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2019 World Championships of Punkin Chunkin




The 2019 World Championships of Punkin Chunkin have come and gone. 2019 was the first year the event was held somewhere other than Delaware, and the move to Rantoul, IL brought numerous changes to the event. First and foremost only 20 teams were able to make it to the new location due to a combination of factors, but this had the benefit of leading to a smaller, more intimate event which had many benefits.





2019 Fall Schedule, and World Championships Changes




Our 2019 schedule is set, with more opportunities to see us in action than normal! The schedule is on the main page of this site, but repeated here for posterity:





World Championships of Punkin Chunkin to be in Rantoul, IL for 2019




Per the WCPCA website, the event is moving to Rantoul, IL for 2019. There was a huge effort to try to keep it in the Delaware area, but ultimately the best option presented itself in the mid-West. We hope to be able to attend at this event with NASAW, but cannot confirm at this time. The press release from the WCPCA is quoted below, and also available (at the moment) at punkinchunkin.com.





No 2017 World Championship of Punkin Chunkin




Those that follow us on Facebook likely already saw the news. Owing to a lawsuit recently filed due to the accident at last year's chunk, the landowner that the World Championships of Punkin Chunkin are held on has requested the event to not be held on his property this year. The Association published the following statement on the Punkin Chunkin website:





2017 World Championships of Punkin Chunkin




Yes, the 2017 World Championships of Punkin Chunkin is still happening, on November 3-5 at the same Bridgeville, DE field it has been held on since 2007! Many know that there was an accident with an air cannon near the end of the 2016 event, but despite that the event is moving forward with additional safety precautions. However, Science Channel has pulled their sponsorship, which has left the Association short on funds. The event will still happen in 2017, but its future is in jeopardy without additional sponsors. If you know of a company or individual willing to donate to keep the event going, direct them to the WCPCA Sponsorship Page. Any and all donations are welcome, so feel free to donate yourself at the same link so the Association can continue to give back to the community. The Association is a 501c3 charity, and as such all money raised in excess of the cost of putting the event on is given back to a variety of charitable causes.





Fall Updates




It has been a busy fall for Team Urban Siege, but not so much on the hurling front. However, there is more than a little of that news to report. Read on for more:





World Championships Back on for 2016




Last week, it was announced that the World Championships of Punkin' Chunkin' (WCPC) will be returning in 2016 to the Wheatley Farm in Bridgeville, DE, site of the event from 2007-2013. The insurance issues that necessitated moving the event from the farm field have apparently been resolved such that we chunkers (and fans!) are welcome on the property again, as the landowner and his insurance company are now satisfied of adequate landowner protection. It should be pointed out that the Wheatleys themselves are Punkin Chunkers (United Flingdom III), and did not want to ask the event to leave, but situations were such with the on-going 2013 lawsuit from the 2012 incident that they needed to do what they did. We are thrilled that they will have us back, and are looking forward to chunking again in 2016! More information can be read in the official press release and in the Sussex County Post. Team Urban Siege looks forward to returning to Delaware to chunk punkins with all our friends from November 4-6!





World Championships of Punkin Chunkin 2015 Cancelled




Yes, the 2015 World Championships of Punkin Chunkin, scheduled to be held at Dover International Speedway on November 6-8, are cancelled for the second year in a row. The Association was unable to obtain an insurance contract for the event this year given all the legal issues that have surrounded the WCPCA since the accident and lawsuit several years ago. Suffice to say we chunkers were once again given short notice of the cancellation (the news broke October 8), and chunkers and fans alike have been left scrambling. Delaware was going to be our only out-of-state trip of 2015 due to our busy schedules, but we have made the last-minute decision to rush off to New Hampshire and compete there with our friends from Launch-Ness Monster, Yankee Siege II, Onager, and more. We haven't tuned for distance shots in 2 years (that is currently changing), but NASAW has been firing very nicely for the last 2 years so we hope to put on a good show and hopefully set a new personal best distance. For more information on the NH chunk, visit the event site now! Stay tuned here or on our Facebook page for updates!





World Championships of Punkin Chunkin 2014 - Cancelled




Sadly, the title of this post is not a joke, a play on words, or anything like that. This morning the teams were notified that the event for 2014 has been cancelled, with less than 3 weeks' notice. With the trouble with finding a new field, the association was behind all year, and they felt that there was no way that the event could be held this year. Some more information is available at this link. While we wish there had been more notice, this is what it is. We are looking to see what we will do for the rest of this year, we would like to perform for the public at least one more time before the snow flies. Stay tuned here and on our Facebook Page!





Punkin Chunkin 2014 Has Moved - Both Time and Place




Important information follows, please read the whole post! Those who follow our Facebook Page know that the World Championships of Punkin Chunkin are at a new location for 2014. The reasons for the move are somewhat complicated, but stem largely from a lawsuit resulting from an accident in 2011 by one of the spotters in the field. The full details have not been disclosed to the public as the case is on-going, but the long and short of it is that the landowner of the field that we have been using since 2007 (and a chunker himself) has requested that the chunk be held off of his property (he is one of the parties named in the lawsuit). This news hit in March, and the Association only recently secured approval to move forward with holding the chunk at Dover International Speedway in Dover, DE and the surrounding grounds for 2014. What this means is big changes in the format and layout of the event, but those details are also still being finalized. Still, the chunk is slated to be held at a field bordering the speedway, so plan accordingly if you wish to come. The event will have a different feel this year, but it looks like there at least will be an event, which was very much in doubt a month ago.







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Use "common sense" when operating trebuchets and catapults. Even little ones can be dangerous. Do not place anything you are not willing to lose in the plane of the arm rotation (this includes yourself, body parts, car windshields, cameras, etc). These catapults and trebuchets are capable of throwing just as far backwards as forwards, and the use of a backstop of some sort is recommended, though the use of one does not make the region behind it safe.

Also, just because the throw got away safely downrange does not mean the end of the danger. The arm is likely still swinging wildly along with the counterweight, and there is a sling whipping around. One thing many people fail to take into account is this sling; some people put a metal ring on the slip end of the sling and this ring can HURT when whipping around!

Have fun hurling, but please KEEP IT SAFE!!!