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EVERY YEAR, TEAMS FROM AROUND THE U.S. POUR THEIR BLOOD...
WHOO!
...SWEAT...
I'M DEAD!
...AND TEARS...
OH, GOSH.
...INTO COMPETING AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF PUNKIN CHUNKIN.
HO! HO! HO!
Belleci: AND BEHIND EVERY HOMEMADE PUMPKIN-FIRING MACHINE
ARE DEDICATED TEAMS WORKING DAY AND NIGHT
IN THE QUEST FOR GLORY.
Imahara: THESE BACKYARD ENGINEERS SPEND COUNTLESS HOURS
PUSHING THE LIMITS OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.
TONIGHT ON "ROAD TO PUNKIN CHUNKIN,"
BRAND-NEW TREBUCHET TEAM CHUNKWORKS
FIGHTS A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK...
LET'S UNVEIL THE RAW CHUNKWORKS AS IT STANDS TODAY.
[ CRICKETS CHIRP ]
Byron: ...WHILE TEENAGE TREBUCHET TEAM WHOMPING WILLOW
SETS OUT TO CHANGE THE FUTURE OF PUNKIN CHUNKIN.
WE WANT TO SCARE THE ADULTS.
AND TORSION TEAM ROMAN REVENGE
UNVEILS A BREAKTHROUGH INNOVATION
THEY'RE CONVINCED IS FINALLY GOING TO WIN THEM
A CHAMPIONSHIP.
Jordan: IF YOU DO THE MATH BEHIND WHAT WE'VE DONE,
NO MACHINE IN HISTORY SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT US.
IF THERE'S ONE THING THAT THESE THREE TEAMS KNOW,
IT'S THAT THE ROAD TO PUNKIN CHUNKIN IS NEVER EASY.
WHOO!
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
PUNKIN CHUNKIN IS A UNIQUE, ALL-AMERICAN FESTIVAL
WHERE LARGER-THAN-LIFE CHARACTERS...
WHOO-HOO-HOO-HOO!
YE-E-E-AH!
...INNOVATION...
WHOA!
...AND ENGINEERING ARE PITCHED TOWARDS ONE GOAL...
...THROWING A PUMPKIN FURTHER THAN ANYONE ELSE.
IT IS A PASTIME STEEPED IN HISTORY.
BUT EVERY YEAR, NEW PIONEERS STEP FORWARD
SEEKING TO REWRITE THE RULES OF CHUNKIN INNOVATION.
THIS YEAR, IN THE TREBUCHET DIVISION,
PATRICK IMLAY FROM DAYTON, OHIO, IS HOPING TO BE ONE OF THEM.
WORLD-RECORD -- THAT'S OUR DRAMA.
Byron: UNTIL RECENTLY,
PATRICK WAS CAPTAIN OF TREBUCHET TEAM AMERICAN CHUCKER.
Imlay: WITH AMERICAN CHUCKER, SO FAR, WE'VE COME IN SECOND AND THIRD,
AND THOSE ARE BOTH HIGH-LEVEL LOSERS IN MY MIND.
I WANTED TO TRY A DIFFERENT DESIGN, A NEW DESIGN,
THAT I FEEL LIKE CAN WIN.
Byron: SO PATRICK CLEARED THE DECKS TO START AGAIN
WITH A TEAM MADE UP OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERS
FROM THE MILITARY INDUSTRY.
FOR SOME PEOPLE, CHUNKIN IS PART OF THEIR SOUL.
THAT'S JUST HOW WE OPERATE.
WE HAVE PETE HENDRICKS, OUR MAIN WELDER AND FAB --
"THE ANIMAL."
WE HAVE KEN "MOONLIGHT" NAIRN.
WE HAVE TIM GREENE, WHO'S A MACHINE HEAD.
LET'S GO!
I'M THE CHIEF CHUNKER.
Byron: HAVING FOUND BRAVE NEW SOLDIERS TO LEAD HIM TO FIRST PLACE,
PATRICK KNEW HE NEEDED A BRAVE NEW IDEA.
