Boomerang Competition Regulations
2007
United
States Boomerang Association
Boomerang Competition Rules 2007
Boomerang Safety-Forward-Definitions-Tournament
Organization-Official (Judge) Obligations-Contestant
Obligations-Contestant Rights-Tournament
Details-Intentional Interference-Protests-Timing
Boomerang Competition Regulations
2007
Table of Contents
1......... Boomerang Safety
2......... Forward
3......... Definitions
4......... Tournament Organization
4.1. Announcements
4.2. Cancellation of Tournaments or Events
4.3. Changes to the Order of Events
4.4. Field Requirements
4.5. Recognition of Results
5......... Official (Judge) Obligations
5.1. Tournament Director
5.2. Head (Line) Judge
5.3. Judge
5.4. Head Spotter (Long Distance Event only)
5.5. Steward
6......... Contestant Obligations
7......... Contestant Rights
8......... Tournament Details
9......... Intentional Interference
10....... Protests
11.......
Timing
12....... Scoring
12.1. Individual and Team Tournaments
12.2. Head to Head (H2H) Tournaments
13....... Records
14....... Individual Events
14.1. Accuracy 50
14.2. Accuracy 100
14.3. Australian Round
14.4. Trick Catch / Doubling 100
14.5.
Fast Catch
14.6. Endurance
14.7. Maximum Time Aloft 100 (MTA 100)
14.8. Maximum Time Aloft Unlimited (MTA Unlimited)
14.9.
Individual Relay Trial
14.10. Juggling
14.11.
Five-Minute Juggling
14.12.
Long Distance
14.13. G-L-O-R-P
15....... Team Events
15.1. Team Accuracy 50
15.2. Team Accuracy 100
15.3. Team Australian Round
15.4. Team Trick Catch / Doubling
15.5. Team Fast Catch
15.6. Team Endurance
15.7. Team Maximum Time Aloft 100 (Team MTA 100)
15.8. Team Relay
15.9. Team Endurance Relay
15.10. Team Supercatch
15.11. Team Position
15.12. Team Beaver Scramble
16....... Super Novice Events
16.1. General Rules
16.2. Accuracy
16.3. MTAussie Round
16.4.
Trick Catch
16.5.
Fast Throw
16.6. Endurance
16.7. Maximum Time Aloft Limited (MTA Limited)
Figure 1. Minimum Required Circles for Accuracy
Figure 2. Minimum Required Circles for Australian Round
Figure 3. Minimum Required Circles for Trick Catch / Doubling, Fast Catch, Endurance, and Team Endurance Relay
Figure 4. Minimum Required Circles for Maximum Time Aloft 100 (MTA 100)
Figure 5. Minimum Required Circles for Team Endurance Relay
Figure 6. Minimum Required Circles for Long Distance
1.1.
Boomerangs can be dangerous if they are thrown carelessly.
1.2.
Throw boomerangs only from a safe place where they have plenty of room to fly or
bounce without danger of hitting anyone or anything.
1.3.
If you see anyone in danger of being hit, warn him promptly and loudly.
1.4.
Warn anyone on the field if your throw may endanger him. Make sure he is clear
before you throw.
1.5.
Do not enter another throwers circle without checking to see if it is safe and
telling the thrower you are entering his circle.
1.6.
Make sure that the area immediately around you, in all directions, is clear to a
radius of approximately 30 meters.
This book describes the individual events conducted in USBA tournaments and sets
standards for running them. Certain words have special meanings in these rules.
These words are defined in the definitions section.
An attempt was made to write these rules clearly and completely, and to
cover most expected circumstances.
If things happen that are not covered or not covered clearly, the intent is
interpreted by the tournament officials.
The intent is to make the rules as fair as possible to all contestants
and to avoid creating an unfair advantage or unfair disadvantage to any person.
Active Circle
Competition circle currently being set up or being used to run an event.
Advanced
The highest level/class of competition. Throwers considered the best or most
competitive.
Board, USBA
Elected officials of the USBA. The
board may act in place of the USBA President if the USBA President is not
available.
Boomerang
Number of arms is unrestricted. To be a boomerang a stick must tend to return as result of gyroscopic precession caused by asymmetric lift. The lift is created as a result of a throw that gives the object rotation and linear motion. Other characteristics include:
a. Materials – can be made from any non-metal material. Metal may be embedded or taped on but may not have exposed sharp edges.
b. Other- No launching, propulsion, or catching aids may be incorporated in the boomerang.
Bull's-Eye
Area inside the 2 meter circle from which throws are made. The marked line is
outside the bull's-eye. If a thrower touches the line during the throw - before
the boomerang is released - no points are scored for the throw or catch. This
area is designated 10 points in Australian Round and Accuracy.
Catch, Behind The Back
Legal catch during which
a.
the boomerang passes behind the competitors back or
b.
the catching hand is behind the competitors back and withdraws the boomerang
(Catches on the other side are permitted if the catching hand crosses behind the
throwers back and withdraws the boomerang from behind the back).
Catch, Broken
A legal catch of any part of a boomerang is considered a legal catch if all
other boomerang requirements are met.
Catch, Eagle
One hand clean catch during which the hand approaches the boomerang from the
(overhand) top of the boomerang.
Catch, Foot/Leg
A legal catch during which the boomerang is caught with the feet or lower legs.
The boomerang may not touch any part of the competitors knees, or
anywhere above his knees. The
boomerang and both of the competitors feet must remain clear of the ground
during the catch. The thrower may
elect to make a stand up foot/leg catch in place of the foot/leg catch.
Catch, Hackey
A catch where the first contact of the boomerang must be made with the foot,
defined as any part of the body below the ankle.
Either or both feet may be used.
The thrower attempts to kick or “hackey” the boomerang off the foot, and
then catch the boomerang prior to contact with the ground.
After the boomerang has been kicked, any legal catch may be made,
including body traps.
Catch, Legal
Act of stopping and obtaining full control of a flying boomerang after a legal
throw provided the boomerang has not touched the ground during the flight or
catch and provided its range is sufficient. Full control must be obtained before
the boomerang is allowed to touch the ground. The boomerang may be trapped
against the thrower on any catch for which a clean catch is not specified. A
boomerang may be "popped or bobbled" but must not be allowed to touch the
ground. Anything that protrudes beyond the planes of the top or bottom surfaces
of the boomerang may not be used to assist in catching. Holes - whether open or
closed - may also not be used to assist in catching. No devices - mechanized or
otherwise - may be used to aid in catching a boomerang.
Catch, One Hand Clean
Legal catch with the additional requirement that during the catch the boomerang
may not touch the competitor except on the hand and forearm of the specified
side (left or right). The boomerang may not touch the thrower's elbow.
Catch, One Hand Behind The Back
One hand clean catch that satisfies requirements of behind the back catch.
Exception: the boomerang may touch the back or buttocks or back of legs during
the catch, but trapping the boomerang (either flat or on edge) against any part
of the body to obtain control is not allowed. If the boomerang is withdrawn
after control is obtained it may touch the body - even forcibly - as long as
control is maintained. If control is lost, it must be regained by the catching
hand without trapping.
Catch, One Hand Under The Leg
One hand clean catch that satisfies requirements of under-the-leg catch.
Exception: the boomerang may touch the leg, body or buttocks during the catch,
but trapping the boomerang (either flat or on edge) against the leg or body to
obtain control is not allowed. When the boomerang is withdrawn after control is
obtained it may touch the body - even forcibly - as long as control is
maintained. If control is lost, it must be regained by the catching hand without
trapping.
Catch, Stand Up Foot/Leg
Legal catch during which the boomerang satisfies all the requirements of a
foot/leg catch except one or both feet may be in contact with the ground during
the catch. The thrower may not touch the ground with any part of his body other
than his feet or shoes. The boomerang may be trapped between or come to rest on
the throwers feet and/or legs between the ground and his knees. The boomerang
cannot touch the ground or his knees, however.
Catch, Tunnel
Under-the-leg catch where both feet remain on the ground while the boomerang is
being caught. Either or both hands may be used for the catch. If, at the moment
of catch, the thrower's catching hand/arm is under a leg but the boomerang has
not yet passed under the leg the boomerang must be withdrawn under the leg to
complete the catch. Control by the catching hand(s) must be maintained until the
catch/withdrawal is completed.
Catch, Two Hand Clean
Legal catch using both hands. The
boomerang may not any part of the body except the hands/forearms.
It may not touch the throwers elbows.
Catch, Under The Leg
Legal catch during which the boomerang passes under a leg. If, at the moment of
catch, the thrower's catching hand/arm is under a leg but the boomerang has not
yet passed under the leg the boomerang must be withdrawn under the leg to
complete the catch. Control by the catching hand must be maintained until the
catch/withdrawal is completed.
Catch, Unofficial
Catch which does not meet all the requirements of a legal catch. Not counted as
a catch.
Catching Aid
Any characteristic of a boomerang, hand, or other object that provides a
catching advantage. Some examples are:
a.
