Amy Fox
May 25, 2008 12:23 AM
Flying Lessons: Part One by Amy Fox
It was a new year and a new year meant a new beginning. It was difficult to fathom the amount of time she had spent at the Institute- years had passed and she had found herself drifting into a routine: lessons, games, fights with Wolfe, attacks from Quidditch haters and WAIL. The anti-Quidditch movement was escalating to new heights, attacking all females associated with the sport. It was antiquated and inane. Those women, if indeed they could be called such a thing, were scared of the future. Although times had changed, they were still stuck in a world where they were the lesser partner in a marriage. It amazed Amy that women had fought for so much and yet there was still that few who struggled to hold on to the past. It infuriated her.Looking out at the field before her, Amy smirked. WAIL's movement would have little effect on her classroom and lessons- in fact, they had driven her to new extremes. If WAIL was determined to keep all females from flying and Quidditch, Amy was determined to push both in her lessons. All first years were required to attend flying lessons. No parental excuse note would be accepted. Also, some form of Quidditch would be incorporated into each of her lessons. She hoped that each of her students would develop a love for the sport in time.
Removing her hands from her pockets, Amy sighed as she scratched at a welt that had begun to form near her elbow. The mark, of which she was certain was a result from a bug bite of some sorts, had been annoying her for the past few days. It had only further annoyed her when she had found two more within the following days. Jerking her hands into her pockets, she made a mental checklist, ensuring that she hadn't forgotten any of the supplies. The brooms were located in a pile to her left and to her right was a stack of balls approximately the size of a Quaffle. The field had been filled with obstacles which had been erected earlier that morning. Each obstacle would play a large portion in her lesson.
Another year meant new lessons and new students, and students, she had to admit, were never her forte. She could barely stand the ones who were on Quidditch teams, let alone the whining little first years. It had also annoyed her to no end when it had been decided that second years, while not required, would also be welcome to attend the lessons. Shaking her head, she glanced at the entrance, noting that the first few students were beginning to enter.
Soon the pitch was filled and it was time for her lesson to begin. Without bothering to clear her throat or wave her hand, Amy threw her wand into the air and a loud, shrill whistle echoed across the pitch. When silence fell over the pitch, Amy cleared her throat. "Alright, I'm Amy Fox, the Quidditch coach. Yes, I'm sure a good portion of you have heard of me. Yes, I am that Amy Fox and no, I won't sign anything for you and no, I won't answer any of your questions. This is flying lessons and you are required to attend, no ifs, ands or buts.
"On top of that, each of you will be required to attend at least one Quidditch match each term. Following the match, you will owl me a recap of the game. Don't think that you can get your friends to write it for you and don't think that you can get them to tell you how it went. If you didn't attend, I will know. I have my sources. If you lie, you fail. Got it? Good."
Running a hand through her hair, Amy pushed the short strands behind her ear. The once wild multi-colored highlights were now mostly gone, her hair now a tame red, lightened by the sun. "I've got just a few rules to go over with you and if you follow them, you'll get through my class just fine. First, I expect each and every one of you to be on time. My time is valuable and I don't want to waste it waiting on you. I have better things to do. Second, don't talk over me. If you are talking you could miss out on important instructions and then you could be injured. If you are injured then I have to deal with the consequences. And if I have to deal with the consequences, you better believe that you will have to deal with them too. Third, do as I say, not as I do. I know many of you have heard about my career and all of the things that I may or may not have done. I don't expect you to look to me as a role model, I just expect you to come to my classes and learn. I know what I'm talking about and if you want to learn how to fly then I'm someone who can teach you how to do so.
"That being said, I now want each of you to go and grab a broom, if you don't already have one. I then want you to separate and practice hovering on a broom. The command to activate your broom is "Up!". All you need to do is place the broom below your wand arm, which is your dominate hand, and command the broom. It won't always work the first time, so be prepared to do it more than once. Remember: you have to be authoritative. Don't be timid. When your broom is in your hand, I want you to practice hovering in the air for a few moments. If you have any questions, raise your hands."
Stepping back, Amy motioned to the brooms. "Alright, get to it. We don't have long; I have a lot to cover with y'all today."
OOC: Alright, this is the first section. Posts must be detailed: fifteen lines (three paragraphs) minimum. The main portion of the lesson is in the second part, so be prepared. Most of all, have fun! \r\n\r\n
Subthreads: I may have made a mistake by Holly Greer with Amelia Smythe, Amelia
Hating baby classes TAG: Professor! by Seanus McFarlan
Zero-gravity. <i>That</i> is fun. by Kyler Kent with Mark Johnson, Kyler
Oh dear. Going in a plane is bad enough. by Andrew Tudor
wicked! by Mollie Buchanan with Jera Valson
here we go (WotW)! by Finley MacGregor
Not hard at all. by Delany
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Amy Fox
Flying Lessons: Part One
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Amy Fox
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Mollie Buchanan
May 29, 2008 11:19 AM
wicked! by Mollie Buchanan
Mollie made her way down to the pitch with the throng of other first years and a few second years. The excitement for flying had her totally enthralled, following the crowd onto the pitch, stopping in front of Coach Fox. As the coach explained the lesson, Mollie was perplexed by her forceful demeanor. Mol meant to enjoy lessons, but the coach kind of scared her. However the requirements for the class didn't seem all too hard; she wanted to attend quidditch matches anyway.Moving away from Coach Fox as she finished her very clear explaination, Mollie headed for the pile of brooms. They didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, made of wood of course where most of the ones she had seen were plastic, she supposed that they flew better if made of the traditional wood. She didn't pick one at random, she had read in a quidditch book that brooms can be tricky. She didn't want one that was going to be too much trouble.
