Dale
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My two cents ... I have done a bit of research on Dr. Stacy Groscup, and I have read several accounts written by folks who had met him and watched him demonstrate his prowess with a bow. By all accounts he actually could hit aspirin tablets or flying insects in mid-air. He also was reputed by those people to be an honest man. The idea of him participating in a fraudulent demonstration of the sling, strikes me therefore as unlikely. I suspect that he could, and did, hit those pine boards with a sling (or more precisely, with lead shot slung from a sling).
That said, it is clear from the video that the sequence of events was edited and/or there were two cameras. Dr. Groscup's slinging technique was viewed from his left. The impacts on boards held in someone's hand, were taken from a point of view downrange and to Dr. Groscup's right (the shot enter the frame from the left). If there was just one camera available, then the filming would be done in two stages: one set of takes showing Groscup slinging, and another set showing the target as he slung a second round of shots.
Similarly, the gentleman slinging at a melon, was probably done in two or three takes: one shot from in front of him showing his technique, a second shot from behind showing the melon, and a third shot (or the same shot viewed by a second camera) showing the stone flying and striking the melon.
Video editing does not necessarily invalidate any demonstration of skill; it does, however, require validation of the honesty of the performer and of the video folks. I agree that a single take, with no cuts or interruptions, is preferable.
By the way, apologies for the ambiguity of "shot". I hope you can infer correctly when I am talking about a small lead sphere, about the slinging of same, and about recording said events on film/tape/whatever. I could have been more precise, but this is more than sufficiently verbose already.
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