Yes, You Can Make a 150-Foot Basketball Shot With a Homemade Catapult
- Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:02pm by
Scott Baker
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The Legendary Shots are a group of basketball fans who go to great lengths to get the ball in the net – literally.
The Alabama friends recently scored a basket from around 150 feet – potentially a new world record – but it was actually the method of the shot that pleased them more than the distance.
The nine-strong gang built a wooden catapult which they used to fire the ball across a street and through the rim.
The Alabama teens spent most of their winter break in January drawing a blueprint of a catapult they saw on YouTube, then constructing a giant wooden version powered by a pair of 110-pound garage springs. In addition to shelling out $300 for building materials, they borrowed power tools from their parents, painstakingly cut the wood at precisely the right angles and even painted a “Legendary Shots” logo on the side.
Actually sinking the shot turned out to be more difficult than constructing the catapult.
Because the catapult’s accuracy was more scattershot than the Legendary Shots expected, it was rare for the ball to get within a foot or two of the rim. The group spent six Saturdays shooting for roughly seven hours a day at a nearby football stadium and in group founder Carson Stalnaker’s backyard before finally sinking a shot on a bounce from roughly 50 yards away.
And here’s a flashback video from the Legendary Shots YouTube vault:
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Comments (99)
SoonerBorn68
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:47pmSome commenters on this site need to chill out and get a life. America was forged by hard work, free spirits, & having fun while doing them.
Great job guys, the American spirit lives on!
Report Post »teachermitch32
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 10:54amThere was a movie I watched awhile back (based on a true story) where a boy from a poor coal town was infatuated with building and shooting small rockets. His dad (a coal miner) was angry with him, saying he was wasting his time. Although he won a school science competition his dad still discouraged him. He had dreams born in that silliness and eventually went to work at NASA as an Engineer.
This is not boring, nor is it silly. These active kids will learn from these inventive lessons and it may spur them on to great productivity in our great Republic….if we can keep it.
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:37pmI imagine kids like these have applied themselves to higher technology also.
Report Post »They seem like future missile guidance system programers to me.
nomercy63
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:26pmGood Going!!!!!! it is better to see young people doing this good clean fun stuff then the garbage we see of teens that could care less about anything. I just helped my son for school make a mousetrap ping pong ball launcher same principle so I appreciate the effort and creativity.
Report Post »bankerpapaw
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:24pmGood for you guys. Great shot. Not boring at all.
Report Post »wordweaver
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:04pmOK, moderately impressive. But, Scott – good grief! As an enthusiast of flinging things through the air myself, I just have to say that this siege machine is a trebuchet, not a simple catapult. The sling makes it so. Trebuchets as instruments of siege warfare were known to be both accurate and devastating to castle walls, and reigned as the most fearsome weapon of war for centuries – until the age of gunpowder and cannon replaced them.
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:47pm@2776 my point exactly!!!!!!
Report Post »UpstateNYConservative
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:33pmI wonder if they needed a license to do this. And, are trebuchets covered under the Second Amendment? Can’t have some Dem senator getting all worried here, can we?
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:11pmI can almost guarantee they (libs) will jump on the trebuchet band wagon as long as they can tax every thing envolved w/ the manufacturing of said device.(trebuchet union?)
Report Post »thegodfather
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:31pmWho needs Angry Birds?
Report Post »Tacit Eagle
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:28pmPhysics, sports, teamwork, and freedom!
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:00pmAmen!!!
Report Post »chickenfried
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:21pmThose boys should have been robbing convenience stores for bath salts or engaging in some othe delinquent behavior. Everybody knows that today’s youth are lost to pop culture and debauchery.
Report Post »TrueTexan
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 12:38amEat me, you do something for a change *****!
Report Post »NYmike11
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:56pmA bounce shot? After how many tries? Monkeys at a typewriter, boys.
Report Post »Liberty7
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:10pmwhooppee…….i agree nymike……what a waste of time and to cheer a bounce shot………good grief….but given today’s world it will probably be looked at as a resume enhancer……..maybe our dear leader will invite them to the white house for one of his and his wife’s wednesday party nites where they will show the video………..lol
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:55pmand how long did it take to make that typewriter?
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:50pmHey, maybe we should get these kids to teach us? We may need their skills to help us defend AMERICA before this is all over.
I LOVE their enthusiasm.
Are you guys this good in academic classes?
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:22pmthey did’nt get that knowledge taking mexican-ameriKan history classes!
