Coach Amelia Pierce
April 30, 2010 4:11 PM
Game One: Pecari vs. Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce
Normally, Amelia would have liked to mix up the order of the games from year to year, but even when she had randomly chosen House names out of a hat, the first pair of teams still came up Pecari versus Crotalus, like it had last year. She briefly toyed with the idea of forcibly mixing it up, but she ultimately decided to go with the initial draw. With the seventh year turnover, the Pecari team, at least, was nearly unrecognizable, and even Crotalus was under new management. It was going to be a very different game from last year.Besides, due to being the Head of Crotalus and having a relative as the Captain of Pecari, she felt more comfortable having those two teamed up for the first game anyway; she felt there was less room for bias in her judging than if Aladren or Teppenpaw had been involved against either of them.
Still, as she had been last year, she was careful not to wear any red or anything else that might have suggested she might prefer Crotalus (or Pecari for that matter) to win. Her robes were a completely neutral green today.
When she had woken that morning, her room had still been dark, and even now, at 10:30 in the morning, the Pitch wasn't a lot brighter. Heavy cloud cover overhead completely blocked out the sun, and though it wasn't raining, exactly, there did seem to be a very fine mist - almost nothing more than a heavy fog, really, except her hair was curling as it only did when it got wet - hanging in the air.
Once both teams were on the field and it looked like the captains were finishing up their pep-talks, she called over Oliver and Jose and had them shake hands.
"Clean game people," she admonished, more out of formality than because she thought they didn't already know that. "Have fun and play Quidditch." They all knew the rules already and she didn't want to extend the time standing out in the damp any longer than she had to. She released the snitch and the bludgers and then lifted up the quaffle with a minimum of ceremony.
"Game begins on my whistle. Three . . . two . . . one," she blew the whistle and threw the Quaffle high into the air at the same time.
Subthreads: Starting out on the right foot by <font color="brown">Captain Jose Hernandez</font> with <font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>, <font color="red">Dmitry Talsky, Beater</font>, <font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>, <font color="brown">Neal Padrig, Chaser</font>, <font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>, <font color="brown">Cassy Brooks, Beater</font>, Lutece by proxy (Crotalus), <font color="red">Theo Manzana, Beater </font>, <font color="brown">Starbuck Gregory </font>, <font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>, Coach Amelia Pierce
Attempting to redeem myself. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font> with <font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>, Coach Pierce
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Coach Amelia Pierce
Game One: Pecari vs. Crotalus
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Coach Amelia Pierce
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<font color="brown">Captain Jose Hernandez</font>
April 30, 2010 4:41 PM
Starting out on the right foot by <font color="brown">Captain Jose Hernandez</font>
The first thing Jose did the morning of his first match as Captain, was look out the window. It wasn't promising, and it didn't clear up by the time he'd finished dressing, eating breakfast, and collecting a broom and his team out on the Pitch."Okay, guys," he said, "We can do this." He sounded utterly confident that they could, in fact, do this, because he truly believed that they would, in fact, do this. They were young and almost half of them were new, but they all showed a lot of promise. "We've practiced really hard the last few weeks, and everyone's been doing great." Having three fabulous alternates around to boost their numbers in practice helped a lot, too.
"Dorian, visibility's bad, and that stinks for your first time as our Seeker, but it's gonna hurt Crotalus just as much. You'll do fine. Cassy and Mel, try to keep track of the bludgers so they don't sneak up on the rest of us in the fog. Okay. Great. Go Pecari!"
He went over to Coach Pierce as she called him and Oliver over, and he shook the older Crotalus's hand. "Good luck," he said, meaning it. Jose was planning to win, but that was no reason to be unsporting.
Returning to the rest of his team and readying himself on his broom as the coach released the other balls and counted down, Jose launched up at the very moment the whistle pierced through the thick air. He was maybe still standing a little closer to the coach than anyone else, because he felt the Quaffle against his palm a few seconds later and he pulled it into his chest and flew up into the sky with barely a thought for how far below the ground was swiftly falling (the key, he'd found, for conquering his fear of heights had been to forget he was afraid of them and to focus fully on the game at hand).
Spotting one of his other Chasers not far away but in a better position for making a run toward the goal than he currently had, Jose threw the ball on to him. "Go!"
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<font color="brown">Captain Jose Hernandez</font>
Starting out on the right foot
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<font color="brown">Captain Jose Hernandez</font>
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<font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
April 30, 2010 5:52 PM
Following through by <font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
It was a problem, an unhealthy obsession, an addiction, but Tristan was not ashamed. He’d admit to anyone who wanted to know that his entire universe revolved around Quidditch. He thought about it when he was supposed to be studying, when he was in class, when he was trying to sleep, when he actually was sleeping – there wasn’t a moment when he could get his mind off the sport. Having been in a private league before school had him even more excited to be on Sonora’s team and play with different people. Now that he had his spot on the team and had an opportunity to put his harnessed skills to use he was on joy-overload.That morning he woke up freakishly early, made sure his padding and robes were all put on securely and his goggles were well fitted, polished his broom, and was one of the first people to be at breakfast before going back to the common rooms to polish his broom one more time. After he was done, he lulled around and waited for the rest of his team to leave the common rooms and head off to the Pitch.
