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2021 Dayton Punkin Chunk




After nearly 2 years without competition, 2021 saw a couple events return, and one of those was Pumpkin Chuck Dayton. Having attended in 2018, we had wanted to return in 2020 before it was cancelled, so we were thrilled that it was going to happen in 2021! Despite the numerous issues we had at our last event, the World Championships of Punkin Chunkin 2019 in Rantoul, IL, we were optimistic for this year. We had the newly-rebuilt longer arm, which was just fine after that chunk. Our new pouch design seemed to work well (other than the sacrificial sleeve that disqualified our 2570' shot). Nick and Jason did some work in the last 2 years to properly fix the bandaged track gates that we messed up at Rantoul, and they replaced the winch bearings that were limiting the counterweight we could run at that event. Would this be the year we FINALLY got a hold of one and broke the 1/2-mile mark (2540')?





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:





2018 Dayton Punkin Chunk




This year, after years of talking about it but never managing it due to scheduling issues, we made it to the Dayton Punkin Chunk to compete with NASAW! The event is held annually alongside the runway at the National Museum of the US Air Force.





Team Urban Siege to Head to Ohio!




Yes, Team Urban Siege will be competing in a chunk in 2018! We are working out the final details, but we are planning to attend the Dayton Pumpkin Chuck held on November 2, 2018 in Dayton, Ohio. Yes, this is a Friday event, but as the US Air Force is involved in putting on the event (it is held at the National Museum of the Air Force), this event is always held on a Friday for staffing reasons. We hope to see some of you there cheering for NASAW!





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:





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:





2015 New Hampshire Extreme Chunkin




Since the 2015 World Championships of Punkin Chunkin ended up being cancelled for the second year in a row, we were once again left without a hurling event to go to. A number of phone calls and emails ensued, and we decided to go off to the chunk happening at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the Extreme Chunkin, which was only 2 weeks away (October 24 & 25) when the Delaware cancellation was made! We had not really tuned NASAW to shoot for distance in 2 years, but we really wanted to compete with some of our hurling friends again, so plans were set for us to go! Some last-minute tuning was done with about 3000 pounds of counterweight (roughly what our last shot at the 2013 WCPC was with), but unfortunately one of those shots resulted in bending a main section of the throwing arm. Luckily we still have the original throwing arm, which was the one we shot with in 2011 and 2012, so that was installed just a day before NASAW hit the road for the long drive from Western New York to Loudon, NH.





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!





Team Urban Siege Fall 2015 Plans




Many people have been asking us what our plans our this fall with regards to launching pumpkins. Our confirmed schedule is listed at the top of the home page. As noted there, the World Championships of Punkin Chunkin is NOT a distance competition this year. The field at Dover International Speedway is simply entirely too small. In fact, at this time we are not sure exactly WHAT, if any, competition it will be this year. There has been talk of a "call your distance" competition, with closest to their called distance winning, but this has not been finalized. There are also a number of distance competitions popping up around the US this fall, which will see attendance from a lot of the teams that normally compete in Delaware. We would be attending one of those if our schedules allowed, but unfortunately it doesn't look like that will happen.







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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!!!