20,000 Bouncy Balls and a Helicopter, Really!

Did you know that when you drop 20,000 bouncy balls out of helicopter hovering at 100ft above the ground, the balls will reach the speed of 55 mph? I didn't either! I learned pretty quick when one of those  bouncy balls hits me in the face.

We went to an event at USU called "20,000 Bouncy Ball Drop" I had first heard about it through a friends facebook page, even before I signed up for my own facebook account. I had it on my calendar for a long time and I was getting nervous that we wouldn't be able to make it since my family had come down with different illnesses everyday (it felt like that anyway) well my kids were still sick, but we went anyway and I think the fresh air did everyone some good. 

We got there a half an hour early and there was already a huge crowd, but by the time it started it was an even bigger crowd. It was a very successful event. They tried to rally the crowd but their sound system failed to reach where we were, still there was excitement buzzing in the air. Then we waited... I will take the time to note that my boys were absolutely fabulous. I was shocked a bit by how well they waited, with the excitement bubbling within them to see a helicopter and to get bouncy balls they were practically bouncy themselves. When the helicopter arrived the anticipation grew and people began screaming and yelling and whooping. It was an incredible feeling.  And then, And Then, AND THEN they dropped the bouncy balls out of the helicopter. It was fun to see and incredible. I guess I didn't know what to expect and when there is no expectations I was not disappointed. I would say I was elated, like I was seeing something that has never been done, that was shared only with the few thousand that were there. 

Because of where we were the balls bounced right toward us, and they didn't slow down until we got hit. That was the only way we got any bouncy balls to be honest. Yes I did get hit in the face twice and and all over the body a lot. I went from enjoying it to trying to protect my kids from the speeding bullets, i mean bouncy balls. I am happy to report that my kids were completely unharmed. With 20,000 bouncy balls available we came home with only 8, I think that was also a success.

You know, it was an incredible event and I am so very happy that we went. I was happy to be a part of such an unique fun activity all in the name of science. Congratulations to the geeks of "Geek Week" you appealed to the masses and put on a great show. Bravo, Encore!

To probably get a more thorough perspective, here is the link to the Herald Journal article about this event. http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_8d90216e-50f7-11e0-956c-001cc4c03286.html 

Also here is a link to my Vlog http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAC4KP1nTbo

Have you ever been to something so bizarre it made you feel even awesomer because you were able to say "Yes I was there, I saw it too"?