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Seeking A Seeker Position
Author: Christopher Chant
Date: 09-09-10 11:43
Since returning to school and learning of the Interscholastic Quidditch Tournament Christopher hasn't been able to decide if he should be nervous and concerned about making the team or if he should go in there confident in his abilities and with having past team playing experience. As Saturday, the eleventh of September 2004 dawned, Christopher awoke with a mix of the two. As he dressed for the day he tried to do some mental exercises envisioning himself trying out and doing well and ultimately making the Hogwarts school team. He also figured it's good that he's a little nervous because that keeps him from being too overly confident. Lots of people who are way too sure of themselves end up falling on their faces but it's good he's also not a bundle of nerves since that rarely goes well either.
Although up earlier than he might normally be on a Saturday, Christopher wasn't one of the ones traipsing down to the pitch in the early morning mix of dark and light. Instead, he went to the common commons where he sat in a corner by himself drinking chilled spiced pumpkin juice and doing another mental excercise, this one involving running through various plays keepers are known for. He got up and moved to the Great Hall, sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table as the first breakfast food of the morning was served. Catriona joined him when he was finishing up a plate of scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon, and some buttery toast. He would have liked to have had his favorite, pancakes, but decided that might be too heavy a breakfast to eat just before going down to try out for a spot on the Quidditch team.
Cat wished him luck as he departed and promised to come down to the pitch to watch when she's done eating, and she was also wanting to wait for Bianca and Polly. Christopher walked to the pitch along with Preston Travers and Pablo Carioca, a couple of second year Ravenclaws. While he did join in their conversation, Christopher also spent the walk telling himself that as this is his year for O.W.L.s if he doesn't make the team, sure he'd be disappointed but think of all that extra time for studying and how it would be one less stress to worry with, especially since this year being on the team means representing the entire school.
At the pitch, Christopher did some stretching on his own the when Coach Batuti indicated they were ready to begin he walked over and sat on the ground with the others, signing his name when the sheet came around and marking down seeker and chaser. He played chaser the year that Hogwarts had now houses, when Hairy the Snide was headmistress but he played chaser for Ravenclaw last year and thinks he did a pretty good job. He did win the House Cup for Ravenclaw by catching the snitch and even playing when he was sick with scarlet fever.
Christopher is put into a group led by Pyrrhus Fine, who promptly tells them all to call him Py. Christopher knew Py from other Hogwarts events and knows that he's got a little brother here who's a second year Slytherin. Py has them do stretching and even though he'd already done some similar exercises, Christopher does them without complaint or mention that he's stretched already. For one, it's not in his nature to complain much and for two, if he makes a bad impression on Py, that drastically lowers his chances of being chosen, no matter how well he plays.
After everyone was warm-up physically, Py leads them through a serious of drills, all of them good to know how to do because each targets improving an area such as hand-eye coordination, speed combined with accuracy, and just plain old fashioned teamwork. Py says, "You can be the greatest Quidditch player the world has ever known but if you aren't going to work with your team, you might as well not bother getting on your broom."
Christopher most enjoys the coordination exercises, such as flying through increasingly smaller hoops without touching the sides. As a seeker, Christopher knows the value of having good coordination, particularly hand-eye coordination. The snitch is both small and, when it wants to be, mind blowingly quick. There are times Christopher has been certain those little winged balls truly have minds of their own.
They take a few breaks during the group work portion of the day and then take one long break before the two squads for the first scrimmage match are announced. Christopher isn't on either squad but like most others, he watches closely how those playing are doing. They are, afterall, both his competition and potential teammates. He's familiar with some of them, their styles of playing, and their abilities but even some of them have improved since he last saw them playing so it's worth it to watch them again. Others are either new to trying out or they've attempted to make a team in the past and he simply doesn't remember them. It's good to watch them as well because you never know when one will show break out potential and unless something causes Hogwarts not to go back to house teams next year, some of these people will be on opposite teams, should he make Ravenclaw's again next year that is.
When Christopher's name is called the first time for a scrimmage, he's told he's on as seeker. For almost the entire timed match, Christopher doesn't spot the snitch, not even a glimpse. With one minute left, he spies it, whipping around one of the opposing squad's chasers and ducking beneath a bludger. The other bludger takes him on the shoulder, slowing him down. To Christopher's chagrin, he reaches the snitch and has his out hand to grab it, his fingers feeling the flutter of the wings brushing them when time is called. He was so close!