When he finally did get outside, it was obvious the weather wasn’t going to match his mood. It was dark and misty. Not good playing conditions, but not horrible ones either.
He listened closely to what the captain had to say, and was more disgruntled than ever that he still couldn’t remember the guy’s name. Actually, no one’s name had yet to stick. But he’d worry about that later, right now he had to retain some information. Whatever Cap’n said was important, no questions asked. Though he was a bit disheartened when neither the other Chaser or himself got a Chasers Pep Talk, he chalked it up as the captain having faith in them and shrugged it off easily enough.
His heart was hammering when he watched the captain shake the hand for the Crotalus captain. Tristan narrowed his eyes, already fiercely disliking that guy. He was the opponent, the enemy, the only thing that stood between his team and victory. It only made sense that he would dislike him immediately. Cap’n probably didn’t feel as much competitive rage as Tristan did, because he shook the other guys hand and looked sincere when he mouthed something like ‘good game’ or ‘good luck’ to him.
When the whistle sounded, Tristan narrowed his eyes through his goggles, which had a charm to help with visibility but wasn’t working too well at the moment – he should probably have bought a new pair for the year, but it was too late to worry about that now. His already fast pulse beat at double the speed when he saw his captain get possession of the Quaffle. Yes.
Tristan wanted to follow him and be near in case he needed to pass it off quick, but he knew better than to do that. His team’s Keeper made it obvious during try-outs/practice that he was no good at close pass-offs. Maybe long-range was more his thing.
The instant Tristan noticed Cap’n noticing him, he stopped what he was doing. Cap’n lunged the ball from his chest to Tristan. “Go!” he called out, and Tristan wasn’t about to ignore a direct order. Having already been on the fast track to the goal anyway, he figured he was close enough to try and pull of a shot. Angling his broom so he would be just under the middle goal, he zoomed as close as he could before shooting it up to the center of the goal. After he made the shot he soared higher into the air, watching intently to see if it would get in or if the Keeper would get it first. He had his fingers crossed for the former.
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<font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
Following through
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<font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
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<font color="red">Dmitry Talsky, Beater</font>
April 30, 2010 7:46 PM
Pain, can't get enough by <font color="red">Dmitry Talsky, Beater</font>
Dmitry Talsky woke up the morning of the first Quidditch game feeling good about it. The team wasn’t bad and from what he knew about the Pecari Quidditch team they were a bit green. Well more then a bit, their Captain was a third year, and their seeker was none other then his annoying half-brother Dorian who could not find things right in front of him. This was going to be a good game; the Crotalus could feel it in his bones. He smiled at his refection in the mirror; he thought the red robes looked good with his dark hair. He began to jump up and down a bit trying to psych himself up as he pulled on the fingerless gloves he wore to not only keep his hands warm but to keep a tighter grip on his bat.As the Russian left his dorm, he grabbed the pair of muggle sunglasses that sat upon his head and pulled them down around his eyes. He knew it was cloudy but he had charmed the sunglasses to keep the rain off but besides that, they would make sure none of the other teams players would know just who he was looking at. His whole team at Durmstrang had worn them and he would not give them up for anything.
Once down at the Pitch as everyone else watched Oliver and the third year shake hands Dmitry sought out his pudgy little half-brother. He pulled down his sunglasses catching the first year’s attention; Dmitry then pointed at him and swung the back warning Dorian he was going to take him out the first chance he got. Watching the younger boy’s reaction caused Dorian to chuckle and grin. Served the little brat right for joining the Quidditch team as a Seeker.
Finally, he mounted his broom and kicked off, feeling the cold air go right through him. He shot up higher then the other three beaters on the field so he had a better advantage. Finally, he saw the two Pecaris coming near him along with a bludger. The kid who shot the first goal was going to be Dmitry’s first victim. He held on tight to the broom with his legs and with both hands, he swung. The bat connected with the heavy ball with a loud CRACKKKKKKKKKK and went spinning right towards the boy. That should teach him to not shoot the goals while Dmitry was around.
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<font color="red">Dmitry Talsky, Beater</font>
Pain, can't get enough
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<font color="red">Dmitry Talsky, Beater</font>
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
May 01, 2010 7:01 AM
Bah, timezones by <font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
The first game of the season was the same as lasy year: Crotalus versus Pecari. Honestly, Oliver couldn't be more pleased with the arrangement. Pecari were a relatively new team, with more enthusiasm than sense, and he was hopinbg to play that to their advantage. Besides, he didn't want to go up against Aladren first. He - like everyone else - had underestimated the geek team that had gone on to win the championship last year. With few replacements on last year (most notably the captain who had been certified anyway)the Aladren team was in decent shape, and Oliver would really like to make it to finals if he could. He was also pleased to not be up against Teppenpaw. On the one hand it might be nice to get it over and done with, crushing the prairie dogs and their captain into sweet oblivion, but there was no denying their Seeker was good. It would be a hard game to win, and Oliver needed to make sure his Beaters understood their primary objective in a way that didn't make Oliver sound like a whiny ex out for revenge. Which he wasn't. Honest.So the team was right, and the weather wasn't too bad, either. Seeking might not be the easiest task in cloudy weather, and the balls might be slippy when damp, but cloud was preferable to sunshine anyday. Kicking off would also be slower, but that wasn't a problem: Oliver had a gameplan for every scenario.
