Callen did keep calling him the "king" and two of his
three shots Sunday were pumpkin pie - the contest term for splattered
in the air.
"I'm glad for the Second Amendment, and I'm glad for the Universal
Soldier and I guess I'm glad for The Big 10-Inch, but at least they
didn't cheat this time."
In fact, he and Ralph Eschborn of The Big 10-Inch met before the first
hurl, exchanged pleasantries and wished each other luck.
Wolfman took a tug of liquid refreshment and said, "There wasn't
even no hatchet to bury." He added a few expletives and said, "This is
a gentleman's game."
Reach robin brown at 838-3189 or rbrown@delawareonline.com.
Top Chunkers
Sunday's winners in the 17th Annual World Championship Punkin
Chunkin, as announced by Frank Shade, president of the World
Championship Punkin Chunkin Association:
Youth under age 10
1. Little Blaster
1,939.81 feet
2. Pomeroy Sister
449.36 feet
3. Pomeroy Hurler
62.16 feet
Youth ages 11-17
1. Little Feats
808.84 feet
2. Subjugator
437.06 feet
3. Pumpkin Beyond
379.16 feet
Human-powered machines
1. Gene's Machine
1,507.55 feet
2. Pumkin Slayer
1,383.60 feet
3. Onager
1,157.79 feet
Centrifugal powered
1. Bad to the Bone
2,358.62 feet
2. Determinator
1,087.69 feet
3. Southern Exposure
1,057.69 feet
Catapult
1. Hypertension
1,728.34 feet
2. Acme Catapult
1,710.40 feet
3. Feats Don't Fail Me Now
1,138.38 feet
Trebuchet
1. King Arthur
927.17 feet
2. Regulator
804.76 feet
3. Pumkin Hammer
717.21 feet
Youth ages 11-17 unlimited
1. Gourd Thrasher
3,179.96 feet
2. Young Glory III
2,922.99 feet
3. Pumkin Eater
2,700.23 feet
Theatrical
1. The Pirates of Punkin Chunk
Air cannons
1. Second Amendment
3,881.54 feet
2. The Big 10-Inch
3,816.64 feet
3. Universal Soldier
3,631.79 feet