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 September 24-26,2010
 Lake County Fairgrounds
 Crown Point, IN
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pumpkin Chuck

COMPETITION RULES

The COVEREDBRIDGEHARVESTFEST / PUMPKIN CHUCKING COMPETITION will be held rain or shine on September 25th and 26th, 2010, at the Lake County Fairgrounds at Francher Lake in front of the Grandstands.

APPLICATIONS

Each team shall prepare and submit an application by the 15th day of SEPTEMBER 2010, listing the Team Name ( & Sponsor), Team Members , Captain, and in the case of High School and Youth Teams the name of the Adult Leader(s). There will be a $10.00 fee per team and $5.00 per team member for a PUMPKIN - CHUCKIN T–Shirt and credentials. Each team will also submit a sketch and drawing of their catapult design, and describe the Safety Straps, Restraining Bolts or Other Approved Safety Mechanisms. > DOWNLOAD APPLICATION HERE

Sling ShotCLASSES OF COMPETITION

  1. Open Class: Class will include Teams of up to six (6) persons and a Captain, male or female (no animals or robots), minimum age 8 years old; Examples of group sponsors are College Teams, Private Business Teams, Gov. Teams, Fraternal Organizations, Churches, Community Organizations, Family …etc. ) FIRST PRIZE $500.00
  2. High School Class: Class will include Teams of up to Eight (8) persons and a Captain, male or female (no animals or robots), minimum age 12 years old maximum age 19. All teams must have an Adult Leader (Adult Leader Minimum Age 25). Examples of Team sponsors are Public and Private High School Teams, Boy Scout Troup, Girl Scout Troup, Church Youth Organizations, Youth Auxiliary Groups, YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, After School Programs …etc. FIRST PRIZE $500
  3. Youth Class: Class will include Teams of up to ten (10) persons and a Captain, male or female (no animals or robots), minimum age 6 years old maximum age 14, all teams must have Two (2) Adult Leader (Adult Leader Minimum Age 21); Examples of Team sponsors are Public and Private School Teams, Cub Scout, Brownies Scout, Church Youth Organizations, Youth Auxiliary Groups, YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, After School Programs …etc. FIRST PRIZE $250

BallistaCOMPETITION

COMPETITION is to design and construct a catapult; Sling Shot, Ballista, Onager or Trebuchet to CHUCK; a FIVE (5) lb pie pumpkin 500 feet (Open & High School); a THREE (3) lb pie pumpkin 250 feet (Youth).

Catapult; A catapult is a device that launches (CHUCKS) a projectile (Pumpkin) by mechanical means ( for this Competition) Only Pumpkins provided by HARVESTBRIDGEFEST will be allowed to be CHUCKED on the site.

SLING SHOTS; a catapult that stores its energy to Chuck a Pumpkin from Rubber, elastic, or springs in tention.

BALLISTA; a catapult that stores its energy to Chuck a Pumpkin in two-armed torsion device.

ONAGER; a catapult that stores its energy to Chuck a Pumpkin in one-armed torsion device, with or without sling.

TREBUCHET; a catapult that stores its energy to Chuck a Pumpkin in a massive counterweight on one end of an arm and a sling on the other end.

OnagerSAFETY

All machines are required to undergo and pass a safety inspection prior to being allowed to CHUCK. Safety is the paramount concern for a successful contest. Please help us to keep this fun and exciting contest safe and enjoyable for everyone.

