by Alex Benepe | December 19th, 2011
Photo by Ryan Blewett
My name is Alex Benepe, and I’m the commissioner of the International Quidditch Association. Today it is my pleasure to lay out a road map for the future of the IQA and real-life quidditch. So pull up a chair, grab a mug of hot butterbeer, and settle in, because we’ve got a lot to look forward to.
In case you’ve been locked up in Azkaban, 2011 was a big year for quidditch. The IQA just held its fifth annual World Cup in New York City. We’ve come a long way in the five years since a ragtag gaggle of freshmen first played real-life quidditch on a field at Middlebury College in Vermont. Last month, 93 college and high school teams comprising over 1,600 players from 27 states and four nations (Canada, Finland, Iceland, and of course the United States) descended on New York City to compete in over 300 games on nine fields over two days. I would like to congratulate Trinity High School, Purdue University, and Middlebury College: the high school, D2, and D1 champions respectively.
The event was the biggest and best the IQA has put together to date. Despite moving the tournament to an island and charging admission for the first time, there were more spectators than ever: security estimates that more than 11,000 people passed through the gates on Saturday alone. This encouraging number proves that quidditch has the ability to become an economically viable spectator sport. Our website, quidditchcup.com, featured minute-by-minute stat tracking for almost every game, thanks to volunteers using Michael Strickland’s Marauder’s App, and got over 200,000 hits over the weekend. This is also a promising statistic and could become another great way for the league to raise money for future events. NBC featured a fantastic segment on the event that captured the feel and scale (Watch the video here).
Our volunteer workforce at World Cup was unparalleled. More than 250 local volunteers of all ages and backgrounds came out and worked hard all weekend, sometimes going 12 hours straight to keep things running smoothly. Even during the transition to the stadium for finals, field directors kept turning in scorecards and continued to run their fields well. The real heroes of the day were the main group of IQA volunteer directors. They were experienced event organizers and league leaders from around the country who came days or even a week early and got little to no sleep as they poured their hearts and souls into keeping the event together at all times.
We are very grateful to the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation for assisting in event organization and especially to Emergency Medical Rescue NYC, a volunteer group who provided medical services for the entire event at cost and also helped with ambulance transportation. Having ambulances on site meant that more players were transported this year, even for injuries that were not life-threatening. However, only 18 ambulance runs took place over the course of more than 300 games (that’s about one out of every 17 games), an enlightening statistic for a full-contact sport.
The energy of the event was jubilant. Enthusiastic college students, cautiously amused New Yorkers and scores of children and families combined to create an atmosphere that was infectious. Caped, chanting, banner-waving players, adults dressed in elaborate Harry Potter costumes, dogs dressed as quidditch players, and general tomfoolery all mixed together, supported by great November weather and one of the most glorious sunsets in recent memory.
The fifth World Cup was not without problems. For one thing, on the day before the event, online ticket sales sat at just 3,000. That was the number of spectators our food vendors were prepared for, and the avalanche of 8,000 more ticket buyers at the door overwhelmed the food and bathroom lines, and despite our best attempts we could not obtain additional services over the course of the weekend, though we were able to open additional cash registers for the food lines on Sunday.
Another issue was electronic – our scorekeeping system had communication issues due to the island’s weak wifi signal, which led to a big delay between pool play and single elimination on Sunday. Additionally, an error discovered on one of the scorecards just as single elimination games started meant that the bracket was wrong, and had to be fixed by hand on the spot. This necessitated a re-arranging of the rankings and therefore a restart of play in order to make sure teams were fairly paired with one another.
Lastly, within a week before the Cup, over 20% of our volunteer referee force canceled. That overwhelmed most of the referees who did work at the Cup, with most refereeing back-to-back games for twelve hours straight. Despite this, our referees remained positive, and most players agreed that this year’s refs were far superior to years past. I must admit, though, that I was rather disappointed with the attitude some players took toward referees. I encourage those players to volunteer next year to ref themselves, nominate someone else, help with referee training, or join our newly forming referee development team (more on that later).
This World Cup was a huge learning experience for us. All of this year’s challenges will be overcome by completely revamping the bid process and beginning planning much earlier with a larger staff – but I’ll come back to that later.
Here’s what the IQA has in store for the next year and a half:
This month, the World Cup and Regional Championships bid processes will begin, and they will continue, with various deadlines, surveys, and steps through April 2012. During December, applications will be accepted for the World Cup organizing team. Additionally, World Cup rankings, brackets, and final scores have just been posted.
The IQA is also restructuring its internal management to increase efficiency and communication, and better utilize our amazing volunteer talent. We will be posting new volunteer job openings, including for the rules council, throughout the months to come. We are moving away from a council-based culture and toward an agency culture, with better internal collaboration and communication. This will include a gradual overhaul of the IQA’s editorial and marketing departments so that information is released on a more consistent basis.
