THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY. NOVEMBER 4.2013
QUOTE OF THE DAY
PAGE 9
"It's a combination of weather, the pressure, the right pumpkin, and a good bit of luck." "WCPCA spokesman Shade on breaking punkin chunk records
-USA Today News
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FACT OF THE DAY
The longest recorded chunk is 5,545 feet by the air cannon "Big 10 Inch."
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TRIVIA OF THE DAY
Q: How much do Punkin Chunkin pumpkins have to weigh?
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A: 8-10 pounds
-punkinchunkin.com
THE MORNING BREW
Pumpkin chunking provides unique entertainment
Take off the pads, put down the bat, because the only equipment needed to play this game is a well rounded pumpkin. Well, that and a one ton punkin chunker. For those unaware of this scientific sport, Punkin Chunkin involves teams building machines capable of launching pumpkins as far as possible. It's that simple. Shockingly though, punkin chunkin hasn't always been well-known. It started in 1986 when four friends saw a news story of a local college's physics class throwing pumpkins, and one said they could throw a pumpkin farther than the other. A competition ensued and the rest is history.
This year's Punkin Chunkin World Championship took place over the weekend in the farm fields of Bridgeview, Delaware, hosting 72 teams and thousands of fans during a three day festival which included a Miss Punkin Chunkin Beauty Pageant, cooking contest, fireworks, and pumpkins traveling upwards of 4000 feet. Definitely a step up from four guys standing in a corn field 27 years ago, with the longest throw being 126 feet.
In all there are seven different classes of machines that compete during this
By Matt Corte
mcorte@kansan.com
contest, ranging from catapults to huge air vessel machines. Another is the human power class of chunkers, and although they don't propel the pumpkin as far as some machines, this class has turned out to be an annual fan favorite.
Unlike the other six classes, the human-powered machines launch their pumpkins by using stored energy produced by a single member of a team. For two minutes that person generates and transfers energy from a device attached to their punkin chunker, whether that be a bicycle or an old rowing machine. Usually the wackier the team, the crazier the device is that is used to produce energy. At the conclusion of those two minutes, the punkin chuncher is locked and then fires, but only after a loud horn warns spectators, which is mandatory before every chunk.
While the human-powered machines bring the laughs, the air vessel machines bring the distance. Using compressed air these sometimes house-sized machines launch pumpkins thousands of feet, and other times no feet at all. Occasionally the pumpkin will burst after leaving the barrel, which is referred to as "pie" at Punkin Chunkin, and means the pumpkins distant will not count since it didn't remain whole before hitting the ground.
Because it's important for teams to have every pumpkin count, some competitors are known to grow their own using "special methods to create better pumpkins for throwing. Whether teams are growing
their own pumpkins or buying them like normal people, they must use one of the pumpkin varieties listed by the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association, and any use of pumpkins not on the list will lead to a disqualification.
What may be best about this event isn't the absurd distances some pumpkins will travel, but the cause behind chunking. This year there was $100,000 in revenue,and more than $70,000 will be distributed in scholarships to community organizations, along with nine nonprofits that the WCPCA supports.
To watch the 2013 Punkin Chunkin World Championship tune in to the
Science Channel at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, I guarantee there's not another sport quite like it.
— Edited by Evan Dunbar
This week in athletics
Monday
No Events
Tuesday
Men's Basketball
Fort Hays State
7 p.m.
Lawrence
Wednesday
Voleball
West Virginia
6:30 p.m.
Lawrence
Soccer Quarterfinals TBA Kansas City, Kan.
Thursday
No Events
Friday
Men's Basketball Louisiana Monroe 7 p.m. Lawrence
Soccer Semifinals TBA Kansas City, Kan.
Saturday
Football Oklahoma State 3 p.m. Stillwater, Okla.
Volleyball
Texas
2 p.m.
Austin, Texas
Swimming Illinois 10 a.m. Champaign, Ill.
Sunday
Soccer
Finals
TBA
Kansas City, Kan.
Womens's Basketball
Oral Roberts
2 p.m.
Lawrence
Kansas grinds out four-set road victory against TCU
bhillix@kansan.com
BRIAN HILLIX
brian@lazon.com
Kansas (18-5, 8-2) overcame a sluggish opening set to top the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs (13-11, 2-8) 20-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-23 in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday.
The Jayhawks remained undefeated on the road in conference play with the win. Their toughest road tests remain as they will travel to face first-place Texas, second-place Iowa State (tied with Kansas) and third-place Oklahoma. Even with
the slow start, coach Ray Bechard was pleased with the team's play at this crucial stretch in the season.
"Obviously there are some areas we could have been cleaner in," Bechard said. "But a 3-1 win this time of the year on the road against a good team, we're very happy with." Redshirt senior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc and junior outside hitter Sara McClinton, who lead the team in kills per set, both struggled as they finished with a combined 16 kills on a .06 hitting percentage.
Picking up some of the slack
was Tayler Soucie as she delivered 12 digs on a .571 hitting percentage. This marks the third straight game with double-digit kills and a .370+ hitting percentage for the freshman middle blocker.
"I knew that I had to make plays because other people were grueling." Source
Redshirt senior outside hitter Catherine Carmichael led the
"Our serving keyed the third set run and the fourth set run, so it was huge for us."
struggling." Soucie said. "And it was my chance to make plays."
RAY BECHARD Coach
squad with 16 kills and has continued her hot play since being inserted into the starting lineup last month.
Senior setter
Erin McNorton
topped the 50
assist mark for
the 11th time this season as she finished with 53, while also leading both teams with 14 digs. Senior libero Brianne Riley again reached double-digits with 13 digs.
Junior outside hitter Chelsea Albers was an offensive and defensive threat as well as she finished with 14 kills and seven digs.
The Jayhawks completed the season sweep of TCU for the second straight year and are now 4-0 against the Horned Frogs since they joined the Big 12 last season. Kansas has lost just two sets in the four matches combined.
Despite being ranked last in the conference in service aces, the Jayhawks cranked out a season-high eight on Saturday. McNorton and Riley tied for the team high with two apiece.
"Our serving keyed the third set run and the fourth set run, so it was huge for us," Bechard said.
Kansas returns home to take on West Virginia on Wednesday before its biggest test of the season as the team travels to Austin, Texas to face the No.1 Texas Longhorns. The Jayhawks have six conference matches remaining.
Edited by James Ogden
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