  • Teams are to register, turn in their packets, and deliver Catapults to Impound Area between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. Saturday. After check-in, catapults are to be erected by NOON. Catapults removed from the CHUCKING & Impound Areas will be disqualified.
  • All team members must complete and execute a Damages and Injury Liability Waiver Form. Team Member Forms are to be turned in with Team Registrations. Team Member will not be allowed in the CHUCKING AREA without an executed waiver. Parent or Legal Guardian of Team Members under 18 years of age must complete and execute a Damages and Injury Liability Waiver Form for Team Members under 18 to participate. Each team is required to submit a list of names of Team Members, the Captain and Adult Leaders with Registration on September 25th or 26th so that all Safety Passes may be issued. No substitution of Team Members will be allowed after the Safety Meeting Saturday September 25th.
  • TrebuchetThe mandatory Safety Meeting will be held at NOON on Saturday September 25th. Any team member failing to attend the meeting will not be allowed in the CHUCKING Area during CHUCKING. All Adult Leader and Captains must also attend. No exceptions.
  • Safety inspection and test CHUCKING of all catapults is required and will be done on Saturday September 25th after safety meeting. All inspections will be scheduled by lottery at The Safety Meeting. Test CHUCKING and tuning of catapults will be allowed all day Saturday on a rotating basis (three (3) CHUCKS per set) after Safety inspections and test CHUCKING.
  • Only devices that are considered safe by the Safety Marshall will be allowed to CHUCK and participate in the competition.
  • If a catapult shall break during practice, it may be repaired on site in the Impound Area, but before it will be allowed to compete a safety inspection is required.
  • CHUCKING will only be allowed from a CHUCKING Area with a Range Marshall Present.
  • Once a Catapult is inspected, deemed safe and approved to participate by the Safety Marshall, the catapult shall be kept in the impound area unless test CHUCKING at the Firing Line.
  • Safety Straps, Restraining Bolts or Other Safety Mechanism will be required to remain in place at all times securing the throwing arm, when the machine is cocked until released by the Range Marshall to CHUCK. The only time the safety device is to be removed is After a Firing Horn Blast, right before CHUCKING. This restraint is to insure that no premature CHUCKING occurs. The Safety Straps, Restraining Bolts or Other Safety Mechanism shall be designed or constructed with sufficient strength to insure against misfires or premature Chucking.
  • A Safety Zone around the catapult on the firing line shall be established, from the firing line back 40 ft, 20 ft in width, 10 ft either side of the mid line of the catapult, in case there is a misfire. Only team member(s)and Range Officials will be allowed inside this Safety Zone when Catapult is being prepared to CHUCK. The Safety Zone is to be cleared and all team members accounted for behind the Safety Shield before the Safety Straps, Restraining Bolts or Other Safety Mechanisms are removed. No team members may be inside the safety zone after the Safety Straps, Restraining Bolts or Other Safety Mechanisms are released, except for the Team Member operating the trigger lanyard.
  • Safety Straps, Restraining Bolts or Other Safety Mechanism shall not be removed or be released until the CHUCKING warning Blast is sounded by the Range Marshall.
  • The team member designated to operate trigger lanyard shall activate the Trigger and CHUCK the Pumpkin within 10 seconds of Range Marshal sounding the all clear Blast. If the pumpkin is not CHUCKED the Marshall shall sound two short blasts and the Safety Straps, Restraining Bolts or Other Safety Mechanism shall be reapplied.
  • Only team members are allowed inside fence during testing, tuning and the contest.
  • Spectators may view the un-cocked safely displayed machines in the impound areas or view the CHUCKING from the Grandstands.
  • Team members handling ropes, chains and cables or working on or otherwise operating the machine shall wear gloves, safety eyewear and hard hats.
  • Catapults shall not be cocked when in the impound area. NO DRY FIRING!
  • When levers, block & tackle, come-a-longs, wenches or other mechanical cranking devices are used to cock the catapult, the mechanical device shall have either an automatic brake or dog lock.
  • Pumpkin Chuck Set-upSpectators shall only be allowed in Grandstands and Impound Area to insure that no one will get injured from throwing arms, misfires, and pumpkin shards. ONLY team members and Official will be allowed in the Launch Area. Only Team Members are allowed in the Firing Areas and corresponding Safety Zones. > View enlarged image of grounds set-up.

PLEASE HELP US KEEP THE OPERATION OF THE MACHINES AND THE CONTEST SAFE.