In January 2012, World Cup organizing team applications and location nominations will be due. the global rankings will reset for the new season with an improved algorithm that incorporates strength of schedule. January marks the start of the spring interim season. During this season, the IQA will be focused on preparing for the 2012-2013 academic year, which will be the first “real” season of the IQA. It will include a regular schedule of games worked out by regional directors and team captains, with a required minimum number of games per team throughout the season.
Regional championships will become qualifying events for World Cup (it hasn’t been determined yet whether they will be qualifiers for D1 or the event as a whole – this depends on the capacity of the World Cup site). In order to effectively lay the groundwork for the 2012-2013 year, the IQA will not be sponsoring or organizing “official” regionals or championships, but it will continue to promote and report on official member events and tournaments, maintain and update the league standings, and assist in organization if possible.
Overall, it is our goal to make Regional Championships into much bigger events so that teams have opportunities to attend large tournaments around the continent (while at the same time considering capping or reducing the size of World Cup to make it more manageable).
Throughout February and March 2012, the IQA will work with bidding parties to develop their bid packages. The rules council will begin to review and discuss refinements and improvements to the rules for Version 6. During this time, our official membership program will be reviewed. Teams will be surveyed to decide the most important benefits and a new pricing structure (subject to a team vote) will be developed to better meet the needs of the program. Additionally, IQA regional directors and captains will work together to make improvements to regional boundaries. The South will be split into the South and Mid-Atlantic, and some other regions may have states moved around, based on demand from teams and logical distribution.
In April 2012, final bid packages for Regionals and World Cup for the 2012-2013 academic year will be turned in and the selection process will begin. The final selections and their dates and locations will be announced by the end of the month.
In summer 2012 the IQA will organize an expo match in London during the Olympics. The IQA is currently assessing venues, working with media contacts, and reaching out to local teams. At minimum, the IQA will organize a UK vs. US match, and may bring additional European teams. Meanwhile, back in the United States, the rules council will finalize Version 6 of the IQA rules.
In September 2012, the first real season of IQA quidditch will begin. The rankings will reset to zero for all teams who will play through their pre-set schedules. With games set farther in advance, players and fans will be able to closely monitor the progress of their favorite teams. A new app, currently in development, will (among other things) allow captains to instantly upload scores from mobile devices. Throughout October and November the first regional championships will take place. From February to March the remaining regionals will take place, and in April 2013 – WORLD CUP VI.
This gives us an excellent segue to explain the bidding process. Starting December 15, the IQA will accept applications to the World Cup organizing team. This team will be a long-distance organizing group that will task-manage the local organizing bodies for World Cup and regionals. Members will visit the site as much as possible during the organizing process and come as early as possible in the weeks leading up to the event to supervise planning. This group will be open to applicants from any part of the world, but only those with the best quidditch tournament organizing experience and/or general event planning experience will be selected. Applications are due January 8.
Rather than expect teams to complete bids on their own, the IQA will work closely with teams and also numerous city agencies to develop fully-fledged bid packages. In the past months the IQA has been approached by over 80 local government bureaus who hope to bid for the next World Cup or regionals. While having city and town governments closely involved with the process will greatly improve organization and financing, it is still essential to have a local group of experienced and organized quidditch teams to handle the unique requirements of the sport, so teams must spearhead the bidding process, with other local support organized around that.
Before this process can begin, we must do two things:
1) Ascertain which locations/teams are willing and able to host World Cup and regionals
2) Screen those locations for event viability
The first step is the bid interest form. Do you think your city and/or team could host the event? Fill out our nomination form and get more details here. The second step will be a survey among official member teams to check off which options they are willing (and financially able) to attend. Bid interest forms will be due January 8 as well.
Once it is evident which of the cities nominated are viable options, a local organizing team will begin to work closely with the IQA to develop bid packages. At this stage, the IQA will connect interested cities to the organizing team that has nominated the bid. Professional local event organizers will be brought in for consultation and a location will be selected. Budgets will be prepared, and PR efforts will begin to rouse public support for the event. IQA officials will travel to inspect event sites and prepare reports and assessments based on these and other elements:
- Basic facilities and location availability
- Transportation and access
- Budget requirements and financial support
- Strength of the local quidditch network
- Additional perks and unique local aspects
Final bid packages from all approved applicants will be due on April 1, and the final locations and dates will be selected and announced by April 15. The final selection process will reside with the IQA World Cup organizing team and will include surveys of official member teams.
