My Quidditch Life

Elder Williams: Words from DC: 92. Alexis Kaegi

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:34:32 -0600

Elder Williams: Words from DC: 92. Alexis Kaegi:

Outside of our brief meeting at the Snow Cup, my interactions with Alexis have been surprisingly limited. Of course I met her through Quidditch, which, from what I remember, was even before the founding of BYU Quidditch. In fact, I believe the first time I met her was a result of the Quidditch…

One of my two original captains in the sport, along with Jen.

fyq: Red, Yellow, Green, And Snitch Grab

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:38:50 -0600

fyq: Red, Yellow, Green, And Snitch Grab:

quidditchplaybook:

So you’re in the heat of a match. You’re playing seeker and arriving back at the pitch. Lets say the snitch is wide open for a grab but what is the best case senario for your team? Do you grab it and potentially win the game or do you wait and fend off the other seeker to…

A Tale of True Class and Sportsmanship

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:26:00 -0600

You may recognize the team in this picture as being Miami. You may also recognize the seeker I am grappling with here as David Moyer. Unfortunately, what you probably don’t know is that one of the finest examples of sportsmanship at the entire World Cup came from David, and almost nobody knows about it.

Miami caught a lot of flak for their handling of the Bowling Green game protest. That’s understandable. However, it’s important to remember that it doesn’t mean that Miami is full of bad people. They made one questionable decision, and that shouldn’t overshadow all the wonderful things they have done, both as a team and as individuals. So here’s a story reminder that even a team that got as much flak as Miami has some truly incredible people on it.

This photo was taken during the Miami-LSU game on day 1 of World Cup. It was a game that lasted quite a while. While eventually Miami pulled out of snitch range, it wasn’t that way when I got back to the pitch. For a couple minutes, both teams had a shot at winning the game, and for several more minutes LSU had a good shot at getting back in snitch range. It was a physical game, and the snitch-seeker interactions were no exception. I sent several seekers flying into the ground countless times in that game, and wound up on the ground myself several times during this game.

After one interaction, I wound up on the ground, and my tail flew off. After Scott, the snitch ref, reattached my tail, i had my three seconds to run before the seekers could pursue. I sprinted away from LSU’s seeker, but I was lightheaded, because of how hard I had gone to the ground. I didn’t realize that as I sprinted backwards away from the LSU seeker, that I was heading right into David, who had been coming back from touching his hoops before I went down. Before I could get to David though, he yelled at me to make me aware of his position, didn’t make a move on the snitch tail, and signaled to an open area of the pitch away from him for me to go.

That’s right, David had a perfect chance to catch me as I backpedaled unknowingly into him, and end a tight game for his team. He would have been well within his rights to do so. It’s not his fault that I was lightheaded and hadn’t noticed that I was heading into him on the restart. According to the rules, it would have been a valid catch. Yes, it would have been cheap, but it would have been legal, and nobody would have blamed him for it. It was my mistake, not his. But he didn’t. He gave up his free shot at the snitch, so that LSU had a fair shot too.

Eventually Miami won, as David’s teammate Dennis caught me about ten minutes later. So David’s action didn’t wind up making a difference overall. But I couldn’t get it out of my mind. When I saw David a couple hours later between games, we congratulated each other for the hard-fought match earlier. Then I thanked him for his action when he had a free shot at the snitch. His response spoke volumes about his character. He simply said something to the effect of, “Yeah, of course. I couldn’t take that. It wouldn’t have been fair.” I realized that in that situation, the right choice had never been in question for him. It was a foregone conclusion for him to do what he did, because it was the right thing to do for him.

To me, that is what the ambiguous “Spirit of quidditch” is really about. David had so much respect for his opponents and a commitment to fairness that it never even crossed his mind to take advantage of the situation. So there you have it, one of the shining beacons of character and sportsmanship in quidditch that you didn’t even know about, David Moyer. He is now one of the people in the sport that I have the greatest amount of respect for. We can all learn a lot from David Moyer.

