6TH ANNUAL INDIANA OPEN
TRUE TO FORM
by Tony Brazelton
Don't let the name fool
you. The 6th Annual Indiana Open Boomerang Tournament has
never been in Indiana before this year. The first five were in
Champaign,
Illinois. But that is where the differences end.
This year's tournament
followed the suit led by four of the five previous
tournaments. Saturday was ideal for a boomerang tournament- light,
steady winds
on a bright, sunny day. Then Sunday turned ugly- windy, gusty,
with an afternoon
thunderstorm thrown in for good measure. This pattern almost
never fails.
The site for this year's
tournament was the Center Grove Soccer Club in
Greenwood, Indiana, a 42-acre complex with no trees or other
wind-altering
features anywhere. This place is really in the middle of nowhere,
yet it's only
10 minutes away from dozens of hotels and Indianapolis' largest
retail district.
One major goal for this
tournament (after making sure everyone had fun of
course!) was to use it as the kick-off event for the Indianapolis
Boomerang Club.
It was my hope that this tournament and the media coverage of
it would help get
the new club off the ground by introducing existing boomerang
enthusiasts to the
opportunity for organization and introducing novices to a new
hobby.
Beginning a month before
the tournament I began the awareness campaign by posting
flyers all over Indianapolis and sending press releases and free
boomerangs to
every newspaper and TV station in the Indianapolis metro area.
The response was overwhelming.
As of today (July 6, 2000) there have been two TV
news spots, four feature articles in newspapers, and at least
a half-dozen
calendar listings. All this resulted in a steady stream of onlookers
throughout
Saturday and Sunday. I'm not sure exactly how many people came
to watch and
learn, but at the end of the weekend, I had only 85 of the original
200
informational brochures left.
The participant turnout
(14) was considerably smaller than last year (42). I
don't know if there is a single reason for this, but I suspect
that fewer people
had Monday, July 3 off from work than I expected. What good is
Tuesday off if you
don't get Monday?
The small turnout worked
to our advantage however. The first event began after
10:00 am and the tournament concluded before 5:30 pm. This is
a record for this
tournament and I wonder if it is a USBA record.
Friday afternoon, my brother
Billy and I painted one Aussie Round circle, an
extra Accuracy circle, and four more 20 meter circles. Because
of the small
turnout, Fast Catch and Endurance proceeded VERY quickly. We
staggered the circle
assignments so that no group had to wait for another group to
finish before they
could rotate to the next circle for the next round. There was
plenty of room to
spread out for Trick Catch as well. During general warm-ups,
each participant had
his or her own 3 acres if desired.
I think everyone had a
good time, despite the challenging wind conditions. Scores
were low, but in many cases very impressive considering the conditions.
Dan
Hellenberg's early 35 in Accuracy seemed untouchable, and it
was. Jason Smucker's
26.08 seconds in Fast Catch was downright Gabriel-esque. Gregg
Snouffer's 6-4-10
on his last Aussie Round throw provided enough inspiration for
everyone to last
the rest of the day.
After the third event (MTA),
we took an extended lunch break and invited
spectators to learn to throw and catch boomerangs. For all who
helped teach these
eager newbies, this was the most rewarding part of the day. Naivety
is a very
effective cheerleader. These people didn't know that the wind
blowing your
boomerang 20 meters behind you is something to get frustrated
about. They were
just tickled to have a stick that they thought they threw away
come back to them.
Crotchety old veterans like me are helped to remember why we
started doing this
in the first place.
This year's rookie award
(if we had one) would have to go to 13 year-old Andrew
Bretscher of Greencastle, Indiana. He came with his father, Paul
and both
Bretschers impressed the veterans with their previously untested
skills.
Although he competed in
the novice division, Andrew Bretscher threw 20 meter
boomerangs in every event. Andrew scored a 22 in Accuracy, which
was good enough
for 5th in the Advanced division. His 47.69 seconds in a very
wind-affected Fast
Catch event would have placed 6th in the Advanced division. I'll
do my best to
give Andrew some local mentorship and supply him with the equipment
he needs to
take his skills to the next level.
