A Blue Day

--by phnxhawk--

A grim bit of news has been making its way through the boomerang community over the last week.  Volker Behrens, the man behind the Blue Star line of boomerangs, recently passed away.  I first saw mention of it in a notice from Ted Bailey regarding upcoming changes to his catalog.  Further discussion quickly followed in the Boomerang_Talk Yahoo! group (topic starting with message #10371).  I thought I would post this to the blog in case any of our readers have not yet heard.

Manny, Charles, Larry and I were quite saddened to hear the news.  Larry was particularly perturbed by his passing, as his favorite boomerangs are all Blue Star models.  According to his profile on the Blue Star website, Behrens was captain of the German Boomerang World Cup team and was a record holder for long distance throwing.  Of course, I know him best as "the guy who makes those paxolin and G12 boomerangs."

I started out this part of my post by trying to recall when I first heard tales of the Blue Star brand.  As it turns out, my memory of this is quite poor.  Fortunately, Manny and I both use G-chat, and enough of our idle chatter was recorded for me to piece together part of the story.  In late 2010, at what was arguably the height of our initial obsession with boomerangs, we were both still customers exclusively of The Boomerang Man and boomerangs.com.  By this time, we had picked up the majority of the remaining available models of Colorado brand boomerangs and were trying models from other brands that they carried.

Anyway, at the time, boomerangs.com's listings for the Blue Star line included several iterations of the Windeater with some glowing praise for the line. (Manny's Windeater 1 shown below.)

From Rangs

As I recall, we had several intense discussions attempting to justify the relatively high cost of one of these boomerangs.  (We were accustomed to picking up boomerangs for $20 to $30 instead of $50 to $60.)  Ultimately, we made the claim that we needed to fill out our higher-wind, medium-range boomerangs with some alternatives.  We went back and forth about these "paxolin" and "G12" boomerangs, wondering how these exotic materials would perform.

Manny was the first to bite the bullet, making several attempts to procure a Windeater 2...but eventually winding up with the aforementioned Windeater 1.  There was some...dissatisfaction with this boomerang, unfortunately.  (It tends to return fast, easily scaring me into hurling myself to the deck whenever it comes near.)  We simply chalked this up to the fact that it was not the Windeater 2 that had been the intended acquisition at the start of his adventure.

Nevertheless, the existence of the Blue Star brand was now planted in our mind.  About a month went by before one of us happened to expand our search for new boomerangs to other vendors--namely, the Blue Star website itself and Ted Bailey's Flight-Toys.com.  As we paged through their catalogs, we became enthralled by a new dream of having long-range sport boomerangs, soaring majestically over the sand against a backdrop of shimmering gold at sunset.  With Manny still recovering from his spending spree, I decided to pick up one representative boomerang for us to try.  I selected the Marathon Mini in paxolin for this task.  As I recall, it came down to a combination of descriptions recommending it for windy conditions and ranges in the 50- to 60-meter regime.

From phnxhawk's Boomerang Collection

The Marathon Mini was initially a somewhat temperamental boomerang for me, but after sitting idle in my bag for a couple weeks, it took on a new character as an excellent, far-ranging sport boomerang.  Now I am consistently pleased with its range and hover on return.  (I suppose it might have serendipitously warped its way into great performance.)  It was about this time that I met Charles and Larry, who were then able to demonstrate what great-returning Windeaters and Marathon Minis look like.  In addition, Larry allowed me to try his G12 Sussex Hook.

From phnxhawk's Boomerang Collection

From then on, I was hooked (pun now intended, but not originally).  I picked up several Blue Star 'rangs in the year since then and have not regretted it in the least.  (Okay, there was that one time that Manny and I lost a couple of them to the briny depths...but I was disappointed in myself rather than in the boomerang.)

Volker Behrens' boomerangs are a thrill to throw and catch, and I consider myself lucky to have become interested in boomerangs at a time when he was still producing them.  Indeed, I cannot ignore how he continues even now to define my life, even indirectly, by having brought me into contact with others who enjoy his designs, which have served as a springboard for me to delve further into this wonderful world of boomerangs.