In another match he's again seeker, this time having a neck and neck chase with the other seeker for a good five minutes with the snitch tantalizingly out of their reaches only to have the snitch vanish so quickly it was like it apparated away. Was there one second. Poof. Empty air in front of them. Another match he was chaser, playing a good passing game but never able to make an approach to shoot the quaffle himself. He was one of the ones who put into a fourth match, again as chaser but the other squad dominated and Christopher personally only has contact with the quaffle twice in the timed game.
After that match ends, he grabs something to drink then locates Cat, Bianca and Polly in the stands. They wave cheerily and when he joins them for a few minutes they all say he was very good. Not wanting to jinx himself one way or the other, Christopher doesn't say anything in response other than thank you. He sits with them eating a snack then goes back to sit on the pitch sidelines with others who'd tried out, watching the last of the scrimmages and all of them wondering when the team line-up will be announced.
Hoping To Get Chaser (Etta)
Author: Jared
Date: 09-09-10 20:47
Walking to the pitch this morning for tryouts, Etta had the misfortune of going down at the same time as her cousin Basil. He was boasting to his friend Ivan Grimsby how his spot on the Hogwarts team was already a done deal. He were only showing up for the trials as a matter of form. Ivan, suck up, brown nosing lackey that he is, hung on to Basil's every word as if Basil was making some historic speech or uttering wondrous philosophical insights. What makes Basil's boasting all the worse is that he's actually a decent player with a really good shot at making the team, which will not only back up his claims of already having it in the bag but also give him reason to gloat and boast even more. Etta nearly bit her tongue off to keep from making some sarcastic comment, choosing instead of step up her pace and get ahead of them. She still can't believe Basil was named a prefect. If he was the best choice, that doesn't say much about the other fifth year Slytherin boys, most of whom Etta always thought of as being all right. Toady Ivan being a HUGE exception.
Etta puts her name on the roster, writing in small, neat script chaser, but any position that will best help the team. Settling onto the grass between Deak and Marjani, Etta can't help but think that if anyone's a shoe in even without trying out, it's Wiggy Hodfuffer. There's long been a rumor that Wiggy's being scouted already by the pros. Etta knows it's not rumor but fact. The only way he'd not make the team is if he has a really bad day today and even then, with Coach Batuti fully knowing Wiggy's level of play would still probably select him.
Etta might be biased but she thinks Deak would be a close second behind Wiggy in the already have it in the bag department. As if knowing she's thinking about him making the team, Deak leans closer and whispers, "You know your good and you don't worry about it."
She teases, "I'm not worried for me."
Deak grins but doesn't have a chance to reply because that's when Theodosia Batuti began speaking. A short time later Etta is doing warm-ups on the ground in a group that's a mix of kids from all the houses. Before they do anything on their brooms, they do passing drills standing in two lines facing each other, sending the quaffle up and down both lines. Once in the air, the first exercise is one using the bludgers. Their group leader, a really pretty lady named Flora Lynch, whom the guys in the group all keep staring at, explains the drill and says, "Even if you are not wanting to be a beater, this is a good drill for strengthening muscles, which chasers and keepers need as well."
By the time the group excercises end, Etta's dodged bludgers, aimed them, gone through a series of exercises with the quaffle such as regular type passing and throwing quaffle after quaffle through a small ring (or trying too for some people) for accuracy, broom sprints, and several exercises designed for speed and manueverablity. When it's time for the scrimmages, Etta sits chomping at the bit through the first two matches, eager to get in the air again and actually play. She's in the third scrimmage, luckily as chaser, and much to her delight is on the same squad as Deak. Their squad wins the match with 1 goal to none, with Etta having made the goal. She's still pumped up from it when she plays in her second match of the day a little later, this time being assigned to play beater. She does all right with it, but she's not as good at aiming bludgers as some are and the position is clearly not her strong suit. The next match she's in, she's back as chaser. Etta doesn't score but she does steal the quaffle twice, shoot for goals three times, and assists with someone else scoring.
When the match ends, Etta heads to the ground, suddenly hungry. She grabs something to snack on and watches the next scrimmage match get under way.
(Mark) Better Be Beater
Author: Isolde
Date: 09-09-10 20:49
Mark had meant to get up early, but he'd gone to bed late the previous night and overslept the next morning. With it being nearly time for the Quidditch Trials to start, he'd hustled to get dressed and run all the way to the Pitch without stopping for a bite to eat. He hoped that the concessions would be open so that he could at least fill his growling stomach with something.