Chemical or mechanical (Velcro) adhesives applied to the boomerang, the thrower
or his clothing
b.
Any extension to the throwers hand, arm, leg, etc.
c.
Any item thrown to intercept a boomerang.
Center Point
Point at center of bulls-eye from which the radius of all accuracy and range
circles are measured.
Circle Judge
See Judge.
Competition Field
Area specifically reserved for the boomerang competition and specifically
authorized for use prior to the start of the event. Parking and spectator areas,
adjacent in-use sports fields, streets, and any other areas designated as off
limits, before the start of the competition, are not part of the competition
field. Adjacent public or private land is not considered part of the competition
field.
Feat
Best recognized performance in an event which does not meet the more stringent
requirements of a record.
Glove
Any hand covering which may provide protection for hands but may not be made to
aid catching or throwing.
Ground
Point where the earth or its covering is firm enough to noticeably affect the
linear or rotational motion of a boomerang in flight or during a catch. If any
part of the boomerang clearly touches the earth or its covering during an
attempted catch the catch is not counted.
Head Judge / Head Line Judge
Person responsible for fair conduct of all events included in a tournament. This
includes interpreting the rules, organizing other judges and stewards, and
recording of scores. The head judge
may be the tournament director.
Head Spotter
Person responsible for the determination of the furthest point of travel in the
distance event. The head spotter
triangulates the locations recorded by the range stewards to determine the point
of furthest travel.
He, His
Reference to the male gender and for the purpose of this rulebook includes the
female gender.
Immediately
As soon as possible – even if it is necessary to interrupt an official
conversation.
Individual Event
An event in which one thrower competes and the score obtained by the thrower is
applied to that thrower alone. The
score recorded by that thrower may not be applied to any other individuals.
Interference
Situation in which the flight of a boomerang is altered by contact with another
person's boomerang in flight, a person, animal or pre-designated obstruction.
Interference occurs if a boomerang is caught or deflected by someone other than
its thrower. Interference can be called if a thrower is prevented from getting
to his boomerang for a catch by a person or animal. Interference may not be
called if the boomerang hits ground before the alleged interference. Re-throw
policy is defined in each event's rules.
Intermediate
The middle level/class of competition.
Between novice and advanced.
International Scoring System
The system by which USBA tournaments are scored where placing position equals
scoring points. The overall
tournament placings are determined by adding scoring points from each event.
Order of finish is from least amount of points (first) to most points
(last).
Judge
Person responsible for fair conduct of an event included in a tournament. This
includes interpreting the rules, organizing other officials and stewards, and
recording of scores. The judge may be the head judge, or an event judge
designated by The tournament Director or Head Judge.
A judge may not be the active competitor.
Mandatory Event
a.
No event is mandatory. The
Tournament Director may choose any set of events for the tournament. Tournament
directors are free to experiment with tournament formats that meet their
localities needs. All other rules within this rulebook apply. For example
Contestants' rights remain unchanged, rules for changing the events or order of
events remains the same, and the rules for the events described in this rulebook
remain the same. For example, a typical individual tournament consists of
Accuracy, Fast Catch, Endurance, Trick Catch / Doubling 100, Australian Round,
and
b.
An event that is required in order to complete a tournament.
All mandatory events must be declared prior to the start of the
tournament. For example, an
individual tournament may consist of Accuracy, Fast Catch, Endurance, Trick
Catch / Doubling 100, Australian Round, and
Meter Circles
Lines marked the specified distance from the center point on the field.
National Championship
Tournament(s) where all national event champions and national overall champion
are determined. All events should be contested at a single tournament unless the
venue is determined to be unacceptable for a particular event (i.e. field is too
small to contest long distance) and as a result, the event is not contested at
the tournament. If a venue is deemed unacceptable, the national championship for
that event may be awarded to another tournament.
National Event Champion
The winner of the event at a predefined tournament (National Championship).
Events where a national champion is determined include Accuracy, Trick Catch /
Doubling 100, Australian Round, Fast Catch, Endurance,
National Overall Champion
Overall winner of a predefined tournament (National Championship). The national
champion is determined using the events of Accuracy, Trick Catch / Doubling 100,
Australian Round, Fast Catch, Endurance, and
Non Catch
Failure to make a legal catch. Includes unofficial catches made after a throw or
flight which did not meet the requirements of the event.
Novice
The lowest level/class of competition.
Throwers who chooses to enter novice category due to inexperience, age or
other criteria set out in tournament flyer.
A novice may not compete in Intermediate or Advanced category in the same
tournament in which he participates as a novice.
Obstruction
Any moveable person or thing that could potentially interfere with a boomerang’s
flight or movement of the thrower and is within 10m of outermost range steward.
For example, a spectator standing at the 55m line during Australian Round
may be considered an obstruction as the outermost range steward is at the 50m
line. A spectator standing at 65m
line during Australian Round may not be considered an obstruction.
Official
Tournament director, head judge or person designated by either of them to help
officiate in an event. Officials may be competitors or non-competitors
Optional Event
An event that is not required in order to complete a tournament.
Any event that is not declared as a mandatory event is automatically an
optional event.
Point of Contact
Area of the body which touches ground. For example, the entire bottom of a foot
or the tip of a toe could be one point - whatever is touching the ground, two
feet on the ground is one point.
President, USBA
President of the USBA or person designated for the appropriate task by the
president.
Range
Outermost meter circle over which the boomerang flies - between when it is
thrown from and when it begins its return toward the thrower.
Range Challenge
Notification of event judge by any competitor or event official that a throw was
suspected to be short. Any throw for which sufficient range stewards are not
used to evaluate range of the throw may be challenged. Once a challenge is made
the suspect boomerang must be handed to the event judge as soon as possible
after completion of the thrower's turn. The boomerang may not be handed back to
the competitor until range testing begins. If the owner or thrower is observed
to be altering the balance of the boomerang by adding or removing weight, or by
twisting or bending it, the boomerang is assumed to be too short and the
thrower's turn is scored accordingly.
Range Test
Test procedure during which the thrower attempts to show event officials that
his range challenged boomerang has adequate range. The test is conducted as
follows: Thrower makes 5 throws from 2m circle. All throws are checked and must
have at least 20m range. Throws must be the same style and in the same general
direction relative to the wind - in the opinion of the head judge - as the
throws used in competition at the time of the challenge. The throws are
considered short if the thrower refuses to submit his boomerang to the judge as
soon as possible after it is challenged.
Record
Best tournament performances as defined in "Records."
Referee
Person(s) designated to help judges make decisions about protests and penalties.
Re-throw
Throw taken to obtain score in lieu of score lost due to interference on a throw
during a
previous turn. May also be ordered by judge if original throw could not
be properly scored. Re-throws are conducted and scored to ensure that the
thrower cannot improve upon the best score possible for the turn at the time of
the interference. Valid scores obtained in spite of interference may become
official scores if re-throw fails to improve upon it - unless interference
caused improved score in the original turn.
Round
A sequence in an event in which each thrower (all throwers) has an opportunity
to have a specified number of turns. Turns may be in rotation with other
throwers, consecutively, or simultaneously per event rules.
Score
The sum of points accumulated by a thrower or team in a single event, the time
recorded by a thrower or team in a single event.
Senior
An optional competition class for competitors
whose 50th birthday was on or before the date of the tournament in which a
senior competitor is participating.
Seniors compete with slightly different rules from Novice, Intermediate, and
Advanced competitors. Entry into
the Senior class is optional.
Steward
An Official appointed by a judge to assist with the judging of an event.
Tandem Throwing
Two throwers throw within a 3-second time period in an event. The second thrower
must throw within 3 seconds of the first throw.
Team Event
Any USBA approved event with the word Team in front of the name that involves
the participation of multiple team members.
Throw, Legal
Throw of a boomerang from inside the center most circle for the event that
satisfies range requirements of the event.
Throw On Command
Boomerangs must be thrown upon verbal command of official announcing the event.
Thrower has at least 5 second to throw after the throw command is given.
The thrower loses his turn if 5 or more seconds has elapsed since the
throw command was given, the thrower has not thrown, and the thrower has been
informed that he has lost his turn.
Thrower
A competitor participating in a boomerang event.
Tournament Director
Person who organizes and is generally responsible for a tournament, or person
designated by him to fulfill certain duties. The tournament director determines
events, order of events, and assigns head judge responsibility.
Turn
Thrower's opportunity to perform in an event. The sequence of turns for all
competitors is set for all events and competition circles before the start of
the tournament. A turn begins when the previous thrower's turn has been scored
or any time thereafter when the event judge indicates that officials are ready.
The thrower must make his throw within 20 seconds (guideline - timing not
required) of the start of his turn unless otherwise advertised or announced
before the start of the tournament. Extensions may be allowed by judges if done
fairly and consistently.
Un-Scored Round
Round in which an official score could not be recorded because of interference,
or because the judge could not properly score the round. Requires a re-throw.
