Punkin chunkin, or as it is sometimes called pumpkin chucking, is the sport of hurling a
pumpkin solely by mechanical means for distance. The devices used include
slingshot
A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the pro ...
s,
catapults,
centrifugals,
trebuchet
A trebuchet (french: trébuchet) is a type of catapult that uses a long arm to throw a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder. The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles of greater weight ...
s, and
pneumatic (air) cannons.
Punkin chunkin competitions, formal and informal, exist throughout the United States in the autumn, particularly in early November as a means to dispose of surplus pumpkins from
Halloween. World Championship Punkin Chunkin, held annually in November in Delaware by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA), was the first and largest annual competition. The event ran annually from 1985 to 2013; a myriad of legal and logistical problems caused multiple events to be cancelled after that, and subsequent championships have been more sporadic. A European Championship has been held in Bikschote,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
each year since 2004.
The Guinness world record shot is held by a pneumatic cannon dubbed "Big 10 Inch", at , on September 9, 2010 in
Moab, Utah
Moab () is the largest city and county seat of Grand County in eastern Utah in the western United States, known for its dramatic scenery. The population was 5,366 at the 2020 census. Moab attracts many tourists annually, mostly visitors to ...
. The shot received certification from
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
in early February 2011.
[
] Big 10 Inch has also competed many times at the WCPC event in
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
. The WCPCA World Record, which includes only shots made at the annual World Championship event, is held by Team American Chunker, captained by Brian Labrie of
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...
, at on November 1, 2013, in
Bridgeville, Delaware
Bridgeville is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,048, an increase of 42.6% from the previous decade. It is part of the Salisbury, Maryland-Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area.
...
. The difference in results between Delaware and Utah may be due to the higher, thinner, drier air found in Utah providing less resistance and drag, thus greater range.
[
"The area’s higher altitude and drier air were seen as major contributing factors, he said."]
The range achieved by devices depends on their mass, shape, and size; the yield limits, stiffness, pitch, and elevation of the hurler, and the weather. The choice of pumpkin is another important variable; Casper, Lumina, and La Estrella are the most common varieties used for competitions since they tend to have thicker rinds than other varieties and can thus withstand greater forces during launch. One of the core rules for competition is that the pumpkin must remain whole after leaving the device until hitting the ground for the chunk to count. Pumpkins that burst after leaving the barrel or sling are referred to as "pie" (short for "pumpkin pie in the sky"); such launches are disqualified under WCPC rules.
Punkin Chunkin events, usually independently organized, are held throughout the United States, with active annual contests in
Clayton, New York
Clayton is a town in Jefferson County, New York, United States. The population was 5,153 at the 2010 census. The town is named after John M. Clayton, a federal political leader from Delaware.
The town contains a village also named Clayton. Bo ...
,
Ellicottville, New York and
Bald Eagle State Park in
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,172. Its county seat is Bellefonte. Centre County comprises the State College, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The lands ...
.
A variant of the competition, the pumpkin shoot, emphasizes accuracy over distance, as competitors aim to hit a specific target. A "Great Pumpkin Shoot" has been held in
Olean, New York most years since 2010.
World Championship Punkin Chunkin
World Championship Punkin Chunkin (WCPC) was the name of an annual contest held the first full weekend after
Halloween in
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
from 1986 through 2013 and 2016. It is governed by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA).
Teams competed in the following divisions: Air Cannon, Female Air Cannon, Centrifugal, Catapult, Torsion, Trebuchet, Human Powered, Centrifugal Human Powered, Youth Air Cannon, Youth Catapult, Youth Trebuchet, Youth Human Powered, Youth 10 & Under, and Theatrical. Each division competed strictly for distance except for the Theatrical division which relies on a fan vote. The teams get three shots, one taken on each of three consecutive days. Only a team's longest shot is scored for official results. Spotters riding on
ATVs find the impact point, and then a professional surveyor calculates the distance based on
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
coordinates of the impact and the machine. The impact point is marked with color-coded spray paint.
