Punkin chunkin

Punkin chunkin or pumpkin chucking is the sport of hurling a pumpkin by mechanical means for distance. The devices used include slingshots, catapults, centrifugals, trebuchets, 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, each year since 2004. The Guinness world record shot is held by a pneumatic cannon dubbed "Big 10 Inch", at 5,545.43 feet (1,690.25 m), on September 9, 2010, in Moab, Utah. The shot received certification from Guinness World Records in early February 2011. Big 10 Inch has also competed many times at the WCPC event in Delaware. The WCPCA World Record, which includes only shots made at the annual World Championship event, is currently held by The American Chunker air cannon, captained by Brian Labrie, at 4,694.68 feet (1,430.94 m) on November 1, 2013, in Bridgeville, Delaware. The difference in results between Delaware and Utah can be attributed to Utah's higher elevation (and thus lower air pressure, thereby reducing air resistance) and the more restrictive subset of the WCPCA only counting its own competitions. 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...