The Big 10 Inch Sets World Record
By KAREN ARAIZA
Updated 9:15 AM EST, Tue, Nov 3, 2009
The Big 10 Inch team sets a new world record…for "punkin chunkin."
They sent an airborne gourd flying 4,623 feet over the weekend at a festival in Utah. That distance spans more than 15 football fields. All they need now is official verification from the Guinness World Record people.
"Yeah, we're nerds but we're kinda junkyard nerds," Ralph Eschborn, the team's 62-year old co—captain and wastewater engineer from Chadds Ford, told the Salt Lake City Tribune.
The team is from Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey and "Big 10" is their pumpkin-launching air cannon.
The pumpkin they chunked into world record territory traveled more than 700 miles an hour, besting the old record by 132 feet. Now you don't do this with just any pumpkin. The team has a "strategic alliance with a farmer," for its chunkin' contest pumpkins, Eschborn said.
The new world record is an honor, but just the penultimate feat. The Big 10 Inch team wants to chunk a pumpkin for a mile, 5280 feet.
We can't think of a better reason to head out to to Delaware's 24th World Champion Chunkin Contest this weekend, Nov. 6, 7 and 8th where you can see The Big 10 Inch team in action!
First Published: Nov 3, 2009 8:37 AM EST
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