Boomerangs are coming back! W. Chicago to host national tournament

James Stickney grips a small L-shaped piece of carbon fiber and throws it up in the air.

"Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip" is heard as it spins end over end and into a clockwise turn that brings the device back to him.

He jumps and catches it under an outstretched leg, and smiles.

If he were doing this in the U.S. Boomerang Association's National Championship and Exposition this weekend in West Chicago, he would score points toward qualifying for tryouts for the national team.

Stickney is president of the association (slogan: "Boomerangs are coming back!"). The 31-year-old from Bellevue, Washington, is trying to increase the popularity of the ancient activity. He hopes casual observers who see the tournament at Cornerstone Lakes Park might be inspired to pick up a boomerang.

That's how he got into it. When he was 16, some of his basketball teammates saw a boomerang contest. They told him about it and persuaded him to try.

He has competed throughout the U.S. and has been on the national team for international championships four times, traveling to Australia, Brazil, Italy and France. He expects to qualify for the next team slated to compete in Germany next year.

How it works

"In a sense, the goal is to hit myself," Stickney explains.

A thrower can receive points for accuracy - getting the boomerang to return almost exactly from whence it came, rather than having to chase it down to catch it.

A boomerang is thrown vertically, like you would a hatchet or knife. It is released from the wrist.

It spins vertically. How far it flies, how long it flies and how it turns to come back depends on its size, the force with which it's thrown, and the angle, wind speed and the distribution of mass on the boomerang. Phrases such as "angular momentum," "gyrocscoping precession" and "lift" are in a thrower's lexicon.

The aerodynamics can be modified in many ways. Some drill holes in the blades. Others shave a foil along the edge. Stickney has attached lead weights and lead tape. One of his has a strip of electrical tape wound around one blade, to increase drag.

Safety

Stickney may joke about getting hit, but he takes safety seriously. He ruefully recalls the time a bird flew in to the path of boomerang he threw.

For competitions, a field of 220 square meters is a minimum requirement, and spectators stay on the sidelines.

A boomerang can reach a speed of 100 mph. "It is kind of scary to watch (it return), but it is fun," Stickney said.

One doesn't have to be athletically gifted to participate. But it helps.

Some of the events require endurance or quickness. One is called the MTA, or maximum time aloft. Stickney has reached times in excess of two minutes.

There's also a speed contest, during which you throw the boomerang as many times as you can in five minutes. The world record is 80 times, he said.

And there is the super MTA, which combines both. One teammate throws a boomerang for maximum travel, while the second throws another as many times as he or she can while the first is still in the air.

The tournament

Cornerstone Lakes Park is at 2199 Smith Road in West Chicago. Admission is free, and events start at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. Sunday. No particular boomerang magic or history in West Chicago, by the way: Stickney's group submitted a request at a sports tourism convention, looking for a spot near a metropolitan area, and the DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau responded.

Association members will be available informally all three days, especially Sunday morning, to teach anyone about boomerangs.

For example, a lesson could include that there are many kinds of boomerangs, not just the "L"-shaped kind seen in cartoons or old "Crocodile Dundee" movies. Stickney has one shaped like a question mark.

And not all boomerangs are meant to return to the sender. (But, Stickney, adds, "the joke is a non-returning boomerang is just a stick.")

There are about 120 members in the boomerang association, which started in the 1980s.

"It seems like most people come to boomerang in a really random way," says Jessica Winkler, Stickney's girlfriend. She didn't believe there was such a thing as a national boomerang team when they met in a college laboratory.

That's not an uncommon reaction, Stickney says.

"People's response to boomerang is so different," Stickney says. "You get these kind of unique responses where people say 'That's kind of interesting,' or 'I don't actually believe that you are doing that.'"

If you go to Boomerang Championship

What: U.S. Boomerang Association National Championship

When: Sept. 11-13. It starts at 8:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. Sunday

Where: Cornerstone Lakes Park, 2199 Smith Road in West Chicago

Cost: Free

For details: www.usba.org

<b>More about boomerangs</b>They have been around at least 15,000 years, though one found in Poland was estimated to be 20,000 years old.

Why they come back: Torque, force, lift, angular momentum and gyroscopic precession are at work. As the boomerang spins, the blades generate lift. Wind travels faster over the top blade as it moves forward. The imbalance between the force on the top blade and the other blade creates torque that acts at a right angle to its spin axis. The torque starts turning the boomerang to one side.

Speed: Some can go as fast as 100 mph.

Time in the air: One tournament event involves keeping the boomerang aloft as long as possible. A competition record is more than 6 minutes (for the MTA unlimited event, where accuracy is not required). There is a documented case of a boomerang staying up for 17 minutes, as it caught a thermal updraft.

Sources: U.S. Boomerang Association; Popular Mechanics; Boomerang Association of Australia