Posted on 11/08/2004 6:33:29 AM PST by SussexCountyDE
Sussex Smashers Reclaim Trophy
By Glenn Rolfe, The Leader & State Register
HARBESON, DE - Pumpkins propelled by a variety of home-brewed artillery smashed to Earth in a Sussex County field Sunday in the closing chapter of the 2004 World Championship Punkin Chunkin.
Overall, bragging rights for the greatest distance - and the prestigious World Championship Punkin Chunkin trophy - went to Old Glory, an air-powered cannon with Sussex roots in Georgetown and Milton.
With an able-bodied crew and owner Joe "Wolfman" Thomas of Georgetown at the helm, Old Glory's one-shot distance of 4,224 feet on Saturday withstood all challenges and stood as the best shot of the more than 90 entries in the three-day event.
The victory enabled Old Glory to regain the title it claimed in 2000 and 2001, taking the crown backfrom Second Amendment, a Michigan cannon that won in 2002 and 2003.
"Just get that pumpkin out there," said Mr. Thomas of his team's strategy. "The crew did their job. They are all good crew members."
Other teams also had good showings. Two days after setting a world record in the Adult Trebuchet class on Friday, a machine named Yankee Siege set another record on Sunday.
The gravity-fed entry from Greenfield, N.H., blasted a pumpkin 1,394.29 feet, bettering its Friday mark of 1,362 feet and ending the reign of King Arthur, a four-time and defending trebuchet champ from Leesburg, Va.
"We came in here to do it. Maybe it's just beginner's luck," said Yankee Siege owner Steve Seigars. "To be able to do this, everybody had a job to do and everybody did their job just perfectly. I can't say more about the team itself."
Mr. Seigars all but guaranteed Yankee Siege would likely be back next year.
"It's kind of addicting. It's kind of hard not to come back and defend your title," he said. "It's like the America's Cup, you get to keep it for the year, and then you've got to give it up unless you compete and win."
Chris Gerow, owner of the third-place King Arthur entry, was gracious in relinquishing the title and vowed to do his best to reclaim the fame.
"I'm going to try like heck," said Mr. Gerow, adding there's more to Punkin Chunkin than just winning and losing.
"You have a chance to essentially design anything you want, and you have a chance to engineer and build it," he said. "And then you have a chance to see whether your design is doing better or worse than somebody else. I can't think of anything else like it. All you get is a trophy and, of course, bragging rights for a year."
Crew members for Sir Chunks A Lot, a catapult entry from New Jersey, were tickled with fourth place. Their best shot this year was 1,459 feet, up from 1,021 feet last year and following efforts of 247 and 46 feet the previous two years, albeit with a different catapult machine.
"We're getting better. Next year, we'll be first place," chuckled Dean Ustaszewski of Marlton, N.J. "It's fun. It gives us a chance to think up new ideas and implement them. We take it out in the field at home and test it there and throw all kinds of things - bowling balls. They make really nice craters when they hit."
Nick Ustaszewski, another Sir Chunks A Lot crew member, said "there is a certain satisfaction out of building something and seeing how well you can do, compared to everybody else. Plus, it's nice to come here and see the ingenuity of all of the other people. That fascinates me to no end."
Virginia Smith and her 9-year-old daughter Fallyn Smith were among the thousands of spectators. This was their first Punkin Chunkin, having moved to Milton from New York state two years ago.
"We were invited down here by our friends. They are locals here. This is our first time and it's been fantastic. We really enjoyed the big guns," said Ms. Smith.
Fallyn thought pumpkins exploding when they fell to Earth was cool. Her favorite air cannon was Fire & Ice, which placed third behind Old Glory and Second Amendment.
"I like Fire & Ice. But they didn't have a good day," Fallyn said.
Frank Shade, president of the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association, said spectator turnout was comparable to last year, particularly on Saturday. Last year's estimated total attendance was 33,000.
More than 90 of the 100 entries competed.
"Sometimes people can't make it for mechanical reasons or whatever," Mr. Shade said.
Mr. Gerow spoke about the friendships created in the competition. He said he had dinner with Mr. Seigars, skipper of Yankee Siege, and another competitor in his division Saturday night in Rehoboth Beach.
"The people here are just absolutely amazing," Mr. Gerow said. "And if anybody breaks down, everybody is there to help you. It's a fraternal organization, it really is."
The final day of the 19th annual Punkin Chunkin featured an announcement from Mr. Shade concerning the possibility that the 2005 event could be staged at the 285-acre farmland site between Harbeson and Millsboro where it has been based the past seven or eight years.
An impending ownership change of that property is expected to include development, which has forced Punkin Chunkin organizers to search for a new home, Mr. Shade said.
"We have opened negotiations with the people who are potentially buying the field that we are on. They have tentatively agreed to talk with us about being there next year," said Mr. Shade. "They don't believe that their building plans will interfere with us being on that field for one more year, which gives us a bit of a reprieve to continue to look for land."
Mr. Shade emphasized that there is no guarantee at this time. "But it gives us someone to talk to," he said. "We're only talking to them about the possibility of using it one more while we continue to search for a new home. This is only a short reprieve while we continue to look for a home. By no means is it a solution to a problem. It's just an extension of time."
The current location is the third Sussex County home in the 19-year history on Punkin Chunkin, which began in 1986. It started on farm property off U.S. 9, then moved to a bigger location off Del. 1 before moving to its present home.
Meanwhile, the search for a permanent home, hopefully in Sussex County, continues.
"We're currently negotiating with state and local government agencies and some landowners trying to come up with a new home," Mr. Shade said. "It was born here and raised here and we want it to stay here."
The Leader & State Register News Editor Glenn Rolfe can be reached at 629-5505 or grolfe@newszap.com.
FWIW, the fourth place Air Cannon, "The Great Emancipator" is based in Port Royal, VA ... I watched them shooting it back i mid October.
Whoo! I read the headline and thought this was the Blue State equivalent of the firing on Fort Sumter. Bob Beckel and Lawrence O'Donnell would have to be leading the charge. ;-)
I was born and raised in Delaware. It's true that there isn't as much there, as compared to our neigboring states, but there's no sales tax, there's a natural beauty (especially in northern Delaware, right near the Pennsylvania border), and there's a lot of history.
Oh, I know . . . I'm just havin' a spot o' fun wi' ye, lad. ;)
All I know is George Thorogood is from there.
lol
1 mile is the holy grail of punkin chunkers. The event is one giant tailgate.
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