After a quick breakfast, Oliver met his team on the pitch, kitted out in dark red Quidditch robes. They were probably expecting a pre-game speech, and he wasn't going to disappoint them. "Okay, here's what we're doing. Beaters - take out as many of the team as you can. We're going for maximum points so Chasers and Keeper are very viable targets. The Seeker, even more so. Marissa, the Pecari Seeker is a newbie. We haven't seen him play yet, so don't let your guard down. The rest of you - we'll go with our Pecari plan. They're excited, let them get the ball first and they'll lose focus. Lutece, stop that ball from going in, and we'll just pass it back and score." The Keeper wasn't a huge threat... of course if the Beaters took the player out then all the better. "Rinse, lather, repeat. Good luck, guys. Play hard."
That was all he had time for, as a moment later he was shaking hands with the fourth year captain. It was almost insulting to be wished luck by a Pecari, but Oliver took it, anyway - he supposed a little extra luck never hurt anyone. On the whistle, Oliver took his time in rising to the air. He followed the Quaffle up the field, hoping Charlotte and Sam were doing their bit by hanging back a little, ready to receive his pass. For his part, Oliver simply followed the quaffle until one of the firstie Pecaris made a shot. Lutece would catch it - naturally - and Oliver would be waiting to carry the ball back down the pitch to his other Chasers, and they would score, instead. Easy.
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
Bah, timezones
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
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<font color="brown">Neal Padrig, Chaser</font>
May 01, 2010 11:47 PM
Time in general is frustrating by <font color="brown">Neal Padrig, Chaser</font>
The weather was really cruddy. At first Neal decided he liked it being all dark and foggy outside, but then he remembered he had a Quidditch match later that day and he changed his mind and decided he didn’t like it after all. Conditions like this made for poor sightings, it was just common sense.He went through his morning with a day-dreamy glazed look, his abstract thoughts all coming back to the fact that this was his first ever Quidditch games. Beyond practices, the most experience he had was watching professional Quidditch matches. He was pretty sure he had the least amount of experience on his team, and he was a first year. If they lost this match he had a feeling someone’s finger was going to be pointed at the throw-away firstie. With thoughts like this going around his mind, it was a miracle he sucked it up and went to the match at all.
After Jose talked to the team a bit to get their spirits up (he didn’t know about anyone else’s, but his were still shot) he went over to Crotalus captain and shook his hand. The guy looked cocky, but that could only translate into confidence, which only further made Neal skeptical of his experience. Exactly where did he ranked compared to that team? Surely he wasn’t the least experienced person here? This had to be someone else’s first real Quidditch game, right?
He had little time to dwell on that when the Quaffle was thrown. He went into the air and was happy to see Jose had it. That was a good thing, of course. Even better when Trist had caught it – for as egotistical as he was, he had lived up to the reputation he built for himself so far. He tossed the Quaffle toward the center of the goal, where an eager Crotalus captain was waiting nearby. Oh, this wouldn’t do. Even though he hoped that the Keeper wouldn’t save the shot, Neal got into what he felt was a good position to follow the Crotalus Chaser if he did get possession of the Quaffle. Maybe if he intercepted a shot, he wouldn’t look as new to the sport as he was feeling.
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<font color="brown">Neal Padrig, Chaser</font>
Time in general is frustrating
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<font color="brown">Neal Padrig, Chaser</font>
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<font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>
May 02, 2010 5:54 PM
Do do do, hitting one toward you, Keeper! by <font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>
Demelza was so excited for the first Quidditch game of the year. Ironically, it was Pecari v.s. Crotalus again, and Demelza was fine wth that. She really did't want to have to face Aldren because they won the Championship last year against Pecari. And, from what she had heard although had yet to see, Teppenpaw's seeker was really good. It was a bit down-hearting that Pecari's seeker was young an inexperienced, but that didn't mean that he was bad! In fact, even though much of the Pecari team was young, Demelza had a good feeling that they'd all do well. They had been practicing hard, no one was terrible bad, and they had a lot of excitement and enthusiasm, which was awesome! Demelza might have had the most enthusiasm: she may not have lived and breathed Quidditch like Tristan, but she had a love for winning and house spirit. She didn't want to let anyone down.On the morning of the game, Demelza thought that she woke up far too early. The weather outside was rather dark and gloomy, so she figured she could go back to sleep. She had caught up on homework last the night before and was very tired. She woke up about an hour later, and realized that her dorm was empty. At that point she actually looked at her clock. It was 9:17 a.m.! The game started at 10:00 and she had to be there about 15 minutes early! That gave her about 28 minutes to get ready! Immediately, she hoped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her hair and put it up in a long ponytail. It was very messy, but she didn't care: she wouldn't be late for the game. She quickly grabbed her brown and gold robes off from the ground to change into when she got into the locker room. If she wanted breakfast (which she did) she would have to take only 10 minutes to get ready. And she did it in 8. 20 minutes left, she ran down to the Cascade Hall and grabbed a piece of toast. It took about 4 pieces of toast for her to realize that she only had 3 minutes left and she didn't have her stuff. She jumped up from her seat, and ran as fast as she could back to her dorm to grab her broom and bat, no stopping. After that she ran strait to the pitch, a few minutes late. She bent over, putting her hands on her knees, breathing heavily so she could catch her breath. She said a quick "Hey," to the team, and then put her robes on over her pajamas. Last time she judges time on the weather, which was still rather dark.
