The Pumpkin Putter returned into the Human Powered centripetal division and Kevin and Eric were eager to try out the changes we made this fall.

The putter is dropped on the ground early Thursday morning in preparation for assembly.

Kevin begins the assembly. Mr. B took so much time from the rest of the team that Kevin assembled the Putter almost entirely by himself. Thank you Kevin!

Early on Friday morning, Jeff assists Kevin on some adjustments. During modification this fall, the bike to jack-shaft box interface was strengthened, and the chain needed to be shortened. The official 'putter chain tool, however, is one only a Roger can understand.

The new Bike attachment point allows the bike to be directly bolted onto the jack-shaft box. This made the pedaling a little smoother. On Friday we shot 135 feet with the chain skipping whenever serious pressure was put on it. This was a problem that needed to be solved.

Sadly, after this shot, the pouch tore, making the machine inoperable.

Fortunately, Eric's wife Amy was around, and was able to knit us a new throwing pouch. She had originally made it the same size as the canvas pouch. When pulled on to hold the pumpkin tightly, it got long and skinny instead.

Other overnight changes included a new chain for the bike. In September, Roger had put a set of mountain bike chain-rings onto the pedal housing for the bike. These were relatively new, while the chain was old. When new chain was installed all the skipping problems were solved.

Roger prepares to Pedal the Putter. Unfortunately, the shot went straight up and nearly conked Dave on the head.

Well, the narrow pouch didn't work so well, so Amy knit us a third pouch which is much wider, and has grippy sides. This pouch worked great. Our distance still suffered over last year at a meager 142 feet, apparently the result of a bad release angle.

We were then able to throw over 140 feet, and with that, the 3rd place trophy was ours!

Additional Pages
Punkin Chunk 2005: Mista Ballista's Story	This was not Mista Ballista's worst year, but it wasn't one of our best either. The entire crew of Team Tormentum worked very hard all weekend to eek out a possible victory with all of Mista Ballista's new equipment.
Punkin Chunk 2005: Torsion Division	The Torsion Division was really rocking this year, with old favorites, and a very competitive rookie.
Punkin Chunk 2005: Pumpkin Putter's Story (This Page)	The Pumpkin Putter returned into the Human Powered centripetal division and Kevin and Eric were eager to try out the changes we made this fall.
Punkin Chunk 2005: Human Powered Centripetal Division	The Pumpkin Putter was up against our old foes from Pennsylvania this year. Despite their smiling faces, they had a goal in mind, and that goal was to defeat the Pumpkin Putter.