 "Putting my spin on boomerangs..."

The Great Occlusion

--by phnxhawk--

I was out throwing in the usual spot when a most disturbing and perplexing sign appeared in the heavens.

From May 20, 2012 - Partial Solar Eclipse

I have heard tales of this phenomenon: a so-called "solar eclipse."  Putting aside my fears that my less than stellar performance as a boomerang thrower had angered the spirit of the sun, I quickly cobbled together a device through which I might make observations of what was occurring.

From May 20, 2012 - Partial Solar Eclipse

I call it a "pinhole projector."  In my wanderings of this world, I have stumbled upon ancient tomes describing such a machine.  It is said that, with it, I could make observations of the light from the sun.  Once the projector was assembled, I was ready to witness what could only be described as an attack on the great, glowing orb that daily passes into the west.  To facilitate hands-free operation, I pressed my boomerangs into service to form a mount for the projector.  However, soon after this anomalous event started, it came to a quiet and uneventful end.

With the disappearance of that celestial distraction, I immediately began work on converting my observation machine into a death ray.  More than a match for poor Enterprise.

From May 20, 2012 - Partial Solar Eclipse

(A few more photos from my observations of the eclipse this past Sunday are available here.)

"Putting my spin on boomerangs..."

Carver's Corner #1 - phnxhawk's Prototypes

--by phnxhawk--

Well, folks, my work schedule has quieted down for now.  So, I can, hopefully, get back to throwing sticks and writing about all the great things I learn while doing it.  For this, my inaugural post for the throwing year of 2012, I will discuss my introduction to the world of carving boomerangs.

Introduction

I started flying remote control airplanes a few years back.  I mostly fly craft of the park flyer class--at one of the athletic fields where I now sometimes throw boomerangs, of course.  When I started, I learned to fly on an Easy Star, a prefabricated kit that was essentially ready to fly out of the box.  (Some minor assembly required for the RTF version.)   Many of the RC planes in my fleet are similar: great-flying airplanes that arrived at my doorstep already built.  Nevertheless, I have often said to myself, "You know, such-and-such would be an awesome airplane to fly.  If only someone made one like it!"  A couple years ago, I finally became fed up with waiting for those great airplanes to show up in stores and started cutting out my own versions of them.  They were crude and sometimes a terrific (and unintended) challenge to pilot, but full of all sorts of cool that only my imagination could imbue onto a few hunks of foam sheet glued together. 

Similarly, I was possessed last year by the notion that I should start creating my own boomerangs.  At once, my mind was filled with visions of the possibilities.  I could make my own Colorado replicas to supplement the precious few originals in my collection.  Or...I could implement my own intuitions for design into boomerangs that could be flight tested.  Or...instead of desperately searching for one boomerang or another to fit a certain niche in my collection, I could, with some effort, at least in principle, create it myself.  For all these reasons and more, this seemed to me to be a natural step in my development as an avid boomerang enthusiast.

Since this would be my initial foray into making my own boomerangs, I knew I would need a standard to which I could compare my creations.  I needed a boomerang whose performance was predictable and with which my technique was already mature.  In other words, I needed to generate a replica of a boomerang with which I am intimately familiar.  Fortunately, in my relatively short period of throwing 'rangs, I had developed an almost preternatural sense for achieving excellent returns with my Rainier and Phoenix.  I ultimately opted for the Rainier, boomerang #1 in my collection and my go-to warm-up boomerang.

From phnxhawk's Boomerang Collection

Preparation: Materials

Based on my initial research into the materials of choice by various boomerang carvers, it seemed to me that anybody who's anybody uses Finnish or Baltic birch plywood.  However, at the time, the 5-mm thick variety was out of stock with my prospective supplier, Anderson Trading, and I was bent on starting sooner rather than later.  So, I settled instead for a 2 ft x 1 ft sheet of 3/16 in thick, 4-ply birch from my local hobby shop.  Although it was not the ideal material to use, it would serve well as a test piece on which to test my carving techniques. 

