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Punkin Chunkin

Six world records broken in three days of close competition

120,000 people cheer as pumpkins fill Sussex sky
Bob Savage of Milford loads a pumpkin into the sling as team Never Forget prepares for a shot in the adult human powered division in the 26th annual Punkin Chunkin at the Wheatley Farm near Bridgeville. BY RON MACARTHUR
Ron MacArthur
November 7, 2011
Three little chunkers making up team Punkin Seeds II from Georgetown fire a shot in the youth trebuchet division. Team members are (l-r) Caleb Rogers, Tegan Hearn and Olivia Littleton. The team finished second with a chunk of 179 feet. BY RON MACARTHUR
Ralph Eschborn of The Big 10 Inch team checks pressure gauges prior to the final shot in three days of shooting  pumpkins in the air cannon division. The Chadds Ford, Pa., team finished in eighth place. BY RON MACARTHUR
Young Glory III team members prepare for their final shot Nov. 6 in air cannon competition. The Milton team – current world record holders – was the top local finisher with a chunk of 4,322 feet. BY RON MACARTHUR
Air cannons are primed and ready to fire during the 26th annual Punkin Chunkin. BY RON MACARTHUR
Kody Fuller, of Team High X, pedals to no avail as the team's machine breaks before getting a shot off. He was competing in the human powered division. BY RON MACARTHUR
Carol Lankford of Milton is the unofficial Pumpkin Lady at each Punkin Chunkin. BY RON MACARTHUR
Punkin Seeds team members (l-r) Tyler Conran, Christian Collins and Ben Collins prepare to fire their catapult in the youth division. The team is from Georgetown. The team finished in third place with a toss of 539 feet. BY RON MACARTHUR
Alex Korwek of Milton, a junior at Cape Henlopen High School, gets ready for another shot in the youth air cannon division. He finished in fourth place with a best shot of 2,844 feet. BY RON MACARTHUR
Marc Gussen, captain of Team Chucky III, delivers on a promise and breaks the team's own world torsion record by nearly 600 feet with a chunk of 3,636 feet in the 26th annual Punkin Chunkin. BY RON MACARTHUR
John Bowers is dressed as part of the team Chunk Norris from Manchester, N.H. BY RON MACARTHUR

Another World Championship Punkin Chunkin is in the record books. Organizers say about 120,000 people attended the three-day event on the Wheatley Farm near Bridgeville. More than 100 teams competed for bragging rights in 13 divisions during the 26th annual event.

On the third day of competition, the event’s head spotter, Dan Fair of Lewes, was injured when his all-terrain vehicle flipped over on top of him. Fair, who has been involved with the event for several years, was transported to Christiana Hospital in Newark where he was listed in serious condition, but his injuries are not considered life threatening. “We’ve never had anything like this happen before,” said Frank Shade, Punkin Chunkin’s director of media and promotions. “We aren’t sure if it was a mechanical problem or if he hit a hole or rut that caused the ATV to flip over.”

Just seven feet separated the top three teams in the air cannon division. Second Amendment Too, a team from Culpeper, Va., won bragging rights with a shot of 4,329 feet, followed by American Chunker from Merrimack, N.H., with a shot of 4,325 feet and local team Young Glory III from Milton with a chunk of 4,322 feet.

In what many consider the shot of the three-day event – during the first day of competition – the torsion team of Chucky III from Closter, N.J., shattered its own world record by nearly 600 feet with a toss of 3,636 feet. The chunk was so far it was good enough to put the team in contention with the massive air cannons.

In all, six new world records were set, Shade said.

In the female division, last year’s champion Hormone Blaster from Georgetown finished just seven feet behind the winners with a shot of 3,720 feet. Dragon Lady from Preston, Md., won the division with a chunk of 3,727 feet.

For complete results go to punkinchunkin.com.

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