home | news
BoomerangUSA championships
qualifying | national rankings | calendar
TDHQ | message board|links
what we do | contact us
which formats should I use at my tournament?
The format in which you choose to run your tournament is one of the most basic and important decisions you have to make as a tournament director. Do you want a laid-back Indie tourney? Or a fun Team competition? Or a hard-core Head2Head tournament? Or a laid-back, fun H2H Team tournament in which you record everyone's individual scores? Or some format we haven't even imagined yet? 

No matter which format you use, all of the scores from your tournament will be posted here on BoomerangUSA! And if you adhere to the minimum qualifying requirements for each event, your scores can also qualify players for the BoomerangUSA Championships - regardless of the format you use! 

So your choice of format is mostly dependent on what you feel your tournament attendees would prefer and the atmosphere you wish to create at your tournament. Here are a few words about each format that you may want to consider while making your decision:
Indie What is it?
Players compete individually and separately, similar to field events at a track meet. Scores for each event are recorded, and the player with the highest score wins. 

Pros
The traditional Indie format is what the USBA has used for all of its competitions prior to the 2001 season. Therefore, the Indie format has the advantage of a very thorough, well-tested system of rules and regulations already in place. For this reason, the USBA Rulebook is a very useful resource for tournament directors. You can use it as your bible, use it only to settle disputes, or disregard it entirely if you wish. 

The Indie format is also very simple, and simplicity may be important for a tournament rich in newbies. Of the three main formats, it requires the fewest number of people to run and organize, so this makes it conducive to small tournaments. 

Cons
Many players and most spectators find the Indie format to be extremely long and boring for the same reasons that the field events in track meets aren't shown in their entirety on TV. Each event lasts at least an hour even for relatively small tournaments, and all of the action and drama is diluted in time and space so that it is difficult for  both spectators and players to become emotionally involved in the competition. 

Also, since players compete at different spots on the field and at different times during the day, it is often misleading and inaccurate to compare scores among different players using the Indie format. Variations in wind conditions at different places and times in the same tournament can significantly alter scores. Therefore, the Indie format is not a good way to rigorously determine event champions or overall championships.
Team  What is it?
Players compete in teams of 2,3,4, or more players, and an overall team score is determined by various means. (See the event guide for details.) 

Pros
For beginners and experts alike, team events are simply the most fun way to compete with boomerangs. You can evenly split up the teams so that the newbies can learn from their expert teammates, or let players form their own teams so that competitive rivalries can form. Either way, the sometimes lonely aspects of boomeranging are completely wiped away by having teammates cheer and urge each other on. Even if you lose, you will have others to console and teach you. With team events, no single person ever finishes last, and everyone feels involved and part of the action.

Not only are team events great for beginners, but they also prepare the more advanced and ambitious players for World Cup competition. Almost all of the "just-for-fun" team events you run at your tournament are the very same events used in international competition, so the experts have lots of incentive to attend and perform well at team tournaments!

Cons
The Team format generally requires more people than does the Indie format. Teams can consist of 2,3,4, or more people, but small tournaments will be restricted on the size and number of teams. We have found, however, that tournaments as small as 6-8 people can effectively run teams of 2 players each, and the team spirit and atmosphere will not be too greatly diminished. For larger tournaments, we recommend teams of 4 players each. 

If you want to record the scores for each player from team events like Speed or Relay, you will need many people to be range spotters and timers. If only two teams of four people each are competing at once, you need at least three timers for each team and three range spotters on the 30m circle. Unless your timers are very good at a stopwatch, you will also probably need extra timers to record the individual spilts during Relay events. This adds up to at the very least 17 people. It can be done, but it takes some organizing. Most other team events, though, are very similar in organization to the Indie events.
Head2Head What is it?
Players compete against an opponent at the same time and often in the same place. The winner advances to the next round in a bracketed, single-elimination tournament.

Pros
The Head2Head format is the best way to determine a boomerang champion. Since players are competing under the exact same conditions as their opponent, variability in winds or other conditions do not affect the comparison of scores . This is in contrast to the Indie format, in which weather "windows" can unfairly benefit players lucky enough to be throwing during the good conditions. 

H2H is also very spectator friendly because it is fast, dramatic, and easy to understand and become involved in the action. Spectators naturally choose players to root for, and the results of each round are immediately recognized - the player either wins or loses. This is again in contrast to the Indie format, in which a spectator may have no idea whether the Trick Catch round they just witnessed was good enough for 1st or 10th place. In H2H, champions earn their crown by winning a championship match - an inherently exciting, dramatic event.

Cons
The H2H format is not the best for beginners, especially if they are competing against more advanced players. They will most likely end up losing their first match in each event and then sitting down for the rest of the day. While there is something to be said for the experience of competing head2head against a master, getting totally clobbered by a master is never as much fun as competing on the same team with one. 
Conclusion
Choose whichever format your tournament attendees will enjoy most. In general, small tournaments with mostly beginners work best with the Indie format. Mixed groups of beginners and advanced players benefit most from team events. Hard-core competitors love the H2H format. 

You should also feel free to mix and match the different formats or make up your own. H2H tournaments with teams competing against each other is one good example of a combination of formats. With team events like Aussie Round or Accuracy, you could also use the individual scores within each team for overall tournament player rankings. You could also try tag-team events, Beaver Scramble-style events, and any other events or formats you can imagine. 

You can be very creative with your tournament and still remain within the limits of the minimum qualifying requirements. But if you don't care about submitting quaifying scores, forget about all of those spotters, judges, and timers and make sure everyone is busy throwing and catching boomerangs! 
No matter what you do, everything will be posted here on BoomerangUSA! 
(As long as you send it to us.)

 
Last updated 4 June, 2001
webguy@boomerangusa.org