We are very excited for the upcoming season and the 2012-2013 academic year, and we look forward to continuing to develop real-life quidditch with all of our staff, players, and supporters. Thank you for joining us on this journey. We hope you have fantastic holiday season, and we’ll see you next season on the pitch!
Mischief, managed.
Katie Soukup
December 19, 2011
3:00 pm
Impressive. So much going on. Thanks for all your work. Being one of the people who purchased World Cup tickets on site instead of advance/online, I see now why the problem with food and restrooms. I will definitely order in advance next time, hoping World Cup VI is near me (mid-atlantic or at least east coast)!
Pablo Calderon
December 19, 2011
3:37 pm
This message is as inspiring as it is reassuring that Quidditch will continue to grow in the healthy, positive way we all want for it. Thank you, IQA, and may all your holidays be magical.
–Emerson College, Chaser
Lisle Farnum Rendino
December 19, 2011
5:32 pm
Heartening. Can’t wait to see how it all shapes up. Keep us notified about that Olympics expo; hopefully there will be a live feed!
Question- am I the only one who’s never been able to access quidditchcup.com?
-A
Daye Gouine
December 20, 2011
6:38 am
HUZZAH!
Megan Shaw
December 20, 2011
7:27 am
I am so excited by this news. Especially the stuff for the Olympics. I am so excited at the prospect of maybe participating in them (I’m the President of a UK team)!!
-Keele Quidditch
Andy
December 21, 2011
3:20 pm
I appreciate all the hard work the IQA has put into making the game grow. Everyone’s dedication has been outstanding, and it’s really a great thing to watch.
However, I can’t say that I’m enthusiastic with the way the game is changing. I think this divide is very clearly seen in how people refer to Quidditch. Several times in this article, Quidditch was referred to as a sport. Speaking for myself (and for a great part of the Middlebury team), we frankly do not see Quidditch this way. Quidditch is a game. It is an amazing, unbelievably fun, compelling, and entertaining game, but it is a game nonetheless. I have no desire to see Quidditch turn more and more competitive, with more and more of the magic being lost to a fierce sprit of competition. Some of the games we played in this year at the World Cup were amazing. The sportsmanship was fantastic, and it was frankly just really fun. Other games, however, were just not the same. The intensity was out of control, and it felt like we were competing in a fight to the death rather than a fun game based on a children’s fantasy book.
I love that Quidditch is competitive for two days a year during the World Cup (and maybe during regional tournaments as well). The rest of the time, Quidditch is purely fun. Most Sundays during the fall we play intramural matches, and students break off and form their own teams to play each other. It’s incredibly fun, and I wouldn’t give that up for the world. This idea, therefore, of having Quidditch “seasons” and full-fledged leagues makes me a little sad. We’re institutionalizing the game more and more, when its free-spiritedness and sense of fun was what made it possible in the first place. Honestly, I have no desire to play even more competitive Quidditch. Unless we’re absolutely forced to, I frankly don’t think many of our players would want to take part in a season. We’re perfectly happy playing games for fun against teams near us, and traveling around scrimmaging other teams just for the hell of it. (There’s also the practical difficulty of us being in Vermont, with very few teams anywhere near us). We would much prefer having QWC VI qualifying be done through regional tournaments, and for teams to be free to do whatever they want besides that instead of imposing regular seasons.
By instituting league and conference play, we would be making Quidditch more like any other sport. What we like about Quidditch is what makes it distinct from soccer, basketball, or baseball. The fact that it’s different and more light-hearted than these make it attractive. If I want a serious sport, I’ll go play one of those instead.
If we’re going to kill of that whimsy and light-heartedness, then what’s the point in playing? Then we become a group of weird kids running around with brooms between our legs taking ourselves waaayyyy too seriously. Quidditch is a made-up game based on a set of children’s fantasy books where the protagonists have magic wands, ride flying brooms, fight dragons, and talk to ghosts. And I love that. It’s what makes Quidditch so great. It’s absurd. It’s ridiculous. And it’s amazing.
The farther Quidditch gets from its roots, the more it looses its way. Every year we tell the new freshmen two things before they start playing: Don’t be a jerk, and it’s impossible to take yourself seriously when you’re running around with a broom between your legs. Let’s not forget where we came from, shall we?
Respectfully,
Andy Hyatt
Middlebury Quidditch Tri-Commissioner and Chaser
Stephen
December 21, 2011
6:05 pm
I understand what you mean by this, but I honestly think that it’s the spirit of the players that’s most important. As long as we the players keep the playful, fun, and just downright silly attitude that is so important to Quidditch I don’t think it matters how we organize games. Keeping the right attitude is our responsibility.
