Could life get any better? on Quidditch Pitch

Captain Jose Hernandez

April 18, 2010 1:43 PM

Pecari Quidditch Try-outs/Practice by Captain Jose Hernandez

Saul had told him to be out on the pitch early the day of the Quidditch Try-Outs, so Jose was out on the pitch early. They'd gotten a good day for them. Though still quite warm (early September in Arizona was still basically summer in Arizona), it was about ten degrees cooler than it had been yesterday. Which meant it was hot, but not swelteringly so. Jose had walked all the way out here and was barely sweating at all.

Of course, he was a Californian and half his genes came from Mexico, so he might have a slightly different opinion on what constituted 'swelteringly hot' at this time of year than someone from, say, Maine. Still, he thought it was a nice day out. There was enough of a warm breeze that the air didn't feel stagnant, and he thought that would only improve as they got higher off the ground.

He looked over the sign-up sheet that he'd taken down from the bulletin board and counted the names again, even though he'd done so about twelve times already. Unsurprisingly, there were still exactly seven. Once the faces for those names had all arrived, he gave them all a bright smile.

"Hey, Pecari! Guess what? You all made it onto the team!" He looked down at the sheet again, to make sure he remembered the break down, and then continued. "Myself, Tristan, and Neal will be the Chasers, Mel and Cassy are the Beaters, Starbuck's our Keeper again, and we've got Dorian as our Seeker."

Jose had absolutely no idea who more than half of those names were, though he could guess Cassy, based on the fact that she was the only person on the pitch who looked older than him (it helped, too, that she was the only new girl, but Jose wasn't one to judge based on a name - his sounded Spanish, after all). Though give that he more resembled a second year - he'd inherited the unfortunate combination of shortness and a round face - than the third year he actually was, that wasn't saying much. He'd expected one student older than him, but Raoul had apparently decided not to return to the team after getting bumped to alternate last year.

Deliliah was the other missing face he noticed, and he hoped that wasn't just because she forgot to sign up because he'd just given away her position. If Neal or Tristan proved less than stellar as Chasers, though, he imagined he could get her to come back if he asked nicely enough. As an alternate, if nothing else; they'd needed Raoul last year, and Jose would feel better if he had one.

"For the new folks amongst us, I'm Jose Hernandez, your captain for the next five years. That's Demelza Eagle, your assistant captain," he pointed out Mel. "We've also got Starbuck," he pointed out Mel's roommate, "as a returning player. Everyone else is new, so please introduce yourselves." He pointed at the first person he didn't recognize and went around the circle of players until he got the other three.

Once introductions went around, he turned to the second year girls, "Mel, Starbuck, do you guys think Deliliah would be up for being our alternate? I'll give her a chance to volunteer before I draft her, if you think she's willing." Saul had suggested he try not to be too much of a tyrant and that just because he was a captain didn't mean the others didn't get a say. But a roster was a roster, and Pecari had a young and inexperienced enough team that an extra or two was pretty much a necessity. He'd see if he could get Raoul on board, too, but it was a lot easier to bully a second year than a sixth when one was only a third.

But that was an activity for another time, and once the second year girls guessed at Deliliah's opinion on rejoining the team, he started the practice properly.

"Okay, guys, I have no idea how good more than half of you are, so we're going to do a couple exercises to get an idea of how well we can all work together. Mel and Cassy, you guys are my beaters, so I want the two you to practice batting a baseball between you." He took one out of his robe pocket, brought along for just this purpose, and tossed it to Mel. "It's not enchanted or anything, so you'll have to work at keeping it in the air as much as you can. I understand it's a good way to work on your aim and teamwork at the same time."

He wasn't a beater and never had been, so beater drills were something he'd had read about in some of the books he'd found on Quidditch training ideas. He had no idea how well they actually worked, and assumed Cassy and Mel would figure out other ways to practice later, but for now, he felt he should probably at least try to make a suggestion instead of leaving a good chunk of his team to fend for themselves.

"For the rest of us except Dorian, we're going to play keep-away. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, we've got a ball," he nudged at the Quaffle sitting at his feet, "One person is going to be designated 'It' - the other three keep throwing the ball around between themself and trying not to let 'It' catch the Quaffle. If 'It' does, the person who threw it becomes 'It' and everyone tries to keep the ball away from him now. Starbuck, you'll start as 'It' since your job is technically catching a ball you're not supposed to catch."