Incidentally, I also gave some thought to the application of 3-D printers.  I consider myself an able CAD (computer-aided design) software driver, so I was understandably curious how I might leverage that skill in making my own boomerangs.  The grand dream, of course, is to model the boomerang in CAD software, export that data to some sort of computer-controlled manufacturing machine, and watch with detached glee as a boomerang popped out the other end.  This ought to be a topic for discussion another day, so suffice it to say that I am not yet convinced that 3-D printing is a cost-effective way for me to go.  (Among other things, I have no room for setting up any machinery in the long term.)

Preparation: Tools

Speaking of tools...every other year or so, I get this strange hankering to buy a scrollsaw and power sander not unlike the ones that got me through my student years.  2011 was no exception.  On the other hand, I already had a Dremel rotary tool in my toolkit.  With the routing/cutting bits and the various sanding drums, combined with careful handling, the Dremel could do the lion's share of the work.  After some quiet debate, I decided to put off the acquisition of the scrollsaw and instead picked up a folding work bench, the Dremel Workstation, and a generous amount of sandpaper.

Preparation: Boomerang Contours

The last remaining "first steps" were to generate a template from which to draw the blanks and to create a plan for fashioning the contouring that would give rise to the airfoil shape on the carved boomerang.  A Sharpie, some construction paper and a pair of scissors were all I needed to trace the Rainier's outline and generate a rough template, but the contour plan would require a little more effort.

I decided to draw once more from my experience as a CAD designer to fashion a rough 3-D solid model.  The surfaces would not need to be production quality--merely good enough for creating planar intersects corresponding to the interfaces between plies.  These would be adequate for producing a 2-D contour map that I could look at as I whittle away the excess plywood.

For the basic airfoil shape used in the 3-D surfacing, I used profiles based on the Clark Y airfoil.

From May 11, 2012

This is a relatively well-behaved airfoil that also happens to have a nearly flat underside, which, like the airfoil shapes I have seen on boomerangs I own, facilitates manufacture.  So, instead of committing time to carving both sides of the blank, I need only focus on the perimeter and the upper surface.  In general, I scaled this airfoil in height and chord as necessary to achieve the constant 3/16 in max thickness.  I also clipped the trailing edge to have a constant thickness of about 1 mm.  The trailing edge of the idealized airfoils looked too thin and would easily break; a nonzero trailing edge thickness would leave enough material so as not be as frail.

From May 11, 2012

From May 11, 2012

All in all, I was satisfied with how the 3-D model and 2-D contour map turned out.  They looked reasonably like the original, enough that I was willing to move forward with the real meat of the work.

Carving: My Humble Workshop

From May 11, 2012

For this "test run," I decided to cut three boomerangs from the plywood sheet (about as many as could be comfortably fit).  I labeled them Rainier V0001 through V0003.  (The "V" just clues me in to the fact that the next character is a numeral, even if I write it like an "O.")

To my surprise, simply applying the template to the wood sheet came with its own lessons learned.  In particular, it was not until after I had finished carving the airfoils into the first blank that I realized I had not scribbled the word "TOP" on the blank.  I had a 50/50 chance of choosing the wrong side when I picked up the blank to do the airfoil contouring, and as fate would have it, I chose poorly.  (The Rainier is not completely symmetrical about its "centerline.")  I was more vigilant in clearly identifying the top and bottom side with the subsequent versions.

From May 11, 2012

The second major lesson has to do with the grain direction of the plywood.  I had anticipated the plywood would have a pronounced grain direction and would be especially stiff in one direction (along the long edge of the sheet).  To explore the effect grain direction would have on the boomerangs, I laid them out on the sheet in three different directions.  (V0002 and V0003 were laid out and cut a week after V0001.)  After cutting the blanks, I was surprised by the degree of stiffness they exhibited.  V0001 is stiff along the trailing arm, which resists being bent to a different dihedral angle.  V0003 is the opposite, being stiff along the lead arm.  V0002 falls in between and is pliable along both arms.  All three seem to respond equally well to added twist.