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:47pmCan they be President and Vice-President and Cabinet???? NOW?
Report Post »Thegreatone2012
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:33pmis this what the youth of this country are busy with now…is how to make a shot from a distnace.. we really are in trouble….chinese kids are inventing and one day will take over this country economy
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:51pmchinese kids are not inventing. they are on an assembly line manufacturing american technology, and that sir will be the end of our economy.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:55pmThis is only the beginning. Green technology is taking over the world of science. I’ll bet a push mower wont be far behind.
Report Post »2776
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:25pmApparently you do not know potential when you see it. Could you build a trebuchet, then solve the equations necessary to make such a shot? Probably not. My guess is that you couldn’t empty the water out of a boot if the directions were written on the bottom of it. These kids could be building future weapons that will defend our nation.
Your negative attitude is disgusting, and that negativity is one of many problems we face in America….not a bunch of kids experimenting with science. Get a life.
Report Post »elk043004
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:28pmHopefully they use better grammar and spelling than you do…
Report Post »magedogtag
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:27pmthat’s not a catapult. it’s a trebuchet. it’s about the size of a typical catapult, or slightly smaller. trebuchets were usually a lot bigger and with a much stronger punch. even so, it’s a trebuchet.
Report Post »HighRoller83
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:27pmoh and dont these kids have anything better to do?… seems like a big waste of time and possibly talent… guess we’ll never know
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:46pmnothing better to do? It looks like these kids live in a rather upscale neiborhood. They could be snorting up daddy’s money, but instead they decided to use math & science skills to have a bit of fun. I believe these kids will do just fine.
Report Post »pavnvet
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:25pmGood for these kids for not playing video games or holding up the corner convenience store. There is hope for American’s youth.
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:22pmjust scale it up a bit & sure, why not!
Report Post »Sinista MACE
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:21pmThe Feds are coming to take your basketball hoop.
It’s too close to the street.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ZZHGO5sXw
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:31pmyou’re absolutly right! And by the way WTH are these kids doing playing in the street?(cul-de-sac) Don’t they know they are grave danger?
Report Post »dealer@678
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:13pmBut can it launch a Mexican over the border.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:16pmGreat minds think alike….you beat me to that comment…that’s exactly what I was thinking. Launching a ball…big deal….tossing illegal Pedro over the Rio Grande….priceless.
Report Post »godhatesacoward
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:24pmsure, why not, just scale it up a bit!
Report Post »alcarfl
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:41pmSouthbound only. Works well for all illegals including the muslims hiding out in mosques throughout north America. Don’t be like the spoiled rich catapulting surburbnites in the video, do something constructive.Visit a mosque soon and ask for a tour of the dormitory and the arsenal in the sub basements. Tell the Imam POTUS sent you.
Report Post »quicker
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:49pmBetter yet one of them air cannons they shoot harder and farther.The farther one shoots the farther they have to crawl back.
Report Post »MontanaRob
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:51pmNow now, we have to be polite. Fortunately, there’s bubble wrap. Launch Paco and listen for the POP, POP, CRACKLE,CRACkle, crackle! For the islamic equipped, I’d suggest installing dynamite, light the fuse just before launching a little after dark and…BANG…best 4th of July EVER!
Report Post »attleboro
Posted on May 23, 2011 at 12:36amI pray for you.
Report Post »J_McCaw
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:11pmAllen West for President, Herman Cain for Vice President
Report Post »bkfirvine
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 4:55amHerman Can!
Report Post »quicker
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:11pmFuture pumpkin chunkers.
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:11pmAdd your comments
Report Post »Ledcow
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:10pmThat’s a trebuchet, not a catapult.
Report Post »HighRoller83
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:24pmdamn you beat me to it…. and you even spelled it right…. im getting too slow these days
Report Post »BelowAverageJoe
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:02pmYep, definitely a trebuchet. The difference between the two being the sling action on the end and counterweight. C’mon blaze!
Report Post »Cherynn
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 11:09pmSome people are not up to speed on thier midevil weapons I see. Deffinately trebuchet.
Report Post »Therightsofbilly
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 1:03am@belowaveragejoe.
Yes, it does have a sling action, but there is no counterweight.
Report Post »That thing is bungee powered.
I would call it a hybrid maybe.
towerguy
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 1:10amNicely done.
Report Post »kralspaces
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 7:12amI think a lot of people are missing the real message hear. They built the damn thing! Way to go guys.