USBA Record
The best performance by a USBA member in a USBA tournament or a tournament in
which rules of the event are at least as restrictive as USBA rules.
World Record
The best performance in a USBA tournament or a tournament in which rules of the
event are at least as restrictive as USBA rules.
4.1.1.
Sanctioning of tournaments by the USBA must be requested to the USBA President
at least 60 days prior to the first day of competition.
The request must include the date of the tournament, the rain date for
the tournament (if applicable), general location (city), and contact information
for the tournament director (i.e. name, address, phone number, email address,
etc.). The USBA President will
either accept or deny the sanctioning request.
See Appendix 1.
4.1.2.
Sanctioned tournaments must be announced to the to the USBA President at least
30 days prior to the first day of the competition.
The tournament announcement must include the starting time of the
tournament, conditions under which the rain date will be used (if applicable),
exact location (address of field), nominees for head judges (at least 3 nominees
in order of preference), events, and order of events.
The USBA President must approve the all of the above criteria except for
the nominees for head judge. At
least one of the nominees for head judge must be approved by at least 3 USBA
board members (may or may not include the USBA President).
See Appendix 1.
4.1.3.
Any changes to the order of events must be submitted to and approved by the USBA
President at least 1 day prior to the first day of the competition.
4.1.4.
Before the start of the first event all competitors will be told the name of the
tournament director, the name of the head judge, the order of events, and the
order in which the competitors will throw in each event.
The order in which the competitors throw must be arbitrary.
4.1.5.
Before the start of the first event the tournament director and/or head judge
must inform competitors of any additional rules or rule changes.
4.1.6.
Before each turn in each event, the officials must be identified.
4.2.1.
Advertised tournaments or events are held on schedule, regardless of weather or
other occurrences unless at least 75% of the registered and checked in throwers
vote at the scheduled starting time to cancel it.
4.2.2.
Occasionally it may be necessary to discontinue an event in progress due to
lightning or other life-threatening circumstances. The break must be between
rounds. If this is not possible, the event must be canceled unless the throwers
vote unanimously to continue. If part of the event must be delayed and the break
is between rounds the event must be finished the same day and in the same
location or it is considered canceled.
4.2.3.
Mandatory events may be cancelled if at least 75% of registered competitors
agree to change it.
4.2.4.
Optional events may be cancelled if at leat 75% of registered competitors agree
to change it or by the head judge if specific conditions for canceling the event
(outlined prior to the tournament) have been met.
Examples of acceptable conditional cancellations include:
a.
Accuracy will be cancelled if it is not started by
b.
Doubling will be cancelled if any winds exceeding 12mph for more than 15 seconds
are recorded during the Accuracy event using a Fairworth® anemometer.
4.2.5.
If any events are canceled the scores for the completed events constitute the
completed tournament.
4.3.1.
The order of events may only be changed if at least 75% of registered
competitors agree to change it or by the head judge if specific conditions for
changing the order of events (outlined prior to the beginning of the tournament)
have been met. Examples of
acceptable conditional changes include:
a.
Accuracy will be postponed until after the last event if more than 35
competitors are registered at
b.
4.3.2.
The order of optional events may be changed by the tournament director, the head
judge, or if at least 75% of registered competitors agree to change it.
4.3.3.
Criteria for decisions about revising the order of events on the day of the
tournament must be documented in the official results.
4.4.1.
Field must be marked as required for the events being contested as per the event
rules. Additional circles may be
present as long as they do not interfere with the minimum required circles.
4.4.2.
Field marking lines must be immovable.
Lime, chalk, gypsum, paint, or equivalent material must be used. All
lines from the 2m circle line to the 20m circle line must be uninterrupted
(solid) lines. The 30m circle line
and the 40m circle line may be solid or dashed.
The 50m circle line must be solid
4.4.3.
Field must be level and free of obstacles to a radius of approximately 10m
beyond the requirement listed in the event rules.
4.4.4.
There may not be any holes, mounds or obstacles that are unsafe or which may
interfere with the flight of any boomerang or the movement of any competitor as
agreed upon by all (100.0%) of competitors.
4.5.1.
Recognition is granted by the USBA only if:
a.
Announcement requirements have been met.
b.
Events are run in the order in which they were announced, advertised, and
submitted to the USBA President.
c.
Events are run and officiated in compliance with the USBA event rules or
equivalent.
d.
Changes to the schedule may be accepted by the USBA President if appropriate.
e.
Field requirements are satisfied.
f.
Eleven (11) or more contestants participate in the tournament.
Note: The tournament director, head
judge, and referee may compete in the tournament in which they are officials. If
they do they must have designated alternates to perform their duties in any
action or decision in which they are involved as competitors.
5.1.1.
Before the tournament
5.1.1.1.
Must perform all announcements as per section
4.1.
5.1.2.
At the tournament.
5.1.2.1.
Appoints the head judge and score analyst.
5.1.2.2.
Verify that all competitors and judges have signed USBA liability waivers before
the tournament begins.
5.1.2.3.
Provide adequate control of spectators.
5.1.2.4.
Conduct a pre-tournament meeting to make announcements, and review rules.
5.1.2.5.
Make a copy of current USBA rules available to all contestants for reference.
5.1.2.6.
Assist head judge as needed in resolving protests.
5.1.3.
After the tournament
a.
Copies of all official score sheets on which each turn is recorded.
b.
A copy of the official results transcribed onto an official USBA score sheet.
Results are to be certified by both the head judge and scorekeeper.
c.
Copies of signed liability waivers by all competitors and judges.
d.
Copies of all protests submitted at the tournament and the outcome from the
protests.
e.
Statement by the head judge and tournament director certifying that all events
were conducted in accordance to USBA rules.
Any changes to the rules must be noted.
5.1.3.2.
At request of the USBA President the Tournament Director must supply the
originals of any of the information described in
5.1.3.1 to the USBA President up to a point of 60 days after
the completion of the tournament.
5.1.3.3.
At request of the USBA President the Tournament Director must certify that all
events were conducted in accordance with USBA rules.
Any exceptions must be noted.
5.2.1.
Must have been approved by at least 3 USBA Board members.
5.2.2.
Ensures the tournament is conducted fairly.
5.2.3.
Organizes and collects data from circle judges.
5.2.4.
Appoints judges or head spotter.
5.2.5.
Performs duties of a judge as required.
5.2.6.
Determines outcome of the tournament based on the collected data from the circle
judges.
5.2.7.
Advises judges and competitors on rule interpretation if required.
5.2.8.
Judges interference and rules appropriately.
5.2.9.
Confers with tournament director and referee to resolve protests.
5.2.10.
May use whatever method seems fairest to determine how an occurrence should be
scored - including, but not limited to, information of witnesses to the
occurrence.
5.2.11.
May require any throw be repeated if he has doubt about the score for the throw.
5.3.1.
Runs events on his assigned active circle as per rules announced by the
tournament director prior to the tournament.
5.3.2.
Appoints stewards
5.3.3.
Performs duties of range steward as required.
5.3.4.
Advises competitors on rule interpretation if required.
5.3.5.
Confers with head judge and tournament director to resolve protests.
5.4.1.
Determine point of furthest travel in the long distance event by triangulating
the measurements by the range stewards.
5.4.2.
Measures the distance to the head line judge if utilizing 2 laser range finders.
5.4.3.
Arranges range stewards to ensure measurements are as accurate as possible for
all throws.
5.4.4.
Confers with head line judge and tournament director to resolve protests.
5.5.1.
Assists judge (or head spotter) in range determination, timing, determination of
accuracy, determination of catching points, score keeping, etc.
5.5.2.
All competitors should perform some steward duties when their turns to throw are
not imminent.
5.6.
Referee
5.6.1.
Appointed by the tournament director prior to the start of the tournament.
5.6.2.
Advises judges and competitors on rule interpretations, if required.
5.6.3.
Confers with head judge and tournament director to resolve protests.
5.7.
Scorekeeper
5.7.1.
Appointed by a judge to record scores and other data (as required) from his
active circle.
5.8.
Score Analyst
5.8.1.
Appointed by the tournament director prior to the start of the tournament.
5.8.2.
Rechecks all calculations on the score sheets from the active circles.
5.8.3.
Compiles all scores from all active circles onto the official score sheet.
5.8.4.
Determines official placings in each event.
5.8.5.
Determines overall placings.
5.9.
Safety Officer
5.9.1.
Appointed by the tournament director prior to the start of the tournament.
5.9.2.
Advises competitors, judges, and spectators on matters of safety as appropriate.
6.1.
By entering a tournament, contestants agree to abide by the decisions of judges
and/or officials.
6.2.
In timed events it is the competitor's responsibility to be sure the timers are
ready before he begins his turn. A thrower who throws before timers are ready
loses his turn.
6.3.
In all events it is the thrower's responsibility to be ready to throw when it
becomes his turn. If he does not throw within the allowed time, he loses his
turn. In Fast Catch and Endurance the thrower's time may begin when his
preparation time expires.