THE WAY THE FIELD
IS CONSTANTLY STEPPING IT UP AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP,
YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING INNOVATIVE.
OTHERWISE, YOU'RE NOT GONNA COME HOME WITH A TROPHY.
Byron: PATRICK SET ABOUT DESIGNING
WHAT HE BELIEVES IS THE TREBUCHET OF THE FUTURE --
CHUNKWORKS.
Imlay: I WOULD SAY THAT CHUNKWORKS, THE WAY WE'VE DESIGNED IT,
IS GONNA CHANGE THE FACE OF TREBUCHETS.
CHUNKWORKS WILL BE ABOUT 25 FEET TALL, 21-FOOT ARM,
2,500 POUNDS OF COUNTERWEIGHT -- NICE, LITTLE PACKAGE.
Byron: BUT WITH JUST OVER A MONTH TO GO UNTIL THE CHUNK,
THIS TEAM OF ENGINEERS IS STILL STUCK IN THE TESTING PHASE.
Imlay: WE STARTED OFF WITH SOFTWARE MODELING.
WE THEN WENT TO 112th-SCALE MODEL THAT'S TWO-DIMENSIONAL
TO BE ABLE TO DO THE DISPLACEMENT ANALYSIS.
THEN WE'RE USING THIS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR DESIGN
IS ACTUALLY GONNA PERFORM WHEN WE BUILD THE FULL-SIZE MACHINE.
THIS IS OUR JUNIOR CHUNKWORKS.
Byron: JUNIOR CHUNKWORKS WILL ALLOW PATRICK AND HIS TEAMS
TO TEST THE DESIGN
BEFORE COMMITTING IT TO 7,000 POUNDS OF STEEL.
FOLKS, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.
THESE ARE UNPAID, UNTRAINED CHUNKIN PROFESSIONALS
THAT REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
Byron: THE CENTERPIECE OF CHUNKWORKS' DESIGN
IS A LINKAGE SYSTEM AT THE TOP OF THE MACHINE
THAT ALLOWS THE THROWING ARM TO RELEASE THE PUMPKIN
FURTHER FORWARD AND FASTER THAN A TRADITIONAL TREBUCHET.
WITH MOST TREBUCHETS,
THE ARM STOPS ACCELERATING AT THIS POINT.
WITH CHUNKWORKS, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO ACCELERATE
AND GO BEYOND THAT POINT.
Byron: THIS LINKAGE SYSTEM EFFECTIVELY FUNCTIONS AS A GEARBOX,
ALLOWING THE MACHINE TO START WITH SLOW MOVEMENT
AND PICK UP SPEED, LIKE A MANUAL SHIFT FOR A CAR OR BICYCLE.
SO, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THIS SHAPE IS,
DURING THE ROTATION OF THE THROW,
WE'RE STARTING WITH THE SLOW GEAR,
ENDING WITH THE FAST GEAR.
AT THE CRITICAL POINT OF THE PUMPKIN'S RELEASE,
CHUNKWORKS' THROWING ARM
IS TRAVELING THREE TIMES QUICKER THAN A NORMAL TREBUCHET.
IF PATRICK AND HIS TEAM CAN GET IT RIGHT,
THEY BELIEVE THEY WILL BE NUMBER ONE IN THEIR FIRST YEAR.
BUT THERE'S A LONG WAY TO GO.
LET'S UNVEIL THE RAW CHUNKWORKS AS IT STANDS TODAY.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE QUITE A BIT OF WORK TO DO.
RIGHT NOW, IT'S 39 DAYS TO THE CHUNK.
I SEEM TO HAVE AN ISSUE WITH SCHEDULES.
OUR VISIONARY LEADER HAS GREAT IDEAS
BUT NO TIME-MANAGEMENT SKILLS AT ALL.
Byron: TODAY, THEY BEGIN YET ANOTHER TESTING PHASE.
