As a side note: Back in the day ('07 to be precise), when we were trying to throw Poof balls, we were getting an amazing lack of distance, sometimes maybe reaching 6'. This would have been pitiful in competition.
On a whim we decreased the space between the spinning wheels, thus "squeezing" the balls more. Suddenly, we were exceeding 30' on a regular basis, without any other changes to the thrower.
Photo of work in progress. Can't find one "proving" the distance, but the turned faces are an indication.