Coach Amelia Pierce
April 11, 2010 11:02 PM
Flying Lessons for First Years by Coach Amelia Pierce
The problem with first years at a magical school like Sonora were that they came from a variety of different backgrounds with hugely different levels of flying experience. And yet, Flying Lessons were still required for all of them.A fair number would already know how to fly a broom with something close to expertise, having been raised in magical families and played broom tag or informal games of Quidditch with family members for most of their lives. Others would think flying on brooms was something only done on television shows and even if magic was real, surely that was just Hollywood.
The class was neccessary, of course. Flying was intrinsic enough to the wizarding world that it was only right to give muggleborns and half-bloods who may not have much (or any) experience a chance to figure out how it all worked. Brooms were an important mode of transportation in addition to their obvious application to sports. And since not even all purebloods taught their children to fly, the problem was that it was next to impossible to figure out who still needed to these basics and who didn't. So everyone in the first year had to take Flying Instruction.
It was optional for older students, whether they were transfers who didn't have flying lessons at their previous school/place of instruction or if they just wanted to take it again. But those were not the students she was worried about. If they didn't want to be there, they didn't have to be. It was the youngest group that were likely to cause problems either because they were too good for the class already or because they just didn't want to learn.
Once it seemed they had all arrived and she wouldn't have many more stragglers arriving, she gave them all a stern look. "Today, you are here to learn how to fly a broom," she announced in a loud voice that wasn't shouting but still carried very well over the open air of the Pitch. She'd never been or met a drill sergeant, but she was using the kind of voice that television told her they used. "My name is Coach Pierce, and I am going to show you how."
She looked them over, making instant assumptions and bets with herself about which ones didn't need the instruction. "Some of you probably already know how, I'd like you all to stand over there," she pointed to a patch of grass on the Pitch ground away from where she'd piled a stack of brooms. "For everyone else, I'd like you to collect a broom," she pointed at the pile, "and stand in a line right here. I'll be with you in a moment. That means everyone," she added to a student who looked reluctant to do so.
Since the Women Against Immorality in the League (better known to all as WAIL) began to make waves about how improper it was for girls to play Quidditch, some girls had begun to think the lesson shouldn't apply to them. That was not the case in this school.
She walked over to where the kids who had flown before were gathered, while the rank beginners fought amongst themselves to find a school broom that struck their fancy. "Okay, you guys, I'm going to exempt you from the lesson and let you free fly. I know I considered myself an expert flier by the time I was eleven," she'd been wrong, and anyone here who thought the same also was, but she wasn't going to burst their bubble yet, "so I imagine some of you also consider yourselves above a beginner lesson. I'll allow you to get out of it." It had worked out well enough last year, and she didn't want to have to try to keep discipline with a group of kids who didn't need her help.
She jerked a thumb back toward the broom pile. "If you'd like, there's a Quaffle over there you can throw around, and school brooms if you didn't bring your own. Please keep in mind that this is a privilege that I don't need to grant you. Any trouble from any of you, and you will all be back down here re-learning how to hover three feet over the ground, is that clear?" She frowned sternly and looked around with her best disciplinarian 'mess this up and you will regret it for months' Look and then nodded in dismissal. "Good. Have fun."
With that, she returned the beginners, who were mostly lined up by now. Taking a spot in front of them, where they could see her and she could see all of them, she summoned over her own broom and put it down beside her. "I want you all to put your broom down next to you. If you're left handed, put it on your left side, if you're right handed, put it on your right."
Once they seemed to have accomplished that, she instructed, "Now put your hand out over the broom and say 'Up!' very firmly, as if you were giving a pet dog a command. Not yet!" she ordered when a few kids opened their mouths and looked about to give it a try. "Wait for the demonstration. Up!" She commanded, and the broom leaped up into her hand. "It may take a few tries, but it should eventually come up to your hand. Once you get that far, put one leg over the broom, like this," she straddled the wooden handle.
"All of these brooms will have a cushion charm on them, so use that to find where you're supposed to sit. At this point, you may kick off the ground and hover, once you feel stable in that, you may try moving around a little bit, but don't go too fast or too high yet. Raise your hand if you need any help."