Imlay: WE'RE GONNA DO A SERIES OF TESTS
WHERE WE'RE GONNA VARY THE SHAPE OF THE LINKAGE
TO THEN COME UP WITH THE OPTIMAL DESIGN.
Byron: THE TEAM IS OUTFITTING THE TEST MODEL
WITH DEVICES TO MEASURE ACCELERATION FORCES.
SO WE HAVE THREE ACCELEROMETERS THAT WE'LL PUT ON THE MACHINE,
AND THEN WE CAN SEE, AS THE THROW IS OCCURRING,
HOW THE WEIGHT PACKAGE IS ACCELERATING,
HOW THE ARM IS ACCELERATING,
AND HOW MUCH FORCE THE FRAME IS TAKING.
CHUNKWORKS IS ABOUT TO FIND OUT IF THEIR UNORTHODOX TREBUCHET
IS THE DESIGN OF THE FUTURE OR DESTINED FOR THE SCRAP YARD.
Byron: PATRICK IMLAY AND HIS TEAM OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERS
ARE ATTEMPTING TO REVOLUTIONIZE
THE PUNKIN CHUNKIN TREBUCHET DIVISION.
AND TODAY IS THE MOMENT OF TRUTH FOR THEIR NEW DESIGN.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS LIKE BUSTING OPEN A CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE,
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE SENDING THE SHIP TO SAIL.
YOU MODEL IT IN SOFTWARE.
IT DOESN'T MEAN IT REALLY IS GONNA WORK THAT WAY.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERNS THERE.
THIS IS THE INAUGURAL CHUNK FOR CHUNKWORKS.
ALL RIGHT. GO, BOYS.
[ CHEERS ]
Byron: CHUNKWORKS JUNIOR SENDS THE PUMPKIN FLYING 400 FEET.
IF SCALED UP TO THE SIZE OF THE REAL MACHINE,
THE SHOT WOULD'VE GONE 2,000 FEET.
AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW,
2,500 LOOKS LIKE JUST A PIECE OF CAKE.
WE'RE YAWNING.
THIS IS A NO-BRAINER.
YEAH. 3,000, NO PROBLEM.
5,000.
5,000.
DO I HEAR 6,000? SIX, SIX, SIX, SIX, SIX, SIX.
Byron: BUT IT'S THE INFORMATION FROM THE ACCELEROMETERS
THAT THE TEAM IS REALLY INTERESTED IN.
WE'RE SEEING THAT WE NEED TO CHANGE THE PROFILE OF THE CAM,
SO WE DECREASE THE G's ON THE WEIGHT BAR
TO PUT MORE ENERGY INTO THE PUMPKIN.
Imlay: I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT ON.
GETTING THE DATA, CRUNCHING THE DATA,
IS ESSENTIAL FOR US TO BE ABLE TO MAKE GOOD DECISIONS
ABOUT WHAT TO DO NEXT.
Byron: BUT WITH THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND NO MACHINE BUILT,
WILL THE TEAM'S QUEST FOR PERFECTION BE THEIR DOWNFALL?
WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF CALCULATING TO DO.
WE KICKED *** OUT THERE, MAN.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT 39 DAYS TO THE CHUNK.
SO LET'S LIST OUT WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO.
WE'VE GOT TO BUILD THE TOWER.
282 MAN HOURS.
WE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF WORK TO DO.
JUST A TINY BIT.
Byron: BUT THESE AEROSPACE ENGINEERS
AREN'T LOOKING BACK IN PURSUIT OF PUNKIN CHUNKIN GLORY.
Imlay: THERE'S TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT.
YOU CAN PLAY IT SAFE, OR YOU CAN TAKE THE RISK.
WITH CHUNKIN, YOU GOT TO GO A STEP FARTHER
THAN EVERYBODY ELSE.
CHUNKWORKS IS GONNA BE THE TEAM BREAKING THE RECORD.
THE PUNKIN CHUNKIN BATTLEFIELD IS FULL OF GRIZZLED VETERANS.