6.4.
Each thrower has at least 15 seconds to throw after it becomes his turn. If
after the 15 seconds has expired the circle judge may instruct the thrower to
throw. The thrower has a minimum of
5 seconds to throw. If the thrower
does not throw within 5 seconds the circle judge may inform the thrower that he
has lost his turn. This rule is to
be used at the discretion of judges but should be used at minimum when a
contestant appears to delaying his throw excessively to obtain favorable
conditions.
6.5.
Contestants may not talk unnecessarily with the judge or scorekeeper during an
event.
6.6.
Warm-up throws or range checks are not allowed from or over an active circle -
except as required or allowed by event rules.
6.7.
Warm-up throws are permitted in designated areas at designated times.
Unauthorized throws for practice, warm-up, tuning, testing, or for any other
reason are not allowed. Contestants caught making such throws lose the next turn
in the event for which they are preparing.
6.8.
The owner of an obstruction that another competitor wants removed from the
competition field must remove the item as requested as soon as possible.
The obstruction may be up to 10m beyond the outermost range steward.
Obstacles 10m beyond the outermost range spotters are not required to be
moved. Officials may not be moved.
6.9.
Intentional interference will not be tolerated. If a judge determines that
intentional interference has occurred, the contestant responsible will be
disqualified from the event. The victim will be given the opportunity (or be
required) to make a re-throw if appropriate.
6.10.
If a Range Challenge is made by or against a contestant, the boomerang being
challenged must be submitted to the event judge immediately after the challenge
has been received. The boomerang
must not be altered in weight or shape.
6.11.
If interference, or confusion occurs during a throwers round, the thrower should
continue and complete the round as well as possible.
A protest may be filed at the end of the turn or end of the round.
7.1.
Competitors may replace a boomerang at any time between flights during an event.
If a boomerang is replaced progress of the event must not be slowed by
more than 15 seconds or the turn may be lost.
7.2.
Any contestant may challenge the range of another thrower's boomerang by
reporting it immediately to the circle judge. If it is not reported before, at
or immediately after the completion of the flight the challenge will not be
registered, and a range test won't be conducted.
7.3.
Any thrower may request removal of an obstruction on the field prior to his
throw. The obstruction may be moved up to 10m beyond the outermost range
steward. Obstacles 10m beyond the
outermost range spotters are not required to be moved.
Officials may not be moved.
A throw that hits an obstruction is not interference unless it moved to within
10m of the outermost range steward during the throw.
7.4.
Legal gloves may be used in any event.
7.5.
Any protest must be lodged with the event judge at the time of the alleged
infraction. It will be dealt with at that time if feasible.
7.6.
Any act, occurrence, or judgment which causes an advantage or disadvantage to
any contestant or group of contestants may be protested. No protest may be made
in any event after the next competitors turn has begun.
7.7.
Re-throws are allowed as appropriate.
7.8.
Throwers may have extra boomerangs, wind indicators, etc. on the field. Removal
is owner's responsibility. These
items are not considered obstructions.
7.9.
Any thrower may decline an opportunity to re-throw a turn or round unless
required by the head judge to take it.
7.10.
If a contestant believes that a protest was handled unfairly by the circle judge
he may register a complaint with the tournament director, head judge, the USBA
President, or any combination thereof.
Complaints made to the tournament director and/or head judge must be
registered no later than 5 minutes after the completion of the awards
presentation. Complaints made to
the USBA President must be sent within 3 days of the conclusion of the
tournament and be received within 7 days of the conclusion of the tournament.
Complaints received after the stated time limits will not be acknowledged
unless the protest deals with a mathematical error.
7.11.
Any competitor who desires to have a copy of the tournament results may request
one from the tournament director at registration or at any time within 14 days
after the completion of the tournament.
Tournament directors are must provide a copy of the results within 30
days of the completion of the tournament.
8.1.
Tournaments will be held on schedule if at all possible regardless of weather.
8.2.
Compliance with these rules must be certified for tournament results or records
to be recognized.
8.3.
At least 5 minutes general warm-up time is provided before the start of each
event. Each thrower may use this time for practice, warm-up, boomerang
selection, tuning, eating, etc. - as he desires.
8.4.
Throwing order for all competition circles is established by random drawing
after the starting number for each event is determined, but before the start of
the first event.
8.5.
Judges may use any means available to determine how an occurrence should be
judged - including help from witnesses that had a better vantage point than the
judge. Clear, obvious or suspected rules violations should be brought to the
attention of the official required to make the call immediately by any official
who sees the violation. The official required to make the call will then make
the call. Example: a range judge sees an obvious foot fault. He tells the center
judge. If the center judge did not notice the throwers feet on the throw in
question, he (officially) calls foot fault. If he saw that there was no fault,
he overrules the range steward and announces that the throw was legal.
8.6.
Re-throws are conducted according to the rules of each event so they do not
create an unfair opportunity for any thrower to improve upon the score he could
have obtained in the turn for which a re-throw is awarded. If a valid score was
obtained during the turn in which interference occurred and it is better than
the score obtained during the re-throw, it may be recorded as the official score
- if appropriate.
8.7.
Throw-offs may be used to break ties for tournament purposes if the procedure is
announced before the start of the first event. THROW-OFFS DO NOT AFFECT OFFICIAL
SCORES OR PLACINGS, however - except as required by event rules.
8.8.
Officials for all events include the event judge, and scorekeeper. Additional
officials required in each event are specified in each event's rules.
9.1.
If interference appears to be intentional on the part of the thrower (like
intentionally hitting a range steward) the thrower is disqualified in the event.
9.2.
If a competitor other than the thrower intentionally touches a boomerang in
flight he will be disqualified in the event involved. The thrower will then be
required or allowed to make a re-throw as appropriate whether he caught the
affected boomerang or not.
9.3.
If the judge considers the offense to be unusually serious on the part of the
thrower or another competitor, the offender may be disqualified in the
succeeding events(s) or the tournament, as appropriate. These actions may be
made only with the consent of the tournament director, head judge and referee,
however.
10.1.
Must be resolved as quickly and fairly as possible - without disrupting the
contest(s) unnecessarily.
10.2.
Are ruled upon by the committee comprised of the tournament director, judge, and
referee.
10.3.
Are resolved immediately if possible - before the next event begins in any case.
If this is not possible, officials must tell the protester when to expect a
decision and the reason for the delay.
11.1.
Any timer must disqualify his time if he did not start or stop his stopwatch at
the right moment on any turn.
11.2.
All timers time (official timers and alternate timers) each turn.
11.3.
Method of timing:
11.3.1.
Three timers plus one or more alternate timer (preferred method of timing)
11.3.1.1.
If using multiple alternate timers, the order of alternates must be designated.
For example, first alternate, second alternate, etc.
11.3.1.2.
If an official timer disqualifies himself, the (first) alternate timer will
become an official timer.
11.3.1.3.
If the time difference between the shortest time recorded by an official timer
and the longest time recorded by the official timer is less than or equal to
0.75s and no official timer disqualifies himself, the median time recorded by an
official timer is the official time.
11.3.1.4.
If the time difference between the shortest time recorded by an official timer
and the longest time recorded by the official timer is greater than 0.75s, the
three closest times including the (first) alternate will be considered.
If the time difference between the shortest time recorded by an official
timer or alternate and the longest time recorded by an official timer or
alternate is less than or equal to 0.75s, the median time recorded by an
official timer or alternate is the official time.
This step may be repeated using all available alternates until an
official time is obtained or all alternates have been used.
11.3.1.5.
If all alternates have been exhausted and the difference between the shortest
time recorded by an official timer or alternate and the longest time recorded by
an official time or alternate is still greater than 0.75s, proceed as if using
two timers.
11.3.2.
Three timers
11.3.2.1.
If an official timer disqualifies himself, proceed as if using two timers.
11.3.2.2.
If the time difference between the shortest time recorded by an official timer
and the longest time recorded by the official timer is less than or equal to
0.75s and no official timer disqualifies himself, the median time recorded by an
official timer is the official time.
11.3.2.3.
If the time difference between the shortest time recorded by an official timer
and the longest time recorded by the official timer is greater than 0.75,
proceed as if using two timers using the two closest times.
11.3.3.
Two Timers
11.3.3.1.
If an official timer disqualifies himself, proceed as if using one timer.
11.3.3.2.
If the time difference between the two times is less than or equal to 0.50s and
no official timer disqualifies himself the thrower has the option to accept
either time as his official time.
11.3.3.3.
If the time difference between the two times is greater than 0.50s proceed as if
using one timer.
11.3.4.
One Timer
11.3.4.1.
If an official timer disqualifies himself, the thrower is given a rethrow.
11.3.4.2.
If the official timer does not disqualify himself, the thrower may accept an
official time lesser or greater than the time recorded by the timer by any
amount not exceeding 0.75s.
12.1.1.
