Boomerang events and games: There are many different events and games contested at boomerang tournaments. They can vary greatly depending on the type of tournament, individual or team. The standard individual and team events will be described below. Along with various games that can be played for fun or competition. Individual Events: - Accuracy: Accuracy is the most basic event in boomerangs. The thrower throws gets five throws from the 2 meter radius center circle, all throws must go 20 meters, and are scored off where his or her boomerang lands. There are five circles in total, starting with the throwing circle and increasing concentrically in 2 meter radius increments. On a given throw you can score anywhere from 10 to 1 point. 10 points for a bulls eye throw, 1 for landing on the outermost circle. The maximum score is 50. A new variation of Accuracy called Accuracy 100 in which every thrower gets 10 throws has been rapidly replacing Accuracy as the event of choice because it rewards more consistent performance. It will probably replace Accuracy in all countries within the next 2-3 years. - Fast Catch: Fast Catch is a event where the goal is to throw and catch a boomerang five times as quickly as possible. Every throw must be made from the center circle and make 20 meters of range, you can catch from anywhere as long as you return to the center circle to throw. - Endurance: Endurance is simply five minutes of Fast Catch. You throw and catch as many times as you can in five minutes. Every throw must be from the center circle and make 20 meters of range. - Trick Catch/Doubling: Trick Catch is a event where you have a set of ten catches that are worth anywhere from 2 to 10 points a piece. The catches include under-the-leg, foot hacky, tunnel, and foot catch. Doubling is the second half of Trick Catch where you throw two boomerangs at once and try to make a set of catches: foot hacky and left hand clean, under-the-leg and behind-the-back, etc. All throws are made from the center circle and must make 20 meters of range. Trick Catches: 2- points: Left and Right-hand clean 3-points: Two-hand-behind-the-back and Two-hand-under-the-leg. 4-points: Eagle Catch. 6-points: Foot Hacky and Tunnel catch. 7-points: One-hand-under-the-leg and One-hand-behind-the-back. 10-points: Foot Catch. - MTA, Maximum Time Aloft: MTA is a highly specialized event, the goal is to throw a boomerang and see how long it will float in the air. Flight times of greater than 30 seconds are common place in this event and occasionally you will see an MTA catch a thermal and rise into the sky and never be seen again. The most high-tech boomerangs for this event are made form carbon-fiber and will cost upwards of $100 a piece, so placing a tag on the boomerang with your name and address is very common. You have to throw and catch from within a 100 meter diameter circle and there is no range requirement. - Aussie Round: In Aussie Round each thrower gets five throws and is scored off of boomerang range, accuracy and whether or not the thrower catches the boomerang. You get either 2, 4 or 6 points for throwing a boomerang with a range of 30, 40 or 50 meters, 4 points for catching, and anywhere from 10 to 1 accuracy points. The maximum score per throw is 20, with a maximum event score of 100. Team Events: - Accuracy: Team Accuracy is run exactly the same as individual Accuracy. The only difference is two team mates throw from the center circle within 3 seconds of each other. The throwers must avoid getting hit by each others boomerang, otherwise the score of that throw for both is 0. - Trick Catch/Doubling: This event is scored the same as the individual event, but is run with pairs of throwers. One team member throws and completes his or her catches, after that the second team member has 15 seconds to throw and complete the same catch. Team score is the total of each team members individual score. - MTA, Maximum Time Aloft: MTA is run as in the individual event. The total of each team members best throw is the team score. - Aussie Round: Aussie Round is run exactly the same as individual Aussie Round. The only difference is two team mates throw from the center circle within 3 seconds of each other. - Endurance Relay: In Endurance Relay four team members have five minutes to throw and catch as many boomerangs as possible. One throwing circle is used with each team member getting 1 minute to throw and catch. The first thrower runs from the 20 meter circle into the center circle when the timing clock starts. He then throws and catches until the minute has expired then runs back to the 20 meter circle and tags the next team member. After all four throwers have used up their minute, one thrower (usually the first team member to throw) runs back in to use up any time remaining on the clock. - 30 meter Relay: 30 meter Relay is run with four team members. They each run