BUT IN THE YOUTH DIVISION...
FRESH-FACED CHUNKIN PRODIGIES
ARE ITCHING TO SERVE THEIR ELDER STATESMEN NOTICE.
GALEN, GO GET THAT OTHER CINDER BLOCK.
MY NAME IS GALEN KIRKPATRICK,
AND I AM THE CAPTAIN OF TEAM WHOMPING WILLOW.
MY NAME IS HASTINGS GREER,
AND I AM THE SCOTTIE OF TEAM WHOMPING WILLOW.
WHILE THEIR CLASSMATES MIGHT BE AT THE MALL...
OWW.
...17-YEAR-OLD HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS
GALEN AND HASTINGS LIKE TO SPEND THEIR TIME
A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.
Hastings: OUR WHOLE TEAM IS SORT OF A UNIT AT SCHOOL.
LIKE, WE GO AND HAVE "STAR TREK"-WATCHING PARTIES.
WE HANG OUT AND TALK ABOUT NERDY STUFF.
WE ALL PLAY RANDOM CHESS VARIANTS.
[ LAUGHTER ]
RIGHT NOW, SAVING THE STARSHIP ENTERPRISE
HAS BEEN PUT ON THE BACK BURNER,
AND ALL THEIR SPARE TIME IS SPENT BUILDING THEIR TREBUCHET.
I DON'T WANT YOU TO CATCH ON FIRE.
WE'RE NUTS.
THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL TEENAGER ACTIVITY.
WHOMPING WILLOW ISN'T THE BOYS' FIRST FORAY
INTO THE WORLD OF PUNKIN CHUNKIN.
HASTINGS' DAD IS TREY GREER,
CAPTAIN OF TREBUCHET TEAM FIRST IN FRIGHT
AND VETERAN OF FIVE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.
Hastings: YEAH, I THINK, IN SOME WAYS,
I DID CATCH THE BUG OF TREBUCHETS FROM MY DAD.
AFTER A WHILE, I SAID, "I WANT ONE."
Byron: FOR THIS YEAR'S CHUNK,
THESE HIGH ACHIEVERS SET THEMSELVES THE TASK
OF BUILDING A MACHINE TO BLITZ THE COMPETITION.
THIS YEAR IS BASICALLY A CLEAN SLATE.
WE'VE GOT A WHOLE NEW MACHINE.
NOT JUST ANY NEW MACHINE.
WHEN COMPLETED, WHOMPING WILLOW WILL BE 13 FEET HIGH, ALL STEEL,
AND DROP A WHOMPING 5,000 POUNDS OF COUNTERWEIGHT.
BUT FOR NOW, THEY'RE WORKING WITH A SCALED-DOWN PROTOTYPE
TO TEST THEIR FRESHMAN DESIGN.
HASTINGS AND GALEN HAVE BASED THEIR MACHINE
AROUND WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS A GAME-CHANGING INNOVATION --
SOMETHING NEVER BEFORE SEEN AT THE CHUNK.
THERE'S THREE WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A TREBUCHET POWERFUL.
YOU CAN MAKE IT EFFICIENT,
YOU CAN GIVE IT A WHOLE LOT OF COUNTERWEIGHT.
YOU CAN DROP THE COUNTERWEIGHT REALLY FAR.
THERE'S ALWAYS A TRADE-OFF,
AND I WAS LOOKING FOR A WAY TO CHEAT THAT SYSTEM.
AND I FOUND IT WITH THIS FLYING WEIGHT.
UNLIKE A CONVENTIONAL TREBUCHET WITH ONE MAIN COUNTERWEIGHT,
WHOMPING WILLOW HAS A SECOND, SMALLER WEIGHT
ATTACHED TO ITS ARM ON A LONG ROPE.
THE PROJECTILE GETS GOING CRAZY FAST,
ALMOST LIKE A WHIP CRACKING.