By the time he reached the Pitch, Professor Batuti had already started talking, but only just. He put his name on the roster when it was passed to him and wrote down beater and chaser as his desired positions. Mark didn't want to go for keeper because he found that position partcularly dull, and he didn't want to go for seeker because he didn't want to have the pressure of having to catch the snitch each match. Playing chaser might be okay, but Mark's heart really was with beater, the position he'd played since joining the Slytherin team.
After Professor Batuti conferred with the Hogsmeade Humbatas team members who'd come out to help with the trials, Mark was sent to Brent Gorper's group for warming up. No one he talked to had been assigned to the group with him, though Mark had no idea if Gus and the others were even there. He hadn't seen them, but then he also hadn't looked.
He did quite well navigating the aerial course Brent had them fly through, and managed not to have butterfingers when handling the quaffle during the group's passing exercises. Mark had little success with the snitch exercise. Chasing after something so small, even in controlled circumstances, was very hard! He knew it would be even harder to catch one in a real match. Mark was cocky about a lot of things, but even he knew what his limits were.
Although Mark didn't hit perfectly in the bludger exercises, he mostly did. Having a bat in his hand felt so natural that it was almost an extension of his arm.
All too soon the warmups ended and it was time for a break. Mark grabbed some water and eyed his competition as they milled about waiting for the first of the scrimmage matches to begin. Mark wasn't in the first match, but he found himself in the next two, playing beater first and then chaser. As beater he did exceptionally well. As chaser he felt he did only so-so.
He really wanted a place on the team and hoped that Professor Batuti and her helpers would see that he got one of the positions!
The Joy Of Smacking People With Bludgers (Basil)
Author: Jared
Date: 09-10-10 13:42
Wanting to be a beater and only a beater, Basil puts that down beside his name on the sheet that goes around. As an afterthought, he puts chaser, figuring it's best to have a fall back plan just in case. Despite his bragging to Ivan on the way down to the pitch about being assured a spot on the team, Basil knows that's not the case and though he's confident he will be selected, there's always an off chance of something going wrong. After all his talk, not just to Ivan, Basil is pretty sure he'd have to leave Hogswarts out of embarrassment if the worst were to happen. The only thing worse than him not making the team would be if he doesn't make it but his snot of a cousin Etta does. Why a fairly decent guy like Deak Bennett would want to date the bitch is beyond Basil. Well, unless it's because she's putting out. That he could totally understand. Boy, would that ever tarnish her prefects badge if she were caught in the act, Basil thinks, looking over at his cousin, a mean little sneer on his lips.
Joining the others for the group he's put into, Basil hopes it doesn't go on for ages. The longer drills last, the less time for scrimmage matches and, really, isn't actual game play the best way to weed out the losers from those making the team?
Knowing better than to complain aloud in case the group's leader were to overhear and his complaining got back to Coach Batuti, Basil suffers the silly warm-ups in silence. He goes through the routine of the other drills, passing, sprinting, hitting bludgers, dodging bludgers, and even catching snitches, with an almost bored expression, all the while noting who has trouble with what. The only excercises that were really worth his time are the beater centric ones. He excells at them and he knows it but also tries not to show himself being too sure of himself. Showing off for the sake of showing off would almost certainly result in points lost or whatever the hell system coach and her minions are using to determine who makes the cut.
When the scrimmages being, Basil chafes on the ground watching the action above until his name is called. Basil starts out the match smiling and his grin grows bigger as the game progresses. He can't help it. He LOVES hauling his bat back and smashing the bloody hell out of a bludger and gets a great deal of satisfaction when the bludger then connects with his target, or anyone else who gets in the way as collateral damage for that matter. At one point, Basil has to work hard to suppress a snicker when the bludger he's just hit smacks bloodies the nose of a Hufflepuff girl who looks as though she's the type constantly concerned about breaking a nail. Stupid cow. She belongs in the stands, not in the air pretending she knows what she's doing.
In that particular scrimmage match, Basil his bat a real working, effectively stopping two goal attempts all on his own. Not that he'd brag about that later or anything. When the match is over, all too soon in his opinion, Basil reluctantly heads to the ground, hoping he's doesn't a long wait until the his name is called for another scrimmage. Basil could fly around all day slamming bludgers into people and doing it with the knowledge that it's expected of him. That thought has Basil grinning again as he settles back in a seat in the stands to watch the match just starting.