Cutting the blanks was straightforward.  I used the multipurpose cutting bit for cutting the plywood and employed the cutting guide attachment so that I could focus exclusively on following the 2-D pattern I had stenciled with marker.  I took care to avoid diving inside of the lines and preferred instead to leave a small amount of excess material that I could sand down later.

From May 11, 2012

From May 11, 2012

I did all my Dremel sanding, for both refining the 2-D outline of the blank and working in the airfoil contouring, with the Dremel screwed into the Workstation, which was then securely clamped to my workbench.  I mostly used the 0.5-in sanding drum with the coarse sanding bands.  As you might imagine, I "burned" through a few of those bands over the course of sanding down three boomerangs.  I "eyeballed" my progress with the airfoiling by progressively comparing the in-work boomerang to my 2-D drawing.  After getting as close as I could to the desired shape, I smoothed out the curves by hand with finer grit sandpaper.

V0001 turned out pretty nicely.  V0002 and V0003 came out with a few dings and scratches from some overly aggressive power sanding.  (I cut and sanded both in the same afternoon...to the detriment of the final product.)  Still, all three were acceptable.  For these initial prototypes, I also applied a coat of wood finish and sealer.

From May 11, 2012

From May 11, 2012

Flight Performance: The Moment of Truth

First flight of the prototypes took place on a nippy day at the beach, and I can attest to the fact that they do, indeed, boomerang.  (Forsooth, my Boomerang Man bumper sticker reminds me daily that "a boomerang is not a boomerang if it doesn't boomerang.")  The first flights were not without some hiccups, however.

Rainier 0001 flies quite well.  In fact, it seemed to work the best out of the three, despite being "backwards."  Although the range does not seem quite as far as the original Rainier, the boomerang's flight path seems fairly typical and well-behaved, as expected.  The returns usually exhibit a large degree of hover and seem to have a propensity to continue spiraling in.  Rainier 0002 also flies pretty well.  Like the 0001, it still seems to "fly light," hovering extensively on the return.  Both benefited from the application of some rubber bands to serve as drag devices, which helped slow them down in the final stage of the return.

Rainier 0003 seems to have been laid down in a particularly unfavorable orientation with respect to the warping of the wood sheet from which it was cut.  The lead arm may have been bent too far down, but since that was also the arm aligned with the grain direction, it was also resistant to attempts to tune it.  Although its flight usually seems promising at release, it tends to promptly dive from a level return and into the ground.  After some aggressive wing twisting, this undesirable behavior was largely eliminated.

Charles also had a chance to weigh in on the prototypes several weeks later.  From what I could tell, he was quite pleased with the results.  Rainier 0003 gave him some trouble at first, but it was nothing that his "solar hands" could not tune.

From May 11, 2012

From May 11, 2012

Future Work

For the next iteration of Rainier replicas, I plan to utilize 5mm, 10-ply Finnish birch plywood, which I have acquired in the months since I made those first three boomerangs.  I will also try to produce a replica of a different boomerang; I am currently putting the Eagle at the top of that list. 
As I did with the plywood sheet I used for these initial boomerangs, I will want to examine how pronounced the grain direction is in the new material.  I also expect that having extra ply lines will help improve the fidelity of my airfoil contouring.

To reduce the excessive hover, I will transition from the airfoils to the flat plate of the elbow further out along the arms.  For these initial boomerangs, I took the airfoil contouring closer to the elbow than was present on the original.  At the time, I was unsure what the effect might be other than that it would improve the appearance.  If I have the time, I will want to do two versions, one for each variation of this detail, to investigate whether this has a noticeable effect on the flight characteristics.

I also need to continue my campaign to create a digital database of boomerang silhouettes corresponding to the 'rangs currently in my collection.  As with the Rainier, I scan the pen-and-paper outlines of the boomerangs and, with some manipulation in GIMP, create a digital version.  These have a variety of potential applications, such as facilitating advance planning of carving multiple boomerangs from a single sheet of plywood.  More directly, I use them to create 2-D outlines in my CAD suite from which I may generate the 3-D surfaces.