OOC: Welcome, first years, to the first of your classes. Keep in mind the site rules and write detailed posts meeting the minimum length requirements. Your quality of post will be reflected in the number of House Points you earn for your character.
Subthreads: *Gulps* by Autumn Collins with Nicodemus Sawyer
Hey, who's got the Quaffle? by Tristan Volkmann [Pecari] with Colleen Ryan, Tristan, Sam Bauer
Strange, I usually sweep with these by Marian Parker with Dani Adair, Marian
Anything but this again by Ellie McGill with Neal Padrig, Ellie
I am flying!! by Sophia Randolph with Kirstenna Melcher, Dmitri Petrovskii
On and off by Cosette Miller with Samantha Hamilton, Cosette
Why oh WHY do I have to do this?! by Caleb Nichols with Brian Moore, Caleb
1
Coach Amelia Pierce
Flying Lessons for First Years
20
Coach Amelia Pierce
1
5
Ellie McGill
April 14, 2010 7:14 PM
Anything but this again by Ellie McGill
Ellie had been scared out of her mind of flying the first time she had tried it with her dad. From her one experience (involving her broom to shoot up high into the air and causing her father to have to retrieve her) she didn't really want to try it again. In her mind it was black and white; sky equals bad and ground equals good. She had no intentions of changing this. Generally, Ellie was a confident person, but brooms just made her want to hide in her dorm. She looked around for Marian, but couldn't find her through the swarm of eleven year olds."Some of you probably already know how, I'd like you all to stand over there." Technically, Ellie did know how to fly, but decided against going over to where some of the other students now stood, thinking it for people with more experience, who actually enjoyed being up way high. This fear of heights was becoming more of a burden every second.
Ellie grabbed the first broom she saw from the pile. Coach Pierce explained how to magically raise the brooms, but Ellie listened half-heartedly, already knowing how, and already dreading what she would inevitably have to do. When it appeared that the coach was done with her instructions, Ellie let out a nervous breath, then brushed her orange bangs to the side. "Alright, broom," she said aloud. "Up!" It shot into her hand, forcing it up a couple inches. She breathed a few more shaky breaths before mounting the broom and preparing for launch. She paused and looked up at the menacing sky, watching the brave souls who were already zooming about the air. "Okay, Ellie. You can do this." She briefly remembered one of her magazines, where there was an article about a girl who was afraid to swim and then did, and how good it felt to face her fears.
She pushed gently off the ground, not wanting a repeat of her former experience. Fortunately, she rose only a couple feet high. She smiled to herself. This wasn't so bad. Not that she would suddenly have the urge to try out for Quidditch or anything, but she could get sort of used to flying. She maneuvered her broom a little higher, until she looked down and saw how far off the ground she was. She started hyperventilating. She bit her lip, and waited a few minutes before deciding to ask for help (she did have some pride left, you see).
She looked around at the other kids who were hovering nearby. "Um, do you know how to get down?" She hoped she wouldn't cry.
0
Ellie McGill
Anything but this again
0
Ellie McGill
0
5
Neal Padrig
April 14, 2010 8:43 PM
You seem to be doing just fine by Neal Padrig
An introduction to flying, Neal mused, would be a good idea to stick around for. For starters, he hadn’t been on a broom since he was seven. Not to mention the fact that he had a better memory of professional Quidditch players darting through the air than he did of himself hovering. Still, the idea of being led through a step-by-step process seemed too boring to bother with. In order to follow the excitement, he shrugged off the offered help from Coach Pierce and went over with the other ‘advanced’ fliers.He mounted the broom and followed their lead, kicking himself off the ground and flying up to a decent height. It seemed that he hadn’t lost his touch as much as he had thought he had. This was a good thing since it meant he could spend more time flying and less time trying to.
Once in the air, he figured he should try to play with the Quaffle a bit to see if he could even multi-task on a broom. Even if he couldn’t manage holding a ball midair, trying out for the team was something he had to do now since he already said he’d meet his roommates at try-outs. They might prove to be fast paced with all the competition for spots that would be going on, he thought. And high energy meant high entertainment which equaled a swap of boredom for excitement, which was always a plus.
