Eric Darnell

Although boomerangs have been around for thousands of years we are going to discuss mainly the modern generation of designers, who started making and throwing boomerangs after the 1950's. Of course there were many more boomerang designers before this time but the last half of the 20th century flourished with a scientific approach to making boomerangs. Modern aerodynamic principles, new plastic, laminated wood and composite materials, and application of the scientific method in design, facilitated huge quality improvements which continue to this day. And no one personifies this more than Eric Darnell.

A Vermont quaker engineer and inquisitive mind interested in boomerangs from a very young age, Eric started making boomerangs in his Vermont workshop in the 1970's. He has designed many sports equipment items, including a very popular hockey helmet, but we know him from his many boomerang designs and his time as one of the early American competitors who won the first boomerang championship event in Australia in 1981:

Eric and the team surprised the Aussies and the rest of the world by winning the competition and his innovative equipment and knowledge had a lot to do with their win. Imagine the experience of being a boomerang hobbyist and traveling to Australia to take on the best of the continent and winning! It must have been a huge thrill of a lifetime and Eric soaked up every second of it. He has spent his entire life since as an ambassador to the sport and coach of many US competitors since that time. Sharing what he has learned and helping others grow in the sport of competitive boomerangs.