Coach Pierce
November 05, 2010 11:54 PM
Game Two: Teppenpaw vs. Crotalus by Coach Pierce
The beach was gone. This was not a thought Coach Amelia Pierce had ever thought she'd be thinking as she stepped onto the Sonora Quidditch Pitch in January, but it came to her just the same. The beach was gone. The Pitch looked exactly the same as it usually did for all but two weeks of the last year. She simply couldn't help the small feeling of loss (and the neccesity of pulling her robes closer around her in the midwinter chill) as she looked at the spot where she'd spent more than a few hours over midterm enjoying the sun and the unseasonably warm weather.Winter was back now.
It wasn't freezing, precisely; it was, in fact, pleasantly warm for January, in the low fifties, but after the beach weather she'd been enjoying recently, Amelia wished her neutrally black robes were just a little bit heavier.
The decision to hold the second Quidditch match of the year on the first Saturday after everyone returned to the school was not a deliberate torture for the Crotalus and Teppenpaw captains (despite what she imagined popular opinion must be), but a matter of expediency. Though there wasn't going to be a inter-school soccer match this year, the midsummer talent show was potentially going to be a pretty big time sink for some of the students, and it had been recommended to her that she should finish the Quidditch season early again this year.
So, here they were. Teppenpaw versus Crotalus. The first week back. Good luck to them all.
At least it was a nice day. Bright enough to see clearly, cloudy enough to not get blinded by the sun, warm enough not to freeze your ears or fingers off, cool enough that exertion would make the players feel comfortably warm instead of overheated, and not so much as a drop of precipitation in the air. Wind wasn't going to be much of a problem either; the light breeze in the air was barely enough to ruffle the coach's dark hair.
"Good afternoon, everyone," she called out once it looked like the two teams had gathered and the captains had finished their pep-talks. "Welcome to the second game of the year, with Teppenpaw facing Crotalus. Would the two captains please shake hands." It was more a command than a request, so she didn't let it sound like a question.
Once Charlotte Abbott and Lucie Dupree had done so, she nodded approval and sent them back to their teams. "I'm looking for a good, clean game. You all know the rules. Have fun and good luck." She released the snitch and the bludgers, and then hefted the Quaffle.
"Game ends when the snitch is caught, game begins on my whistle. One. Two. Three." She threw the red ball high into the air as her whistle shrilled loudly to signal the start of the match.
Subthreads: At least we aren't kicking off in the sand. by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font> with <font color="yellow">Kirstenna M, Keeper</font>, <font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>, <font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>, <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Chaser</font>, <font color="yellow">Arista Rose, Chaser</font>, <font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
Seeking glory, validation, and all that stuff. by <font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font> with <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>, Coach Pierce
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Coach Pierce
Game Two: Teppenpaw vs. Crotalus
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Coach Pierce
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
November 07, 2010 9:59 PM
At least we aren't kicking off in the sand. by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
Teppenpaw wasn’t exactly the school’s number one team to beat. Sam wasn’t quite sure, at this point, which team was the team to beat right now – with Pecari having a down year, with so many new players, it might have very well been his own – but he was sure it wasn’t Teppenpaw. It hadn’t been hard to get it out of Kate that they’d had serious problems pulling together a team, and he thought they might still only have six people on the Pitch. Their Seeker was also, well, Kate. There was, therefore, nothing to worry about, and no reason to be nervous about the game at all.Knowing this did nothing whatsoever to make Sam feel less nervous.
Finding out he did have a slight case of performance anxiety had been one of the bigger surprises about Sonora for him. He could only guess it was that the only person his own age he’d ever really had a consistent relationship with in Muggle school had been Lacy Johnson, otherwise known as the security risk from hell and She Who Should Be Avoided, so he’d had no reason to care what anyone except his mom and Uncle Jake thought of him. Here, he had to put up with the same people, peers and instructors, for years at a time, and he was automatically on a team of sorts just by being part of the Crotalus points system, and he was on a straightforward one by choice. He was part of the unit, which made the other parts more important to him than they would have been if he knew he would be moving on to a new unit in a few months, and that meant being nervous when the rest of the unit and the sub-units were watching him do stuff.