I like this pic, because it’s the only one I’ve...

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:58:13 -0600

I like this pic, because it’s the only one I’ve found that showcases the dangers of snitching in a midriff shirt. That lovely bandage on my back is covering up some massive gashes that occurred in the Lost Boys-NYU game. It was worth it though. I remember when I got to the medical tent, the lady said, “Do you have a full shirt, that would cover everything up?” My response “Yes, but I won’t switch over to it, and it’s difficult to explain why, just trust me on this one. i understand the risks.”

BT: It makes me so riled up that people in the league think they have...

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:16:41 -0600

BT: It makes me so riled up that people in the league think they have...:

positivethrockmorton:

It makes me so riled up that people in the league think they have unlimited power to change things just by being petty activists. “Let’s start a petition to get the World Cup to _____ city!” or “Let’s start a thread on Facebook demanding that the IQA do this with the membership plan!”

Most of…

Agreed. I have so much respect for the staff of the IQA, and what they do for the sport with so many people constantly complaining at them.

The Dashing Seeker: Red Heads: The Best Quidditch Players

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:22:52 -0600

The Dashing Seeker: Red Heads: The Best Quidditch Players:

thedashingseeker:

Nearly every team has one. A player that can shoot any shot, make any beat, or catch any snitch. I am talking about the gingers of quidditch.

During my time playing quidditch, an associate of mine and I have noticed a distinct positive correlation between a player’s skill level and the redness…

In my totally unbiased opinion, this is 100% true and factual.

Sigh, IQA:All the Regions page, sometimes you can get pretty ridiculous

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:48:33 -0600

Seriously, when Benny and Mitch are the voices of reason and sensibility on a thread, something is majorly wrong. I don’t even understand what the heck is going on there right now. Seems like it’s all about ego on there right now. People don’t wanna admit that maybe they stepped over a line, so they’re just further angrily attacking people. This isn’t what quidditch is about. Honestly.

Vitality Attack: Excuse me while I rant.

Sat, 11 May 2013 19:34:39 -0600

Vitality Attack: Excuse me while I rant.:

onelittleunicorn:

Honestly? I was excited to play Quidditch in the Fall and meet new people who have the same interests as me. Even getting back on tumblr I was curious to see who played Quidditch and who I could make friends with. At first I was overwhelmed with excitement but the more…

Matt pretty much gave the perfect response here, so I don’t really have anything to add.

ahatch0788: Best weekend ever!

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:34:49 -0600

ahatch0788:

Best weekend ever!

Geeky Meli: My Personal Quidditch World Cup VI Highlight

Thu, 09 May 2013 12:53:12 -0600

Geeky Meli: My Personal Quidditch World Cup VI Highlight:

geekymeli:

Melissa, Lost Boys beater #27 here! It’s been almost a month since World Cup and I have some time to write up my thoughts.

I could write a super long post about the whole tournament, the training that our team did beforehand, or the silly stories about what happened in the Lost Boys van on…

I'm Gonna Be a GM for the Fantasy Tournament in Texas, woohoo!

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:12:35 -0600

So excited to get to try to put together a successful team. Time to start really doing my research. And I hope all my players are excited to play in midriff jerseys…

If You're a Quidditch Player, Can you Just Reblog this?

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:28:51 -0600

deathstaringinmyface:

I want to follow all the quidditch players.

Quidditch hs taken over my life in a span of 5 months o.O

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:38:35 -0600

What took so long?

Everybody, there was a tournament in Norway. That's awesome.

Wed, 08 May 2013 10:29:43 -0600

There was an awesome write-up on the IQA site here: http://www.internationalquidditch.org/2013/05/first-norwegian-quidditch-championship/

Sounds like things are still developing there, and there were some rough spots, but things are developing nicely.