from the 30 meter circle into the center circle and throw and catch a 30 meter boomerang, then run back and tag the next team member. Each team member goes through twice and the total of each individual split time (time from tag to tag) is the score. - Supercatch: Supercatch is a combination of Fast Catch and MTA. One team member throws an MTA, the other three throw and catch as many Fast Catch boomerangs as they can while the MTA is in the air. The total number of catches is the score. However, if the MTA is dropped, the score is 0. Other Events: - MTA Unlimted: MTA unlimited is exactly what it sounds like. No-limit MTA. The 100 meter space constraint is lifted so throwers can push the boundaries and aim for the best possible times. Throw from anywhere, catch anywhere. - Long Distance: Long Distance is a specialized event where throwers use a unique type of boomerang that is designed to achieve distances of over 100 meters with a full return. Participants throw from a point in between two upright posts that are placed 20 meters to each side of the thrower. There is a rope stretched between the posts that is called the return line. The goal is to throw your boomerang out as far as you can and have it return across the line. The world record is this event is 238 meters and is held by Manuel Shultz of Switzerland. Boomerang Games: - Sprinkler head: Sprinkler head is an accuracy game of sorts. Nominate a point on the throwing field (tradtionaly a sprinkler head or similar size item) to be the "center of the universe". All throwers throw from any spot they want. The goal is to catch closest to the sprinkler head. One point for being closest, three for catching on the sprinkler head. First thrower to 10 points wins. Novice throwers can use any boomerang they want, veterans use a 30 m boomeang and only attempt one hand catches. - Style Outback: Style Outback is a rather interesting game. Throwers line up and throw one by one. They attempt catches and are awarded "style" points by the other throwers. Style points can be awarded for almost any reason, whatever you can think up, you can award points for. - Cauliflower: In Cauliflower a group of throwers all throw at the same time. One thrower calls out a trick catch to attempt while the boomerangs are in the air. Everyone attempts the catch. Pick a new person to choose a catch and repeat. - Humpty: In Humpty a thrower plants one foot on the ground and attempts to throw and catch as many consecutive times as possible without moving that foot. The thrower is allowed to piviot as much as they want, but the planted foot can not leave the groud or be moved laterally. - Team Hacky Catch: In Team Hacky Catch throwers form four (or more) person teams. One thrower throws a boomerang. Then the team trys to hacky it as many times as possible before catching it. The only rules are the same person can't hacky the boomerang twice in a row, someone else has to hacky it first and the thrower can not be the first person to hacky. Scoring is 1 point for a catch with no hacky. 2 points for a trick catch with no hacky. 4 points for a hacky and catch. 5 points for a hacky with a trick catch. There is also 1 additional point awarded for each additional hacky. So if you hacky the boomerang four times before catching the score is 4 points for the first hacky and catch plus 3 additional points for the extra hackys. - Hackuracy: In Hackuracy the goal is to hacky your boomerang as many time as possible before having it land inside the standard Accuracy circles. Scoring is the number of hackys multiplied by the point value of the accuracy circle the boomerang lands in. So if you hacky a boomerang twice and it lands in the 8 point accuracy circle your score is 2 hackys times 8=16 points. This is a really fun game when played in team format beacuse then you don't just try and hacky your boomerang, you can hacky your team mates boomerangs as well (just don't take hackys away from your team mates, only hacky boomerangs that your team mates are no longer able to hacky). - G-L-O-R-P: GLORP is a freestyle trick catch game that is similar to HORSE in basketball. Throwers line up according to who has been throwing the least amount of time (in years), to throwers who have been throwing for the longest amount of time. The first person to throw is called the "Dominator," this person attempts a trick catch. If they make it everyone else must make that catch or get a letter. If this person drops the next person is line becomes the Dominator. When you have missed enough catches to spell G-L-O-R-P, you are out of the game. Last man (or woman) standing wins. The only real rules are if you make a catch but it is not the catch you wanted to make, you must pass. Passing means the next person in line must make their trick catch to become Dominator or they get a letter, and the same catch cannot be attempted on consecutive throws.