Luckily, he’d discovered in his first year that it temporarily went away when he was actually doing the stuff in question. He was nervous before, and nervous after, but not during, and during was what really counted. His mental state was of no interest to anyone but him so long as it didn’t interfere with performance. And really, it wasn’t even that interesting to him. It just gave him something to think about besides the possibility that he'd screw up.
Another thing to focus on to take his mind off things until the action started was a speech or two, so he listened to Charlotte and Coach Pierce with an intensity he only even showed in class on days when Fawcett or Crosby were being especially cryptic. After the second completed her short contribution to the event, though, they were mercifully allowed to start playing, and he was able to leave most conscious thought - or at least thought about things that didn't involve self-preservation and tactics - on the ground.
The self-preservation and tactics, though, stayed very firmly in his head, because he was, more by luck than by any desire to be, the first Chaser of the day to touch the Quaffle. It was something of an honor, but it also put him up with the Captains and Seekers as a target for the Teppenpaw Beater. Their Dmitri was not as intimidating as his Dmitry, but Sam reckoned he could still do some damage if he really wanted.
Pushing his broom as far as he thought he safely could without risking it breaking or him coming off, he managed a brief burst of speed that put him beyond the immediate, visible reach of any Teppenpaw looking to actually pluck the ball from his hands. Shortly after that, he got his fellow Crotali in his sights and, after a bit of a feint, attempted the first pass of the game. He really didn't want to take a Bludger to the head today, and if he had to take it for the team, then he'd rather not be holding the Quaffle when he did. If he had it in his hands then, he'd drop it, and Teppenpaw would have a prime chance to steal. If it stayed moving between Crotali, Teppenpaw also had a chance to steal, but the general theory seemed to be that Crotalus would have a slightly greater chance to remain in possession than they would if one of their own created a distraction by falling at the same time as the ball.
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
At least we aren't kicking off in the sand.
163
<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
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<font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>
November 07, 2010 10:44 PM
Seeking glory, validation, and all that stuff. by <font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>
As she followed the rest of her team out onto the Pitch and caught her first glimpse of the Crotalus team, Kate suddenly felt that she had what it took to take Marissa Stephenson's experience and make her eat it. She was going to win this match for Teppenpaw.It wasn't rational. She knew that. Marissa was a fourth year, practically ancient compared to a firstie like Kate, and she probably wasn't very ticked off right now, which meant her head would be clear. To the Crotali, Kate would be Kate, not a symbolic representation of some Teppenpaw relative who was being a real pain in the butt right now. She felt it anyway, though, and the way that neither the opposing Seeker nor her own cousin really seemed to notice her - she knew the way Sam in particular looked at something that might be important, and he barely seemed to register her presence - only made her feel it more.
As they all mounted their brooms, she wondered if Rachel was even watching. As the whistle blew, she decided that the answer was probably 'no.'
With the Snitch out of sight, she flew well above where the Quaffle was being used and began moving in a fast, straight line toward first one end of the Pitch and then turning to head the other, partially looking for the Snitch but mostly just trying to burn off some of her feelings so she could really focus. She had kept all her ranting inside her head, figuring the other girls in her dorm wouldn't really want to have their game day high spirits ruined by the knowledge that the Seeker was still fuming over a fight with her big sister, but that had just made it worse. She needed to get that out of her system. Being angry messed her head up more than anything else.
Besides, this wasn't about Rachel. Beating Marissa had assumed some dimension of beating all the pretty, privileged girls in Crotalus and therefore sort of beating Rachel, but it wasn't really about Rachel. It might have been, if things had gone differently, but now Rach didn't even come to the Quidditch Pitch ever as far as Kate knew. This was about the House, and showing people that Teppenpaw might have come in with some disadvantages - namely, Dmitri being on his own as Beater and Kate being a first year Seeker - but could still win.
She couldn't see really what was going on with the Quaffle, but she could see Marissa. She decided that while she would keep an eye on her, she wouldn't shadow her. Maybe a fourth year could pull off a Wronski Feint if she noticed that, and if she was lured below where the main action was, Kate wasn't sure she'd be able to process the lack of a Snitch in her vicinity and then pull out of the dive before she smashed into the ground. Getting a concussion really didn't seem like a good first - or second, third, fourth, or fifth - step toward showing Crotalus she was better than they thought she was.