Scoring In A Scrimmage
Author: Kody
Date: 09-10-10 17:39
Deak Bennett grabs the quaffle away from fellow sixth year Francis Yao and almost immediately hurls the red back back towards the three goal posts tended this scrimmage by a younger girl Deak doesn't know. He thinks she's a Hufflepuff but he's so unsure of that he wouldn't care to play a wager on how correct his limited knowledge of her is. She dives for the block but doesn't have any real power or force behind her dive so falls well short of blocking the quaffle. The red ball soars through the hoop where Deak had aimed it, bringing his squad to four goals to the other squad's one.
A quick glance at the scoreboard and the clock there tells Deak there's just over five minutes left in this timed match-up. That's time enough to gain possession of the quaffle again and score for the fifth time. Fifth time for his squad that is. Of the 40 points on the board, 20 are Deak's. The Hufflepuff girl puts the quaffle back into play, sending it to Francis. Francis tucks the ball in close then takes off at breakneck speed across the pitch. Deak and the two other chasers on his squad this match go in pursuit with Deak wondering where Francis's back-up is.
There. Way off to one side are both the other chasers on Francis's squad. One's rubbing his shoulder in a way that suggests having just taken a bludger hit. Deak isn't sure what the other one's doing and with a need to pay attention to Francis and the beaters on the other squad, Deak doesn't dwell on that third opposing chaser.
Deak accelerates, laying closer over his broom to cut down the wind resistance, making him even more aerodynamic and thus allowing him to go even faster. One of his squad's other chasers is just off to his right but is also slightly behind so he's not sure which of the other two it is. As if on cue, Deak breaks to the left and the other breaks to the right, coming up on Francis in flanking positions. The third chaser on Deak's squad suddenly appears, having climbed to avoid a bludger and only just now coming down to the same level where Deak is now reaching for the quaffle Francis is trying to shield.
A bludger screams at them and Deak ducks out of the way as does Francis. It takes Deak's teammate in the leg, slowing him down. Even though the bludger was meant for Deak and not Francis, having to duck from it caused the momentary lapse Deak needs. He steals the quaffle once again from Francis then stopping on a knut, the other shoot past him. Deak wheels around and starts back the other direction, intent on getting another goal on the board before time runs out.
When the match ends a very short time later, Deak's squad had scored two more goals thanks to a fumble by one of Francis's teammates, ending the scrimmage with a score of 60-10. Once on the ground, Deak heads for the water, taking some and chugging it before finding a spot to sit, looking around for Etta in the process, to watch the next scrimmage, the players for which are just kicking off the ground. The one that just ended was Deak's second scrimmage match. As in this one, he'd played chaser in the other one. Not locating Etta, he realizes she could be in the match going on above, so settling on a spot of grass in front of one of the stands, Deak turns his gaze upward, scanning to see if he can tell from this far below and from this angle who's playing. Deciding he'd rather watch from the stands, Deak goes to the one where he thought he saw Jack and Wiggy a short time ago and starts up the stairs. He's really hoping he gets to play in more of the matches today but if not, he knows he did well in the two he was in.
Deak also feels confident that he did well in the drills. He was in the Pyrrhus Fine's group. Py had put them through their paces with Deak, preferring the position of chaser (though he'd put down keeper and beater - he's not built right to be a great seeker), excelling in the drills geared more for someone in that position but he wasn't that bad at the beater ones, did all right with the ones for keeper and seeker. What Deak was the absolute best at for him were the flying drills through the hoops and the ones for improving manueverability.
Reaching the stand seats, Deak quickly finds his two best friends and goes to join them. Seconds later the three are doing running analysis commentary on the match currently underway.
Vanderbilts at the Pitch
Author: Griet
Date: 09-10-10 19:50
All four of the Vanderbilt sisters had come down to the Quidditch Pitch to tryout for the Hogwarts Quidditch team. Griet had signed up for chaser, the only position she felt comfortable playing. Cornelia had put her name down for seeker, because she felt it was by far the best position and she wouldn't deign to lower herself to play anything less. Aleydis, who had also played seeker in the past, had slotted herself for not only that position but also chaser, knowing that she probably had a better chance of making the team if she kept her options open. Besides, there would probably be more chasers picked than seekers anyway.
