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Show air cannon, human powered, catapult, centrifugal, unlimited, and trebuchet (a counterweighted throwing device). These machines, for the most part, are built out of junk," says Frank Shade, a chunker himself and webmaster for the nonprofit Punkin Chunkin Association. "Everything from dump trucks to school buses to boat trailers to sailboat masts, garage door springs, and belts and pulleys have been used to build them," he says. If you could combine the knowledge and the technology thats used to build these machines, you could probably solve most of the worlds problems. The contraptions just boggle the mmd." Punkin Chunkin has spawned similar contests throughout the country. Club members have chunked punkins on the Late Shou With David Lettemian and have traveled to England to provide color commentary on the television show Junkyard Wan. The annual competition also features a pumpkin cooking contest, bands, fireworks, craft and food vendors, and more. Despite the hilarity, Punkin Chunkin does have a serious side; proceeds from the event, which drew a crowd of about 30,000 last fell, fond scholarships in agriculture, engineering, medical techhigher-educatio- n nology, and science. While some small prizes, trophies, and ribbons will be awarded, top prize is and always has been bragging rights. A call to competition Punkin Chunkin was bom in autumn 1986 when buddies John Ellsworth, Trey Melson, Bill Thompson, and Don Pepper decided the competition they'd held for a decade required too much of a anvil-throwi- physical recovery afterward. Talk turned to building medieval machines and to finding an appropriate projectile, Thompson recalls. Since it was pumpkin season, the answer was obvious. A challenge was issued, and the friends began ' anymore," Thompson says. Thar first year, three teams met in back yard. Ellsworth Thompsons and Pepper arrived with a rubber-ban- d machine, which they had built in six-ac- re top-secr- Thompson and Melson brought a catapulc oak and garage door fashioned of rough-csprings with a bucket on the end of a pole; and brothers Chuck and Darrell Burton, friends who also competed, built a catapult widi garage door springs and a wooden pole for a boom. Thompson and Melson s winning chunk reached 162 feet. ut We lost badly, Ellsworth says. We had to challenge them again. That made the second year happen, and the rest is history. I never dreamed it would get as big as it has. Every year is amazing. But if you mention chunkin to anybody, everybody has an idea of how they could do it. It may not be a good idea, but everybody has one. By its fourth year, the contest was moved to a local airstrip because pumpkins were flying into the woods behind Thompsons field, making their point of impact difficult to find. That year, the event drew a crowd of 6,000. I had retired in 88 because the boys were too easy to bear," Melson says. J told John (Ellsworth) that when he won the championship Id come back off the porch and play." Ellsworth won in '93, so Melson returned in '94 to reclaim the ride with the "Universal Soldier, a large cannon contraption. "That pumpkin shot 2,508 feet and landed on the highway. The state police put a stop to that, he says, "But I won." Last years winning chunk flew slightly over thats punkin chunkin; no sense in cryin over it. Then there was the year that the womens team used a waste pumper truck to called Bad Hair Day truck was all cleaned out, The their propel pumpkin. but they forgot to clean the hoses. Thompson says, When their rum came, a stream of black water shot 200 feet into the air, and right out of the middle came a small black dot in the sky that was their pumpkin. Indeed, Punkin Chunkin is open to anyone. Kids have their own competition category, which pleases Ellsworth. Anybody, but kids in par- ticular, will learn more about physics throwing pumpkins than they will ever learn in a lifetime of reading books in a classroom, he says. Its really great for the kids and, of course, the old kids enjoy it, too. Brenda Sennett of Eilendale, The women of Bad Hair Day. 3,911 feet. The field they use now is one mile Pel., with her machine Poor and long. "No ones broken thar yet, Thompson says. Hungry, has been chunking for years. This used to be But Melson expects eventually to move to a a (man) thing, but not anymore, slie says. Sennett is the female record holder in die air cannon class and New longer field. In die next few years, using a barrel, he says, "someone will eventually do a good two miles or more with the right pumpkin and a good wind. three-stag- e preparing to compete at noon die Sarurday After all, just because after Halloween. were big kids doesnt mean we cant play Competition is friendly, but fierce, as chunkers line up in their yearly autumn quest to hurl pumpkins the farthest. Open to anyone Safety measures are built into the rules no freezing or altering pumpkins, no explosive devices, etc. and no serious injuries have occurred during competition. But there have been some twists and turns. In 88, Chuck Burton forgot to set the stop on his machine's arm, Melson says. After die pumpkin was released, the arm continued swinging and crushed the cab of his pickup truck. Oh, he was upset, but York state champion three years running. A good pumpkin and a good punkin chunker both must have thick hides. "Winning die championship isnt hard, Melson says. Ir's defending it that's really hard. People are our to get you." Losing is die hard part, Ellsworth says. Taking the ribbing can be hard. Its not just for one year, if you got beat in 1988, you still liear about it in 2001. It doesnt go away," he says. "But you can brag about your wins for years, too. Ellsworth, now retired from chunkin, resists calls to return (John, get off the porch and come and get a challenges Melson). But Ellsworth has a new challenge up his sleeve, which he says liell announce within the next few years. "And, he says, chis game is going to be my game." whippin, Tina Coleman is a Pennsylvania-base- d fndatue uriter. American Profile Page 7 |