The event also featured amusement rides, food vendors, fireworks, live concerts, a pumpkin cooking contest, a chili cook-off, the Miss Punkin Chunkin pageant, and other attractions.
The event originated in 1986, and early in its history convened in
Lewes, Delaware
Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population is 2,747. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Delawar ...
. Due to increasing space requirements (distance of shots, number of teams, and number of spectators) new locations in Sussex County had to be found. In 2007, WCPC moved to
Bridgeville (at ), near the intersection of Seashore Highway and Chaplains Chapel Road. About 75 teams competed, the event drew more than 20,000 people, and grossed more than $800,000 in ticket sales and associated revenues. More than 70% of that money would be donated to a variety of community organizations.
[
] Starting with the 2014 WCPCA event, festivities were to be held at
Dover International Speedway
Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per year ...
in
Dover, after the landowner who hosted the event evicted the event from his property due to a 2011 lawsuit (one that was eventually settled out of court). However, the 2014 event was canceled due to logistics problems (the speedway did not have long enough of a straightaway to cover the one-mile distance the competition requires), and the contest was expected to be permanently shuttered prior to the 2015 contest due to insurance companies refusing to cover the contest.
After considering a move to a location in
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, the organization announced plans to revive the World Championship Punkin Chunkin contest for 2016 at its previous site in Bridgeville after the insurance concerns were addressed.
No World Championship was held in 2017 because of another injury-related lawsuit; before the decision to cancel, the organizers had suggested that the 2017 championship would have been the last one due to the lawsuit and the related withdrawal of its television partner. 2018 came and went with the organization having gone silent, and no championship was held that year.
In May 2019, the World Championship announced its intent to relocate to
Chanute Air Force Base in
Rantoul, Illinois
Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,371 at the 2020 census.
History
The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illino ...
and return for 2019.
[Hinton, Dave (May 29, 2019)]
Pumpkin-launching competition likely to move to Rantoul
''Rantoul Press''. Retrieved August 27, 2019. Organizers cited better state protections against liability in Illinois compared to Delaware, Illinois' status as the country's most prolific pumpkin growing state, the fact that the former air force base is a
brownfield
In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...
that does not need to be cleared of crops (allowing the event to be held a few weeks earlier in the season), and lower costs for police and fire protection.
[Hinton, Dave (November 1, 2019)]
'Punkin chunkers' aiming for record books at championships this weekend in Rantoul
''Rantoul Press'' via WDWS/The News-Gazette. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
The 2019 World Championship was substantially downsized (in terms of number of competitors) due to the relocation, as many of the Delaware regulars were unwilling to trek across several states to partake. This allowed for a more intimate experience (spectators could visit the contestants in the pits before the competition began), but also led the organizers to believe the event would run at a financial loss for them.
[
For 2020, the organizers sought to return to the eastern United States but were unable to do so because of coronavirus restrictions; the event was to be held in 2020 in an altered format, but organizers again claimed they could not find a host "in (a state) with favorable liability laws;" they also declined to hold the event in 2021, citing "many obstacles in our path in recent years - some well known and others, not so much(.)" The organizers stated that though they loved Delaware, they were convinced that "certain organizations within our state (...) will work to see that (the changes necessary to return the event to Delaware) never happen" and that it was outright illegal to host the event in ]Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
due to firearms laws in that state, limiting options for returning the contest to Delmarva
The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula and proposed state on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore regions of Maryland and Virginia ...
as they had hoped.
The organizers set a hopeful return date of 2022, potentially in North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
which has the liability protections the organizers seek; they are also hoping to discuss the matter with officials in Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. If the event organizers could not hold the event in 2022 (and indeed there was no event that year), they stated that the event, as it originally had been conceived, would be effectively over and "that we may need to rebuild the World Championship Punkin Chunkin from the ground up."