I’m very excited to see Quidditch grow. It allows the game to be spread to more people all across the world. There’s a reason that large sports use the system they do, it’s because it works. I don’t see a problem with imitating it as long as we don’t get too serious.
Like I said at the beginning, I understand why you feel the way you do but I say give it a shot. Middlebury started Quidditch and change is always difficult to stomach. Just try out their new system with a positive attitude to see how it goes. Play the game with the attitude that you want others to follow and hopefully they will! I have no desire to see the game become like football or baseball, but I wouldn’t mind the idea of flipping to ESPN and seeing a fun Quidditch match! But that’s just my respectful opinion. Thanks!
Phantom
Captain, Louisiana State University
December 21, 2011
7:34 pm
No one’s gonna force you to play competitive quidditch, but those of us who want to should have a chance. Apparently it’s different for y’all, but for us quidditch is competitive for 365 days a year, and that’s what makes it awesome for us
chaseher33
Southwestern Regional Director
December 21, 2011
8:07 pm
There are teams out there who do enjoy the competitiveness of the sport, which quidditch is an athletic game, so I would consider it a sport. That’s one of the great things though about having divisions at World Cup. For those that choose to be competitive in the sport of Quidditch there is Division 1. Those that may not want to be as competitive or feel they aren’t ready for the more physical nature can opt to play in Division 2. With all the aspects apart of the sport now, I wish people would stop saying that we’re taking ourselves too seriously. If this was not serious in some way we wouldn’t have an IQA, a rulebook, several committees, conferences, rankings, and a World Cup. I for one can still have fun and enjoy quidditch, even if it is competitive, and I don’t think that’s only myself.
Dan Hanson
December 22, 2011
1:52 pm
Hey Andy, let me first say that I know that Middlebury is a great group of people and I like and respect all of you, you in particular, but this is pretty disappointing to hear coming from you. As the five-time defending champion, it’s really unfair for you to invalidate the efforts of the 60 or so other teams spending an obscene amount of time and money, where one of their main goals is to try to beat you, by saying that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. I totally see where you’re coming from, and I agree that there should always be a place for the silliness in Quidditch, but the World Cup is not that place. Many of us see little to no connection between the sport we’ve created and the fantasy book it’s based on. We just need to eliminate the needless violence, and then we won’t be taking it too seriously. And yeah, there’s way way way too much hate on the forums, none of which your team deserves, but be proud that you and your school helped build something that evokes so much passion, and ignore the haters.
I hear from people who went to the Middlebury Classic that it was one of the most fun tournaments they’d ever been to, it’s soo great that you have teams access to the light-hearted, fun-first mentality the Quidditch was born by, but we get something else that we want, but we also thrive on the highest level of competition we can get. And that’s why we have the World Cup.
So please, for the sake of all the other players and fans in the tournament whose teams are ranked below you, just make sure you bring your fullest competitive force to the next World Cup. I’m not saying you don’t want to win the World Cup more than anyone else, but what you said makes it seem like you don’t.
Sincerely,
Dan Hanson
Honey Badger
December 21, 2011
7:36 pm
^^^ This coming from the most intense Middlebury player I’ve ever seen in my three years at World Cup. Hypocrisy makes me laugh so much.
outcast19
Captain, The Silver Phoenixes
December 21, 2011
7:47 pm
Ah yes, I remember your name. You were the same kid last year talking shiz on facebook after the World Cup in Hell’s Kitchen about how much better Middlebury is than everyone else….Probably one of the kids that supported the “Suck it A&M” photo going around this year as well I am sure. So now that Middlebury actually has more than one competitive game in a tournament..the sport is being taken too seriously..? Did you think about how this would look before you posted this? Or did you just think your affiliation with your school would save you from criticism?
Creating regular seasons and an organized sport out of Quidditch isn’t a bad thing and won’t hurt the spirit of it by any means. It just means that those of us that have to pay a few thousand dollars to be able to participate in tournaments such as the World Cup will have a better feeling for what to expect out of them, instead of flying all the way out to a tournament to get thrown in the mix with local unqualified teams from the area who don’t know the rules (Enter America’s Finest). The spirit of the game will die if the players choose to let it die, not if Quidditch becomes treated like a sport. Those of us outside of the Northeast actually have to put significant amounts of work and large sums of money into this, so we do take ourselves seriously. I’ll be damned if anyone tries to tell us that we shouldn’t.
Sincerely,
David Gutierrez
The Silver Phoenix
Andy
December 21, 2011
10:56 pm
Hi David,
Glad to know that you apparently remember my name, although I wish we had been able to meet in person. I don’t remember talking shiz in anything but jest, but I apologize if my sarcasm was misconstrued over the internet. Kind of sucks for productive, polite conversation.
