Dave’s words provide an insight into what kind of mental preparation is needed for a professional boomerang thrower, and what thoughts “war about” in the mind before the start of a National Boomerang Competition:
“I hadn’t thrown at all for perhaps six months, because of persistent back issues. I went out on the Wednesday before and had a short session to establish if it was practical to actually participate. It was a 50/50 decision at the end of that session. That I had done 16 Nationals in a row prior to this was a strong factor in my final decision: I can’t say I’ve researched this, but I suspect only Brian Thomas may also have that long a run of consecutive Nationals appearances. So I had zero expectations. But if I can win Fast Catch, I see no reason not to win the whole thing!”
“In the end, while it ached badly, the only big limits the back put on me were my soft little throws for MTA and one sudden spasm during an Aussie Round chasedown that resulted in me comically falling over like a dead parrot. So I had to settle for second in both of those events”.
“I’m not much of a maker, but this may have been my first event where the clear majority of the boomerangs I threw were my own creations. Read into that what you will.”
– Dave Richardson