Overall, I am encouraged by these initial results.  Although I would be at pains to deliver replicas such as these under a tighter schedule, the tools and manufacturing skills I have suffice for my current purposes.  Furthermore, emboldened by the flight performance of Rainiers V0001 through V0003, I am eager to put together replicas of more boomerangs and to start working on my own designs.  Stay tuned for more news on this topic in future editions of the Carver's Corner with aLAcrity Boomerangs, and as always, feel free to comment below.

"Putting my spin on boomerangs..."

Just dropping a line...

--by phnxhawk--

I just wanted to take a few minutes to write a post to let anyone following our blog know that we are, indeed, still alive and itching to put out more content. For my part, my work schedule exploded just after the new calendar year started. I have been so busy that I was quite surprised the other day to find that March was right around the corner!

Anyway, a brief boomerang-related update: I just acquired a small stock of 5.0 mm, 10-ply Finnish birch from which I intend to carve some boomerangs. My post about my initial forays into the carving world using hobby-grade stock is overdue, but will come soon. Hopefully, I will soon have more good news to report.

"Putting my spin on boomerangs..."

Happy New Year!

--by phnxhawk--

In the spirit of ringing in the new calendar year, I thought it would be nice to go back to our roots and post another "fun with boomerangs" type of video. In fact, it is not unlike the "Dual Diabolino" video with which we started our 2011 run. It would have been awesome if we three were throwing Eric Darnell Tri Flys so that I would have an excuse for a "punny" title, but this will simply have to do. On our last throwing session of the year, Charles, Manny and I decided to go back to basics and break out the Eric Darnell Pro Flys. Of course, in our case, old boomerangs simply beget fresh antics. For some of our thoughts on the Pro Fly, check out our first Ask aLAcrity.

Happy holidays, everyone!

"Putting my spin on boomerangs..."

Ask aLAcrity #3: Gloves of the Thrower

--by phnxhawk--

Question: Do you use gloves when throwing boomerangs, and what kind do you use?

One of the questions I am often asked when I first mention that I throw boomerangs is: "Doesn't it hurt to catch the boomerang?" When Manny and I first started throwing, we asked ourselves the same question. After suffering the occasional nick on the finger or bruised palm, our answer was, "Well, yes, it sometimes does." In an attempt to address this concern, we decided to try wearing gloves while throwing. (I believe Manny first suggested this to me when he bought his Spinback 55 and read a review that said something to the effect of "Do wear gloves with this boomerang.")

Since then, we have had time to evaluate the wisdom of our choice in gloves and revisit the decision to wear them. To begin the discussion, here are the gloves we bought and currently still use.

Our Gloves

Firm Grip Utility Gloves (Manny)


Firm Grip All Purpose Gloves (Gerard)


American football receiver's gloves (Charles), similar to below:


The Method to Our Madness

Manny and I were initially drawn to gloves that offered some form of padding over the palm, as we have occasionally returned home with some bruises in that area owing to some overly aggressive catch attempts. We were also interested in covering the fingers to guard against the occasional cut from our then-new carbon and paxolin boomerangs. Of course, we desired that this protection come without excessive restriction to mobility of the fingers and hand overall. So, we decided to try the work gloves shown above, and for the most part, they have met our needs.

On the throwing field, we found that the gloves provided the desired protection against cuts. However, any pipe dreams of recklessly arresting a fast-moving boomerang were dashed. We found that catching either very heavy booms or booms that had not slowed toward the end of the return still could leave the occasional bruise. I would hazard a guess that any benefit we derived from the palm padding was more of a placebo; we were more willing to risk making those catches--and justify any lack of bruises, whether by luck or skill--if we felt we were protected against harm.

