Pumpkins fly at first annual chuckin' contest

Pumpkins flew, but not necessarily with the greatest of ease, during Wednesday's Pumpkin Chuckin' Contest at Parker Field at Southeast Missouri State University.

The contest that pitted fraternity houses against each other was hosted by the Arrow, Southeast's student newspaper. Each fraternity used one person per round, and the one with the longest throw advanced to the finals. Those in the finals competed for the longest throw, said Olivia Snare, Arrow advertising manager.

Contestants noticed even softball-sized pumpkins proved harder to throw than they thought.

Nik Weber, president of Sigma Chi and a senior, hurled his pumpkin 134 feet to win.

"It was kind of a shock. I didn't think I was going to," Weber said. "I know there's a lot of guys who are much bigger and stronger than me. I don't really know a good method to throwing a pumpkin, so I guess I just kind of got lucky today."

He had no particular technique.

"I had no clue," Weber said. "I just kind of chucked it and prayed. I guess I had the luckiest throwing option."

He added he learned to throw discus in grade school and figured that would give him enough momentum.

He also played baseball, but didn't think going over the top with his motion would be good.

Weber won a gift card to Sign Master, a Cape Girardeau printing company, that could be used for the fraternity's annual philanthropy project. The fraternity organizes a yearly soccer tournament that raises $2,000 to $3,000 for the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Travis Grither, a junior Sigma Tau Gamma member, tossed his pumpkin 78 feet.

"It was actually kind of hard on your arm," Grither said. "The strategy that I picked probably wasn't the best one -- just to go and throw it overhand like you would a baseball."

Snare said she would love to host the event again next year.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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