He took a deep breath and turned to their new Seeker. "Dorian. For you, you're going to be trying to catch this," he held up a gold watch that didn't really look anything like a snitch except in its color. "I've cast a spell on it to make it trail after the Quaffle by somewhere between five and fifteen feet. That's going to be making it jerk around in the thick of the keep-away game. We're obviously going to have to try to avoid running into it, but you're going to have to avoid running into any of us, trying to get at it."

He clapped his hands. "Okay, everyone know what they're doing? Good. If you need a school broom, I brought out a couple and put them over there." He pointed at a pile of about eight brooms, more than enough for everyone even if nobody had their own. He collected on himself and then kicked off into the air. Spotting one of the new chasers already in the air above him, Jose threw the Quaffle up toward him, and the watch flew up after it, like a balloon on a string. But shinier. And it would hurt more if it hit you.

Jose hoped that might help teach the Pecari chasers how to avoid bludgers. That had been a serious problem in the past.

Subthreads:

Could life get any better? by Tristan Volkmann (Chaser) with Starbuck Gregory, Tristan, Neal Padrig

Seeking a...watch!? by Dorian Talsky

Woot woot!(Tag: Demelza) by Cassy with Demelza Eagle

0 Captain Jose Hernandez Pecari Quidditch Try-outs/Practice 0 Captain Jose Hernandez 1 5

Tristan Volkmann (Chaser)

April 18, 2010 2:33 PM

Could life get any better? by Tristan Volkmann (Chaser)

If there was anything Tristan Volkmann was put on this planet to do, he’d have to say it was to play Quidditch. He thought about the sport more than he breathed and didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t make it. It wasn’t that he wasn’t confident in his abilities (he had heard the term ‘prodigy’ come up more than once from adults and trainers about his skills) it’s just that he had put all of his hope for a good year into getting on the team. If he didn’t make it, he was pretty sure he was going to kill himself.

When the captain (a name he would try extra hard to remember, but at the moment it – like all others – escaped him already) announced everyone there was on the team, he could’ve done a flip. He looked at the people around him to see his team members, and wasn’t surprised to see he only knew his roommates. The guy from Dumstrang was sure to be awesome at Seeking from what he told Tristan. The other guy with the popped veins and bags under his eyes? Eh, Tristan would just have to wait and see how that played out.

They all looked relatively young, and that was the only concern of Tristan’s. Did everyone have the experience himself or the few older players did? If not, they needed to practice with more hours than the day gave them. Tristan was not planning on destroying his perfect winning record with a loss. Pecari was going to win no matter what it took.

“Everyone else is new,” the captain said after introducing returning players, “So please introduce yourselves.” He pointed at Tristan, who smirked in victory and catching his captains eye first. “Hey, I’m Tristan Volkmann, and like cap’n said, I’m a Chaser. I’ve been on a broom my entire life and haven’t stopped thinking about Quidditch since I knew what it was. I can’t wait for us to win the cup this year!” He nodded to the next ‘new player’ to introduce themselves then.

After that was done, Cap’n started talking about alternates. Tristan shook his head – while important, he’d hate to be an alternate. Nothing slapped a Quidditch player in the face like being back-up, in his mind.

Hearing the words ‘keep-away’ come from Cap’n’s mouth made the day even better. Tristan had’nt played that game since he showed up! He mounted his broom and hit the sky fast, waiting impatiently for everyone else to come up so he could show off what he was made of and prove that letting him so readily on the team wasn’t a mistake. Cap’n tossed the Quaffle up to him, which he caught no problem, and expertly passed it off to the person beside him, considering they weren’t close to where the Keeper was. This had to be, Tristan decided, the best day at Sonora so far.

