An excellent morning...

We arrived at the boomerang field at 07:00. The grass was wet with dew, and the sun was still casting long, low shadows. Zeus, NerdyGirl, and I were all a bit stiff, but we warmed up quickly (well, Zeus and I warmed up quickly - NerdyGirl sat and stared for a bit... she's not a morning person). The first 30 minutes or so were filled with a lot of bad throwing.


The Flock enjoys boomerangs at 7:00 A.M.

A bad throw doesn't come back to you, entailing a bit of fetching. Some go past you, landing 25 or 30 yards back from the pin (the pin is the wind indicator in the middle of the field). Some don't go all the way around, and land 20 or 30 yards short of the pin. Some just leave your hand with not enough spin, and thus don't turn at all. My favorite is the throw that is released too low; it hits the ground and skips like a rabbit in a sraight line away from you - usually about 40 yards or so.


Here, the Reverend explains the finer points of boomerang aerodynamics.

After a bunch of throws like this, we all started to get dialed in. Zeus has two new 'rangs, both of which he caught in the bull's eye. His last solo throw was a beautiful floater that he caught about 3 steps from the pin.


Zeus with his new 'rangs.

I finally got some accuracy going as well, and made three one-finger catches with my tri-blader (It has a hole in the middle. As it hovers down you can catch it by sticking your index finger in the hole, but if you miss the hole by a lot, you have effectively stuck you finger in a whirling fan blade - ouch.)

Most improved player goes to NerdyGirl, who finally got her 'rang to make a full return! She was able to make consistent throws that came around in an elliptical pattern - now we have to start working on her catching. Today she was able to make numerous near-catches, and actually had a beautiful catch interrupted by slipping on the grass. Maybe she needs cleats...

We finished up with a hilarious suicide round (everyone throws at once and you count the catches), in which we all had good time aloft, and no one made the catch.

Yes, it's early in the morning. Yes, it can be chilly at first. Yes, it involves sweating a bit. But it's a great way to start the day. Ask Zeus and NerdyGirl - they wouldn't get up this early unless there were benefits.

See you guys Friday at 07:00?