He was just about to make a nosedive for the Quaffle when something caught his eye. More specifically someone. If her orange hair didn’t advertise her well enough then her panicked expression picked up the slack quite well. She was off the ground and in one place, so what could she be freaked out about? As curious as ever, he glided over to her.
He paused beside her, looking at her to see if he could notice the problem on his own. He heard her mumble something but couldn’t hear exactly what. Hoping his disheveled appearance and the bright red veins in his eyes didn’t leave her speechless (it did sometimes) so she could tell him what’s up, he decided to get her attention. He tapped the front of his broom into hers gently so she would know he’s there next to her. “What’s the matter?” he asked her.
0
Neal Padrig
You seem to be doing just fine
0
Neal Padrig
0
5
Ellie
April 14, 2010 9:21 PM
Are you sure? Because I'm certainly not feeling fine. by Ellie
“What’s the matter?” Ellie looked up to see a, well, messy looking kid who looked like he didn't get enough sleep, but was otherwise nice looking, she supposed. She smiled sheepishly. Her stomach was feeling quite queasy from being so high, a feeling she remembered vividly from her original flying escapade."I don't know how to get down," she explained. She hoped this boy wouldn't laugh at her, she would probably break down crying. Fear had weakened her terrifically bright spirits, if only momentarily. Being so far from the safety of gravity made her hands go clammy, and she squeezed the handle of that evil creation most people referred to as a broom.
She bit her lip, the obvious tell that she was scared. She didn't even bother brushing her bangs out of her brown eyes, for she was worried that even letting one hand go on the broom would result in her lanky body tumbling towards the ground.
0
Ellie
Are you sure? Because I'm certainly not feeling fine.
0
Ellie
0
5
Neal
April 14, 2010 10:02 PM
Let's fix that then, shall we? by Neal
Once the girl looked at him, Neal blinked curiously. He couldn’t be positive, but she looked like she was on the verge of tears. He had heard of the expression ‘ugly enough to make me cry’ but he didn’t think he was that awful to look at. Then again, maybe he was – pretty people don’t make girls cry as soon as they make eye contact with them unless they’re, well, hideous. If he covered his bloodshot eyes and the bags under them, would she be able to focus better on his question and not his face?He was about to try when she did the oddest thing – she smiled. He blinked again. Huh, that was unexpected. Was she immune to his ugliness already? If so, he applauded her for adapting so quickly.
“I don’t know how to get down,” she admitted shyly, her eyes still glistening with tears that threatened to fall over if things got any worse. Her hair fell in front of her eyes, knocking the eye contact that they had.
Really, was that all? She didn’t know how to get down? “Landing is supposed to be the easy part,” he joked, though he said all his jokes in the same neutral tone so he assumed she missed it. “Here, the easiest way to do it for beginners is to tilt the neck of your broom down, lean forward slightly, and coast to the ground. Just make sure to keep a firm hold, or your broom will do a nosedive and your head will hit the dirt before your feet get a chance to.” Hmm, in retrospect, maybe that warning wasn’t such a good idea to tell someone as nervous as she was. “Here, I’ll even fly down with you so you don’t have to worry so much.” He looked at her quietly, waiting to fly down as soon as she started to.
0
Neal
Let's fix that then, shall we?
0
Neal
0
5
Ellie
April 15, 2010 9:41 PM
Definitely, thank you. by Ellie
Ellie watched as the boy blinked at her. She prayed to whoever was in charge not so far from where she was that this boy would help her get down. She needed to feel solid ground on her feet. Sure, being off of the grass was alright, so longs as it was only a foot or two and she was only up for a few minutes.The boy said something that sounded kind of rude. The easy part? The easy part was not getting on at all!
"Just make sure to keep a firm hold, or your broom will do a nosedive and your head will hit the dirt before your feet get a chance to.” Ellie's eyes widened and she nodded timidly. ...Nosedive? She did not like the sound of that. And the thought of going down head first? Positively painful. There was no way she could do this, not by herself. She wished her dad was there to guide her down again. Cautiously, she lifted up one hand quickly to wipe her eye and brush back her bangs as fast as possible. She gulped, and replayed the boy's words in her head. "Tilt the neck of your broom down. lean forward, and coast to the ground."