THAT WHIPPING ACTION OF THE FLYING WEIGHT
ALLOWS 70% OF THE ENERGY
TO BE TRANSFERRED DIRECTLY INTO THE PUMPKIN,
GIVING THEM FIVE TIMES MORE POWER
THAN A CONVENTIONAL TREBUCHET.
WE HOPE THAT IT WILL SET A NEW RECORD IN THE YOUTH DIVISION
AND POSSIBLY HIT THE 2,000-FOOT MARK.
WE WANT TO SCARE THE ADULTS.
LIKE GOOD TECHIES,
THEY TURN TO A COMPUTER SIMULATOR TO VERIFY THEIR IDEA.
Kirkpatrick: HERE'S THE PROJECTILE.
HERE'S THE WEIGHT.
THERE'S OUR COUNTERWEIGHT AND OUR ARM.
STARTS TO COME AROUND.
COUNTERWEIGHT HITS THE BOTTOM.
FLYING WEIGHT COMES OVER THE TOP.
THE PROJECTILE WOULD HAVE RELEASED BY NOW.
AND THEN THE FLYING WEIGHT IMPACTS THE GROUND.
BUT 50 POUNDS OF STEEL
FLYING 40 FEET IN THE AIR AT HIGH SPEED
POSES AN INHERENT DANGER THAT HAS HASTINGS AND GALEN WORRIED.
THE FLYING WEIGHT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT'S MOVING THAT FAST,
BUT IN REAL LIFE, IT'S GOING ABOUT 55 MILES AN HOUR.
Kirkpatrick: WHEN THE FLYING WEIGHT MOVES OVER THE TOP,
IT'S ACTUALLY MOVING FASTER --
IT'S MOVING AROUND 80 MILES AN HOUR.
Trey: IF THESE GUYS SHOW UP IN DELAWARE
WITHOUT HAVING ANY PRACTICE SHOTS BEHIND THEM,
THAT IS GOING TO BE TERRIFYING.
Byron: ONLY PUTTING THEIR DESIGN TO THE TEST
WILL TELL THEM IF THEY'VE CREATED
A PUNKIN CHUNKIN GAME CHANGER OR A LETHAL SLEDGEHAMMER.
Man: THREE, TWO, ONE.
Byron: TEENAGE WUNDERKIND GALEN KIRKPATRICK
AND HASTINGS GREER
THINK THEY CAN REVOLUTIONIZE THE TREBUCHET DIVISION
WITH THEIR NEW MACHINE, WHOMPING WILLOW.
BUT THE CORNERSTONE OF THEIR DESIGN
IS A 50-POUND FLYING WEIGHT
THAT WILL TRAVEL 40 FEET IN THE AIR AT 80 MILES AN HOUR.
THAT FLYING WEIGHT'S GONNA BE PANTS-POOPINGLY TERRIFYING.
Kirkpatrick: WE BUILT THIS DESIGN
SO THAT WE COULD WORK OUT SOME OF THE DESIGN KINKS
THAT YOU ALWAYS GET WITH ANY NEW MACHINE
ON A SMALLER SCALE THAT'S LESS LIKELY TO KILL PEOPLE.
ALL RIGHT, YOU GUYS THINK THIS WILL WORK?
Man: OF COURSE IT WILL.
SIREN!
[ SIREN WAILS ]
Hastings: WHERE'D IT GO?
Byron: THE TEAM BELIEVES THE PROJECTILE HAS FLOWN
APPROXIMATELY 250 FEET.
BUT IT'S THE DEBRIS LEFT IN ITS WAKE
THEY ARE MOST WORRIED ABOUT.
Kirkpatrick: WE JUST KARATE-CHOPPED A CINDER BLOCK.
THE FLYING WEIGHT HAS CAUSED A SUPPORT BLOCK
LEFT IN THE LINE OF FIRE TO CRUMBLE.
SO, THAT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THE FLYING WEIGHT.
AND WHEN THIS IS 50 POUNDS INSTEAD OF 2 POUNDS,
THAT'S GONNA BE PRETTY DRAMATIC.
