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Punkin Chunkin Team Takes First Place at Last Fling Pumpkin Sling
The members of the Sanford Punkin Chunkin Team—and their pumpkin-slinging machine—took first place in the “Youth Long Arm Trebuchet” division at this year’s Last Fling Pumpkin Sling in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
Upper School Math Instructor and team advisor Ensign Simmons, along with team advisors and Upper School faculty members Jamy Moreno and Laura Stefanik, prepared the group for the competition, held at Pocono Raceway from October 17th to 19th.
The highlight of the weekend, according to Mr. Simmons, was the trebuchet’s second competitive launch, when Sanford’s pumpkin flew a whopping 574 feet—a record for the machine’s current design. The trebuchet is constructed of a wooden frame and a wood, aluminum, and steel throwing arm. It employs a double pendulum mechanism to create a large amount of “jerk” (increased acceleration) just before the pumpkin releases—earning the trebuchet style the nickname “Whipper.” This year’s competition was the most successful for the current machine.
“It was great to see our Sanford students showing off a machine that was designed and built entirely by students,” Mr. Simmons said. “Thank you for the support that we received from the Sanford Community. Our team represented Sanford with pride and hard work.”
The core Sanford team is Jeremy Bostick, Andrew Darlington, Douglas Keir, Evan Carswell, Philip Charles, Susannah Halligan, and Tyler Wahl, and the team also received help from Chase Rapine and Stephan Smith.
Congrats to the 2014 Sanford Chunkers on their accomplishment!
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