Rusty Harding is one of America's best known boomerang manufacturers. Rusty was the first boomerang thrower that I met whom I did not teach to throw. Rusty is a lefty. He made a large number of sporting and competition boomerang models, mostly in the 1970s from his home in Vero Beach, Florida and later from his home in Lebanon, Tennessee in the 1980s and 1990s. Rusty still makes a few boomerangs, but his old classics are becoming valuable collectibles. The boomerangs that have the highest collectable value are the Concept models that were made out of lapped boards of hardwoods with angles usually of 70 or 90 degrees and sometimes weighted. His Hurricane Hook and Contender [omega] designs are the most popular sporting models.

This omega boomerang is the Contender, a wonderful Sporting boomerang that was sometimes used in the Australian Round event. This particular one was made in 1983 after Rusty had moved to Lebanon, Tennessee. It is signed and dated April 15, 1983. It is painted lime green with white bands on both blades. The condition is very good, but there are some paint scratches and pits from use. I did test throw this boomerang and found that it is a great flyer with a range of 40 metres. This model does take more power to throw than many other sport boomerangs because of the weight and size.