Is Hurling dead?

[CaptBob]

Thanks Matt, we need a forum to keep up the enthusiasm. I have noticed a marked decrease in media coverage the past couple of years. We need a good shot in the arm. I think PC needs a "reality' show that would follow several teams throughout the year, culminating with the October event. What better way to promote and advertise. We surely have enough "characters" that would be interesting to watch. Anybody know a producer that would be willing to pitch the concept to one of the channels?
yankeesiege

Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2014 3:09 pm

Hey Steve,

Good to see you have joined the forum.
The Discovery/Science folks actually had the same Reality Show idea. They did the "Road to the Chunk" as a trial for that concept. Apparently it did not make a big enough splash in the ratings to go ahead with the Punkin Chunkin reality series.

Bob

[madmattd]

Good to see all these familiar faces popping up again. Steve, Rich, Aaron, and everyone else, welcome!

[Ripcord]

No reality show? I wonder, does that mean Hurlers are too civilized to be of interest?

[CaptBob]

I think you are right Rip. We chunkers are a bit too friendly to each other, and too interested in things like raising money for charity to be of any value in a "Reality Series"!

Capt Bob

[Floivanus]

I believe that the hobby isnt dead just hanging on by a thread.
I got into trebuchets and other siege engines from watching history channel, pbs and tlc, reading castle books and playing games like age of empires, then getting online and searching for trebuchets, which took me to ripcord's place then ron's site and the catmess.

Sadly
Times change, the Catmess is gone, Ron's site all but shut down and Rip is now the thing legends are made of. The hobby is on the ropes and we honestly need something to pull us together a champion of sorts to funnel new blood here. We all had polarizing figures that pulled us in and kept us here, and the old catmess was great due to the BS-ing and updates fresh ideas and cool easy to follow graphics, not to mention the project pictures, those kept me busy for hours on end.

[Walker]

I think PC (Punkin Chunkin) needs a "reality' show that would follow several teams throughout the year, culminating with the October event. What better way to promote and advertise. We surely have enough "characters" that would be interesting to watch. Anybody know a producer that would be willing to pitch the concept to one of the channels?
yankeesiege

The Science/History channel people did that exact thing a few years ago but they did it in a single 2 hour episode on the day before the Big Show. I believe it was either the first or second "The Road to Punkin Chunkin" show that they produced.
It actually wasn't that bad except that they spent far too much time focusing on the blow tubes.

But I agree, a regular Duck Dynasty type of serial reality show could help to promote the gentle art of hurling. I would want it to be international and include the European Championships in Bikschote and the amazing Roman catapult history work done by Murray Hill.

[KerikM]

Archfiend of Afterswing here. Sorry it took so long to find this forum.
Hurling is not dead! And it won't be for some time. Consider that trebs went extinct for some centuries but some clever people brought them back... I just hope that the archives here and all the valuable knowledge they will contain, do not vanish like the last two.
I am still working on reinforcing the frame of my little Scherzer HCW, Sevara, and tuning my FAT, Sonthi. I will apprise you of progress. The former project has been dragging on as my current access to a machine shop is sparse. I hope to spectate at the Burlington and Snohomish events this fall, and might even be helping Bob P. with his onager.
I personally would prefer to see this avocation remain civilized, and with a smaller demographic, than be tainted with some "reality show" atmosphere and attract a lower common denominator. But even if the latter happens, I imagine some of us could keep the friendliness and decency mentioned by Capt. Bob in play. The community could subdivide into factions, and whether this would be a good or bad thing in the end, depends on the people involved.

[madmattd]

Good to see another familiar name finding their way over here!

I don't think BobP has found his way here. I'm curious if he's still working on that hydraulic-tensioning onager he was toying with a year or two back.

[BobP]

Hi Aaron! Hope to see you in my pit at Snohomish and/or Burlington.

Hurling is definitely NOT dead. I for one hadn't registered for this board because I didn't know about it today -- found out from RobertTheBruce. We need to spread the word! I'm going to notify KerrickM -- I know she'll be interested.

How about if I put up a sign with the URL on it at Snohomish and Burlington?

I'll post a new thread about my new onager later today.

[BobP]

Oops! I see Kerrick/Kerik is already here! See you in two weeks!