So no, I did not think my school affiliation would save me from criticism. If anything, I was convinced I would get absolutely eaten alive because I go to Midd. So believe me, I know there’s no love lost towards my school from many in the league. Kind of sucks, wish it wasn’t that way, and we made a real effort this year to reach out towards all the teams we played to try to bring a greater spirit of sportsmanship and friendliness into the game. Don’t know if we always succeeded, but I hope that it at least made some difference.
Moving on to your practical concerns:. I’m certainly not impugning the effort you guys have to put in to getting to the World Cup. It’s certainly more of a pain for you, and we understand that. I just don’t think the proposed reforms are the best way to go about ensuring that the teams that get into the tournament are on the same playing field. I think having regional tournaments that help decide seeding could definitely do this without tying our teams down into a full competitive season. Am I saying there’s no place for competition in Quidditch? No of course not, and I’m not saying we should view this game as a complete joke. I stand by my original point though. The pendulum has swung too far towards cut-throat competition and away from a sense of fun and the spirit of the game. I still believe some of the proposed reforms would further that pendulum swing and make the balance more unhealthy. I know that Quidditch will never be a purely silly game ever again, but that doesn’t mean we should err too far in the other direction. Going forward, what we need is balance.
I understand people disagree with me, and that’s totally fine. I really believe, however, that the league needs an open and frank discussion of how to move forward. I’m happy to talk with anyone about ways to move forward productively and try to restore the balance between the competitive spirit and sportsmanship/fun. Respond here, facebook me, or email me at my personal email address (ahyatt@middlebury.edu) or the club email (quidditch@middlebury.edu). I am of course not officially speaking for the club right now just voicing the concerns a lot of us have. I further have no official position within the IQA; I’m just a concerned player who wants to see how we can all move forward.
Respectfully,
Andy Hyatt
Middlebury Quidditch Tri-Commissioner and Chaser
Kaitlyn 'Quill' Fitzgerald
December 21, 2011
11:25 pm
Strictly speaking, I just wanted to say that Quidditch technically, by any given definition that I can find, IS a sport. I believe adapting the structure of the tournaments and the World Cup to accommodate how large the sport is getting won’t take away from the silliness and whimsy. There are so many Quidditch Players dedicated to making sure this sport never becomes serious and hyper-competitive like Football or the other big-names. We can keep the things we love about Quidditch alive and still expand into a larger sport.
Just saying,
~Kaitlyn F. Ithaca Community Hex, Chaser and Beater
chaseher33
Southwestern Regional Director
December 21, 2011
11:39 pm
I’m interested in what ideas you have and how you think they would restore a balance. You don’t think having divisions solves the problem of putting teams on an even playing field? Why do you think that competitiveness and sportsmanship and fun aren’t already in balance? Which exactly proposed ideas do you think is going to put the sport into too much of a competitive nature?
Ryan Vickers
December 21, 2011
11:39 pm
I’m confused as to how you think that having a competitive season isn’t a good thing. It will help teams know the rules better, develop more depth in the teams, and more importantly, get people interacting with players of other teams. For many of us, the internet is the only means of communication to other quidditch players. Encouraging a set number of games not only will lead teams to build unity within regions, but strengthen the overall unity of the league.
Quidditch will always be silly on some level, but I know for myself and many others that the silliness is left at the edge of the pitch at game time.
Curtis Taylor
Captain, Marquette University; Wisconsin State Director
January 6, 2012
2:42 am
As a side note-when asked to be just a regular organization on campus, our school said-everything your organization stands for and looks like on paper and in views of youtube videos of competitive matches as well as safety and rules in general define this as a sport. This made us apply for club status and have to be a club before we could represent our university because they deemed us as a sport because of how its set up.
DHoops
December 21, 2011
10:52 pm
Okay, so our sport is throwing a volleyball through a hoop. Basketball is throwing a ball through a hoop. Golf is hitting a tiny ball into a tiny hole. Baseball is hitting a ball with a stick. You can find this with any sport- break it down to its simplest form and it’s basically nonsense. What gives a sport its legitimacy, at its heart, is the devotion of its players and, more importantly, fans. I can’t wait until this generation, the Harry Potter generation, becomes the leaders of the Olympics, ESPN, the Wall Street Journal- I really think that then Quidditch will take off.
TheDaleySpecial12
December 22, 2011
1:00 am
I am wondering if anyone knows any specifics yet on the Olympics quidditch match? What will the process be for choosing players to represent US quidditch? Will there be a tryouts of sorts for any player to attend? Or are these players already pre-designated administration members that will just be playing this as an exhibition match of sorts to bring media attention to quidditch?