Report Post »handsmcml
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 9:57amYou beat me on that one two. Though once used as a weapon, to build a trebuchet requires good math and construction skill to get right. Good job. As a conservative, I give them two Thumbs Up for doing something constructive with their time. How can people get board in less than a minute?
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:03pmok , what else .
Report Post »Now this is Art
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:42pmsorry kids…freekin BORING
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:43pmYou have a career in the Muslim world, for American tax dollars!
Thanks BO!
Report Post »Exrepublisheep
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 8:51pmThey almost hit my window.
Report Post »Divineliberty
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:08pmYou guys(commenters) are fricken boring…you cant see anything cool about this?!?! How do you think we as a movement will attract a younger audience through this site…cheer up and post happy things.
Report Post »crackerone
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:18pm@Divine Liberty
Last I saw we no longer have a space program! Hard to get pumped up about that!!!!
Report Post »RAS
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:26pmIt looks to me like a bunch of good kids applying their ingenuity to having some good clean fun, very much in the spirit of what kids I went to school with back in a bygone era used to do.
I beg to differ with you “Mr. Art.” This isn’t boring at all. I could watch stuff like this all day.
Report Post »watchmany2k
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:37pmFuture Engineers.
Far from boring, they designed it as a group to solve a problem.
Problem: make a basket long distance and cooler than the other video’s out there.
$300 is cheap entertainment for a group of kids focused on something for so long.
I could think of a lot worse things..brawling at micky’ds comes to mind…..
and as far as the “upscale neighborhood” comments.
Put your money where your mouth is, go find a group of kids now, and pose
a scientific ‘problem’ to them that they have to solve before school starts next sept.
and within the budget you give them.
or maybe have them make the case for impeachment…..
Sit back and watch young minds GROW.
Make sure their mom knows yer ‘crazy’ …..
Report Post »GODSAMERICA
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 9:57pmTo me the shot doesn’t count because it bounced off the ground.
This video IS boring.
Who are all these trolls on here that think that they have the right and the power to control what kind of content can or can’t be posted on here. I see some names that I’m familiar with that claim that it is individual rights, the owner of a business has the right to decide how to run his business, that the people believe that no one has the right to control someone elses business, unless they are liberal progressives that believe that they have the right to control everything and everyone. People please make up your minds, you are either liberal progressives trying to control what is done or not done on this site or you are what you claim to be and believe that the people running this business has the right. Which one is it?
Report Post »CatB
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:06pmI thought it was going to launch the kids and the ball …. now that would be a “trick”.
Report Post »101
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:08pmGive me a 12 ga. PULL
Report Post »seeker9
Posted on May 21, 2011 at 10:20pmWow! How can one get bored in less than a minute?
Report Post »Creestof
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 12:23amYet…they can’t hit the toilet from 2 feet away?
Report Post »Showtime
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 12:42am“I have a dream!”
“Ahhhh, the sweet smell of success!”
Way to go, guys!
Report Post »Now, when you’re old enough to vote, remember that a conservative cheered you!
Showtime
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 12:47am@Creestof
Report Post »Posted on May 22, 2011 at 12:23am
Yet…they can’t hit the toilet from 2 feet away?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’ve known men who could not hit the toilet while STANDING OVER IT!
handsmcml
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 10:07amI’m shocked by some of the comments. This is any thing but boring. These are industrious young people having good clean fun. They are not doing stupid things like you see too often these days. They need to be encouraged, not dissed. If you don’t find this entertaining, for the few seconds it plays, you are the one with the problem, not them.
Report Post »Kenny Holmes
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 11:54amSounds like a blast – and the kids were using ingenuity and creativity to stay out of trouble!!
Report Post »zman173rd
Posted on May 22, 2011 at 8:17pmMore Huff Post Garbage. When will you morons wake up and see this crap for what it is? I didn’t read the story or watch the vids because this trash is not why I come to the Blaze. I’m permanently changing my home page to The Drudge Report where good investigative news is. I switched when this site started. now i’m switching back.
Report Post »Y’all talk about watching the other hand. And then you watch the wrong hand by watching this dookie. The folks at the blaze are playing you. This tripe is not what you come to this site for. If you want entertainment go directly to you tube or where ever this stuff originates.
Secret Squirrel
Posted on May 23, 2011 at 4:10pm.
Good job guys!
Maybe there is hope for America.
These kids learned more doing this than if they had spent all summer
playing video games and texting their friends.
And if you found this boring, maybe you should get off your lazy ass too.
Report Post »There’s more to life than I-phones.