Punkin Chunk CANCELLED.

[Walker]

The 2014 World Championship of Punkin' Chunkin" has officially been cancelled.
I am unable as yet to find a reason for their decision but there is some talk about some volunteer decision regarding the down range chasers being unsafe in the way they handle their 4-wheelers. Does that make sense to anyone?

The rumor is that all WCPC/PCA dues will be refunded.
That does not account for all the tickets, pit passes, team registrations, vender fees, whatever & etc.
These boys are in a heap of trouble.

As for me, I'm aligning myself with the Texas State Chunk which plans to launch sometime in Spring 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/320785618034475/

Good chunking and may God bless.

[madmattd]

[HoosickTony]

How sad that a lawsuit closed down such a wonderful event. My students were very pumped to try to get a machine entered into the event this year, but there was so much uncertainty that we didn't even build the machine this past summer. I hope that they will have an event next year (we are building a new machine, a ballista this time, over the winter), and I hope that someone will reply to us on the date when new groups can try to register (nobody contacted me or responded to emails until I made it over to the facebook page and asked for clarification two weeks after the first day of official registration).

Fingers crossed.

[madmattd]

[BobP]

I strongly suspect that the WCPC as we knew it is dead. Something will rise from the ashes to take its place as there are so many participants out there, but it won't be the old PCA. Too much baggage. Perhaps there will be separate events for the cannons and mechanicals. I'd hope so. Cannons blow.

I've seen some comments elsewhere describing the plaintif in the lawsuit as "greedy". He's paralyzed. There's no doubt it's partly, maybe even largely, his fault but the PCA has to bear some responsibility. Ever since the Science Channel started showing the event, I've been appalled by the unsafe operation of ATV's by the chasers. The accident was inevitable.

As for Huber, good riddance. There was a LONG discussion on the old, old, old CatMess when the PCA obtained a trademark on the term "Punkin Chunkin". He thought that gave the PCA authority to regulate all hurling of vegetables, which was not just wrong, but ridiculously wrong. And he wouldn't back down.