Curtis Taylor
Captain, Marquette University; Wisconsin State Director
January 6, 2012
2:52 am
I think a rematch of Texas and Marquette would be a great example of a thrilling quidditch match-by far one of my favorites to play in or even see from what people told me from that weekend
Alex Benepe
Commissioner
December 22, 2011
1:00 am
I think Andy here actually represents a very large body of players who are very under-represented on the forums, which I think tend to attract many of the more competitive players.
However, I think that this argument is confusing the game/sport (whatever you want to call it) as a whole and the World Cup event, and Andy definitely referenced this. The two are separate.
As the league grows, it is going to become increasingly inevitable that the world cup becomes a more selective event, otherwise we’ll have to move it to the steppes of Russia in order to accommodate an unlimited number of teams (as we have so far).
That being said, I think that as the sport grows, we will stop depending on World Cup as the only big tournament of the year and you’ll start to see regionals as the place where any team can show up and play. And then those will start to get more selective and you’ll start to see sectionals. And so on. That’s the plan at least.
But even that is not all there is to Quidditch. I think the silly and organic side of the game should remain just that way – organic. It’s more authentic that way anyway. This is not to say the game will ever get completely serious – we’re running around on brooms, chasing a guy with a sack hanging out of his pants, all the while being mocked over loudspeakers by improv comedians. Sure, the varsity uniforms and muscles and ambulance trips might say otherwise, but a game like that will always have its tongue firmly planted in its cheek, and that’s the way it should be…otherwise quidditch will just become another sport and get very boring and predictable very quickly. Keep in mind that although the FIFA World Cup has more viewers than any other sporting event (260 million), there are more than 1 billion people with televisions. So although sports try and make themselves out to be world-uniting things, I suspect that the other 75% NOT watching the FIFA world cup (and no, it’s not the United States, the US v Ghana game at the last cup had more US viewers than the Indy 500) are so bored to tears with them that they are craving something unique…and quidditch will fill that gap for all of them….one day.
I can assure all of you – the “regular” season games I referred to here will not be so frequent that they’ll prevent you from doing plenty of intercollegiate and scrimmage games on your own. The idea is that teams play a relatively equal number of ranked games, instead of some teams ranking themselves on a bajillion intercollegiate games (Florida!) and some teams playing almost none (Middlebury!). So there won’t be too many, to start with at least. And we expect the teams to use the rest of the time however they like, whether that’s friendly tournaments like the Middlebury Classic or the Texas Breakfast Taco, or just scrimmaging or doing intramurals on campus.
Andy, do you have any ideas about how to keep things friendly? Maybe traditions between teams at every game? Hogwarts style meals, parties etc.? I’m all ears.
Andy
December 27, 2011
11:16 am
Alex, thanks for your repsonse. I appreciate you taking the time to come talk about some of what’s going to happen. While I still can’t say I’m 100% thrilled with the changes on the horizon, I do appreciate you clearing up some of what’s going to happen. I’m much more ok with seasonal play the way you describe it, although I still think we may want to keep an open mind as to how to maintain flexibility while still making sure teams get a certain number of games in. (And yes, Middlebury is absolutely guilty as charged here. The only IQA official matches we’ve played in the past 2 years have been at the World Cup. oops…) I’m still more comfortable with seeding being decided at regional tournaments, but that sounds more like what you guys have in mind here (I think), so that actually makes me feel a lot better. The league may want to think about allowing teams to rack up most of their “official games” here as opposed to some sort of league schedule, but I suppose that’s a conversation we can all have going forward.
Glad to see we still agree about the silly and organic side of Quidditch too. I’m all about keeping the tongue planted firmly in cheek, believe me, and I hope going forward all the teams (Middlebury absolutely included) can do a better job of remembering that as we play.
As for concrete ideas for keeping things friendly, I have several. One thing I’ve noticed is that teams that know and like each other tend to play a much cleaner and more fun game than those that don’t. It’s very easy to beat the crap out of a team you don’t know, but harder to brutally tackle someone if they’re your friend. In this vein, I think it would be helpful for regions to have more unofficial tournaments within themselves to foster a spirit of cooperation and friendship. I know that was one of the big aims of the Middlebury Classic, and I think it’s the achievement we were most proud of. Playing Quidditch in a less competitive environment, and getting to know teams from your region, was a great thing for us and for all the schools that came to visit. I think tournaments like this, where the intensity level is ratcheted down and the goofiness level is ratcheted up, can be nothing but good for the game. Perhaps in the future the IQA can encourage all regions to host an official tournament and at least one unofficial tournament, with IQA support (cheerleading and personnel if not monetary) for them.
