Six-year-old Jack Warner watched the fork lift hoist a pumpkin up 50 feet in the air with a twinkle in his eyes.
Splat!
That entry did not survive Ball State's first Pumpkin Drop.
"Next year, I'm gonna add four or five more parachutes," Warner said.
The pumpkin drop is a contest that rates the contestants on how well their structure protects their pumpkin from the fall. The top three survivors were awarded with cash prizes. The first place winner received $100, second place received $50 and third place received $25.
Fourteen entries from around Muncie all gathered in LaFolette Field for the Technology Education Collegiate Association Halloween contest. Four high school teams, Ball State physics and biology majors, university facilities plant members and young Warner made up some of the diverse participants in the pumpkin drop.
"The key to pumpkin protection from any height is having an understanding of physics and technological design," Scott Warner, sponsor, said.
Warner is the assistant professor of industry and technology. West Virginia University inspired Warner to bring the pumpkin drop to Ball State. He believes the event is fun, fits in with Halloween and recognizes the department of technology. He also feels it is a great opportunity for elementary education majors to learn skills they can use on students in the future.
"It encourages students to work with technological designs and materials used in engineering," says Warner.
Howell Farms also teamed with Warner to sponsor the drop. The farm, located in Middletown, donated the pumpkins for the contestants.
There were a few guidelines participants had to abide by:
* Their pumpkin had to be at least 10 inches in diameter.
* The pumpkin and its structure could not exceed 60 pounds.
* The pumpkin must free fall and the structure cannot contain any styrofoam packaging fillers.
Ties were broken based on which team used the largest pumpkin.
Jeremy Ormsby, a student at Warsaw Community High School, watched in disbelief as his pumpkin failed to withstand the impact of the 50 foot drop. His structure consisted of a barrel with tires at the top and bottom, surrounded by a layer of tightly packed foam.
"The three practice drops I did before the contest made [the pumpkin] soft," explained Ormsby.
Three teams were more successful than Ormsby. "The Green Freshmen" took home the grand prize by earning a perfect score of 50 points. Second place went to the "Graduate Techa Team." Third place was claimed by "Little Boy and Fat Man."
The winning team was made up of three freshmen from the same science class -- Nick Lee, Jason Ummel and Colton Cretcher. The three boys shared their secret to success.
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