She started leaning down, then stopped abruptly, too scared to go on. Continuing her game of up and down, she leaned forward again and started going down, slowly then quicker and quicker until she stopped again because she was going much to fast for her liking. When the boy who had been nice enough (and apparently the only one to notice her non-movement) to help her offered to go down with her, she accepted immediately with another nervous smile playing on her lips.
0
Ellie
Definitely, thank you.
0
Ellie
0
5
Neal
April 17, 2010 12:11 PM
You're quite welcome by Neal
She looked positively horrified. Neal wondered if flying was a big deal for her. She could very well be a muggleborn who’s afraid of heights for all he knew. To not startle or worry her, he kept to his word and slowly went to the ground with her still by his side.In order to keep her broom from jerking as much before from her abrupt stops, he put his hand over a few inches above hers to keep her from doing so. In case she wondered why, he explained, “Jerking motions aren’t good for you or the broom, since it throws your balance off. I’ve seen plenty of brooms knock people off of them because of similar stop-and-go actions.” He nodded at her. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t think it’s happened enough for anything to happen, but it’s better to be safe just in case.” As boring as safe was, it’s not like he wanted her to get hurt or anything. He was a bit of a thrill-seeker, not a bit of a sadist.
He didn’t let go until they were on the ground. He got off his broom, ready to grab hers in case it tried anything funny again. It seemed she had a penchant for bad luck with brooms. He smiled at her. “You’re fine now if you want to get off. I think you’re grade will be fine since you did hover pretty high.” He patted her back to comfort her for doing something she obviously hadn’t wanted to do, “Good job,” he said and he meant it. Then it occurred to him: he still had no idea who she was.
0
Neal
You're quite welcome
0
Neal
0
5
Ellie
April 17, 2010 5:32 PM
Back on two feet by Ellie
Ellie smiled through the veil of tears in her eyes. The boy was going to help her down! She was glad she didn't have to do this alone. Hopefully she would never have to do it again, either. But maybe this was all part of conquering her fears, and the next time she tried it wouldn't be as bad... if she ever forced herself to try it again.The boy was nice enough to hold onto her broom handle to control her jerking. He was quite knowledgeable about broom safety, though maybe he didn't have to explain about brooms knocking people off. She was already having a rough day. Though she had to admit; it was kind of enthralling, exciting, exhilarating. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t think it’s happened enough for anything to happen, but it’s better to be safe just in case.” Phew. Her shoulders relaxed a bit. Though sometimes Ellie liked to be more adventurous, safe sounded perfect right now. And the boy seemed to agree.
“You’re fine now if you want to get off. I think you’re grade will be fine since you did hover pretty high.” She smiled as he patted her back. She gulped, relieving her stress as her feet brushed the soft grass. "Good job," the boy said in his flat voice. "Thanks, a lot," she replied. She thought that "thank you" was an understatement, but didn't want to press the issue. She stuck out her hand abruptly. "I'm Ellie." She grinned as she tossed her broom to the ground, reveling in the feeling of solid ground under her shoes again.
0
Ellie
Back on two feet
0
Ellie
0
5
Neal
April 17, 2010 9:44 PM
It's safer that way by Neal
It was like watching the transformation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde take place right in front of him, though not as violent. He had thought the girl was quiet, shy, nervous, calm, things along those lines. As it turned out, once her feet skimmed the grass she was someone completely different. Whatever unshed tears she had in her eyes before were untraceable now as she thanked him for helping her out.With a revived energy, the girl suddenly put her hand in front of him expectantly. “I’m Ellie,” she greeted while beaming at him. She definitely seemed much happier on the ground. How that much more interesting she all of a sudden became. She also solved the question as to who she was, or at least he had a name to match with the face.
His lips twitched into a smile and he put his hand in hers and shook lightly. “I’m Neal. Nice to meet you on solid land, Ellie.” Out of curiosity, he motioned to her broom on the ground with a friendly smile still in place and asked, “I’m guessing you don’t like to fly, then? Or was this your first time? I’m not trying to be rude or anything, it just seemed like you’d rather be doing anything else.”