0 Tristan Volkmann (Chaser) Could life get any better? 0 Tristan Volkmann (Chaser) 0 5

Dorian Talsky

April 18, 2010 4:12 PM

Seeking a...watch!? by Dorian Talsky

Dorian walked onto the Quidditch Pitch carrying Dmitry’s broom, he had conned his older brother out of it for flying lessons and promised to give it back before Crotalus’ Quidditch Tryouts. If he made the Pecari team he would ask Mama and Papa for a new broom but for now it was good enough to borrow Dmitry’s, even if the older boy had threatened to kill Dorian if he did anything bad to the broom. He smiled at everyone and counted exactly seven people. “Woah I might actually have a chance to get on the team!” The first year thought amazed at the idea.

When the Captain, Jose began to speak he was surprised he looked a lot younger then he thought Captains ought to be, and the Assistant Captain couldn’t be that much older then Dorian himself! Jose announced they had all made the team just for signing up and that couldn’t be a good sign at all. Dmitry had always said that Quidditch tryouts at Durmstrang were the hardest thing he had ever been put through his first year. Though he was super excited that he was the seeker he practically danced.

Tristan was to introduce himself and Dorian stepped up next. “I’m Dorian Talsky, I’m your new seeker, and I’ve been playing Quidditch since I can remember.” He said with a nod and then looked at the next newcomer. When it was time to start practice Dorian swung his leg over Dimitry’s broom and kicked off soaring into the air following Tristan. He kept his eye on the watch, it wasn’t easy to see but he hoped that eventually it would get easier.

0 Dorian Talsky Seeking a...watch!? 0 Dorian Talsky 0 5

Cassy

April 19, 2010 5:27 PM

Woot woot!(Tag: Demelza) by Cassy

Cassy had a huge grin on her face as she walked out onto the Quidditch pitch. She was super excited to be playing, she absolutely loved the game. As she stopped with the other Pecari, she was surprised to find that most of them were younger than her. She shrugged. Whatever, it didn't matter. So long as they could play, everything would be fine. And somehow, she doubted they would get on the team if they couldn't.

She glanced at Mel as she introduced herself, she was a second year. There was this doubt in her mind that she could keep up with her, but at the same time, she didn't want to underestimate her. Underestimating a team mate in Quidditch could cost the game, and they had to be at their absolute best if they wanted to win.

Okay, so maybe Cassy was a bit Quidditch oriented. She couldn't help it! Her father had taught her quidditch when she was a child, and her mother would always cheer her on as she flew on the broom her father had bought her. It made her feel wonderful, hearing her mother's voice. She could just imagine it now...

No, she wouldn't. Caspia shook her head, breaking her reverie. She had to focus. She had to be in her best condition, and wallowing in the past wouldn't do any good for her. Her mother was dead, and that was final. So she listened to Jose as he spoke, and nodded to Mel to let her know she was ready whenever she was. She had a lot of frustration to get out of her system, and quite frankly, this would be the perfect opportunity.

0 Cassy Woot woot!(Tag: Demelza) 0 Cassy 0 5

Starbuck Gregory

April 19, 2010 6:45 PM

Yup since I just got your ball. by Starbuck Gregory

Starbuck was happy to be back on the Quidditch Pitch and when Jose announced she was once again Keeper she grinned madly though she kind of side stepped Mel and stood nearer to some first year Pecari. She still had yet to speak to her since last term and that was fine with the Starbuck, if they had to speak it would be about Quidditch and only Quidditch. Looking around she was surprised to see that Deliliah wasn’t back and when Jose asked both the second year girls what they thought Deliliah would do.

“I think she might want to be an alternate but Mel knows her better.” She said with a small smile wondering if Mel had any clue that by leaving herself and Nina out of the conversation at the opening feast had made Starbuck dislike her roommate even more then before. She vaguely wondered what would happen once Jose left and Mel became Quidditch Captain would Starbuck leave the team? She pushed the thought of her mind that was a long time away and she didn’t have to decide now.

Following everyone up into the air she followed the flow of the ball, Jose passed it to….Neal…no Tristan. Tristan started to pass it off to someone else and he looked so smug she couldn’t help but put him in his place, just like the other chasers had done to her, her very first practice. She shot forward and grabbed the ball with a grin. “Always watch your back.” She said to him with a grin. “You’re the new IT by the way.” She shot forward again and tossed it to one of the other chasers.

OCC: Just a quick comment you kind of God-modded there with Starbuck by saying she wasn’t anywhere near you, try not to do that because you had no idea what the author was going to say.