Official tournament size is the number of contestants or teams registered at the
end of the start of the second event or second round if only one event is being
contested. Sanctioned Tournaments
must have a minimum of 11 competitors.
12.1.2.
Scoring at the tournament is done according to event rules on the official
scoring sheets. Scores are ranked and placing points are awarded in each event.
12.1.3.
Placing points for each event are determined by using the International Scoring
System
12.1.3.1.
Ascending placement system: Lower points are better.
12.1.3.2.
Placing point same as score. For
example, first place receives 1 point, second receives 2 points, etc.
12.1.3.3.
Worst score equals the total number of throwers or teams in the event
12.1.3.4.
Non-scores or failure to compete in a given event equals the total number of
throwers or teams in the event.
12.1.3.5.
No additional points are given for winning an event
12.1.3.6.
In the case of ties, all placing points occupied by the tied throwers or teams
are added and divided by the number of tied throwers or teams.
For example, if 3 throwers are tied for first place, 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 / 3 =
2 points for each thrower. The next
thrower receives 4 points
12.1.4.
Placing points for all events are added to determine tournament overall placing.
12.1.4.1.
Ascending placement system: Lowest total points is first, highest total points
is last.
12.2.1.
Each event is a separate tournament.
12.2.2.
Two (or more) throwers compete at the same time on separate circles.
12.2.3.
Scoring on each circle for each event is done according to event rules on the
official scoring sheets. The best
score moves on to the next round.
12.2.4.
Rounds are repeated until only one thrower remains.
The last thrower is the Head to Head Champion.
13.1.
USBA Records
13.1.1.
The USBA President is responsible for keeping the
13.1.2.
Records may be set in USBA approved individual or team events at sanctioned
events. USBA or another official
national or international boomerang organization (i.e. IFBA, CANBOOM, DBC, SBF,
BAA, JBA, etc.) may sanction an event.
13.1.3.
Records may only be established within the competitor's normal turns during a
tournament.
13.1.4.
Record claims are to be submitted to the USBA President within 1 year of the
competition. Record claims
submitted after 1 year has elapsed will not be recognized.
13.1.5.
Record claims must be accompanied with the following information:
a.
Names of judges and stewards who officiated for the record.
b.
Certification by all judges and stewards that the event was conducted in
accordance with USBA rules. Any
changes to the rules must be noted.
c.
Specifics such as recorded time on each stopwatch for all official timers and
alternates or the scores making up the official score.
13.1.6.
Record claims should also include the following information whenever possible:
a.
Time of the record.
b.
Weather conditions at the time (temperature, wind speed, etc.).
c.
Field conditions (pertinent on or off field objects that may have affected the
result).
13.1.7.
Records set using a rule book other than the approved USBA event rule book will
be evaluated prior to acceptance as a new USBA record.
If the rules used to set the record are deemed to be equivalent or more
stringent, the record will be accepted.
13.1.8.
Individual records may be set either in individual competition or in team
competition where individual scores are recorded.
If claiming an individual record in a team event, the team on which the
record was set must be a USBA Team or International Team.
13.1.9.
Team records may be set in team events only.
Teams claiming a USBA Team Record must be a USBA team.
13.2.
World Records
13.2.1.
Performances are recognized as world records if they:
a.
Equal or exceed the USBA record.
b.
Are established in a tournament in which the rules are equivalent to USBA rules
or more restrictive.
Points awarded
Best: Most Points
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 20m radius (which also contains 2m, 4m, 6m, 8m, and 10m
radius circles). See Figure 1.
Required for score:
-
20m range flight.
-
Legal throw from inside the 2m circle.
-
Boomerangs must come to rest without touching or hitting anything except the
ground.
Tandem Throwing (Optional):
-
Tandem throwing pairs: Two (2) throwers throw within a 3 second time period.
The second thrower must throw within 3 seconds of the first throw, or his
throw is disqualified.
-
Throwing order is to be determined by throwers.
-
In the event of an odd number of throwers, circle judge will assign a
non-scoring second thrower to the last thrower.
Tandem Throwing Interference:
-
If a boomerang hits the thrower, the score recorded is 0.
If a boomerang hits the tandem partner, the tandem partner receives a
score of 0 for that throw, and the thrower must take a mandatory tandem
re-throw.
Scoring:
-
Points scored according to where the boomerang comes to rest after a legal throw
of at least 20m flight range:
-
Inside the 2m circle:
10 points
-
Inside the 4m circle:
8
points
-
Inside the 6m circle:
6 points
-
Inside the 8m circle:
4 points
-
Inside the 10m circle: 2 points
-
If the boomerang is completely within a single area not touching any lines, the
score of that area is awarded.
-
If any part of the boomerang is over any part of a line, the score is the
average score of the areas adjacent to the line.
-
Official score is the total of 5 (or more) throws.
-
If a thrower scores a perfect score of 50 points, he will continue to throw
until a throw with a score of less than 10 points is obtained.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 5 turns for each thrower.
All throws are scored (no optional throws).
-
Contestants throw in as many groups of 4 (2 sets of 2 tandem throwers) as
possible. Remaining throwers throw
in groups of 2.
-
Throwers in each group complete their 5 throws in rotation before the next group
begins its round.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
First group may warm up outside the active circle for approximately 5 minutes
before the event starts.
-
Each remaining group of throwers may warm up outside the active circles during
the first 4 throws of the preceding group.
-
All practice takes place in designated areas away from the active circles.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the round for the thrower’s group and spaced
like his other throws. For example,
if the re-throw is from the second group the first group must make a non-scoring
throw prior to the official re-throw.
-
Re-throws must be made in tandem, even if only one thrower is re-throwing.
The score from the tandem thrower is not scored.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 center judge.
-
At least 3 range stewards.
Points awarded
Best: Most Points
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 20m radius (which also contains 2m, 4m, 6m, 8m, and 10m
radius circles). See Figure 1.
Required for score:
-
20m range flight.
-
Legal throw from inside the 2m circle.
-
Boomerangs must come to rest without touching or hitting anything except the
ground.
Tandem Throwing (Optional):
-
Tandem throwing pairs: Two (2) throwers throw within a 3 second time period.
The second thrower must throw within 3 seconds of the first throw, or his
throw is disqualified.
-
Throwing order is to be determined by throwers.
-
In the event of an odd number of throwers, circle judge will assign a
non-scoring second thrower to the last thrower.
Tandem Throwing Interference:
-
If a boomerang hits the thrower, the score recorded is 0.
If a boomerang hits the tandem partner, the tandem partner receives a
score of 0 for that throw, and the thrower must take a mandatory tandem
re-throw.
Scoring:
-
Points scored according to where the boomerang comes to rest after a legal throw
of at least 20m flight range:
-
Inside the 2m circle:
10 points
-
Inside the 4m circle:
8 points
-
Inside the 6m circle:
6 points
-
Inside the 8m circle:
4 points
-
Inside the 10m circle: 2 points
-
If the boomerang is completely within a single area not touching any lines, the
score of that area is awarded.
-
If any part of the boomerang is over any part of a line, the score is the
average score of the areas adjacent to the line.
-
Official score is the total of 10 (or more) throws.
-
If a thrower scores a perfect score of 100 points, he will continue to throw
until a throw with a score of less than 10 points is obtained.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 5 turns for each thrower.
All throws are scored (no optional throws).
-
Contestants throw in groups of 3, 4, or 5.
-
During each turn, the thrower throws 2 times.
After he throws once, his score is recorded.
Then he throws for the second time to complete the turn.
-
The second throw of the turn is after the center judge says the thrower can
throw. The thrower has 15 seconds
to make the second throw.
-
At the signal of the center judge, it becomes the next throwers turn.
The thrower has 15 seconds to make the first throw.
-
Throwers in each group complete their 10 throws in rotation before the next
group begins its round.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
First group may warm up outside the active circle for approximately 5 minutes
before the event starts.
-
Each remaining group of throwers may warm up outside the active circles during
the first 4 throws of the preceding group.
-
All practice takes place in designated areas away from the active circles.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the round for the thrower’s group and spaced
like his other throws. For example,
if the re-throw is from the second group the first group must make a non-scoring
throw prior to the official re-throw.
-
Re-throws must be made in tandem, even if only one thrower is re-throwing.
The score from the tandem thrower is not scored.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 center judge.
-
At least 3 range stewards.
Points awarded
Best: Most Points
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 50m radius (which also contains 2m, 4m, 6m, 8m, 10m,
20m, 30m, and 40m radius circles).
See Figure 2.
Required for score:
-
20m range flight to achieve catching and accuracy points.
-
30m range flight to achieve distance points.
-
Legal throw from inside the 2m circle.
-
Legal catch.
Tandem Throwing (Optional):
-
Tandem throwing pairs: Two (2) throwers throw within a 3 second time period.
The second thrower must throw within 3 seconds of the first throw, or his
throw is disqualified.
-
Throwing order is to be determined by throwers.
-
In the event of an odd number of throwers, circle judge will assign a
non-scoring second thrower to the last thrower.