0
Neal
It's safer that way
0
Neal
0
5
Ellie
April 17, 2010 10:02 PM
You know it! by Ellie
The boy's-Neal's- mouth twitched into a smile as he shook her hand. She felt so much better now that she wasn't in the air, like the world had been lifted from her shoulders... or had been put back under her feet where they belonged. She smiled brightly. Thinking about it, she thought it was quite silly to be afraid of things as trivial as heights, but when she remembered the feeling of being up in the air, she put those thoughts aside.After they had introduced themselves, they stood in awkward silence for a moment. Neal finally broke the silence, which Ellie was quite grateful for. “I’m guessing you don’t like to fly, then? Or was this your first time? I’m not trying to be rude or anything, it just seemed like you’d rather be doing anything else.”
Ellie giggled a bit before answering. "I definitely don't like flying, after I first tried it with my dad when I was little. He's the magical one of my parents. I'm really, really scared of heights... but you probably guessed that." She paused. "I'm guessing this wasn't your first time? You really know a lot about flyiing." She brushed a stray lock of artificially orange out of her face. Her eyes twinkled in the expectations of the next classes she would take, which hopefully would stick mainly to wandwork, and also to meeting more students. Neal seemed interesting enough, and she hoped she would get to know him as well as see Marian again.
0
Ellie
You know it!
0
Ellie
0
5
Neal
April 17, 2010 10:19 PM
And you agree! by Neal
Ellie was, as it sounded, a half-blood. Neal beamed at her. Finally he got to meet someone who wasn’t a pureblood around here. It seemed they had that in common. “That’s cool,” he commented in his bored tone, though he was anything but at such news. “I’m a half-blood, too. Actually, my dad’s also the magical one in the family, so to speak.” She mentioned she was terrified of heights, as he had a feeling she was to begin with, but had no shame admitting it. Not that she should, plenty of purebloods he’d met had even worse acrophobia.“I’m guessing this wasn’t your first time? You really know a lot about flying,” she said, while getting some of that vibrant orange hair from her face and looking at him with enthusiastic eyes. He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve flown a bit, but not since I was a lot younger. It just came back easy to me, I guess since I see a lot of pro Quidditch games year round since my dad’s a huge fan of the sport.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his roommate, Tristan, catching a ball from a girl high up in the air – way higher than himself or Ellie had been. That egomaniac was probably going to mention something to him later about being over with the ‘first time fliers’ when they got back to their dorm. Not that he’d care, since he got to meet someone who seemed like they’d be a pretty cool to hangout with (maybe just not on a Quidditch Pitch). He’d just have to dodge Tristan and deal with the self-acclaimed ‘Quidditch-head’ when try-outs came up.
0
Neal
And you agree!
0
Neal
0
5
Ellie
April 18, 2010 2:32 PM
Well it's true, so why wouldn't I? :D by Ellie
Ellie hadn't met a lot of people since she had arrived at the academy. Actually, she had only met one person other than Neal, and that was Marian. Marian was a muggleborn, and so Ellie wasn't sure what the dominant bloodtype was at Sonora. But she was glad to hear that Neal was also a half-blood like her. And his dad was the magical parent too! As he smiled, her smile stretched widened. He seemed happier, here on the ground, too, but maybe that was just because he enjoyed the conversation. Either way, Ellie hoped he didn't decide to fly again and leave her down on the Pitch.“Yeah, I’ve flown a bit, but not since I was a lot younger. It just came back easy to me, I guess since I see a lot of pro Quidditch games year round since my dad’s a huge fan of the sport.” Ellie's eyebrows shot up. "No way! My dad designs brooms, and we get free tickets all the time! I prefer watching from the lower risers to actually flying, though..." She and this Neal fellow seemed to have more incommon than she originally thought.
She looked around at the other students, some of which were playing mini games of Qudditch. She gawked in awe at kids who were much higher than she had gone. And she thought she had been high up! She shook her head in disbelief, then looked back at Neal, who was also looking around.
0
Ellie
Well it's true, so why wouldn't I? :D
0
Ellie
0
5