Television coverage
The Science Channel
Science Channel (often simply branded as Science; abbreviated to SCI) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel features programming focusing on science related to wilderness survival, engineering, man ...
carried the World Championship from 2009 to 2016. WCPCA and the Science Channel agreed to a new 3-year contract that ran through the 2016 WCPC. In 2009 and 2010 the "Punkin Chunkin" special aired on tape delay on Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
. Each year of coverage thus far has featured an hour long special titled "Road to the Chunk" that preceded coverage of the WCPC event. The previous year's contest is shown around Halloween and sporadically throughout the year. ''Road to Punkin Chunkin 2011'' featured three 30-minute episodes airing weekly leading up to Thanksgiving.
The first televised Punkin Chunkin special was aired by the Discovery Channel in 2002, hosted by Bryan Callen
Bryan Callen (born January 26, 1967) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. He studied acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. Callen initiated his career as one of the original cast members on the sketch comedy serie ...
. In 2008, after a six-year hiatus, Punkin Chunkin returned to cable television on the Science channel as a 1-hour program, hosted by Brad Sherwood
Bradley Sherwood is an American actor, singer, comedian, game show host and writer.
Career
His first acting job was a recurring role on '' L.A. Law'' as Ned Barron, which lasted for six episodes from 1991 to 1992.
Sherwood was introduced to i ...
. 2009 brought a two-episode broadcast covering the teams heading to the event, and then the event itself, each hosted by Zach Selwyn and Mike Senese. 2010 was hosted by Jamie Hyneman
James Franklin Hyneman (born September 25, 1956) is an American special effects expert who is best known as the former co-host of the television series '' MythBusters'' alongside Adam Savage, where he became known for his distinctive beret and ...
and Adam Savage
Adam Whitney Savage (born July 15, 1967) is an American special effects designer and fabricator, actor, educator, and television personality and producer, best known as the former co-host (with Jamie Hyneman) of the Discovery Channel televisi ...
of the Discovery Channel program '' MythBusters''. From 2011 to 2013, the special was hosted by '' MythBusters'' "Build Team" members Tory Belleci
Salvatore "Tory" Paul Belleci (born October 30, 1970) is an American television personality and model maker, best known for his work on the Discovery Channel television program ''MythBusters''. He has also worked with Industrial Light and Magic on ...
, Kari Byron
Kari Elizabeth Byron (born December 18, 1974) is an American television host, best known for her role on the ''MythBusters'' and ''White Rabbit Project'' series.
Early life
Byron was born in the Bay Area, California. She graduated from Los Gat ...
, and Grant Imahara
Grant Masaru Imahara (October 23, 1970 – July 13, 2020) was an American electrical engineer, roboticist, and television host. He was best known for his work on the television series ''MythBusters'', on which he designed and built numerou ...
. Clip show
A clip show is an episode of a television series that consists primarily of excerpts from previous episodes. Most clip shows feature the format of a frame story in which cast members recall past events from past installments of the show, depicte ...
s compiling footage of previous Punkin Chunkin events aired in 2014 and 2015.
During taping of the 2016 festivities, one of the event's air cannons malfunctioned and chunks of flying metal struck a member of the TV production staff in the head seriously injuring her; after the injury, Science Channel opted to discontinue filming and not air Punkin Chunkin that year. The staffer is believed to have recovered from her injuries. The producer filed a lawsuit against the WCPCA, its officers and the landowner in 2017, prompting them to cancel the World Championship for 2017. The lawsuit was dismissed in early 2019.[
The 2019 event was not televised on a traditional broadcast, cable or satellite outlet. The organizers streamed most of the festivities on ]Facebook Live
Facebook is a social-network service website launched on February 4, 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. The following is a list of software and technology features that can be found on the Facebook website and mobile app and are available to users of t ...
.
World Championship Punkin Chunkin champions
World Championship Punkin Chunkin records
See also
* Potato cannon
A potato cannon is a pipe-based cannon that uses air pressure (pneumatic), or combustion of a flammable gas (aerosol, propane, etc.), to launch projectiles at high speeds. They are built to fire chunks of potato, as a hobby, or to fire other so ...
References
External links
Official website for WCPC Event
Farm Fling 2014
Texas Monthly article on chuck vs chunk
{{Squashes and pumpkins
Delaware culture
Projectiles
Squashes and pumpkins
Articles containing video clips