Tandem Throwing Interference:
-
If a boomerang hits the thrower, the score recorded is 0.
If a boomerang hits the tandem partner, the tandem partner receives a
score of 0 for that throw, and the thrower must take a mandatory tandem
re-throw.
Scoring Accuracy:
-
Accuracy points scored according to where the boomerang comes to rest or caught
after a legal throw of at least 20m flight range:
-
Inside the 2m circle:
10 points
-
Inside the 4m circle:
8 points
-
Inside the 6m circle:
6 points
-
Inside the 8m circle:
4 points
-
Inside the 10m circle: 2 points
-
If the boomerang is not touched or caught and is completely within a single area
not touching any lines, the score of that area is awarded.
-
If the boomerang is not touched or caught and is over any part of a line, the
score is the average score for the areas adjacent to the line.
-
Official score is the total of 5 throws.
Scoring Catching:
-
Catching points are scored according to the location of the thrower where he
makes a legal catch after a legal throw of at least 20m flight range:
-
Inside the 20m circle:
4 points
-
On the 20m circle line:
3 points
-
Outside the 20m circle but inside the 50m circle:
2 points
-
On the 50m circle line:
1 point
-
Outside the 50m circle:
0 points
-
If a boomerang touches the ground after it is thrown but before it is caught or
comes to rest on the ground, only accuracy and distance points can be earned.
No catching points will be given in any case even if a catch is made.
Location of Catch:
-
For accuracy and catching points, if a competitor contacts his boomerang in one
scoring area but doesn’t obtain control until he is in a different scoring area,
he gets the lower score based on:
-
Where he was when he first touched the boomerang, whether the boomerang is
caught or not.
-
Where he was whenever he touched the boomerang.
-
Where he was when he completed the catch.
-
Where the boomerang came to rest.
-
If a contestant fall down after the catch is completed, location of his feet (
or last contact of body to ground) before his fall determines his location.
-
If he is touching the ground when the catch is made, accuracy points are based
on the location of all points of contact with the ground.
-
If a contestant is not touching the ground when the catch is made, accuracy
points are based on the first single point of contact with the ground after the
catch.
Scoring Distance:
-
Distance points are awarded only if accuracy or catching points are earned on
the throw:
-
50m range or more:
6 points
-
40m range but less than 50m: 4 points
-
30m range but less than 40m: 2 points
-
20m range but less than 30m: 0 points
Scoring:
-
The sum of accuracy, catching, and distance scores will be the score recorded
for each throw. The maximum score
for a single throw is 20 points (10 accuracy points, 4 catching points, and 6
distance points).
-
Official score is the total of 5 (or more) throws.
-
If a thrower scores a perfect score of 100 points, he will continue to throw
until a throw with a total score of less than 20 points is obtained.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 5 turns for each thrower.
All throws are scored (no optional throws).
-
Contestants throw in as many groups of 3, 4, or 5 (6, 8, or 10 if using tandem
throwing).
-
Throwers in each group complete their 5 throws in rotation before the next group
begins its round.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
First group may warm up outside the active circle for approximately 5 minutes
before the event starts.
-
Each remaining group of throwers may warm up outside the active circles during
the first 4 throws of the preceding group.
-
All practice takes place in designated areas away from the active cricles.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the round for the thrower’s group and spaced
like his other throws. For example,
if the re-throw is from the second group the first group must make a non-scoring
throw prior to the official re-throw.
-
If throwing in tandem, re-throws must be made in tandem, even if only one
thrower is re-throwing. The score
from the tandem thrower is not scored.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 center judge.
-
At least 6 range stewards including one range coordinator.
The range coordinator relays the range into the center judge.
Points awarded
Best: Most Points
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 20m radius (which also contains 2m radius circle).
See Figure 3.
Required for score:
-
20m range flight.
-
Legal throw from inside the 2m circle.
-
Legal catch(es) of types required in turn.
Tandem Throwing (Optional):
-
Two (2) throwers throw in the same turn from the same 2m circle.
The 2 throwers run alternately to save time.
One (1) thrower throws from the 2m circle at a time.
While 1 thrower competes, the other prepare to throw.
The thrower not competing must be ready to throw 15 seconds after the
other thrower in his circle has caught, has not caught, or gives up.
As soon as the flight of the boomerang has ended and the score recorded,
the 15 seconds begins.
-
Throwing order is to be determined by throwers but must be maintained throughout
the event.
-
In the event of an odd number of throwers, circle judge will assign a
non-scoring second thrower to the last thrower.
Tandem Throwing Interference:
-
If a boomerang hits the thrower, the score recorded is 0.
If a boomerang hits the tandem partner, the tandem partner receives a
score of 0 for that throw, and the thrower must take a mandatory tandem
re-throw.
Scoring:
-
Throwers attempt 10 trick catches with a boomerang thrown singly.
Then attempt 10 additional trick catches with boomerangs thrown
simultaneously as doublers.
-
Official score is the total of 15 (or more) throws.
-
If a thrower scores a perfect score of 100 points, he will continue to throw the
same 15 throws until he drops.
During doubling, if he drops the first boomerang he attempts to catch, no points
for a catch of the second boomerang of the doubling throw are given.
His total score may accordingly be more than 100 points.
-
The catches must be performed in the following order, and are worth the
indicated number of points:
Single Boomerang Sequence
1.
Left Hand Clean
2 points
2.
Right Hand Clean
2 points
3.
Behind The Back
3 points
4.
Under The Leg
3 points
5.
Eagle Catch
4 points
6.
Hackey Catch
6 points
7.
Tunnel Catch
6 points
8.
One Hand Behind The Back
7 points
9.
One Hand Under The Leg
7 points
10.
Foot Catch
10 points
Single Boomerang Subtotal:
50 points
Doubling Sequence:
11.
Behind The Back and Under The Leg
3 + 3 = 6 points
12.
Hackey catch and Left Hand Clean
6 + 2 = 8 points
13.
Tunnel Catch and Right Hand Clean
6 + 2 = 8 points
14.
One Hand Behind The Back and One Hand Under
The Leg
7 + 7 = 14 points
15.
Foot Catch and Eagle Catch
10 + 4 = 14 points
Doubling Subtotal
50 points
Total: 100 points
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 15 (or more) throws for each thrower.
Throwers may pass on throws.
A passed throw will be score 0.
-
If 2 throwers are throwing in rotation with each other, after the turn of the
first thrower has been completed, the second thrower will be given a signal
indicating the start of his turn.
After the second thrower has completed his turn, the first thrower will be given
a signal indicating the start of his turn.
This process will be repeated until all the round is complete.
Both throwers will be given enough time not to interfere with each other.
-
In Doubling:
-
The 2 required catches for each throw may be made in either order.
-
If 1 boomerang is short, both boomerangs are considered short.
-
The thrower must retain control of the first boomerang until after the second
catch is completed. If the first
boomerang is caught, then dropped prior to or during the second catch, the first
boomerang does not count.
-
The thrower may attempt a catch a second time in 1 doubling throw if the first
attempt was not caught.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
Each thrower, or group of throwers, has a 2 minute warm up in the 2m circle
prior to the start of the round.
The timed warm up starts as soon as the circle judge signals that the circle is
clear. The thrower(s) may start
their round prior to the completion of the 2 minute warm up if desired.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the round.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
- 1 circle judge.
- At least 3 range stewards.
Notes:
-
Due to weather or other conditions, the tournament director may decide to drop
the doubling sequence which would result in Trick Catch 50.
If a thrower scores a perfect score of 50 points he will continue to
throw the same 10 throws until he drops.
His total score may accordingly be more than 50 points.
Timed Event
Best: Shortest Time
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 20m radius (which also contains 2m radius circle).
See Figure 3.
-
One (1) thrower throws at a time.
Every thrower has 2 turns. If
multiple circles are present, each turn must be in a different circle.
Required for score:
-
20m range flight.
-
Legal throw from inside the 2m circle.
-
Legal catch on a legal throw.
-
The time span for 5 legal catches and the time to return to the 2m circle (if
applicable) is timed.
-
Only 1 boomerang may be used at a given time.
If a thrower wants to change boomerangs, the boomerang being replaced or
substantial part of it must be returned to the 2m circle before throws with a
another boomerang may be made.
-
Time limit is 1 minute. If 5 legal
catches are not made before the time limit has elapsed, the number of legal
catches is the score. If the
boomerang is in the air at 1 minute and then caught, the catch counts.
If the catch is the 5th catch, the time is given as the score.
Scoring:
-
Time from the release of the 1st throw to the moment when the thrower
makes the 5th catch inside the 2m circle or touches the 2m circle if
the 5th catch was made outside the 2m circle.
-
Official score is the shorter time of the 2 rounds.
If a time is not obtained, the official score is the higher number of
catches made of the 2 rounds.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 2 turns for each thrower.
-
At the signal of the circle judge, it becomes the next thrower’s turn.