CATAPULT RESTICTIONS

  1. No gun type designs, no gas, liquid, solid or explosive propelants may be used. No flywheel, no hydraulic, no engine or motor powered or loaded designs will be allowed to participate. Decisions of the Safety Officer are final.
  2. Catapult’s base dimension may not exceed 8 feet wide (measured perpendicular the line of Chuck) by 20 feet long ( measured through the center of the catapult parallel line of Chuck)
  3. Catapult must be movable by the members of its team without the use of a motorized tow vehicle (man power only). Teams may use trailers and dollies to place the catapult for Chucking. Catapults must be staked at four points ( prefer four corners) before Chucking. No guy-wire or cable stabilization, all staking must be attached directly to base frame.
  4. Catapults shall have a trigger with at least an 8’ lanard to actuate the trigger to initiate (fire) the catapult.
  5. No team shall be allowed to CHUCK until given an all clear order from the Range Marshall.

OBJECT OF COMPETITION

The competition is one of CONSISTENCY, DISTANCE and ACCURACY.

  1. For OPEN CLASS and HIGH SCHOOL CLASS, the Distance to the Target is 500 feet with over Chucks longer than 550 feet scoring zero points. The Target will be 10 feet in Diameter and will be anchored on Fancher Lake. Each team will get three ( 3) initial Chucks in the competition and will receive points for each CHUCK based on 100 pts for a direct hit (not on a skip) and a loss of two (-2) points for each foot away from the target where the pumpkin comes to rest floating on the water. Disintegrated pumpkins and parts of pumpkins will be scored as zero (0). Pumpkins must float on the water to be scored unless the pumpkin hits the target, in which case the hit on the fly will score 100, and the hit on a skip will score 90 if the pumpkin breaks. Pumpkins that remain in one piece will be scored on distance. The combination of the three (3) CHUCK scores will be the Teams Total Score. The Team with the highest cumulative score shall win the Class.
  2. For YOUTH CLASS, the Distance to the Target is 250 feet with over CHUCKS longer than 350 feet scoring zero points. The Target will be 10 ft in Diameter and will be anchored on Fancher Lake. Each team will get three (3) initial CHUCKS in the competition and will receive points based on 100 pts for a direct hit (not on a skip) and a loss of two (-2) points for each foot away from the target where the pumpkin comes to rest floating on the water. Disintegrated pumpkins and parts of pumpkins will be scored as zero (0). Pumpkins must float on the water to be scored unless the pumpkin hits the target, in which case the hit on the fly will score 100, and the hit on a skip will score 90 if the pumpkin breaks. Pumpkin that remains in one piece the pumpkin will be scored on distance. The combination of the three (3) Chucks will be the Teams Total Score. The Team with the highest cumulative score shall win the Class.

    3. COMPETITION RULES

    1. Competition Firing Order shall be drawn by lottery
    2. PUMPKINS Approved for CHUCKING will be supplied by HARVESTBRIDGEFEST. The pumpkins provided may not be modified.
    3. Each team shall have 10 minutes to set their Catapult in the Firing Area behind the Firing Line, including placing the 4 stakes.
    4. Once Catapult is deemed set, the Team shall have 3 minutes to Cock, aim and declare ready to CHUCK.
    5. The Team Captain shall declare the Catapult ready to CHUCK to the Range Marshall only after all team members are Clear and accounted for behind the Safety Shield.
    6. Upon confirmation of:
      1. ALL CLEAR
      2. READY TO CHUCK
      3. THE RANGE MARSHALL SHALL SOUND A BLAST ON THE RANGE HORN
      4. THE SAFETY STRAPS, RESTRAINING BOLT, OR OTHER APPROVED SAFETY MECHANISM SHALL BE REMOVED.
      5. AFTER REMOVAL THE DESIGNATED TEAM MEMBER WILL HAVE 10 SECONDS TO CHUCK THE PUMPKIN.
      6. Officials shall score the CHUCK.
      7. The Range Marshall shall then blow the all clear whistle and the Team shall have 3 minute to prepare to CHUCK its next pumpkin.
      8. After three (3) CHUCKS the Team shall have 5 minutes from the sounding of the all clear whistle to clear the Firing Area. A bonus of 20 points shall be awarded for clearing the Firing area timely.
      9. The Team with the highest composite score in each class shall be declared the winner of the Class.
      10. In the case of a tie if time permits the Teams can each prepare to CHUCK one more Pumpkin, or agree to split the prize money.

    > DOWNLOAD APPLICATION HERE

    GOOD LUCK !
 

 
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