She listened to Jose's prep talk, starting to get hyper again, which was what she needed to do. It was basically all about raising the spirits. After that she placed her bat in her left hand and mounted her broom. She glanced over at Cassy: she hoped that they both did their job well. When the whistle signaled the start of the match, Demelza kicked hard off the ground, more then ready. She felt very comfortable in her pajamas: she supposed that she should have worn them under her Quidditch robes all the time! She zoomed up high, scanning the field for any bludgers that could be coming her way. She didn't have to look and see if the Crotalus beater was hitting it toward Pecari because she would be able to hear it first. She choose to watch the game for a few seconds. Alight, Pecari was having a good start! But then the familiar sound of a bludger cracking on a wooden bat filled the air, and Demelza looked around to see who did it and where it was going. According to what she collected, it was heading for tristan. She flew over a few feet to where it was, and changed it's direction to instead aim for the keeper, so she would have a harder time saving the quaffle. Excellent, that had a good chance for going as planned. Demelza swung her left arm back, and then brought it forward to make contact with the bludger. She used all hert strength in her arms, hoping it would make it fast enough to the Keeper to knock her off balance. her green-brown eyes followed the metal ball.
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<font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>
Do do do, hitting one toward you, Keeper!
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<font color="brown">Demelza Eagle, Beater</font>
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
May 03, 2010 6:03 PM
Attempting to redeem myself. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
Marissa truly believed in not holding grudges or dwelling on the past, but this had never stopped her from doing those things mildly anyway.Because of that, she didn’t know if it was good or bad that they were playing Pecari again. On one hand, she had ample reason to want to beat them, because they had beaten Crotalus the year before. She had to prove herself, even if it was against a first year instead of against the actual person who had beaten her to the Snitch before. On the other hand, though, she wasn’t sure that being a little more emotional than usual about the subject wouldn’t cloud her judgment and, even if it didn’t, make it harder to be a good sport if she failed the team again. She didn’t think there were any true good sports, who felt so much admiration for their opposite number that they felt no disappointment over the loss, in the world, but it was important to play the part and not get upset in public.
There was nothing she could do about the situation, though, and she wouldn’t have taken responsibility for the decision if it had been offered to her. Knowing that made it easier to blank out the worries and just focus on the ‘right now’ part, where winning was still a likely option. She smiled at her teammates as she joined them and waited for Oliver’s speech.
It was fairly to the point. She nodded when she was told to make sure to stay on her toes. Just because the Pecari Seeker was a first year was no reason to get too overconfident; he might be a pureblood, and so better on a broom than she was, and anyone could get lucky. It was never good to be overconfident. Then there was the Coach’s speech, and they were off.
Marissa’s first priority, once she was in the air and had established that the Snitch was not in her immediate sights, was to spot Dorian’s position and make sure the Snitch wasn’t closer to him. Luckily, it didn’t seem to be. Rising higher, she began to move outward in increasingly wide ovals, taking care not to let herself get dizzy or completely lose sight of her rival in case he made any sudden moves toward their goal or to let her attention get so focused that she didn’t notice a Bludger heading toward her. Seeking was harder than it looked on paper.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
Attempting to redeem myself.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
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<font color="brown">Cassy Brooks, Beater</font>
May 03, 2010 9:56 PM
Watching and waiting for prey. by <font color="brown">Cassy Brooks, Beater</font>
Like a predator waiting for their next prey, Cassy waited in the air as she watched the game take place. This was her first game as a Pecari, and she hoped the team didn't mess this up. Actually, she knew they wouldn't. They had done an awesome job during practice, but their enthusiasm might interfere with their common sense, and she hoped the would see that.Sure, when she was getting ready for the game, walked out onto the field, and soaring for her post, she was excited. Adrenaline swam through her body, but she was calm, collected, poised. Her eyes narrowed, watching the bludgers and the quaffle, as well as watching the game taking place, was an excellent skill she had. She was a hunter, and the opposing team was her prey. She was focused on the game, and nothing but the game. She ignored the spectators, and the wind, and especially the poor weather. Nothing but the game crossed her mind. That's all there is to it.