He has 15 seconds to make the first throw.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
Each thrower has a 1 minute warm up in the 2m circle prior to the start of the
round. The timed warm up starts as
soon as the circle judge signals that the circle is clear.
The thrower(s) may start their round prior to the completion of the 1
minute warm up if desired.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the round for the thrower’s group.
If a re-throw is required on the first round the re-throw must take place
prior to the second round.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 circle judge.
-
At least 3 range stewards.
-
3 official timers (may be center judge or range stewards).
More timers may be used but are alternates and official only in the event
of a timing error by one of the 3 official timers.
Catching Event
Best: Most Catches
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 20m radius (which also contains 2m radius circle).
See Figure 3.
Required for score:
-
20m range flight.
-
Legal throw from inside the 2m circle.
-
Legal catch on a legal throw.
-
1 catch is scored for each legal catch.
-
Only 1 boomerang may be used at a given time.
If a thrower wants to change boomerangs, the boomerang being replaced or
substantial part of it must be returned to the 2m circle before throws with a
another boomerang may be made.
Scoring:
-
Official score is the sum of legal catches made during the round.
Round:
-
The event includes one (1) 5 minute round for each thrower.
-
At the signal of the circle judge, it becomes the next thrower’s turn.
He has 15 seconds to make the first throw.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
Each thrower has a 1 minute warm up in the 2m circle prior to the start of the
round. The timed warm up starts as
soon as the circle judge signals that the circle is clear.
The thrower(s) may start their round prior to the completion of the 1
minute warm up if desired.
Re-throws
-
No re-throws unless it is impossible to obtain a fair score of the original
round, or unless interference results in a delay during the round of the thrower
involved as indicated below.
-
The problem in the original round must be serious enough to stop the round.
Simple interference, such as hitting a range steward, is not sufficient
grounds for a re-throw.
-
If interference occurs, the turn and the round must be continued as well as
possible. A protest may be filed
after the 5 minute round has been completed.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 circle judge.
-
At least 3 range stewards.
-
2 official timers (may be center judge or range stewards).
One timer is a backup.
Notes:
-
If an injury occurs, the circle judge stops the round when he recognizes that
the injury is serious. The timers
stop the stopwatch with the STOP function and the circle judge announces that
the round has been suspended due to injury.
When throwing resumes, the timers restart the stopwatch as the thrower
goes to recover his boomerang from where it was when time was stopped and
resumes his round.
Timed Event
Best: Longest Time
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 50m radius.
See Figure 4.
-
Minimum of 5 throwers in a group and maximum of 5 groups per circle.
Throwers from multiple groups may throw simultaneously.
Required for score:
-
No minimum range requirement.
-
Legal throw from anywhere within the 50m circle.
-
Legal catch within the 50m circle.
Scoring:
-
Official score is the thrower’s longest time that ends with a legal catch.
-
Optional: The sum of the throwers
three (3) longest throws with a legal catch is the Official Score.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 5 turns for each thrower.
-
Flight is timed from the moment of release until the boomerang is first touched.
Time is recorded only is a legal catch is made.
-
Each turn is completed by all throwers in the group in rotation before the next
turn is started.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
All throwers have a 15 minute general warm up anywhere on the competition field
before the start of the event.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the event for the thrower’s group.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 circle judge.
-
3 official timers (may be center judge or range stewards).
More timers may be used but are alternates and official only in the event
of a timing error by one of the 3 official timers.
Notes:
-
If a contestant is not completely inside the 50m circle, he must be touching the
50m circle or the area within it whenever he touches the boomerang during the
catch until he completes the catch.
If he is not touching the ground when he makes the catch, the first point of
contact with the ground after the catch must be on or within the 50m circle.
-
A throw in
Timed Event
Best: Longest Time
Circles:
-
Contested on the competition field (no circles required)
-
Minimum of 5 throwers in a group.
No limit on number of groups.
Throwers from multiple groups may throw simultaneously.
Required for score:
-
No minimum range requirement.
-
Legal throw from anywhere on the competition field.
-
Legal catch.
Scoring:
-
Official score is the thrower’s longest time that ends with a legal catch.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 5 turns for each thrower.
-
Flight is timed from the moment of release until the boomerang is first touched.
Time is recorded only is a legal catch is made.
-
Each turn is completed by all throwers in the group in rotation before the next
turn is started.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
All throwers have a 15 minute general warm up anywhere on the competition field
before the start of the event.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the event for the thrower’s group.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 circle judge.
-
3 official timers (may be center judge or range stewards).
More timers may be used but are alternates and official only in the event
of a timing error by one of the 3 official timers.
Timed Event
Best: Shortest Time
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 30m radius (which also contains 4m radius circle).
See Figure 5.
-
Throwers are timed individually with only one thrower in each round.
Required for score:
-
30m range flight.
-
Thrower must keep both feet on the ground prior to start.
Standing starts from his gate on the 30m line upon audible signal from
the starting official. Running
starts may not be used.
-
Thrower must go into the 4m radius circle and make a legal throw.
After catching the boomerang, thrower must touch the 4m circle, or any
enclosed part, and return through the gate.
-
If a thrower fails to legally catch his boomerang after his first legal throw,
he must return to the 4m circle and throw again.
Upon catching it, or recovering it after a second legal throw even if he
does not catch, he may then return through the gate.
-
Range will be checked on every throw.
If any throw is short, it does not count as a legal throw and must be
repeated. There is no limit on how
many times the boomerang must be thrown to make range and therefore be a legal
throw.
-
Only one boomerang may be used by a thrower at any given time.
If a thrower want to change boomerangs, he boomerang being replaced or
substantial part of it must be returned to the 4m circle by the competitor
before any more catches can be counted.
Scoring:
-
Time ends when the thrower crosses the 30m circle the gate.
-
Official score is the time of the throwers round.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round for each of the throwers.
-
Thrower competes individually.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
Throwers in the first round at each circle may warm up outside the circle for 3
minutes prior to the start of the round.
-
Teams competing in subsequent rounds may warm up outside the circle while an
active round of competition.
-
All practice takes place away from the active circles an in designated areas.
Re-throws
-
May only be called when intentional interference is made.
The thrower must complete the round before bringing a claim of
interference to the center judge.
If center judge decides intentional interference was made, interfering team is
disqualified and a re-throw is granted.
-
If the judges believe that interference could reasonably have been avoided by
the thrower affected, a re-throw will not be granted.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 circle judges. He watches for
foot faults in the 4m circle and signal visibly and audibly if a throw was
short, a catch was illegal, and when the thrower may return to the team’s gate.
-
1 scorekeepers
-
1 starter
-
3 timers per team plus one alternate to record the start and when the thrower
crosses the gate.
-
3 range stewards on the 30m line.
Notes:
-
Gates are approximately downwind from the 4m circle.
Markers are placed on each of the gate approximately 3m apart.
-
The circle judges will be near the 4m circle.
The circle judge must alert the thrower if his boomerang is short or if
he has made a foot fault.
-
If a judging error is made, a re-throw will be granted.
Timed Event
Best: Longest Time
Circles:
-
Contested on the competition field (no circles required)
-
Minimum of 5 throwers in a group.
No limit on number of groups.
Throwers from multiple groups may throw simultaneously.
Required for score:
-
No minimum range requirement.
-
Legal throw from anywhere on the competition field.
-
Legal catch.
Scoring:
-
Official score is the thrower’s longest time that ends with a legal catch.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 5 turns for each thrower.
-
Flight is timed from the moment of release until the boomerang is first touched.
Time is recorded only is a legal catch is made.
-
Each turn is completed by all throwers in the group in rotation before the next
turn is started.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
All throwers have a 15 minute general warm up anywhere on the competition field
before the start of the event.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the event for the thrower’s group.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 circle judge.
-
3 official timers (may be center judge or range stewards).
More timers may be used but are alternates and official only in the event
of a timing error by one of the 3 official timers.
Timed Event
Best: Longest Time
Circles:
-
Contested on the competition field (no circles required)
-
Minimum of 5 throwers in a group.
No limit on number of groups.
Throwers from multiple groups may throw simultaneously.
Required for score:
-
No minimum range requirement.
-
Legal throw from anywhere on the competition field.
-
Legal catch.
Scoring:
-
Official score is the thrower’s longest time that ends with a legal catch.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of 5 turns for each thrower.
-
Flight is timed from the moment of release until the boomerang is first touched.
Time is recorded only is a legal catch is made.
-
Each turn is completed by all throwers in the group in rotation before the next
turn is started.
Warm Up
-
No practice throws once the warm up is over.
-
All throwers have a 15 minute general warm up anywhere on the competition field
before the start of the event.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the event for the thrower’s group.
Officials per circle:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 circle judge.
-
3 official timers (may be center judge or range stewards).
More timers may be used but are alternates and official only in the event
of a timing error by one of the 3 official timers.
Distance Measured Event
Best: Farthest Distance
Circles:
-
2m circle. See Figure 6.
-
40m baseline centered in 2m circle.