One might expect that work gloves would unduly hinder the movement of the hand, as that style of glove tends to be bulky rather than form-fitting. I tried on a few gloves at the store to find a pair that seemed to provide a reasonable compromise between a good fit, some degree of palm padding and adequate grip between the thumb and forefinger. So far, I have not found the bulkiness of the gloves to be problematic. I hardly notice the fit of the glove on the off hand (left) during a throwing session. On the throwing hand, I do notice where the excess finger material bunches up while forming the standard pinch grip with that glove worn. It feels somewhat strange at first, but other than that sensation of awkwardness and the lack of direct contact between the skin and boomerang, the glove does not hinder the throw.

Why did Manny and I ultimately choose work gloves instead of another type? We considered cycling and workout gloves--both the fingered and fingerless kinds. These gloves would be more form fitting, and the cycling gloves would probably provide the desired level of protection (except, perhaps, in the case of fingerless gloves for obvious reasons). Ultimately, we were swayed by the desire to try the palm padding advertised in the description of the work gloves. More realistically, though, it probably came down to our driving by the local Home Depot before Big 5 Sporting Goods on the way home from the workplace. The plan was to try one kind of glove; if it turned out to be a complete flop, we would try something else. So, one could say the call on what glove to pick was essentially made by the flip of a coin.

Charles, as mentioned before, opted for a pair of receiver's gloves, essentially taking the road Manny and I did not take. Fortunately, he conveniently already had them lying around the house from past sporting activities. (Convenience certainly seems to weigh heavily in our choice of gloves.)

Gloves Revisited

Since we first started using gloves, we have had ample time to revisit the questions of whether we require gloves and what we would want in a replacement pair.

Charles told me he recently that he has weaned himself off throwing with gloves. I still use mine, but primarily when throwing certain boomerangs or on windy days, when all my boomerangs return with a fair bit of speed. In particular, I feel compelled to don them whenever I throw the Spinback 55 or any of my paxolin or G12 boomerangs from Volker Behrens. My paxolin and G12 boomerangs are all thin with "sharp" edges--well, they definitely seem sharp when trying to catch one on a hot return. In particular, cuts and a cracked fingernail from my Mini Marathon convinced me to keep at least one glove on when throwing those boomerangs.

Ah, but why one glove? I prefer to have the direct contact between my hand and the boomerang during the throw, as I feel it helps me better time my movements for the release. With the glove on that hand, I tend to feel as if I need to pay more attention to the throw. For that reason, I eventually dropped the glove on the throwing hand, but retained the glove on the off hand to provide some protection during catches. Since that leaves one hand without any sort of covering, I sometimes wonder how meaningful it is to continue using it. However, most of my "injuries" during catches have been sustained to my off hand, so I continue to feel more pressure to wear a glove for that hand. Incidentally, I found that Larry, who predominantly throws Volker's rangs and whom I have seen regularly make one-handed catches of fast-moving Mini Marathons and Sussex Hooks, adopted the same habit independently.

Charles, Manny and I once discussed what our ideal boomerang glove might be. Based on comments much like those I have given so far, Charles suggested that we were essentially looking for his receiver's gloves with some palm padding similar to what we currently have in our work gloves, but with the thumb and index fingers on the throwing hand cut off for that direct contact when using the pinch grip. I myself have not yet seen fit to purchase a pair of gloves for that type of custom "tailoring," but I might try it one of these days.

My Recommendation

Are throwing gloves right for you? Well, they certainly are useful for guarding against the occasional nick or cut, especially when catching boomerangs that are still moving quickly or with much rotation.

What should you be looking for? I would focus primarily on the fit and the grip. I would recommend starting the search with gloves that have a snug fit, similar to the receiver's gloves Charles has used. Those will probably feel most comfortable and natural to wear. Glove materials that would not impact your grip on the throwing hand are also desirable. So, while out shopping, run your fingers over the material, especially where your throwing hand would normally contact the boomerang during a throw. Try to make an estimation in your mind of how well it would grip a painted boomerang during a throw. If you have trouble tracking down sports gloves that you feel would work well, you may need to also look at work gloves like Manny's and mine. They will likely have a looser fit, but might be easier to find.