Looking through the pile, she spotted a more brightly-colored one that looked to be made of the same wood as her wand. Figuring her wand had treated her well so far, she pulled the broom from the massive pile and headed off to her own spot. There was no reason to pretend that this would be easy, but she was eager, she'd just have to have patience.
Glad she had dressed in sweatpants and a comfortable t-shirt with a zip-up sweatshirt over it, Mollie stood with her hand over the broom which lay inert on the grass. Calming her thoughts and focusing on the broom, she commanded, "Up!" She watched as the broom gave a little wiggle, but didn't jump up into her hand. Shaking herself, glad she had at least made it move, she tried again. "Up!" She said with a little more force, willing the broom to her hand. It jumped about a foot, but didn't reach her hand. Never one to give up, Mol closed her eyes briefly, focusing entirely on the broom. "Up!" She said firmly one last time and finally the broom hopped up to meet her outstretched hand.
The grin that appeared immediately on her lips almost seemed to split her face in half. She had done it! She could feel the vibrations pulsing from the broom and decided to try hovering like instructed. Swinging one leg carefully over the applewood broom, Mollie held fast to the handle and tenatively lifted one foot off of the ground. So far so good. Hestitantly, she lifted the other to find herself hovering two feet from the ground, the broom steadily resting, waiting for a command.
Flushed with excitement, Mollie put her feet back on the ground, not wanting to cross the coach by trying anything other than instructed. "This is wicked!" She said to the person closest to her, smiling broadly, hoping they were enjoying this as much as she was. Maybe playing quidditch wasn't entirely out of the question next year; she'd have to see how well she flew first.
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Mollie Buchanan
wicked!
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Mollie Buchanan
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Jera Valson
June 08, 2008 9:18 AM
or terrifying... by Jera Valson
Flying lessons filled Jera with a stomach-churning combination of excitement and dread. She loved being outdoors, and had been given rides on a broomstick by some of her older cousins. The sensation of flying was therefore familiar, but Jera had never flown all by herself, and the prospect instigated mixed, but strong feelings. Would she fall? Would she feel sick? Or would it be the single most fantastic experience of her life so far?Without remembering the journey there, Jera fund herself on the Quidditch pitch with the other first years, and Coach Fox. She had tied her dark hair back today in the neatest braid she shuld manage (which wasn't very neat at all), and so was prevented from fidgeting with it as the Coach explained the lesson and homework. Jera was already planning on going to the Quidditch games, so that task didn't present to much of a problem. Now, though, she was expected to start flying. At least Coach Foz was starting them off small.
Jera picked out a school broom that didn't look too battered and found herself a space to practise. Following the instructions, Jera placed the broom on the ground, raised her hand over it, and said 'up'. After about four tries she finally encuraged the broomstick to hover near her. Now for the tricky bit. Jera flung one leg over the broom, relieved that she'd worn her orange tracksuit to class, and not her jeans. Taking a deep breath to rad herself, Jera pushed the ground with her toes and, sure enough, rose a few inches into the air. It was a very peculia feeling.
The girl next to Jera ws obviously enjoying herself, as her xclamation startle Jera so much that her broom wobbled, almsot but not quite toppling Jera onto the ground. "Woah," she said aloud as she tried to steady herself. "I'm not so sure I like it all that much," she replied to the other girl.
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Jera Valson
or terrifying...
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Jera Valson
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Mollie Buchanan
June 08, 2008 9:49 PM
aww come on! by Mollie Buchanan
"Yikes, I didn't meant to scare you!" Mollie pulled a face as she watched the other girl faulter a little bit on her broom. "Sorry, you alright?" To tell the truth, Mol thought the girl looked a little unsteady on her broom and it made her see that everybody probably wasn't quite as excited as she was. There had always been little inhibition in Mollie's life, if she wanted to do it, she usually did. If she got hurt, well it made one hell of a story. Other than things that she could potentially die from, Mollie usually tried everything once, twice just to be sure, three times if she hadn't died yet."I think it's exciting." Mollie gave the girl a sympathetic grin. "But heights and stuff don't really bother me." She shrugged and decided to give hovering another try. Swinging her leg back over the broom, Mollie kicked up again, letting her broom jover just a little bit, getting a better feel for the broom itself, the vibrations, the twitches. She was pretty eager to learn about quidditch too, so that maybe she could try out next year.
She'd have to see how the rest of flying lessons went first. She leaned left and right to get a feel for that before touching back down again and looking over at the girl she had startled. "I'm Mollie by the way, is this your first time on a broom?" She was curious to see if kids who had grown up in magical households also had a leg up in this category.
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Mollie Buchanan
aww come on!
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Mollie Buchanan
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Jera
June 11, 2008 10:36 AM
what? it's scary! by Jera
"It's alright, I'm okay," Jera assurred the other girl, who now looked a bit worried that she startled her. "We're good."Once Jera settled herself on her broom once more, she looked at the ther girl properly. She seemed far more at ease on her broom; Jera wondered if she's been taught to fly before Sonora. "Oh, the heights don't bother me none," Jera told her, "it's the balance I'm not crazy about."
The othr girl introduced herself as Mollie. Jera smiled, though it was a bit awkward seeing as she still felt rather uncomfortabe. "I'm Jera," she replied. "This is my first time riding by my own," she answered the next question. "My cousins been taking me out since a long time ago, but they always held me steady," she managed a real smile this time. "It's a whole lot harder than it looks to drive by yourself. Think I might be starting to get the hang of it though."
Jera experimentally twitched the broom to the left, then to the right, and managed not to wobble very much. "How about you?" she asked Mollie. "You look like you've been riding a broom your whole life."
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Jera
what? it's scary!
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Jera
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