We got to the field early Saturday morning to warm up for the day’s events: Trick Catch, Maximum Time Aloft (MTA), Fast Catch, and Endurance. The first thing we did was submit our entries for the craftsmanship contest. We were also in a rush to buy some boomerangs to compete with: A doubling pair because my home-made pair’s “inner” boomerang didn’t make the required 20 meter range, and an MTA to try to improve on the ~20 second flights we had been seeing at home with our existing one. We ended up buying a doubling pair from the Bower Brothers, and a 3-bladed paper phenolic “Palm” MTA from Mark Legg.
We didn’t have much time to try out these new units though, because soon it was time for the first event: Trick Catch. Ace was first up on our circle, and he started out strong, but then dropped a couple that he should have caught. Since he hadn’t had time to practice with the new doubling pair, he basically only concentrated on one of the catches for each of those throws. He ended up with a disappointing 22 points. I was up next and also started out well, making my first 4 catches in a row. I started dropping like crazy after that, not even coming close on my hackey or foot catches. Incredibly though, I beat Ace by one point, scoring 23. This was the one event that he and I would both have bet on him scoring better than me.
Next up was Maximum Time Aloft. I didn’t participate in this event in my previous tournament, so I didn’t know what to expect. I guess it could best be described as organized chaos. At any time, there were 6 or 7 people throwing simultaneously, then crisscrossing the field trying to avoid each other and track down their catches. MTA was the only event where the Vegas odds-makers were sure I would beat Ace. Well, this one went like Trick Catch in that we were both disappointed in our performances, but the predicted winner lost. MTA is scored by the total of your best 3 throws out of 5 attempts. Ace only had 2 catches out of his 5 throws, but their times added up to more than my best 3 (Ace: 42.26 seconds, Bruce: 40.82). I made the mistake of trying out the new MTA boomerang I had just purchased that morning. After a couple of poor throws, I switched to the same MTA that Ace was using, but it was too little too late. Neither of us placed in the Intermediate division, but Ace got second in the Junior division with his score.
Now it was lunch time. We had ordered a couple of hotdogs so that we wouldn’t have to leave the field for lunch and could just relax. That relaxation was not to be however, because we both had soaked our socks and shoes in the morning dew and wanted something dry to change in to. So we ate our hotdogs in the car while we drove back to the room for fresh socks.
After lunch, it was time for Fast Catch. I had just finished modifying my boomerang for this event on the day we left Texas, but I was comfortable with it and was fairly confident of scoring a sub-30 second round. This was not to be. Ace used the same boomerang and got it warmed up for me, scoring a 57.65. Not bad considering it was the first time he’d seriously thrown that boomerang. When it was my turn, I dropped my very first throw. “Crap!” This was just the kick in the pants I needed. My next 5 throws and catches were reasonably fast, but with the wasted time of the first throw and drop, I scored a 37.95. Ace’s second go was a washout, and he only made 3 catches. My second round was completed without a drop, but I had some poor throws and had to make one really long run for the catch and then back to the bullseye for the next throw. This score of 35.82 was the only second-round improvement on our circle, and it is my personal best in competition. Now I want that sub-30 round more than ever, so I’m forced to get to another tournament before I retire.
Almost immediately after Fast Catch was Endurance. This event is throwing and catching for 5 minutes non-stop, and each throw has to be made from the 
bullseye, so if you have a couple of bad throws, you can wear yourself out chasing the boomerang down. This was my best event in Houston in 2003, but now I had an honest-to-goodness fast-catch boomerang to use, so I planned to blow that Houston score of 25 out of the water. Once again, Ace used the same boomerang before me, and this time he performed fairly well, scoring 25 catches. This puffed up my confidence even more. If he could score 25, I thought I’d get 30 or more for sure. I was in for yet another letdown though. I had enough bad throws that I really wore myself out chasing them down, but I still thought I had a chance to get 30. When I got to 24 I was nearly out of gas, but no way was I not going to beat my previous personal best. When I caught 26, that milestone was reached, but then I bobbled a couple before finally making catch number 27. I had about 10 seconds left as I jogged back to the bullseye for my last throw. I took a deep breath, made a nice smooth throw… and dropped the catch! 27 was my final score, barely improving on my personal best, and barely beating Ace. That score was good enough for a tie for first in my division, but that event definitely felt like a story of missed opportunities.
By this time, Ace and I were ready to head to the hotel and hit the pool before enjoying the catered dinner that evening.
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