A staple of this tournament
has become the Saturday night party. We eat, drink
and throw night boomerangs. At our old house in Champaign, Illinois,
we threw in
the park across the street. This year in Greenwood, we threw
boomerangs around my
house and over the little neighborhood pond.
This tournament report
would be incomplete without acknowledging all the people
who helped me pull it off. My wife Tara Hemami again provided
speedy and accurate
scorekeeping services as well as helped feed the hungry masses
Saturday night. My
brother Billy Brazelton helped me mow and line the field. Kendall
Davis again
generously donated the trophies awarded to each participant.
This year we even
had trophies for the Missouri Duals and a boomerang-shaped plaque
for the
Individual tournament champion. I also need to thank again the
Center Grove
Soccer Club, whose generosity allowed us to use the best boomerang
field in
Indianapolis.
Thanks to everyone who
helped mentor and cheer on the next generation of
boomerang players throughout the weekend. This tournament, in
its short six-year
history, has been particularly succesful (or lucky) for introducing
future
superstars. Mike Gabriel's first tournament as a non-preteen
was this one. Jason
Smucker won his first tournament here. With your help, we will
continue to
encourage and train the next batch of US Boomerang Team members.
MISSOURI DUALS
Saturday, July 1, 2000
Wind 0-5 mph. 85 deg F
OVERALL 1. The Unknowns (Paul Bretscher
& Dan Hellenberg) 2. Young Studs (Andrew
Bretscher & Billy Brazelton) 3. AE (Jason Smucker & Caleb)
4. Grass Stain (Steve
Cook & Ian) 5. Michigan (Bill Rusky & Josh Cina)
DUAL RELAY (20 meter Relay) min:sec 1. Unknowns
1:21.57 2. AE 1:40.60 3. Grass
Stain 1:47.29
DUAL INTERFERENCE (Hackuracy) 1. Unknowns 74 2. Young Studs (50) 3. AE 46
DUAL STYLE (Trick Catch) 1. AE 7 2. Unknowns
6 3(T). Grass Stain 5 3(T). Young
STuds 5
DUAL POSITION 1. AE 2. Young Studs 3. Grass Stain
USBA INDIVIDUAL TOURNAMENT
Sunday, July 2, 2000
Wind 4-20 mph. 63-81 deg F
OVERALL ADVANCED 1. Gregg Snouffer (Delaware, Ohio)
13 pts 2. Jason Smucker
(Atlanta, Georgia) 16 pts 3. Steve Cook (Savannah, Georgia) 19
pts 4. Aron
McGuire (Akron, Ohio) 20.5 pts 5(T). Billy Brazelton (St. Paul,
Minnesota) 36 pts
5(T). Dan Hellenberg (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) 36 pts 7. Paul Bretscher
(Greencastle, Indiana) 41 pts 8. Laura Smucker (Atlanta, Georgia)
45.5 pts 9.
Steve Caudill (Delaware, Ohio) 52.5 pts 10. Bill Rusky (Grand
Rapids, Michigan)
54.5 pts 11. Karl Zemlin (Indianapolis, Indiana) 62 pts
OVERALL NOVICE 1. Andrew Bretscher (Greencastle,
Indiana) 8.5 pts 2. Josh Cina
(Michigan) 13.5 pts 3. Ellen Zemlin (Indianapolis, Indiana) 14
pts
ACCURACY 1. Hellenberg 35 2. Cook 31 3. Snouffer 28
AUSSIE ROUND 1. Snouffer 52 2. McGuire 51 3. J. Smucker 46
MTA100 (cummulative
best three times)
1. Snouffer 79.89 s 2. Cook 57.90 s 3.
Hellenberg 46.46 s
TRICK CATCH 1. J. Smucker 85 2(T). Cook 61 2(T). McGuire 61
FAST CATCH 1. J. Smucker 26.08 s 2. McGuire 29.10 s 3. Snouffer 38.32 s
ENDURANCE 1. Snouffer 37 2. J. Smucker 28 3. Cook 22