I still toss them! But I don't make them or compete, haha. Hey, it's pretty much the only exercise I get

Try 5 or 7-ply aircraft or marine birch. You want all layers flawless for consistent strength and mass density.
One thing about boomerangs: the better you get, the less like exercise it is...
Here's a few of my old rangs. The tomahawk was made by the late great Rusty Harding- I have several left and right-hand examples of those!
Here's a couple of my best performing designs. Of course, everyone commonly borrows features from other maker's designs, adding an innovation here and there. These days, competition boomerangs are pretty much formula, from what I've seen, and less craft. But there are still lots of makers out there who use traditional materials!