0 Starbuck Gregory Yup since I just got your ball. 0 Starbuck Gregory 0 5

Tristan

April 19, 2010 7:10 PM

Actually, that'd make it worse by Tristan

… What in the name of sweet Merlin just happened?!

One moment, Tristan was feeling on top of the world, and the next he’s plummeting to rock bottom. It was like time was frozen escape for the random girl that swooped out of nowhere. She caught the ball mid-throw, grinning. “Always watch your back,” she advised, her expression unchanging and the ball still in her possession. And, in case he didn’t already know it, the girl rubbed in the changes in the game by reminding him. “You’re the new IT by the way.”

Unbelievable. How… how… how?! He didn’t even get to really prove himself yet! He was a prodigy! A PRODIGY! He sulked on his broom, glaring at the older player. How did he manage to pass off to her? He hadn’t even seen her coming, the sneak.

On one hand, he was really glad to have such a speedy Keeper on his team. On the other hand… he wanted nothing more than to personally make her IT. He could hear his coach back home in the back of his mind, telling him he’s immature and he needs to drop a grudge and other nonsense. But he never paid attention to that voice before, so why start now? With a surge of energy, Tristan sped to the Quaffle – and the Chaser it was passed to.

OC: Darn, I didn’t even notice! I was doing so well for a while there too ^^’ Really sorry about that!

0 Tristan Actually, that'd make it worse 0 Tristan 0 5

Neal Padrig

April 20, 2010 7:33 PM

Look at the plus side: now I got the ball by Neal Padrig

Looking as sleep-deprived as ever, Neal showed up to try-outs for the Quidditch team with a serious case of bed-head that he couldn’t seem to fix even after his shower that morning. Not to mention the fact that his electric blue shirt and black shorts were wrinkled to the extreme. Neal hoped he didn’t come off looking like a bum and get turned around before he even got off the ground. If anything his bloodshot eyes and the deep purple bags under them should make him look somewhat intimidating. Being a colorblind insomniac did have its positives when it came to looking unapproachable.

The Captain of the team, Jose, seemed to have everything in order and came off as being a friendly guy. Of course, the fact Jose had made him Chaser for just showing up wasn’t something that made him think otherwise in the slightest. In gratitude, he dutifully kept his wondering mind focused as Jose introduced the older players. The second in command, Demelza, had an interesting name. As did Starbuck, the Keeper of the team who probably wouldn’t appreciate any coffee puns that started to pop up in Neal’s mind. He was a bit surprised when the oldest girl had been treated as a first year. Did she transfer, then?

Neal rolled his eyes when Trist introduced himself. The kid was on ego-overdrive, as obvious from everything that came out of his mouth. He hoped that Trist could tone it down a bit and remember that this was a team sport and not his own reality show. His spirits lifted when Dorian introduced himself. While he didn’t dislike Tristan, he did like Dorian and had no doubt that guy would be a great Seeker and team player. When they had said their names, Neal stepped forward and rubbed the back of his head.

He gave a slight wave. “Hey, I’m Neal.” He decided he’d said all that anyone could even begin to care about so he stepped back and waited for the last person to introduce themselves before Jose gave new directions. At the prospect of playing a game, Neal’s hope for excitement climbed and he was in the air as soon as Jose tossed the Quaffle up to Tristan.

What happened next had to be a scene taken straight out of a movie. Cocky Tristan who hadn’t stopped bragging or talking about Quidditch since he showed up had the ball taken by Starbuck, the Keeper. Ah, karma was sweet. He felt sort of bad for his roommate, but someone had to level him and it was better to get it over with now instead of later.

Starbuck passed the Quaffle to Neal, who flew over to catch it. He looked around, trying to spot someone who looked ready for the responsibility that came with the Quaffle and having a vicious looking Tristan zooming in for a kill. Seeing someone make eye contact, he let the ball spring from his hands and over to the next player.

