Another title and a new record greeted the Illinois State University Physics Club this month as they launched their way into first place at the 2011 Punkin Chuckin’ Contest in Morton.
This is the fifth title for the team, who took first in the open trebuchet division. The annual contest pits projectile-hurling machines that gained glory during the Middle Ages. A trebuchet is a siege engine used during battles to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them.
This year’s team employed “Reggie’s Chuckin’ Wagon” to hurl a 10-pound pumpkin 1,131 feet— a record for both the team and the division. The Wagon stands at 16 feet tall, and is more than 20 feet tall with the throwing arm extended. Twenty-one hundred pounds of counterweight are used to swing the throwing arm and hurl a pumpkin, which is held in a sling at the end of the throwing arm.
For additional information, contact the Illinois State Physics Department at (309) 438-8756.
Awesome!! Would love to see this in action – is there a video that can be posted?