This is good news. Each place where quidditch takes a foothold helps to further the sport. It’s a great thing every time it spreads to a new country.

So congrats to the quidditch players in Norway who are on the forefront of introducing their countrymen and countrywomen to the beautiful sport of quidditch. We’re proud of you guys.

instant-oatmeal: I’m on a trading card! How bout that?

Tue, 07 May 2013 12:52:48 -0600

instant-oatmeal:

I’m on a trading card! How bout that?

I was just curious

Sat, 04 May 2013 15:48:45 -0600

fuckyesquidditch:

I’ve noticed a lot of players wearing gloves, and I was just curious what kind of gloves you wear? Are the goal keeper gloves for soccer, or something else?

quinksy says: Most people go for football receiver gloves. Under Amour’s pretty good.

Cutter’s football receiver gloves are magic for quidditch. They do great in rain as well, because getting them wet renews the grip. I reccomend them very highly.

theblackbludger: World Cup IV: The Dawn of a New Era in Quidditch

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:05:20 -0600

theblackbludger: World Cup IV: The Dawn of a New Era in Quidditch:

theblackbludger:

If World Cup taught the quidditch community anything this year, it’s that quidditch has changed drastically.
The first indicator that a year and a half had aged quidditch may have been Middlebury, 5-time defending World Cup champion, failing to make even the top 20 in their region.
Everyone has…

I don’t really have an issue with what Toronto did. There was a spot available, they took it like most teams in their situation would, they were outmatched, but didn’t complain and played honorably. No shame in that. What Fleming did, however, I don’t see how anyone can condone. It’s bad enough when a team forfeits a game at a regular tourney. Doing it at World Cup for any reason other than having to catch your plane or literally having so many players injured that you can’t field a team is simply inexcusable. Yes, playing Texas A&M is scary. However, you signed up for it when you took that World Cup spot. If you weren’t willing to face a team like A&M, you had no right to claim that World Cup spot, and should have just let it pass on to a team who would have actually used it correctly. Fleming was the most disappointing team at the entire World Cup, but not because of their on-pitch performance.

Mediocrity at its Finest: Skills competition at Fantasy Tournaments!

Thu, 02 May 2013 11:47:07 -0600

Mediocrity at its Finest: Skills competition at Fantasy Tournaments!:

takingmytalentstoquidditch:

It’s basically the summer, all competitive quidditch stops for a bit. This is the best time to do a skills competition. Fantasy Tournaments bring together a lot of great athletes and pinning yourself against the best in a skills competition is great way to stay competitive. If the organizers have…

Goddamn, I love the way I am: Gender Equality in Quidditch

Thu, 02 May 2013 00:15:13 -0600

Goddamn, I love the way I am: Gender Equality in Quidditch:

savagenosh:

This may offend people. I’m negating the whimsy that exists for a second and looking at quidditch purely as a sport.

(Also forgive my switching dudes/males/guys terms around. I don’t really care what they’re called they have penises)

Let me lay this straight out: THIS IS MORE OF AN…

I agree with a lot of this. A lot of these things are things I’ve wanted to say, but was afraid of the backlash I’d get for it. so thank you, Vanessa.

imflylikequidditch: the IQA now has a 14 year old on the editorial staff….. i don’t even…. I...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:17:21 -0600

imflylikequidditch:

the IQA now has a 14 year old on the editorial staff…..

i don’t even….

I don’t see the problem here. I’ve read Jack’s stuff, and he puts out good analysis. Sure, I don’t agree with all of it, but there’s no analyst in quidditch who I agree with 100% of the time. His age shouldn’t matter. Does he put out quality writing? If so, who cares how old he is. Plus, he is the only analyst in the sport who is solely dedicated to the journalism side of quidditch. All the rest of the analysts are players, snitches, refs, members of IQA departments, etc. So I don’t think there’s really any issue with the IQA adding the sport’s only solely dedicated journalist to their editorial staff.