Here is the BBC / Discovery Channel show that I helped a bit.  I missed the first airing of it because I was traveling (the last few days), but I recommend all interested slingers to tune in.  Their guy got it up to 80 MPH.  It will be airing in Britain; I'll post the details if anyone is interested.  



Quote:

Ancient Evidence David and Goliath An archeological and historical detective story about the ultimate hero, a man who was both a prolific poet and a vicious warrior. Recent archeological evidence supports the existence of David and that he may have been born a nobleman. Discovery Channel Jan 18 2004 @ 07:00 PM http://dsc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=9&cpi=24340&gid=11487

It's great that you took part in this production. Chris, ongratulations! I must catch it on TV.

Jurek

Too bad I don't have the Discovery Channel!  Maybe they will put it out on tape?  

                                           Ben

I'm sure they will, but it would be pricey.  I'll post any cool info from the show here in the forum.  

That would be great! I also do not have Discovery Channel.  :'(

Yes it's no fair.  Things like that are pricy huh.  Let us know how it is Chris.  You helped with it, which is so refreshing.  I get tired of when you get a good movie, or documentary, and they don't know their stuff about the weapons they are using.  The examples abound.  The trebuchets in Return of The King, for example.  They were physically impossible.  Sort of destroyed the "reality" for me.  It's funny.  I can make myself believe in Orcs, Goblins, Balrog's, and Hobbits, but not oversized Trebuchets!  Oh well.  
                                        Ben

Well, sadly, I was to be the one actually slinging in the documentary, but there were problems with doing the experiment in the US.  They tried securing a place for me to do it at several Military installations, the New York Police Department, and even a University, but it all fell through (timing issues and laws).  In the end, they had to fall back to another plan to do it in the UK.  It was an honor at least to participate at all.  Maybe next time.  They did promise me a free copy.

Chris

Chris,

Wow, that would have been awesome!  But you're already the most famous slinging dude around anyway.  I hope whoever they got, was good.
                                            Ben  

lol  :) *blushing*

It's honor enough knowing all of you great guys that I'd buy for dinner any night.  

If I'm ever in your part of the world I'll take you up on that.  Or we could make stone soup.  Maybe someday we'll have a slinging convention or competitions.  Who knows how far we could go?

                                 Ben

The show was pretty cool, although the way the guy was slinging was terrible (rotating his entire arm, underarm style).  He got 80 MPH, which is ok, but I'm fairly confident that projectiles can reach speeds of 180 MPH or more.  Anyone else catch it?

Chris

Darn, too bad they didn't get you on there Chris.  What's the point of clocking someone who can't sling well and then making the sling look bad as a result?  Oh well, they tried.

       Ben  

Chris,

I think Yurek needs to write a note and attach it to one of his lead glandes and sling it over to the UK. The note could read something like, "Hey you whimpy Brits, I could sling the stone and the guy who slung it in the video faster than 80mph!" ;D ;D Signed Yurek the Great of Poland.

lol.  The guy tried his best... 80 MPH isn't terrible.  It's only a documentary.  When Yurek goes in the record books, we'll set the record straight.  

I wouldn't knock brits too much... your administrator is one.  ;D
Chris

::) ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;DOOps

Nuts, I missed it.  The website said 7, and I missed the fact that that was 7 Eastern Standard time.  Which means that I set the VCR for an hour too late.  Ah well.  Sounds like I didn't miss to much.  

Has anyone actually tested the speed of their sling stone before?

Rob

wrote on Jan 19^th, 2004 at 7:35pm:

Chris, I think Yurek needs to write a note and attach it to one of his lead glandes and sling it over to the UK. The note could read something like, "Hey you whimpy Brits, I could sling the stone and the guy who slung it in the video faster than 80mph!" ;D ;D Signed Yurek the Great of Poland.

David,

We shouldn't forget that just the British has hurled 8 oz stone at 377 m or something about. Where was he durring the production?

Jurek

Oh, I thought you might be interested in this.  They measured the speed by sticking two poles in the ground a meter apart and filmed the rock go by them with a high speed camera.  They could count the number of frames it took from pole to pole (9 or something), which allowed them to figure out the time to cover one meter (because a frame was 1/100 of a second or something).  

Anyone got a decent digital camcorder?  Sounds like a pretty easy set up!  I'll help  with the rest.

Chris

80mph???  Pitchers are regularly throwing fastballs at 90+mph.   We gotta figger out how to routinely do a lot better or hang up our slings.            mgreenfield

wrote on Jan 20^th, 2004 at 7:07pm:

Oh, I thought you might be interested in this.  They measured the speed by sticking two poles in the ground a meter apart and filmed the rock go by them with a high speed camera.  They could count the number of frames it took from pole to pole (9 or something), which allowed them to figure out the time to cover one meter (because a frame was 1/100 of a second or something).   Anyone got a decent digital camcorder?  Sounds like a pretty easy set up!  I'll help  with the rest. Chris

The expensive advanced digital camcoder is not necessery. You can use common cheap analog VHS or V8 one. Lots of them have "sport" (high speed shutter) mode. The "exposure time" of frame is 1/4000 s (it surely depend on model), every frame is taken in 1/25 s intervals (you should check it for your camera in the instruction book or somewhere). The each frame is composited with two "half-images" taken every 1/50 s. So if you view the tape "frame by frame" you will see that each frame oscillate between two "half-images". You will see two positions of the stone or sling cleary. If you can count the real distance between these positions, divide it by 1/50 s and you will get the velocity. In another way, you can measure the stone distance durring several frames and divide it by the numer of frames and by 1/25 s. I hope my explanation is clear.

Jurek