A 50-POUND WEIGHT COULD CAUSE SOME PROBLEMS.
I THINK WE MIGHT NEED TO GET A BIGGER PIT.
OH, YEAH.
OH, IT'S TERRIFYING.
Byron: DESPITE SAFETY CONCERNS,
THE TEAM HAS HIGH HOPES FOR THEIR DESIGN.
WE WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!
WELL, THE WAY I SEE IS THAT THIS IS A LOT LESS DANGEROUS
THAN WHAT THEY COULD BE DOING.
WE'VE HAD A FEW MINOR THINGS.
WE'VE HAD ONE TRIP TO THE DOCTOR,
BUT IT TURNED OUT OKAY.
THEY'VE GOT HARD HATS. THEY'VE GOT FIRST AID.
THEY'VE GOT PEOPLE SAYING,
"NO, MOVE THE WIRE OVER TO THAT SIDE."
Byron: UNDER THE WATCHFUL EYES OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS,
A LOT OF WELDING AND GRINDING
STANDS BETWEEN THE TEENS AND THEIR RECORD-BREAKING DREAMS.
I THINK ANY MOTHER WOULD GIVE HER HEART AND SOUL
FOR KIDS TO BE SO DEVOTED TO SOMETHING
THAT IS SO MEANINGFUL TO THEM.
Trey: THEY'RE PUTTING EVERYTHING THEY GOT INTO IT,
AND I THINK THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE
THAT THEY'RE GONNA WALK AWAY WITH IT ALL.
BUT WE'LL SEE.
WE ARE QUITE BEHIND,
AND WE'RE PUSHING VERY HARD TO GET EVERYTHING DONE.
OH, GOD. THAT'S ON FIRE.
Hastings: THIS MACHINE WILL FIRE AT THE PUNKIN CHUNKIN.
I GUARANTEE YOU.
THE COUNTERWEIGHT IS DROPPING,
AND THE PUMPKIN'S GOING SOMEWHERE.
AS I FOUND OUT LAST YEAR,
THE TORSION DIVISION IS AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY
OF RAW MECHANICAL POWER...
YEAH!
...WITH THE PERSONALITIES TO MATCH.
THAT'S WHAT TORSION IS ALL ABOUT!
AAAAH!
BY DAY, KIM MOORE IS A SUBURBAN VETERINARIAN IN NORTH CAROLINA.
ALL RIGHT, GOOD GIRL.
BUT IN HIS SPARE TIME, HE TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW PERSONA.
[ DOG WHIMPERS ]
AS A VET, MY UNIFORM IS A LAB COAT.
AS A PUNKIN CHUNKER, MY UNIFORM IS A ROMAN HELMET.
Byron: FOR SEVEN YEARS, KIM AND HIS SON, JORDAN,
HAVE BEEN ENGAGED IN A BLOODY BATTLE
FOR TORSION-CATAPULT GLORY.
Kim: I'M A WARRIOR, SO I HAVE A BATTLE CRY.
ARR! ARR! ARR! ARR! ARR! ARR! ARR! ARR! ARR!
TO SAY THAT THIS IS A SECOND JOB FOR MY DAD
IS PROBABLY NOT AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
Byron: TEAM ROMAN REVENGE HAS HAD TO SETTLE FOR SECOND BEST
MORE THAN THEY'D CARE TO REMEMBER.
Jordan: WE PUT OUR HEART AND SOUL INTO THIS MACHINE,
AND IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO BE JUST A LITTLE BIT LESS
THAN WHAT'S NECESSARY TO WIN.
IN 2010, CHUCKY BEAT US BY 11 FEET.
I MEAN, IT WAS HEART-BREAKING.
OH!
I SIMPLY STOPPED SAYING THEIR NAME,
'CAUSE IT'S BAD HOODOO FOR ME.
Byron: DESPITE VICTORY BEING SNATCHED FROM THEM COUNTLESS TIMES,
KIM REMAINS COMMITTED
TO THE TRADITIONAL DESIGN OF A TORSION CATAPULT.
