Boomerang Facts
A boomerang is an Australian Aboriginal wooden implement used for various purposes. It comes in many shapes and sizes depending on its geographic/tribal origins and intended function.
The most recognizable type is the returning boomerang which, when thrown correctly, travels in a curved path and returns to its point of origin.
Boomerang-like devices, including hunting sticks, have been used all over the world for hunting, religious and recreational activities. Their origin is still not fully clear. Research has shown that ancient tribes in Europe used special throwing axes.
There are many injected plastic molds in the world but the most famous and used are the Tri-Fly from Eric Darnell (USA) and the LMI & FOX Models (France).
Returning boomerangs hae two or more arms or wings, connected at an angle. Each wing is shaped as an airfoil, air travels faster over one surface of an airfoil than the other, as it follows the path, thus creating lift, along what is roughly a plane which intersects the airfoil at an almost right angle along the long axis of the wing.
The boomerang sport in Brazil is growing fast with many news: special plywood created for boomerangs, Kellogg's company inserting five million free boomerangs into cereal boxes, and the First Pan-American Championship set for August 2005.
A returning boomerang is a propeller. Though it is not a requirement that the boomerang be in its traditional shape, it is usually flat. A falling boomerang starts spinning and most then fall in a spiral.
In international competition, a world cup is held every second year, with teams from Germany and the United States dominating international competition. The individual World Champion title was won in 2000, 2002 and 2004 by Swiss thrower Manuel Schütz, in 2006 Fridolin Frost from Germany has won the title, Manuel Schütz finished third.
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