Be sure to try the gloves on before you make a decision. Check for a comfortable fit and decent gripping ability of the material. Also try wearing the gloves and making the motions for a throw and catch to investigate whether you are comfortable with how the glove material bunches up at the joints in your fingers. Ultimately, though, you will simply need to do the obvious, and just buy a pair to try out on the field.

"Putting my spin on boomerangs..."

Trick Catch Part 2

Merry Winter Season!

As promised, here are the remaining trick catches from the trick catch portion of official boomerang competitions.  In the first post, Trick Catch Part 1,  we showed you these catches:

• Right-Hand Catch

• Left-Hand Catch

• Eagle Catch - A catch made from above the boomerang using only one hand

• Behind the Back Catch (Two-Handed)

• Tunnel Catch - Both of your feet on the ground and one hand passing between your legs to catch the boomerang

• Foot Catch

In this second post, cleverly titled Trick Catch Part 2, we show you the remaining four trick catches, for a total of 10 in all.  They are the following:

• One-Handed Back Catch
• Hackey Catch
• Two-Handed Under the Leg Catch
• One-Handed Under the Leg Catch

Here is the video:

Now that we have managed to successfully complete all the single boomerang trick catches, the next step is the doubling portion of trick catch.  This will be much more of a challenge.  We hope to share the successes of that endeavor when we achieve it.  That might take a few months of practice though so keep that at the back of your mind for now.

As for me, my next post will be another boomerang review as we haven't done one of those in a while.  What boomerang will I be reviewing you may be wondering?  Not one boomerang but two: a set of Turbo doublers that I ordered from Kendall Davis.

You can see the Turbo here:  www.kendalldavis.us
Click on the "Advanced" tab on the left and scroll down to see the Turbo boomerang.

Once again, thanks for reading our blog and have a safe holiday season!

-aLAcrity

[Early] Season's Greetings!

--by phnxhawk--

After a month of inclement weekend weather in normally sunny Southern California and various other distractions, Manny and I have finally found our way back out to the throwing field. However, we do have content that we will be publishing in the next month. Here is some of what we will be posting soon:

• Another edition of "Ask aLAcrity" discussing our current choice of boomerang throwing gloves.
• More trick catch practice videos.
• A look at phnxhawk's first attempts to carve his own boomerangs.
• Long overdue updates to phnxhawk's boomerang collection list.

While you are waiting for those updates, though, here is something to whet your appetite....

Sometimes, the most memorable moments on the field are not those awesome catches and ridiculously low throws, but those fleeting moments of inspiration (or silliness, perhaps) that exemplify how much fun you are having there. While we three were going retro, throwing copies of the Eric Darnell Pro Fly, Charles pointed out some of the lesser known features of that model. All that for the low, low price of...the contents of one full Giant's Wallet from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.



[EDIT: After watching some of my favorite infomercials from the past several years, all I have to say is: Here's to you, Billy Mays!]

Incidentally, in case you were wondering what could possibly have kept us away from throwing sticks...

For my part, I have been distracted by a most epic video game: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

From December 11, 2011

If pressed, I might try to argue for Skyrim's relevance to wind-related activities by noting the presence of dragons and the use of shouting as a tool and weapon. On second thought, that could simply suggest I am blowing hot air.

Well, if nothing else, our distractions have not been completely unrelated to boomerangs. For instance, Manny and I have been replaying The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. And what is one of the gadgets the protagonist Link uses in the game?

From December 11, 2011

Young Link seems to employ a fair amount of layover--not to mention that he is a Southpaw--but at least he is not throwing it like a frisbee. Perhaps his dependence on layover might be due to his limited strength at his age. Not to mention that I have never used a boomerang to grab distant items and return them to me. And--well, it is probably best not to dwell on these details, but instead focus on how awesome it is to play a video game with a boomerang in it!


So, as always, thank you for your patience! And we hope you will look forward to our future posts about boomerangs!

..."Putting my spin on boomerangs"