ONE OF THE THINGS I'M REALLY MOST PROUD OF WITH ROMAN REVENGE
IS THAT WE ARE A PURE CATAPULT.
Byron: TORSION CATAPULTS GET THEIR POWER FROM TWISTED ROPE.
THE THROWING ARM IS PLACED IN WHAT'S CALLED A ROPE BUNDLE.
WHEN THE ARM IS WINCHED BACK,
IT PRODUCES THOUSANDS OF FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE,
WHICH PROPELS THE ARM FORWARD.
IN RECENT YEARS, PUNKIN CHUNKIN HAS SEEN THE DEVELOPMENT
OF COMPOUND TORSION CATAPULTS
THAT DEVIATE FROM TRADITIONAL DESIGNS.
WE DON'T HAVE CABLES AND CAMS AND PULLEYS.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
A LONGBOW AND A COMPOUND BOW.
YOU KNOW, ANYBODY CAN PULL A COMPOUND BOW.
IT TAKES A REAL MAN TO PULL A LONGBOW.
Byron: BUT THIS YEAR,
KIM AND JORDAN THINK THEY'VE FOUND A WAY
TO BRING THEIR MACHINE INTO THE 21st CENTURY
WHILE STAYING TRUE TO THEIR PURIST ROOTS.
YOU READY, DAD?
Kim: WE HAVE QUITE A LAUNDRY LIST
OF IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE'VE MADE FROM LAST YEAR.
WE STRENGTHENED OUR FRONT CROSSBEAM.
WE'VE STRENGTHENED OUR PERSUADER.
WE'VE PUT IN A NEW WINCH.
Byron: KIM AND JORDAN'S NEW WINCH
CAN HOLD 50% MORE TENSION, OR TORQUE,
THAN THEIR PREVIOUS WINCH.
THE CAPABILITY OF THIS WINCH
IS ACTUALLY ON THE ORDER OF 360,000 FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE.
WHICH, JUST TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE,
MY DIESEL F-250 SUPER DUTY
HAS SOMETHING ON THE ORDER OF 700 FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE
FROM ITS ENGINE.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE.
BUT KIM AND JORDAN BELIEVE ONE INNOVATION
WILL CHANGE PUNKIN CHUNKIN FOREVER.
IT IS JUST GONNA BE THE MOST AWESOME PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY
THAT ANYBODY IN CATAPULTING HAS EVER SEEN.
[ CROWD CHEERING ]
ALL RIGHT, FIRE IN THE HOLE!
Byron: AFTER FINISHING IN SECOND PLACE TO TEAM CHUCKY
OVER AND OVER AGAIN,
TORSION TEAM ROMAN REVENGE HAS PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS
IN HOPE OF FINALLY CLAIMING PUNKIN CHUNKIN GLORY.
THE SACRIFICES MY DAD MAKES FOR THIS CATAPULT
IS ASTRONOMICAL.
AH, SHOOT.
Byron: THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF FATHER AND SON
NOW REST ON A HIGH-TECH INNOVATION
THAT'S BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING.
WE HAVE OUR NEW THROWING ARM UNDER CONSTRUCTION,
AND THIS, WE FEEL, IS A GAME CHANGER.
IT'S BEEN ENGINEERED, LITERALLY, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.
THIS IS AN ALUMINUM BASE
THAT WE'VE MATED TO A CARBON-FIBER TUBE.
THE STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO OF CARBON FIBER
IS APPROXIMATELY FIVE TIMES HIGHER THAN ALUMINUM.
LOOK AT THIS.
I CAN PICK THIS THING UP MYSELF.
YOU KNOW?
THAT'S PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.
THE REASON THAT'S BENEFICIAL
IS SORT OF ANALOGOUS TO SWINGING A GOLF CLUB
VERSUS SWINGING A BASEBALL BAT.
SO THE LIGHTER IT IS, ESPECIALLY OUT AT YOUR EXTREME DISTANCES,
THE EASIER IT IS TO DO.