In the spirit of furthering regional cooperation, perhaps the informal Yule Balls that schools are hosting can become more of an official thing, and get larger in scale so that more teams can come. Imagine if U Florida hosted a big party for all the Florida teams in Tallahassee. That would be #1 an absolutely sick party, and #2 a great way to encourage people to get to know each other on a more personal level.
Alex Benepe
Commissioner
December 22, 2011
1:04 am
Re: olympics and the US team – more details will follow. It depends on how much institutional support we get from any of the organizing or media bodies that work with/around the olympics and how much money we are able to raise, either from them or own on our own.
Hopefully we will be able to raise enough to pay for the US team to travel, in which case it will be completely merit based, but the sad truth is that if we don’t raise enough, it will also depend on people’s ability to pay their own way.
caitlin
December 30, 2011
7:21 pm
I am captain of a team in the uk that is just starting up but if you need anything I am more than happy to help please come to the uk
J Underdark
December 22, 2011
2:41 am
It is sad to see message boards for my favorite college pass time devolve to insults, and this may be an unpleasant reminder of where this sport may wind up. I agree with a lot of what Andy says, but I sympathize with the other points of view that may become the mainstream in a short amount of time.
I have been to two consecutive World Cups now, and scrimmaged in two countries. I have observed the sport change tremendously in that amount of time, and as a result has lost some of its luster. Quidditch has become a sport, and that is quite obvious. The athletes are becoming larger, tempers growing hotter, hits becoming harder, and regard for our fellow athletes lest sincere. While it is easy to point fingers at teams such as America’s Finest, there are other less obvious affronts to the spirit of Quidditch. I have a few suggestions that might accommodate both crowds, and hopefully fuse them into one body.
Schools should be divided in two ways, firstly by size of the school, and second by tackling rules. Teams should not be forced into a Division I (Prestigious) and Division II (Poor Teams) brackets. My team will most likely abstain from Division I in the future if it remains as it is. Too many of the athletes present in the community have no clue what safe tackling is, or any real interest in learning. I shouldn’t be forced into Division II because I don’t want to see a 210 pound person horse collar a 105 pound person into the dirt (seen it at least five times happen to my teammates). While you might point out that a horse collar is an illegal tackle, its hard to stop one until after it has occurred. School size is also important, a school with less than 5,000 students can only compete with a school that has more than 20,000 students in the best of cases.
Arm wrestling for example has a bracket that can accommodate such a pool system. There are separate brackets determined by weight (in our case would be school size). The champions of those brackets then face off. If we had three brackets, you can establish a first through third finishing rank.
Divisions should be divided by the amount of contact the teams want, stricter tackling regulations for instance are key here. The more competitive bruiser teams will opt for the same division, and the less physical teams can opt for a different one. Is there a difference in prestige here? Perhaps, but it might shock you about which teams choose which division. I have more specific thoughts on what tackling regulations should be, if anyone of you are curious feel free to ask.
Perhaps current team captains should be polled, and asked how large their school is, and under those circumstances which division would they choose. If it looks drastically different from what was in place at the World Cup then perhaps it is time for some changes in the formula.
I would like to voice my appreciation for the IQA for the wonderful memories and experiences it has provided me with. Additional, I would like to wish everyone involved a bright and safe future wherever it might take them.
Stephen
December 22, 2011
11:35 am
I agree with a lot of what you said here and I’d really like to know what your ideas are on stricter tackling regulations.
J Underdark
December 22, 2011
7:42 pm
There are fair points being made all around the table, and a few things might need clarity here. I don’t mean that teams in the Division II this year were any less prestigious, but it seemed as though they were playing for a different reward. In addition, there will always be exceptions to any rule, there will be big schools at a disadvantage, and small schools with an advantage, however the rule is to protect a majority that may or may not be taking place already. I strongly agree that having a regular season will increase teams knowledge of rules, but there are other ways the IQA could facilitate that. Instructional videos posted on the website for instance, on things such as safe tackling. I am sure a local college coach or even a volunteer pro wouldn’t mind helping out a growing organization be safe.
There was mention made about my ideas on tackling, so rather than post a lengthy diatribe here, I will post a link to my blog with a longer explanation. http://josephunderdark.blogspot.com/2011/12/quidditch-and-contact.html
chaseher33
Southwestern Regional Director
December 22, 2011
8:39 pm
Instructional videos are great and hopefully more can be posted but there’s a very big difference between watching a video on safe tackling, practicing it with your teammates, and enacting it in gameplay. Real game situations provide the best experience to learn and really make sure you have the rules down.
J Underdark
December 22, 2011
9:03 pm
I agree with you, chaseher. It is my genuine hope that teams have a strong leadership who can attempt to teach and lead in ways that benefit the team. Providing these captains with resources is key, the handbook was a very welcome step in that regard.
