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by Mahi Palamisami
On a recent episode of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," a contestant
was asked a question about boomerangs. As the contestant sat puzzling and fidgeting
over his choices, I couldnąt help but think how lucky the contestant would be
if Billy Brazelton, a junior in the College of Biological Sciences, were his
lifeline.
Brazelton would have no trouble answering that question because he loves boomerangs. He has been participating in boomerang tournaments since high school, owns over a hundred boomerangs (many of which he created and designed himself), is a board member of the U.S. Boomerang Association and this summer placed fifth at the 2000 U.S. Open Boomerang Championships.
A boomerang, or "boom," is a stick that completes a loop and returns to its thrower if thrown properly. The world record flight for distance is 238 meters. Boomerangs are often confused with throwing sticks, which aborigines use for hunting. Unlike throwing sticks, boomerangs have never been used for hunting but have always been used for recreation since their invention 15,000 years ago.
Brazelton's older brother introduced him to boomerangs the summer before he entered high school. "My brother gave me a boomerang, and when I first threw it, it did not come back to me, so I gave up on it," he recalls. "Then, one night after throwing for three hours, it actually came back to me, and I thought, 'Wow, this is cool.'"
"After I realized that boomerangs do work," Brazelton remembers, "I got kind of addicted, and my brother took me to some tournaments in high school." In college, Brazelton became involved with the sport the national level.
Now an active competitor, Brazelton regularly makes his own boomerangs and trains with them. (He once made a boomerang out of a sliced-up circuit board. His only complaint: that it emits toxic gases. "It's the solder or something," he says.)
However, boomeranging is not about gritty competition. The national tournament held this summer was a four-day event. The first day was dedicated to making and teaching the public about boomerangs. The last three days of the tournament consisted of about 55 players competing in six regulated events: relay, accuracy, Australian round, fast catch, trick catch, and endurance.
Brazelton's favorite event is relay, a battle against time. In this event, two throwers race to a circled area, throw and catch their booms, and run back to tag the next team member, who does the same. The team that completes two cycles in the least amount of time scores more points. The accuracy round requires a precise return of the boom to the thrower. Fast catch is a test of speed in which the first person to complete five throws and catches wins. The endurance event tests how many throws and catches a thrower can finish in five minutes. Trick catch is an event that showcases the unique personalities of the boomerang community. Throwers are scored on tricks they perform while catching a boomerang. From a jumping catch between the legs to a sliding catch with the feet, this event represents the free-spirited approach to the sport.
Brazelton is currently trying to form a boomerang club at the University. To explain his interest in starting a club, Brazelton says, "I want to show people how cool boomerangs are. A unique part of the sport is that it combines science, art, and sport." Throwers gain an intimate understanding of how a boomerang flies and can modify their boomerangs according to the weather, he says. Duct tape, rubber bands, and coins are common tools that players use to adjust for wind and rain.
Rusty Harding, a retired American aerospace engineer and an avid boomerang fan, once mused that there are more variables in the flight of a boom-erang than there are in a spaceship's flight to the moon. Some of these variables can be easily understood using scientific principles.
The motion of a boomerang can be explained by lift and gyroscopic stability. The wings of a boomerang produce lift like the wings of an airplane. The air on top of the wings travels faster than the air below, reducing the pressure on top. This pressure imbalance causes the boomerang to lift.
A boomerang is thrown like a Frisbee, but vertically rather than horizontally, with the snap of the wrist that produces spin. This spin provides a stabilizing force known as gyroscopic stability. The spin, along with the forward velocity of the boomerang, causes the air to move at different rates over the wings. The top wing produces more lift than the bottom wing, introducing gyroscopic precession, which begins turning the boomerang for its return to the thrower.
These are scientific concepts that allow throwers to compete on an equal footing regardless of the sex or age of the thrower. An essential skill to the sport is the ability to modify the boomerang to fit current weather conditions. For example, weight may be added to increase the boomerang's range in high winds.
Brazelton's plans for a boomerang club at the University include "lots of boomerang throwing and learning." He hopes to organize at least one summer tournament for throwers of all skill levels. Brazelton loves teaching his knowledge to anyone who is curious. He says, "It's just that feeling of discovery. That's what boomerangs are all about."
The sport of boomerangs requires a serious mix of engineering skills, athletic ability, and playfulness. With competitions all over the world and an infinitely number of boomerang styles, it is a fantastic combination of science and athleticism.
"That's why it's so addictive," explains Brazleton. "It's like chess, but it's even easier to learn how to play and even harder to master."
