Hidden among the cow pastures and rolling meadows of Somerset and the southwest of England,

Middellmore Water Park features a muddy, man-made water skiing pond, a go-cart track, and a shack

selling beer and snacks. But on November 24th, 2002, Middellmore's main attraction was somewhat

more exotic. In a clearing behind the gravel parking lot stood a replica of a trebucet, a medieval

catapult looming like an oil derrick against the sky. 26 feet tall at rest made of steel

and rough timber, the trebuchet was, according to its builder, a one-time motorcycle salesman

and scrapyard owner named David Aitkenhead, quote, a big, evil, savage-looking contraption.

A tribusé was a medieval siege weapon favored by the Romans to fire plague-ridden corpses,

rocks, and other missiles over castle ramparts. On this day, the machine was being prepared to

violently hurl willing human beings several stories high and into a net 100 feet away

and about the size of a tennis court. It was a warm day and a crowd of at least 30 had gathered to

watch the trebushe in action. Most were Oxford University student members of the Oxford Stunt

Factory, a private alternative and extreme sports club. They had arrived in a caravan

organized by the head of the club, David Ding Boston. The majority had come as spectators.

A handful, however, including an enthusiastic 19-year-old freshman biochemistry student from Bulgaria

named Kostodine Yankoff. His friends called him Dino, were intent on taking a turn.

The proceedings got rolling as the first daredevil was placed in the Trebyshe's sling and then flung

in a perfect arc into the center of the net, which sat atop 26 stout telegraph poles on the other

side of the clearing. Four more successful throws followed. There was a half

hour between jumps, remembers Boston, who was videotaping the event from a position beyond the landing

area. It was really a question of keeping yourself busy as they adjusted the weights. Finally,

it was Dino Yankov's turn. I was looking through the video lens, says Boston, and I saw the same

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