It is very hard to fight instinct, don’t forget that game situations can improve awareness as you said and in some cases propagate incorrect responses.
Yellow Card
December 22, 2011
9:53 pm
I’m confused as to what type of tackling you expect to take place if you aren’t allowed to drive your opponent into the ground. In my mind, that’s the ultimate goal and definition of a tackle.
J Underdark
December 23, 2011
8:32 pm
Tackling has a few purposes, since stopping play doesn’t exist in quidditch tackling someone to the ground has no facility other than to hurt someone, or wait for a beater to run over so that the quaffle can change hands. I dont have a rule book handy, I was under the impression tackling to the ground is illegal, if it is not and I am mistaken (quite possible) then I take it back in full.
Yellow Card
December 23, 2011
9:29 pm
For some reason I can’t reply to Underdark’s comment, but tackling to the ground is most definitely legal.
Brad Armentor
December 22, 2011
1:53 pm
I would like to point out one thing. Divisions br school size would not be a good idea. Sure, a bigger school has more chances to field a large group of people, but it isn’t always the case. For example, we here at LSU consistently have trouble getting more than 20 people on our team. Our enrollment is somewhere around 30,000. Smaller schools compete with us on a regular basis. Middlebury, Emerson, Vassar, Ringling, etc.
Please note, I read the entire post. Your suggestions have merit, I just disagree with your idea about divisions by school size.
xbr00t4l
December 22, 2011
11:56 am
Considering I just joined Quidditch in September, it may be only me who never thought of Quidditch as any less of a sport. Am I alone on this one?
My schoool, Fredonia, is very small, and my Quidditch team is pretty small too, yet we play incredibly hard, and train as any other athlete would. To me, it’s a little demeaning to have someone consider all we do in terms of strategy, training, conditioning, and organizing for a “game”.
While I believe there are some teams who take themselves way to seriously (which I won’t mention), there are teams who don’t take themselves serious enough.
I personally really like the way that the IQA and Quidditch are heading, and they’re doing a really great job of it.
If more teams think themselves a sport, I would expect the IQA to recognize that, and like any other type of athletic activity, there are options for those who want different levels of play, for example, soccer as a sport playing against other teams for rankings, and then soccer as a pickup game against a group of friends.
I’m very appreciative for all that the IQA has done, and although there is always room for improvement, I’m glad that they’re moving forward, and legitimizing this even more.
Also, please don’t make the distinction that D1 is more prestigious and D2 is for teams that don’t want to take the game seriously, or that they are not at the physical caliber needed. This isn’t always the case. My team, Fredonia Quidditch, ranked 7th in the D2 team. We’re a physical, hard-hitting, athletic team. However this is our first year ever playing against other schools, and in fact we had just past the year mark of it being in existence. We entered D2 because we didn’t have the experience against other schools that other teams had, not because we’re any less than D1 teams.
Terra Warman
December 24, 2011
1:57 am
I’m personally very very excited for where Quidditch is going. How we’re kind of pioneering something fun and new for the future, and all our doors are open at this point. Makes me sad to see some of the negativity on this board and arguing over silly titles like “sport” or “game”. We all joined our teams and dedicate ourselves to play for the love of the game/sport and a general interest in Harry Potter. Please play nice. Both on and off the pitch.
I am also opposed to the bracket by size of school idea. There are more important things like skill, experience, and certainly how intense you want to play the game. In my experience newer teams don’t really have a handle on all the rules and it can be frustrating playing against them. But we should do our best to help those just learning instead of holding grudges and taking it too seriously.
I’m worried if you try to separate teams by how hard they hit, that may be an incentive for the tough teams to tackle even harder. And honestly, one may be playing a that takes it easy but what stops that one player that does take it more seriously than the others? I’d like to keep the D1 and D2 way of arranging stuff.
I think the silliness of the game and the joy of playing will help player spirit and keep it from getting too serious, mean, and violent. And it starts with players fostering that kind of feel. If you don’t like how your team does it, say something! This is our sport ya know?
Terra Warman
Eastern Michigan University (Beater)
Joshua Bostian
December 24, 2011
2:23 am
It seems pretty certain there’s going to be atleast one game of quidditch at the 2012 olympics, which is awesome!!! And from the looks of it, quidditch may very well turn out to be an international actual sport.this would be overwhelmingly awesome. WHERE DO I SIGN UP FOR SNITCH TRYOUTS!!!!!
jenna
January 6, 2012
4:03 am
whats wrong with new york?
Jennifer
January 6, 2012
12:43 pm
SOOOO excited for the Olympics Expo! I’m going to London just to see that
and the fact that I’ve been wanting to go for awhile. But the Quidditch Expo was the convincing factor to help me get there!