The baseline is a movable straight line (rope, chain, etc.) that has its middle
on the center point. The 2m circle
is cut in half by the baseline. The
end of the baseline is marked on each end with a post.
The baseline should be approximately perpendicular to the wind.
The baseline may be adjusted at the request of the thrower prior to each
throw. The baseline must remain
straight at all times during the throw.
Required for score:
-
50m flight range.
-
Legal throw at least one foot touching or within the 2m circle at point of
release.
-
Thrower may not cross the baseline at any time while the boomerang is in the air
unless permitted to do so by the head line judge.
-
Boomerang must cross the baseline upon return either directly or indirectly
(from behind) without being touched or hitting anyone or anything.
-
No catch required.
Scoring:
-
Official score is the thrower’s longest scoring throw.
-
Distance is measured in integer[LM1]
meters only (no centimeters) from the center of the 2m circle to the point in
its flight farthest from the center point.
-
Distance may be measured with either a steel measuring tape[LM2]
or laser range finder. If using
laser range finders, one or two may be used.
If using 1 laser range finder, it is to be operated by the head line
judge. If using 2 laser range
finders, one laser range finder will be with the head line judge and the other
with the head spotter. If the
distances measured are within 1 meter of each other, the distance scored is the
distance measured by the head line judge. If the distances measured differ by 2
meters, the average of the 2 measurements will be recorded.
If the distances measured differ by more than 2 meters, the distance will
be remeasured until they are within 2 meters of one another or remeasured using
a steel measuring tape.
Round:
-
The event includes 1 round of up to 5 throws by each thrower.
-
Throwers may adjust the orientation of the 40 meter baseline and spotters in the
field once immediately prior to each of their throws (excluding warm up).
The baseline may not be adjusted while the boomerang is in flight.
The baseline orientation should be approximately perpendicular to the
wind direction and should normally not exceed 45 degrees off wind as judged by
the head line judge unless approved by a majority of competitors.
-
When the thrower and head line judge are satisfied with the orientation of the
40 meter baseline, and the position of all other officials and spectators (for
safety), the head line judge will declare the circle clear and it becomes the
next thrower’s turn. The thrower
must throw within a predetermined time limit (not less than 15 seconds) set
prior to tournament or forfeit their throw.
-
Each turn is completed by all throwers in the group in rotation before the next
turn is started.
-
Throwers in each group make 1 throw per turn – in rotation with other throwers
in the group – until all throwers in the group have completed their round.
The next group begins its round.
-
Multiple rounds may be contested.
Warm Up
-
General warm up may take place prior to each round.
No time limit.
-
Up to 3 practice throws may be made immediately prior to each group’s[LM3]
round.
-
No practice throws for a thrower after their group’s round has begun.
Re-throws
-
Re-throws are made at the end of the event for the thrower’s group.
Officials:
-
May be competitors.
-
1 head line judge.
-
1 head spotter.
-
2 pole judges.
-
6 range stewards.
Notes:
-
Safety
-
Ensure all spectators are at a sufficiently safe distance.
-
All spotters are watching when the boomerang is thrown and warn others if
necessary.
-
All spotters are standing while the boomerang is in flight.
-
Only one long distance boomerang in the air at a time.
-
No throwing when a thrower is retrieving a boomerang.
-
Range Spotter Placement
There are a number of range spotters on the field to determine the point of return (furthest point of the boomerang's flight path). You have to be aware that if the boomerang is more or less flying over you, it is difficult for you to judge where the projected path on the ground actually is. Only by spotting from a distance off to the side are you able to determine the apex of the flight path accurately. Therefore, we suggest placing a row of range spotters to the left and right of the expected throwing corridor with a 20-meter distance between the range spotters within one row. You can also align the 2 rows in a staggered manner to get a better coverage. The range spotters should be spread such that all throws, including the shortest and furthest ones, can be precisely spotted. Send the furthest range spotter sufficiently far out, as there may always be "lucky" throws. One of the head spotter’s duties is to ensure that the range spotters are distributed correctly.
Don't use more range spotters than necessary to do the task, because with too
many range spotters on the field they tend to walk about and have chats! 6 range
spotters plus 1 head spotter is the minimum. 12 should be enough in all cases.
-
Range Spotter Duties
Follow the boomerang on its way out with your extended arm and stop when you
think it reached its furthest point. Then project that point down onto the
ground by lowering your arm vertically. Fix the point on the ground with your
eyes and direct the head spotter to that point. At least 1 other range spotter
will do the same, so the head spotter will have to position himself such that
the closest 2 - 4 range spotters are happy with the result. Often, there is a
little conversation about the furthest point, but that's the interesting part of
spotting: talk until there is an agreement! The range spotters that could not
see the apex of the flight path perfectly should not interfere! The maximum
distance of the boomerang is now defined as the distance from the head spotter
to the center of the throwing circle. If you have a Laser Rangefinder (for
example, a Bushnell) you can measure the distance immediately, otherwise you
have to place a marker in the ground and measure the distance at the end of the
round with a steel tape.
Estimated accuracy of the measurement with this spotting method: 2m in the best
case, 5m average, and worse if the range spotters are not placed very well or if
they are not paying attention. Helpful idea: distribute thin wooden sticks
(about 2m long) to the range spotters, with the help of which it is much easier
to follow the flying boomerang to its furthest point and then drop them to the
ground.
The boomerang game G-L-O-R-P is the same as the basketball game
H-O-R-S-E. The first thrower
does a trick catch and all the other throwers must do the same catch to avoid
getting a letter. If you get all five letters you are out of the game. Last
thrower left without G-L-O-R-P is the winner.
The first thrower (the Dominator) performs any trick catch of his/her choosing
(except a Two Handed Catch) and then all the other throwers, in their assigned
order, throw and attempt the defined catch. If they do not complete the defined
catch they get their first letter. If the Dominator continues to perform trick
catches, he continues to be the Dominator. When that Dominator drops, the next
thrower becomes dominator. This continues until one thrower is left without
G-L-O-R-P. He is the winner.
Clarification:
1.
The same catch cannot be done twice in a row, but a thrower can do an identical
catch to one he has already done as long as it is not done back to back;
2.
When a new Dominator takes over, he cannot perform an identical catch to the
last catch the previous Dominator completed;
3.
If a Dominator does a Two Hand Catch, or attempts a trick catch that he does not
complete, but does not drop it, it is called a Pass. On a Pass, all the other
throwers must catch the boomerang to avoid getting a letter, but the first
thrower to do a trick catch, captures domination, and becomes Dominator. The
pass has ended.
Three Tier Play
In keeping with the Team Gel spirit, it is radder to play boomerang games that
include all levels of throwers. G-L-O-R-P can be played with three distinct
skill levels: beginner, novice and expert.
When a Dominator defines a catch and it becomes a thrower's turn to perform the
catch, he may decide at which level he would like to play. If he decides to play
as a beginner, he is required to only touch the boomerang to avoid getting a
letter; If he decides to play as a novice, he is required to only perform an
"any catch" to avoid getting a letter; If he decides to play as a expert, he is
required to perform the Dominator's trick catch to avoid getting a letter. When
it becomes a novice's turn to be Dominator, he must perform an "any catch" to
retain Dominatorship. He may then make up the catch for the rest of the
participants. When it becomes an expert's turn to be Dominator, he must perform
a trick catch to retain Dominatorship.
Judging Catches- The Honor System
Each thrower is responsible for judging whether or not he made his own catch as
defined by the dominator. Each thrower is responsible for the integrity of his
score and catches and must track his own score.
Dan Quayle "E" Rule
Throwers may add an "E" letter to spell GLORPE only once in their lifetime.
Warm-up: 10 minutes
Note: All team events are
contested using 4 active throwers.
Teams may include additional throwers but once the event begins additional
throwers not selected to compete may not be used.
Points awarded
Best: Most Points
Circles:
-
Contested on circles of 20m radius (which also contains 2m, 4m, 6m, 8m, and 10m
radius circles). See Figure 1.
Required for score:
-
20m range flight.
-
Legal throw from inside the 2m circle.
-
Boomerangs must come to rest without touching or hitting anything except the
ground.
-
Tandem throwing pairs: Two throwers from the same team throw within a 3 second
time period. The second thrower
must throw within 3 seconds of the first throw, or his throw is disqualified.
-
Throwing order is to be determined by throwers.
-
In the event of an odd number of throwers, circle judge will assign a
non-scoring second thrower to the last thrower.
Tandem Throwing Interference:
-
If a boomerang hits the thrower, the score recorded is 0.
If a boomerang hits the tandem partner, the tandem partner receives a
score of 0 for that throw, and the thrower must take a mandatory tandem
re-throw.
Scoring:
-
Points scored according to where the boomerang comes to rest after a legal throw
of at least 20m flight range:
-
Inside the 2m circle:
10 points
-
Inside the 4m circle:
8 points
-
Inside the 6m circle:
6 points
-
Inside the 8m circle:
4 points
-