This morning, she had almost got up too late. But luckily she had heard the shuffling of her roommates and had gotten dressed in time to get to the Pitch, but unfortunately, she had to ignore breakfast to make it in time. She had listened to the captain, had listened to the coach, had listened to the roaring crowd. But now was not that time. Now she would hunt. Now she would fight.
Cassy watched as Mel swung her bat, hitting the bludger toward the keeper. She grinned. "Nice shot, Mel!" she called out over the roar of the spectators. She turned her attention back to the game, just waiting for her time to strike.
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<font color="brown">Cassy Brooks, Beater</font>
Watching and waiting for prey.
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<font color="brown">Cassy Brooks, Beater</font>
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Lutece by proxy (Crotalus)
May 08, 2010 12:12 PM
OOC ball saving by Lutece by proxy (Crotalus)
Lutece's author is aware of the lameness of posting an OOC Quidditch note, but evil things like exams have gotten in the way of life. In the interest of the game continuing, please assume that Lutece dodges the bludger and does her typical hit-quaffle-with-broom thing. The quaffle does not go in. There is no goal. She is smug about it.
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Lutece by proxy (Crotalus)
OOC ball saving
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Lutece by proxy (Crotalus)
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
May 08, 2010 12:22 PM
Should have found a reserve by <font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
Oliver had made a pact with himself not to look at Lutece during games, because he found her incredibly distracting in a way that was not useful for game play; especially not game played on a broomstick. Though as captain and chaser it was impossible not to watch to see whether or not she made the save. A direct throw from a first year couldn’t be too hard to save, right? Right. Lutece made the save, in her almost trademark fashion of not actually touching the Quaffle with her hands, but batting it out of the way with her broomstick, instead. Oliver didn’t mind too much, seeing as she’d managed to dodge a Bludger, too. Dodging his own Bludger (wow, the Beaters were having a good go at this game – why weren’t they taking out the Seekers?), Oliver managed to tear his eyes away from the Keeper and concentrate on the game; within half a second he was focussed again. He dodged round those pesky Pecaris, had to dip his broom to avoid the path of the Bludger, which conveniently brought him in axcellent range to catch the rebounding Quaffle with much-practised ease. Once its red leather was under his fingertips, Oliver tucked the ball under his right arm and swung a wide loop under the players to face the other direction while keeping out of the way of any residual Bludger carnage that may have occurred while he was focussing on other things.Now he was facing the right way for his team, Oliver continued to fly under the other players making his way back down the pitch. He’d prefer to be above, to make spotting his own players easier and the pass faster with descent, but he was here now so he’d make the best use of it. So far the game was going well:; Pecari hadn’t scored and nor were they likely to. Oliver didn’t want to make incorrect assumptions about the Pecari team the way he had about Aladren in the past, but it was difficult not to underestimate a team where the oldest player was in fourth year (Of course most of his own players were in fourth year and below, but somehow Oliver had more faith in them). Ability of the players aside, this game was so far looking good for the Crotalus team. But Oliver shouldn’t let himself be distracted. Searching above him for the red-clad players he needed, Oliver peered upwards awkwardly to see who was closest out of Charlie and Sam. Then, hopefully before any Pecari Chasers could get in the way, Oliver rose his broom handle to gain some height, and passed the ball to his teammate. He would stay around just long enough to make sure the ball made it into the right hands. If it did he would move onwards towards the goals, making sure Pecari repossession was impossible. If it didn’t... well, then he would stay put a little longer to sort that out.
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
Should have found a reserve
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
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<font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
May 08, 2010 1:48 PM
Hope you don’t mind my interfering by <font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
There were a few differences between playing in a private league back home and playing at Sonora that Tristan was rapidly being made aware of. First was that he was an eleven-year-old kid going up against seventeen-year-olds, rather the age gaps here weren’t as doted on as they had been back home. Tristan had always prized skill and hard work over age – it was, in essence, just a number – but with these players’ ages came years of practice and team building he didn’t have. Ignoring the fact their team were the underdogs this year, or so it seemed, wasn’t something he could do any longer. Pecari had to solidify themselves as a challenging team, and it had to be done against these well-trained players. Sure the other team had talent, but so did his team. He had faith in all the people he’d practiced with and he didn’t want to let any of them, or himself, down.The Keeper for the Crotalus team was wicked to watch, what with her dodge/block combo she pulled off for Tristan’s direct shot, but it wasn’t necessarily a good thing to watch since it only meant that scoring against her would require some real teamwork and patience. Tristan was glad that his vice captain had swung the Bludger away from him earlier so he didn’t have to leave his position, because as soon as the Crotalus captain took off Tristan was speeding off to catch up to him.