0 Neal Padrig Look at the plus side: now I got the ball 0 Neal Padrig 0 5

Demelza Eagle

April 20, 2010 8:13 PM

Let's get started for an awesome tear! by Demelza Eagle

Demelza had a crazy, silly grin on her face when she walked down to the Quidditch Pitch on the day of tryouts. She was so excited for many more reasons this year. For one thing, she was the assistant captain! Another thing would be that she would be the top beater for sure. Last year she was paired with the top beater in the school, which really helped her, and now there would be no way that there could be a better beater than her considering Caedence left last year. No first years were going to be better than her.

The second year didn't wear any robes to practice, but instead choose to wear more Muggle things. She wanted to match the house colors of brown and gold. She was close: yellow shorts (and perhaps she should have gotten new shorts over the summer, because these ones were really too short for her. She had a brown tank top (which was also very old... what up with that?!) and her chocolate brown, long layered hair was in a high ponytail that ended in a point a little below her shoulder. It was off to the side of her head, making her look very sporty. She grinned at the rest of the players there with a wide grin, even Starbuck. Demelza was starting to get afraid of Starbuck, who seemed much less welcoming and friendly toward her. Demelza would have to talk about it to her some time.

She noticed a girl there who looked a bit older than her. She must had been new. Oh great, Demelza hoped that she wouldn't try for beater, because that would ruin her chance at being the best. Then again, Quidditch was Demelza's only strength, and certainly her best. She liked to be humble because her brothers told her that being egotistic could make you worse, but sometimes Demelza couldn't stop herself. In fact, Demelza had very little self control. Much of the time she couldn't control what she tried to pay attention to because she had ADD (her parents had told her over the summer that she couldn't continue denying that she had ADD and ADHD) and she couldn't control her behavior because of her ADHD. She supposed that it got annoying sometimes, but not really because she usually wasn't very conscience of it.

When Jose started, Demelza couldn't believe her ears. She promised herself that she would never hold try-outs the way her did when she became captain. She definetely wouldn't disagree with him, but she personally thought that putting everyone in the position that they signed up for, especially in the case of the first years for whom it was usually their first time playing Qudditch in a league. She thought it would have been a good idea to atleast test and see who was best at what, but he was the captain. She introduced her self with "Hey I'm Mel and uh thd assistant captain." she saud, with a smile. The first years, in her mind anyway, had some long and unnessisary introductions but Demelza didn't mind: it was fun to meet new people! She had hardly noticed until Jose brought it up that Delilah wasn't there. What?! Delilah was her best friend! And Jude wasn't there either like he said he might. Demelza was sad about that because she was looking forward to them playing. "I'm sure Delilah would want to be an alternative!" she replied to Jose's question. She had even hinted at Quidditch earlier saying that she was excited for it. Ah well she could still be an alternative on the team.

She rather agreed with Jose's idea of beater practice. It would be a challenge, so Demelza loved the idea. She turned to Cassy, the older student, and gave her a grin. Demelza didn't think that she'd be all that much shorter than her: she was tall for her age. She grabbed her beater's bat in her left hand and pulled a leg over her broom ready to mount off. She kicked hard on the ground with her left foot and soared in the air, letting the wind rush in her face. It felt lovely. Demelza loved the adventure she felt from flying, but now she had to try her best and focus on the drill her and Cassy were supposed to do. She had the baseball in hand, and when Cassy gave her a nod
she threw the baseball up and tried her best to make an accurate pass. It was close enough but you had to give her credit: that was a very difficult task. She doubted that Cassy could return it. She wouldn't have been able to return it! "Sorry bout that Cassy!" she called out to her. Demelza, perhaps out of guilt (she was an odd ball), started humming under her breath a random rushed tune. It wasn't peaceful because this wasn't a peaceful assignment.

0 Demelza Eagle Let's get started for an awesome tear! 157 Demelza Eagle 0 5

Cassy

April 20, 2010 8:41 PM

Yep! by Cassy

"Sorry bout that Cassy!" Demelza cried as the baseball soared in the air- and a little bit to the left and out of her range, but that didn't bother her. Grinning, Cassy swooped through the air and over to the baseball, slamming it against her bat with all her might. Mel had made a good pass, there was no doubt about it. Plus, it would be more fun this way. The farther the better. As the wind rushed through through her hair, she stretched out her arm and watched the baseball fly across the pitch. It was closing in on Mel, and the fourth year Pecari was sure she could make it.