HELLO IN THERE!
HELLO UP THERE!
ACCORDING TO ENGINEERING STUDENT JORDAN'S CALCULATIONS...
Jordan:...WHICH SIMPLIFIES TO THE RADIUS SQUARED
TIMES THE DENSITY.
...ROMAN REVENGE'S NEW ARM
WILL MOVE FIVE TIMES FASTER THAN THEIR PREVIOUS ARM.
MULTIPLY THE SPEED OF THE PUMPKIN
AT 600 MILES AN HOUR TIMES 5,
YOU'RE TALKING A 3,000-MILE-PER-HOUR PROJECTILE.
Kim: I JUST DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY OUT THERE
THAT'S GONNA BE ABLE TO COMPETE WITH US.
BUT NOW THEY NEED TO PROVE IT.
Kim: WE'RE INTO LUNCHTIME NOW.
OH!
Jordan: IT HASN'T MOVED YET.
WE HAVE A LONGER ARM, WE HAVE A LIGHTER ARM,
AND A DESIGN THAT HAS NEVER ACTUALLY BEEN DONE BEFORE.
SO JUST A FEW THINGS.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
TWO, YOU'RE IN.
NICE TO HAVE SOME HELP.
WE HAVE PUT COUNTLESS HOURS
OF TIME AND EFFORT AND DEDICATION
INTO CREATING, DESIGNING, BUILDING THIS THROWING ARM,
SO IT'S A BIG DEAL.
ALL RIGHT, SAFETY OFF.
INAUGURAL THROW!
FIRE IN THE HOLE!
IN THREE, TWO, ONE.
OH, MY GOD!
WHOO!
DID YOU SEE THAT?!
DID YOU SEE THAT?!
THAT WAS AWESOME.
WHOO!
ROMAN REVENGE!
Byron: WITH THEIR ROPE BUNDLE TWISTED
TO ONLY 25% OF ITS POTENTIAL POWER...
KIM AND JORDAN ESTIMATE
THE MACHINE HAS THROWN THE PUMPKIN 3,000 FEET --
ONLY A FEW HUNDRED FEET OFF THEIR PERSONAL BEST.
NOW, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!
MOST IMPORTANTLY,
THEIR BRAND-NEW CARBON-FIBER ALUMINUM ARM DIDN'T FLINCH.
WE JUST PROVED
EVERYTHING THAT WE WANTED TO PROVE WITH THAT THROW.
THEY'RE SO CONFIDENT,
THEY'RE NOT JUST SETTING THEIR SIGHTS
ON FIRST PLACE OF THE TORSION DIVISION.
THEY'RE GOING AFTER THE AIR CANNONS.
Kim: OUR COMPETITION ISN'T THAT OTHER TEAM.
IT'S THE AIR CANNONS.
WHEN WE CRACK THE 4,000-FOOT BARRIER,
WE'RE A FORCE TO CONTEND WITH.
IF YOU DO THE MATH BEHIND WHAT WE'VE DONE,
NO MACHINE IN HISTORY SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT US.
I'M NEVER GONNA SETTLE FOR SECOND PLACE.
I'M GONNA KEEP DRIVING.
I'M GONNA KEEP PUSHING.
WE'RE GONNA KEEP GOING AFTER IT.
WHOO!
Byron: THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
TO PUNKIN CHUNKIN 2012 HAS BEGUN.
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, TEAMS ARE RACING THE CLOCK...
OH, GOD. THAT'S ON FIRE.
...PUTTING THE FINISHING TOUCHES ON THEIR MACHINES.
Wayne: BACKWARDS! TURN IT AROUND!
Man: OH, THAT WAS HORRIBLE.
Byron: THE SACRIFICES ARE GREAT.
THE REWARDS, EVEN GREATER.
WHOO!
GET READY, AMERICA.
FIRE IN THE HOLE!
THIS IS GOING TO BE EPIC.
[ CROWD CHEERING ]