When he saw the Crotalus captain make to throw up to one of his other players, Tristan swung around on his broom and leaned back to get behind the Quaffle. In a brief second, he noticed the ball was too far out of his reach to catch, but not quite out of his throwing range. Using his fingertips, he pushed the Quaffle with as much strength as he could muster away and back towards the direction of the Croatus goals. He had seen Neal somewhere back there, but he really hoped Jose was around since he probably had more experience knowing how to score against this Keeper than both of the first years. And if his team wasn’t around to catch it, at least as far as he could tell the other team would have to backtrack to get the Quaffle back.
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<font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
Hope you don’t mind my interfering
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<font color="brown">Tristan Volkmann,Chaser</font>
0
5
<font color="red">Theo Manzana, Beater </font>
May 08, 2010 10:44 PM
Going for the Keeper by <font color="red">Theo Manzana, Beater </font>
Theo was ready for Crotalus to win against Pecari when he woke up that morning. He threw off the covers and got dressed in his Quidditch robes happily; he loved how they looked on him. He grabbed a pair of gloves that his Mama had given him before leaving for school they were to help him grip the bat a bit better. He grabbed his bat and broom and made his way into Cascade Hall. He bolted down a bowl of cereal and orange juice before making his way out to the Quidditch Pitch.When Oliver spoke, he nodded, he liked Starbuck but that was who was going to go after first. It would leave the goals wide open for Oliver, Charlie, and Sam to get the Quaffle and get it in. He would’ve gone after the seeker but it was Dmitry’s little brother and he sure didn’t want to upset his teammate. The Russian boy scared Theo just a bit.
He kicked off the ground hard and soared into the air feeling the rush of cool air around him. He loved the roar of crowd. Theo watched the game play for a few moments waiting for the right moment to strike. Too soon and Starbuck would recover before his teammates got the Quaffle through the hoops, and too late and Pecari would have the Quaffle again. He took a deep breath when Oliver got the Quaffle. He rounded on Starbuck aimed and hit the bludger as hard as he could. He watched closely as the ball went hurtling towards the red haired Pecari.
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<font color="red">Theo Manzana, Beater </font>
Going for the Keeper
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<font color="red">Theo Manzana, Beater </font>
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<font color="brown">Starbuck Gregory </font>
May 08, 2010 10:46 PM
Ouch by <font color="brown">Starbuck Gregory </font>
Starbuck Gregory awoke with a start and saw that Demelza was still asleep. She threw off her covers and dressed as quietly as she could, grabbed her broom and left the dorm with a smug smile. Wouldn’t it look just great if the Assistant Captain was late for the first game of the year? It would serve the cocky Mel right in Starbuck’s mind. She ate a quick breakfast and kept glancing at the time she wasn’t going to be late for the game at all. She flew down to the Pitch as a warm up and landed softly glad to see Dem hadn’t arrived yet. When it was three minutes till everyone was suppose Dem came running towards them in her pajamas causing Starbuck to chuckle.Listening to Jose’s peptalk she started to get excited she loved the few moments before the game started. She put all her animosity towards Mel to the back of her mind, today they were a team and they would work as one. She put on helmet and kicked off the ground hard, she flew up to the goal posts ready to defend them at any cost. The redhead didn’t see the Theo floating near by but she did see Oliver get the Quaffle, throw it off to just have Tristan get it and throw it away. She heard the crack of a bat and didn’t realize it was too late the bludger smacked her hard in the ribs sending her off her broom.
She cried out in pain as she began to free fall from the broom she had never been hit by a bludger, nor had she ever been thrown off her broom and she was scared. She wasn’t only scared that she was going to be injured but now there was no keeper on the goal posts.
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<font color="brown">Starbuck Gregory </font>
Ouch
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<font color="brown">Starbuck Gregory </font>
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
May 09, 2010 11:40 AM
Tough break, kid by <font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
Yep, he definitely would have preferred to be flying above the game, rather than under it. Oliver's pass wasn't quick enough; his Chaser would have been about to catch the ball, Oliver was sure of it, but even as he let the Quaffle leave his fingertips he noticed that Pecari kid coming in from the edge of his vision. Pre-emptive active, that's what was needed here. Oliver had stayed more or less in the same position just in case his pass went awry and he needed to sort it out. Just as well, really.For the first time, Oliver was thankful he was a little lower than general playing height as he turned his broom handle right up and then even over a little bit more, causing him to so a sort of half-loop, with his back horizontal to the ground but taking him towards the Quaffle. Yeah, nice try, first year. Oliver would grant it to the Pecari kid - it was a decent block, it had in fact taken the ball out of Crotalus possession, which was no doubt his aim. Unfortunately, there were seventh years on the opposition; Oliver had been flying a broom in a competetive fashion for the past decade. So when he caught the Quaflle with one hand, pressing it to his body as he completed the rest of the loop mid-air, Oliver knew he wasn't going to be in danger of hurtling towards the ground. Unlike the Pecari Keeper.
Now really was there chance - the hoops were unguarded, and Crotalus had the ball. Nothing to stop them, really. Oliver made a slight adjustment to his plan, which had been to just try the pass again, now he was practically back in his original position. He flew along a little further, rising back up to game height as he did. He didn't want to keep the Quaffle too long because that made him an easy target for Bludgers, and the fact that the Pecari Keeper had just been taken out merely meant there was one nearby. Nevertheless, an opportunity like this couldn't be wasted.
