Human Catapult at Bridge Day 2017
After many back and forth emails, negotiations, and Ebay messages, I sold the catapult earlier this month to Jarod Morris from Maine. He said he wanted to put it on his dock to launch people into water. A driver from Maryland showed up at my residence this morning to haul the catapult to Maine. Although advised that the catapult is 20' long, he brought a 16' trailer. The driver didn't say much and he was in a hurry to get the catapult loaded onto his trailer. Hours later, we heard rumors that the whole deal was a big lie - later confirmed as Mark Kissner is now claiming the Bridge Day Commission purchased it.
Jarod Morris is likely Mark's brother in law (I'm guessing) since his wife's maiden name is Morris. Perhaps the entire family thinks the same as it was only two years ago where Mark deceptively worked a deal to takeover Bridge Day 2015 while most of us were protesting the fingerprint requirement.
I originally offered the human catapult and other Bridge Day equipment for sale to the Bridge Day Commission in 2015, but they weren't interested. I would have been perfectly fine in selling it to Mark or the Bridge Day Commission if they simply asked. Judging by all the emails I received asking why the catapult wasn't present at the past two Bridge Days, I can see why so much effort was put into the purchase. They needed this catapult.
I'm actually very happy that the catapult will be back at Bridge Day because that is what it was designed for. It's sort of like a part of me is coming back to Bridge Day (back from retirement). Just remember who had the guts and knowledge to build it, test it, and THEN present it to the Bridge Day Commission for their approval. I took a big financial risk in building it before it was given the green light. No matter where it goes or what happens to it, in the end it will always be "Jason Bell's Human Catapult".