That left Beatrix, who'd only been a first year last year and not even tried out for Quidditch. This year she thought she'd give it a go. Her older sisters all played and seemed to love the game, and then there was the fact that this year it would all be different. Instead of the different houses playing each other, this year Hogwarts as a school would play other schools all around the world. Beatrix thought that if she could play for Hogwarts, it would be even better than just playing for Ravenclaw.
Oberon and Gervaise had come down to the Pitch with Griet and Cornelia. Oberon had played chaser once upon a time and thought he'd give it another go, whereas Gervaise had never played for Slytherin or during the year when the Hogwarts houses hadn't existed. Really, Cornelia had convinced him to try out with the hopes of them being on the team together. They were an open couple now and even held hands as they walked across the grounds and listened to the announcements Professor Batuti made.
Griet was glad that they'd finally made it official because Cornelia had gotten much nicer in the meantime. It also really did seem like Gervaise had moved on, which suited Griet perfectly well since she had never liked being a part of the love quadrangle she'd found herself in last year.
When it came time for the warm-up drills, Griet and Beatrix had found themselves in the same group. Cornelia and Gervaise had wound up together, much to the delight of both. Cornelia and Aleydis found themselves in a third and fourth group.
After a number of drills and a few breaks, it became time for the first scrimmage match. Griet and Gervaise were selected first. Gervaise had put his name down for all positions, since he didn't know which position he played best. In that scrimmage, they both played chaser. Gervaise turned out to be decent, though he didn't quite have the speed and agility of the more experienced chasers. With practice, he might turn out to be a good player though. Griet, meanwhile, fell back into the habit of catching and throwing and dodging and diving easily. She hoped she would make the team, if only to be able to have as much fun as she was having right now.
In the next scrimmage match, Cornelia played seeker and Beatrix played seeker on the opposing team. Cornelia knew she had it in the bag because Beatrix had never played seeker before, and she wasn't wrong on that score. Cornelia didn't catch the snitch before time was called, but she came darn close. Beatrix seemed to have trouble spotting it and when she did see it, she couldn't quite keep up with it.
With each subsequent match, one of the Vanderbilts or sometimes two or three and occasionally Oberon and/or Gervaise found themselves participating. By the time they were done, they were all tired but happy.
At the Pitch (Charisma & Blake)
Author: Charisma Stone
Date: 09-11-10 07:38
Charisma and Blake had both gotten to the pitch early, and had been divided into different groups. Blake had put down Chaser and Beater as the positions that he desired, with a true desire for Beater because he'd loved the position last year and had excelled at it through out the games. Charisma on the other hand had put down Seeker and Keeper with a bigger desire for Seeker, she had the build for it and the concentration for it. She loved the position.
Charisma had been in Pyrrhus Fine's group and run through the paces, she'd tried her hand at Seeker, Keeper, Beater and Chaser, all the positions available in the Drills, and failed at Beater and Chaser, Keeper she did somewhat mediocre, but not her best. She excelled at Seeker.
In the group that Blake had been in he'd tried drills for all positions, and found that he did not have the proper build or patience for Seeker. He could do Keeper well enough, however, he excelled on the exercises of Beater, and did well for Chaser as well.
Finally, it was time for the scrimmages. Isma had already played in one scrimmage, she was Seeker, and had manage to bring the little golden ball into the palm of her hand before the time elapsed and her group had won 160 to 30. Then, the second scrimmage she played she was Keeper, and had managed to save three attempts at scoring, but had let just as many balls past to score points for the other side. So, she was about fifty fifty on her scrimmage.
Blake was in the second scrimmage that Isma was in - on the opposing team of his best friend, which worked well for him. He was playing beater and having a wonderful time of it. Unfortunately he was on the same team as that arrogant arse from Slytherin Basil, and he really did not want to be beater along side that arrogant arse who would send a bludger at someone simply to see them bleed like he'd done with the Hufflepuff girl whose nose he'd more than likely broken with the bludger he'd hit.
When that scrimmage ended, the snitch had not been caught by either of the Vanderbilt sisters, Beatrix was the seeker for the team that Charisma was on, and Cornealia was seeker for the team that he was on.
After those scrimmage matches, Isma and Blake settled on the sidelines, and had a bite to eat and something to drink while another scrimmage match was played. Neither of them had been called for this scrimmage so they took their time to watch the others that had been called. They'd tried to convince Eric to come tryout, but he couldn't be swayed.