Oliver sought out his sister. Sorry, Sam, but Charlotte had more experience. If they got another shot at the open goal, Oliver inwardly promised he would give his newbie a shot. First, his Assistant was getting her go. Oliver hesitated the briefest moment to check there were no Pecaris to get in his way this time, and passed the ball to Charlie, shouting out, "Score already!"
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
Tough break, kid
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<font color="red">Oliver Abbott, Chaser</font>
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<font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>
May 09, 2010 11:55 AM
Good for us, though by <font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>
Charlotte had been looking forward to this game. Basically, she looked forward to every game of Quidditch - she got an amazing adrenaline kick from the sport - but this one would be the first time her brother played as Captain, and the first time Dmitry would play with the team, so it all looked like it was going to work out.In her pressed robes, brown hair braided tightly out of the way, and a wholesome breakfast of eggs and toast washed down with a glass of orange juice, Charlie was ready to take on the world. Oliver's speech wasn't as lame as she'd imagined it was going to be (she'd grown up with a geek who had somehow managed to turn into a fairly decent human being and it still amaze her from time to time) and the team looked fairly confident when the whistle blew. All was a great start.
Pecari got the ball first, which was all part of the plan, but the carried it down the pitch a little too quickly for Charlie's taste. Still she didn't panic; Lutece didn't tend to let goals in if her life depended on it... though she didn't really need to impress Oliver in the same way these days, so her performance had the potential to drop. Charlotte understood this sort of thing. She'd been working much harder than usual in tryouts this year because there was someone on the team worth impressing. Being Assistant Captain had nothing to do with it whatsoever, but if other people wanted to think that then it was probably for the best.
True to form, Lutece saved the throw, and the Quaffle was heading back down the pitch, just as Oliver had promised. Charlotte had held back nearer the hoops to give Sam a chance to play for real. She was second-guessing her decision as she saw a Pecari come in on the pass. She tried to shout warning to her team-mate but it was too late. Luckily, Oliver stayed true to his word and somehow managed to regain the Quaffle - his loop reminded Charlie of those trained dolphins and sealions that somersaulted through hoops. Haha.
Charlotte allowed her attention to be distracted momentarily by the thwack sound of a Bludger hitting a person. It couldn't be anyone on her team, because she could see them all, except Theo. Which meant - yep, a look at the goals confirmed it. The Keeper was out. charlie looked again at Oliver. If she knew her brother - and she liked to think she did - he wasn't going to let the same mistake be made twice, and he certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity of an open goal. Readying herself, Charlie aimed her broom right towards the unguarded hoops as her fellow Chaser came nearer. She caught Oliver's pass, and heard his instruction. She didn't need to be told twice.
Keeping an ear out for that Bludger, in case it came back to claim another player, Charlotte took the ball right up to the nearest hoop (the one on Charlie's left) and dropped it through. Unless she was very much mistaken, that was ten points to Crotalus, Pecari nil.
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<font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>
Good for us, though
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<font color="red">Charlie Abbott, Chaser</font>
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<font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
May 09, 2010 6:02 PM
Attempting to prove myself. by <font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
Dorian woke up extremely early the day of the Quidditch game. He dressed slowly feeling the rock in his stomach, why did it have to be Pecari vs. Crotalus? He wondered to himself. It had to be Dmitry’s team he was playing against! Dmitry was ruthless just playing a pick up game with their friends during the summer, he couldn’t imagine how it was going to be when it actually counted for something! He grabbed his new broom, (a top of the line The Phantom Seeker, which Papa had sent when he had made the team,) and left the dorm.He walked slowly into the Cascade Hall and realized he was one of the first few people up. Dorian set his broom under the bench and then grabbed some toast; he would eat later once he was sure he still had a head after Dmitry got through with him. The first year watched as the Hall began to fill and then slowly empty, before he himself left the Cascade Hall and made his way down to the Pitch. He sighed it wasn’t a sunny day, it was cloudy and it was hard to see in front of him so he knew it was going to be hard to find the darn snitch in this weather.
He felt a little bit better with Jose’s speech until he went to shake the other Captain’s hand. Dmitry pulled down his glasses and Dorian looked into his half brother’s eyes as he swung the bat in warning. He tried to not look scared but he couldn’t help it the older boy scared him. He swung his leg over his broom and kicked off the ground hard, rising fast and as far away from Dmitry as he could. Finally, he felt like he was up high enough, he was only a few feet below Marissa but far enough away to cover most of the sky. He began to scan the skies occasionally looking over at Marissa, and just praying Dmitry didn’t seek him out and take him out of the game.
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<font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
Attempting to prove myself.
