Charlotte Abbott
August 30, 2010 12:24 PM
Crotalus Quidditch try-outs by Charlotte Abbott
As Promised when Sunday morning rolled around, Charlie was waiting for Marissa on the Quidditch pitch a little before 10am. She was wearing her team robes - she thought it would make a good impression - and had already flown a couple of warm-up laps on Oliver's old Bluebottle by the time Marissa arrived. A box of practise balls was on the ground near them ready for try-outs. "Good morning," Charlie greeted her Assistant cheerfully, smiling as she demounted her broom and held it by her side. "So, congratulations again," she said to the younger girl, viewing her promotion to assistant captaincy as something to be proud of, particularly, as she's already hinted in the note, as they were both girls playing Quidditch in Crotalus. They were a rare breed."Basically we've got a full team signed up, no reserves," Charlotte said, showing the sign-up sheet to Marissa; she'd taken it from the board on her way down to the pitch. "Theo doesn't want to be beater any more, which is a shame, 'coz he was okay, but he wants to give Keeper a go, so this Miya kid can have a go at beater, and," - she checked the list to make sure she was getting the names right - "Reneé can be the last Chaser." It all sounded so simple. Charlie grinned. "That is, if they can play."
"So I guess I'm supposed to be showing you the ropes or something," Charlie raised an eyebrow at Marissa, "but, um, it's fairly self-explanatory. You're not stupid. Stick a sign-up sheet up at the start of the year, organise practises and encourage your team. Sorted." That was about what Oliver had said to her, too. "But if there's anything you wanna ask me, go ahead."
It wasn't long before those who had signed up arrived on the pitch. Charlotte allowed an extra smile for her boyfriend, Dmitry, but was generally cheerful with everyone. It was a pleasant morning and they were out playing Quidditch. What could be better? "Hey everyone." Charlie greeted them when it looked as though everyone was there. "For those of you who don't know, I'm Charlie Abbott, and this is Marissa. Crotalus haven't won the Quidditch league in a good long while, but this could be our year, okay? Let's see what you've got."
Checking the sheet again, Charlotte split the team up into small gorups for try-outs. She wasn't going to start with a warm-up; if any of these kids couldn't fly, that would very quickly become apparent. "Miya?" Charlie waited for the girl to identify herself. She looked way too small for a Beater, especially considered next to Dmitry, but she was the only other person who'd signed up for that position. "Right. Dmitry, you take Miya and a Bludger and see what she's got. I want to see aim, so hit the ball towards each other from a good distance. Start off easy, and I'll be over in a bit to see what you're up to."
"Marissa, could keep an eye while I sort out the Chasers?" Charlie asked. "Then in a bit I want you to give Reneé a go Seeking; I want her as reserve just in case." Then, turning back to the other players, the captain continued. "Theo, you want to try for Keeper, so get up to the hoops. Sam, you've got Chaser again with me, so let's see if Theo can keep up with us. Reneé, come on up and join us. We'll just pass the ball about a bit, and you can have a go at shooting, okay?" Providing the firstie could catch a ball and fly at the same time, she'd made the team, but Charlie would like to see how well she played, anyway.
"Any questions? Okay, let's go." Charlie grabbed a quaffle and joined the other Chasers in the air, hoping to pass a bit for practise and, hopefully, not score any goals because Theo would turn out to be amazing. After about ten minutes she would leave Sam and Theo to it, go see the Beaters for herself, and ask Marissa to do some flying and catching drills with Reneé. It looked like a practise as much as a try-out.
OOC: Remember not to write for other characters, and only the Keeper can say whether or not the ball made it through the hoop. If your haven't signed up but still want to try-out for the team, just join the appropriate practise and pretend Charlie mentioned you along with the others. Thanks.
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Charlotte Abbott
Crotalus Quidditch try-outs
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Sam Bauer
September 09, 2010 10:08 PM
Doing as instructed. by Sam Bauer
On the surface, Quidditch was straightforward. It was a game in which witches and wizards with a death wish flew around a long way above the ground, diving and dodging and getting hit by the occasional solid metal ball, breaking bones and sometimes giving the audience a momentary thrill of not knowing if someone else would cast a spell to catch them as they fell toward the ground. Exciting for everyone, players and audience alike, an acceptable way for some to express tendencies that, as adults, might spiral into sociopathy, and a blank slate at the end of the day.Beneath the surface, it was more complicated. House honor rode on it. Internal conflicts of status and self-worth took place left, right, and center. Private rivalries between individuals on opposing teams, made all the more complicated by the degree of familial and friendly relationships among a small student body. And that was even before the actual outside politics about girls and potions and money and all that came into it.
Sam liked that duality. He had a weakness for the spectacular, and the nature of the flip side made it so each game could be a little drama. Drama without consequences, since he was already at the very bottom of the magical and Muggle worlds' social ladders and therefore couldn't be hurt, but it made the game more fun to play.
Practice, though, was like doing homework in Muggle school to win an award at the end of the year. He knew that it was the only way to get to the good stuff, but that didn't keep the intermediate stuff from occasionally dragging on. By the time they got to their first game, it would be a routine to go to the workouts, but a part he was less than totally enthusiastic about. On the first day, though, he was in a good mood. Sure, they had way too many new people or position changes, but they could still win. They would win.
Charlotte seemed to agree with his assessment, though she didn't speak in absolute terms. Good move, probably; that would keep them from feeling too much pressure. Games when too much was on the line went bad pretty fast. It was like those idiots on reality TV who got worked up in the crucial competition and lost after a winning streak, earning a trip to the jury.
The directions were many and slightly confusing, but Sam had heard that his spot was good, so he decided to just focus on the Quaffle and helping the captain work out Theo and Renée on Keeper and Chaser. Maybe he should try to steal the ball from the firstie or intercept it en route to her, to see how she would do. Handling those attempts was one of the hard things; he wasn't totally proficient at it himself, and only did as well as he did because he was on the small side for a Chaser and could move fast.
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Doing as instructed.
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Renée Errant
September 12, 2010 4:10 PM
Slight Loss of Bravado by Renée Errant
Renée was a little breathless as she hurried onto the pitch. She had slept a little later than she had planned to, still expecting her mother to come shake her out of bed, and had only time to stuff a banana muffin in her mouth before she grabbed her broom and headed for the try out. Even though practicing with Brad helped convince herself that she wasn't lacking in talent, it did absolutely nothing to soothe her nerves. She was sure she would be fine with a one - on - one practice, but to try out in front of entire team? To try out in front of older kids? That was nerve wracking. Renée was definitely not on the shy/bashful/timid side, but this had her a bit nervous."Okay, calm down. Calm down." She paused before entering the field and then walked on, joining the rest of the team gathered around whom she assumed was the captain.
Renée listened carefully at the directions, or at least tried to. She was becoming increasingly aware of how much smaller she was than everyone else, excluding Miya.
"Any questions? Okay, let's go."
Renée swung her leg over her broom, tensed her legs, dug the soles of her shoes into the ground, then kicked off.
"Ah..." she sighed, briefly closing her eyes as she rose into the air, feeling the slight breeze tickle her brown curls. Some of the tension was starting to slip away, but it was still there.
She joined the captain and the other boy (Sam, maybe?) in the air by the goal hoops. She smiled nervously at Charlie, and held her hands up, ready to catch the quaffle but unsure what was to be expected of her exacty. Trying to sum up that bravado she was so used to possessing, Renée straightened her posture and cleared her throat slightly. "Um... I'm ready?"
Well, it was a start.
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Renée Errant
Slight Loss of Bravado
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