The kid was confident, she could see it in the way she carried herself. That was fine, confidence was good in Quidditch. If you doubted yourself, you would never be good at anything. It was only sheer determination, and yeah, a little bit of knowledge on what you were doing, that would help accomplish your goals. That's what her mom had always told her.

At the same time, one couldn't, or shouldn't, rather, be too confident. There was always someone that could best you in something that you do. It didn't matter if they were younger or older, it could still happen. So she did her best to humble herself. There were two beaters on the team, and she would do her best with working with Mel, simple as that. And hey, the kid might actually know what she was doing. Maybe they could even start a friendly competition, Cassy thought with a grin.

0 Cassy Yep! 0 Cassy 0 5

Demelza

April 25, 2010 10:01 AM

Opps...fail! I meant to say year not tear! by Demelza

Demelza grinned at the older student when she hit the baseball back. She could tell that she hit it with all her force, which, Demelza thought, couldn't have been anywhere near the force that she had. The ball made it to her, yes, but if Demelza was at the same spot as her and hit the baseball with all her force, no doubt it would go all the way to the other side of the field. She was a bit too extreme with her beating. She had been taught by her brother, who was on Australia's national Quidditch team, and the way he taught her was very good for power... just not so good for safety. She had broken her left arm several times at home from hitting the bludger at an awkward angle, and even in her first game last year she broke her arm again from the awkward angle and pressure combined. The chocolate brown haired girl with ADHD and ADD was... how else could you put it? Insane. Perhaps the reason Starbuck didn't like her much anymore, after she realized that Demelza really was crazy.

The pass to her, nonetheless, was excellently aimed. Demelza could easily get a piece of it. The only problem was that it was on her right hand side, so she would have to reach her arm across her body to hit it. She did so, and with a bit of a lazy amount of force, but not too lazy, she hit the ball back at Cassy, focused more on aim. It was hard to aim a ball that was effected by gravity! And, now that Demelza thought about it, yes it was a good work out, but she was the Assistant Captain, and Jose didn't exactly know what he was doing with the Beaters, so why can't she and Cassy just go off and do a different work out? When Cassy got the ball back to her, Demelza just caught it up in the air. Because of her thinking, she didn't pay much attention to the amount of force she put in it, but her first example of 'all her might' was good enough for her. They were going to do a drill on force.

"Hey, Cassy, y'know what? I'm not getting much out of this, you?" She didn't wait for an answer, and she wasn't going to tell the fourth year that she was planning on doing a drill dealing with force specifically because she felt that the fourth year needed it. "But you have excellent aim, and I don't think you even need this," she was telling the truth, there. "Perhaps we should take out the bludgers and work on hitting them across the field fast. Because last year we had an accident, and it might have been because of slow bludgers, and it hit our teammate," the truth there was that Demelza was still a bit confused on who hit Elly. But she still had a point to get across with this speech. "Like, I'm sure that you probably already know this (well maybe not because I learned this in Muggle school) but if you don't hit the bludger hard enough, it won't travel to your aimed spot fast enough to hit the person you want to hit. It might hit the wrong target. It's all based on motion I guess," she said, thinking about the laws of motion she learned... whatever they were. Demelza gave a shrug, and then flew down to get the bludgers and put the baseball down. "Wanna help me with these?" she asked, indicating the bludgers. When they were taken out, Demelza advised Cassy, "Now since we aren't supposed to be doing this, try not to hit our fellow teammates." She gave Cassy a wink. Yeah, that would be bad if they did.

When it was released it plunged high up in the air. Quick as she could, Demelza mounted her broom and kicked off, just in time to be face-to-face with the bludger. She dragged her arm back far behind her, and with all her force, all her might, she brought it forward to make contact with the bludger. Her muscles seized up a bit, but the quickly loosened after she sent the metal ball spinning clear to the other side of the field. Opps... she forgot to ask Cassy to go over to return it. She didn't know if Cassy had done so anyway, but she screamed, "Cassy, please get it!!" Oh man, that was a fail. Hopefully nothing would happen. Why did she have to hit it so far?

0 Demelza Opps...fail! I meant to say year not tear! 0 Demelza 0 5