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<font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
May 12, 2010 6:39 PM
Attempting not to let you do that. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
For someone who'd been raised around a lot of jewelry made from it, Marissa was having no luck spotting useful flashes of gold; by the time the cheering over Lutece's save broke her concentration for a few seconds, she was feeling vaguely cotton-brained and a little frustrated. To give her head a rest from the ovals she'd been going in, she flew a few straight lines, still looking for anything that might be the Snitch. Better to dive and end up after a watch than to not do so and lose.Of course, with the weather, it wasn't very likely that she would end up going for someone's watch. That kind of thing didn't seem as likely to reflect well enough to be mistaken for the Snitch in cloudy weather. That might have been an advantage if it hadn't meant that the Snitch was just as unlikely to reflect the light well enough to be taken for itself as a watch was. Rocks and hard places didn't even come into it.
And yet she was enjoying herself. She had spent the first eleven years of her life, however politely her parents had gone about it, being groomed to view competition as a good thing. With History of Magic officially cancelled and her magic block still firmly in place, this was about the only chance she got to participate in a challenge and think she had a chance of succeeding. Academics were competitive here, too, but she had been out of the running since before the whistle sounded there. Maybe she could, on a good day, write any of her classmates into the ground, but they kept the gap closed through the practical sessions.
A glance over at the Pecari Seeker revealed him looking at her. It also showed what might - just might - have been a flash of gold behind him, a good way from either of them but far closer to his position than to hers. Since, if it was the Snitch, he would win a race even if their brooms were equal and even her knowledge of brooms was enough to let her know they weren't, she decided to try to draw him away from it instead of going to get it herself. Looking toward the ground, she faked a look of surprise and then began heading downward as quickly as she felt remotely comfortable doing, making sure he could see her before she began heading too much in the opposite direction.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
Attempting not to let you do that.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
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Coach Amelia Pierce
May 17, 2010 10:07 AM
Score: 10-0 Crotalus by Coach Amelia Pierce
The sound of a bludger hitting a person was one that Amelia listened for above all others. Normally, she didn't have to do much about it. Bludgers were a part of the game and injury due to them was not grounds for stopping play. Once in a while, she'd have to recommend a player excuse himself or herself down to the medic's tent to get seen to, when being down a player for a short while looked preferable to having a disabled player for the rest of the game.On very rare occasions, though, something like this happened.
Amelia drew her wand and cast a levitation charm on Pecari's Keeper, making the girl hover in mid-air while Amelia flew her own broom over toward the Pecari side of the Pitch. Still keeping one eye on the Quaffle, she saw the Abbott girl drop the ball through the undefended goal, and the Quidditch Coach blew her whistle.
A summoning spell reversed the direction of still falling Keeper's broom, and both Coach and broom reached the floating girl at about the same time. Amelia waited until Starbuck was steady on her broom again before releasing the levitation spell.
Another summoning brought the Quaffle to her and she gathered the chasers back to the center of the Pitch. In a loud voice that would carry to the spectators, she called, "Goal scored by Charlotte Abbott of Crotalus. The score is ten-zero, Crotalus. Play begins again at the whistle." She blew the whistle, threw the Quaffle up, and dropped down into a dive to get out of the way.
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Coach Amelia Pierce
Score: 10-0 Crotalus
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Coach Amelia Pierce
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<font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
May 17, 2010 3:01 PM
Looks like your attempt failed by <font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
Dorian had seen Starbuck fall and Crotalus score. He sighed Dmitry was going to rub it in his face that the other beater had taken out the Pecari Keeper. Dorian was glad when the Quidditch Coach helped Starbuck back on her broom. So Pecari was down 10-0, he knew he had to find the Snitch and soon. He saw the other Seeker start to head; he squinted around and didn’t see the Snitch in her direction at all. That meant only one thing; she had spotted it close to him and she was trying to get him to follow her.He turned around slowly and looked around; maybe he was wrong maybe the other girl had seen something. He did leaned forward on his broom and shot out by the Pecari goals. “There you are.” He said with a smile. Marissa was far away from and he had an open shot. He leaned again over the Phantom Seeker broom, and shot forward with burst a speed he was not ready for. As he near the golden little ball it move downwards and Dorian sighed. He hadn’t done many drives with this broom yet, it was faster then his old one, and he was nervous.
Yet the brown haired first year needed to prove himself to both his team and his older half brother. He pushed the broom into a dive and reached out his hand. He wanted to close his eyes so he didn’t see the ground rushing towards him, but he forced himself to leave them open. Dorian saw the ball halt for a moment and he reached out and felt his hand wrap around the cold metal and the fluttering wings.
He gasped for a moment brining it to his face to make sure what he saw was real and then screamed. “YES!” He, Dorian Grey Talsky had just won the game for the Pecari House! He threw the arm holding the snitch into the air and grinned like a full. He had proved himself to his team and he couldn’t wait to celebrate!
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<font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
Looks like your attempt failed
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<font color="brown"> Dorian Talsky, Seeker </font>
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Coach Pierce
May 17, 2010 4:16 PM
Game over: 150-10 Pecari wins! (nm) by Coach Pierce
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Coach Pierce
Game over: 150-10 Pecari wins! (nm)
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Coach Pierce
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