The 2007 National Boomerang Tournament was held this year in Eau Claire Wisconsin
in some of the blueest skies and greenest greens imaginable. Some of the competitors
got to see some of those green woods up close and personal with LD throws returning
70 - 80 yards off course. There are tree huggers and tree climbers in this world
and some of us are both! Seriously though, most of the best boomerang throwers
in the US and some from around the world showed up to compete in the biggest
boomerang tournament of 2007 for the national championships. Hosted by Don Monroe,
the USBA and the fine city of Eau Claire the tournament was a huge success.
Check out some photos below and stay tuned for lots more coming soon!
Southern California Organization of Rang Enthusiasts
2nd Annual S.C.O.R.E. Boomerang Tournament March 31st and April 1st!!
Its official, Morri & the gang hosted their 2nd annual boomerang tournament
in Southern California. Competitors came all the way from Chicago and Seattle
to take part in a fun weekend in the sun.
Last year they were approved by the USBA to hold an officially sanctioned tournament
on the beach by marking the lines in the sand. That tournament went well but by
the end of the day the lines were hard to maintain. This year Morri came up with
a manufactured Astro-Turf portion of the boomerang field that lay on top of the
sand with the lines painted on the turf. This was perfect! The Turf area covered
the accuracy rings and was one meter larger than the 10 meter ring and the 20
thru 50 was still marked in the sand. This made a huge difference in holding a
tournament on the beach as maintaining the lines was no longer an issue.
This was a great time to visit Southern California as the winds were mild and
the temps were warm. The event was only five miles from LAX airport and about
fifteen miles from Long Beach Airport (the Jet-Blue airport). Party central was
at Morri's house and Randy's home down the street.
See
some head to head photos of Dan and Richard Bower
, Steve Kavanaugh and the host Morri Mohr
. Morri was a terrific tournament director! A fun time was had by all.
Needless to say, the Seattle crew was victorious with the Bower brothers tied
for first overall and Steve Kavanaugh 3rd. Casey Larrance won the MTA.
Sunday
we had some head to head fast catch and some great "GLORP" Trick Catch competion
with every catch imaginable; i.e. behind the back as shown here, under the shirt,
between the legs, Flamingo style, on top of the head...etc. Steve K may have won
some serious style points with the audience (of which we had many passers by in
bikinis and roller skates ...etc.) but the Bower brothers pulled it out in the
end again. Not bad for an old guy though Steve. They are half your age and of
course you taught them everything! Steve gave the best "banter" hands down! The
Mexican food was awesome as well. "Retro Dan" was the overall star of GLORP though
as the eliminator for most of the round. Old guys definitely ruled ...until the
Bowers wiped them out!
| Individual Boomerang Competition Event Rules |
| Boomerang Throwing Accuracy |
| As the name of the event implies, the accuracy event
is used to measure how accurate the thrower can toss the boomerang. The thrower
stands in the center of a bullseye, painted on the ground, and throws the
boomerang towards the outer circle. Points are scored based on how close the
boomerang lands to the center of the circle. In essence, the thrower is trying
to get the boomerang to come back to the point where he/she is standing. The
boomerang must fly at least 20 meters for the throw to count. |
|
| Australian Round Boomerangs |
| Points are scored in the Aussie Round event based on
accuracy, distance, and catchability. The thrower again stands in the center
of the bullseye and throws the boomerang towards the outer circle. The boomerang
must fly at least 20 meters, but in this event the thrower is awarded additional
points when the boomerang goes further than 20 meters. If the throw goes 50
meters or more the thrower is awarded maximum points for distance. The accuracy
and catchability scores are determined by where the boomerang lands in respect
to the bullseye and whether or not it is caught. If the boomerang is caught
inside the bullseye, the thrower is awarded full points for accuracy and catchability.
|
|
| Boomerang Throwing Endurance |
| The Endurance event is a five minute timed event. The
thrower attempts to throw and catch his boomerang as many times as possible
in the five minute time allotment. The score is determined by how many successful
catches the thrower can make. Each throw must fly further than 20 meters to
be eligible for a point. |
|
| Fast Catch Boomerangs |
| This event is similar to the Endurance event, except
there is no allotted time. The thrower must successfully throw and catch his/her
boomerang 5 times as quickly as possible. Again, each throw must go at least
20 meters to be counted. |
|
| MTA (Maximum Time Aloft Boomerangs) |
| As suggested by the name, the MTA event is scored based
on how long the boomerang remains in the air. The score for each round is
based on one throw, and although throwers attempt to throw as far as possible,
the boomerang again must fly at least 20 meters to be scored. Boomerangs for
this event are very specialized and can be recognized by their distinct small
shape. |
|
| Trick Catch Boomerangs |
| The Trick Catch event consists of two rounds, a single
throw and a double throw. Throwers first attempt the sequence required for
one boomerang. Sequences can vary between competitions, but examples of the
types of single trick catch can include: behind-the-back, under-the-leg, hackey
catch, single hand behind the back, a foot catch, and others. After all throwers
have attempted the sequence of the single catch round, the doubling round
begins. The thrower is required to throw two boomerangs per turn and must
catch them in a particular trick sequence. Like the single trick catch, specific
types of catches and sequences can vary but examples are: behind-the-back
& under-the-leg, hackey catch & a one handed catch, and other combinations.
The thrower will typically continue to score points until he/she unsuccessfully
makes the required trick catch. Points are awarded based on the type of catch,
and can vary depending on where in the sequence the required catch is. |
| Boomerang Team Events (4 Throwers per Team) |
|
| Team Endurance Relay Boomerang Throwing |
| The first team member runs to the bullseye and attempts
as many throws and catches as possible in the allotted time, usually one minute.
Once the time is up, the first team member runs back to the team, tags the
next member and the cycle continues. Individual catches are totaled up and
the team score is based on the number of individual catches. |
|
| Team Position Boomerang Throwing |
| The team is allowed eight throws in this event. The first
thrower begins in the bullseye and the second thrower throws from where the
first boomerang lands. The third throw is made from where the second boomerang
lands and so on. Points are awarded based on how close the final boomerang
lands to the bullseye. |
|
| Team Relay Boomerang Throwing |
| Similar to the Team Endurance Relay, throwers take turns
running to the bullseye, throwing, and then running back to tag the next team
member. This event is usually timed and scoring is awarded based on the total
number of successful catches. |
|
| Team Boomerang Supercatch Throwing |
| The Team Supercatch is the only event where multiple
boomerangs are thrown simultaneously. One team member throws an MTA boomerang
while the others throw Fast Catch boomerangs until the MTA is caught, or hits
the ground. Points are awarded based on the total number of catches. |
|
| Other Boomerang Team Events |
| The Accuracy, Australian Round, MTA and Trick Catch events
can also be oriented to incorporate a team of throwers. Typically the event
is conducted similarly to the individual event, and the team score is comprised
of the total of the individual team member scores. |