She'd keep an eye on Marissa, but mostly, she was keeping her eyes on the air, looking for any flash of light that might be the Snitch. If she won this, it would probably be because she saw something and reacted to it at exactly the right second. She couldn't let her attention lapse. Not if she wanted to really win instead of just fume about how she was going to.
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<font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>
Seeking glory, validation, and all that stuff.
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<font color="yellow">Kate Bauer, Seeker</font>
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
November 07, 2010 11:15 PM
I'm just seeking something shiny. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
She knew it was stupid, since upsets happened all the time, but Marissa couldn't help but feel a little more confident of her abilities than usual as she got dressed for the game and went to meet with the rest of the team. The strengths and weaknesses of the rest of the Teppenpaw team were, until she became captain, mostly for the Chasers and Beaters and Keeper to worry about, but her opponent for the day was a first year. The chances of Sonora getting an Olympic-level prodigy in any House were low enough for her to feel that this gave her an advantage.Arriving early had seemed like an Assistant Captain-ly thing to do, and she smiled at everyone as they arrived, but she left the talking up to Charlie. That was her role, and besides, Marissa wasn't really good at speaking to small groups. It was easier to address a big, impersonal audience with a pre-prepared, impersonal speech, or to give a pep talk to someone one-on-one, than it was to work with several people she knew well enough to see individually when she looked at all of them. Even at home, she had trouble talking to all her friends at once for more than the length of an anecdote, and they were practically extensions of her family. She liked everyone here well enough, but they weren't like that for her.
Once Charlie had finished, and Marissa had made mental notes to use against the day when she had to make the pre-game talk regardless of her feelings on the matter, she chimed in with a quick, "Yeah, good luck, everyone!" and then went with the mentioned everyone to the center of the field. Coach Pierce was brief, so she had only enough time to give Kate a small smile and feel a swoop of irrational nervousness in her stomach before, almost automatically, she kicked off with the rest of her team and began to look for the Snitch.
It might feel like kind of a cheat to the audience, but she wanted to catch it quickly. She had a ton of work waiting for her back in her room, and getting in sooner meant less of a chance of being hit by a Bludger. They were one of the things in the Wizarding World she had carefully concealed from her parents, along with magical racism against her and the fact that she'd technically been on a date with someone her father hadn't gotten to meet. She didn't think that they really needed to know the only sport, other than jogging, she had available to her was actually more violent than soccer. It would cause two of their fundamental values - her being an active participant and her being safe - to come into conflict, and that would just be a headache for everyone.
Besides, they might make her quit, and she liked this. Being outside, away from her piles of work. Being part of a group. She'd been planning to quit before she was made Assistant Captain, but the truth was that she didn't really want to, and now that she was the A.C., she didn't think she really could, not without all kinds of negative backlash. And her entire Sonora Survival Strategy hinged on doing nothing that could have a negative backlash.
The Snitch, though, didn't seem to care what she wanted, or about what it would look like for her if Kate Bauer caught it first. She couldn't even see any watch reflections yet. Resigning herself to patience, she flew further toward the Teppenpaw end of the Pitch to see if it had anything to yield.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
I'm just seeking something shiny.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna M, Keeper</font>
November 08, 2010 1:51 PM
That is a plus. by <font color="yellow">Kirstenna M, Keeper</font>
Although she usually was upbeat and positive, Kirstenna certainly wasn't feeling that way about the Quidditch game against Crotalus. They were down a person and only had one Beater which made Kirstenna doubtful about Teppenpaw's chances to win.Besides, being here for this game, just reminded her of last year, when Brian had been the second Beater. Now, Kirstenna was feeling her friend's absense more than ever. No matter what, she was never going to forget him and would probably still feel the same funk even if they did have a second beater next year.
It was all the Impostor's fault, she knew. If the Impostor hadn't kidnapped Brian, they'd have their seventh player, even though Brian hadn't liked Beater. Maybe he'd be playing Chaser or Seeker now, with Kate or Arista in the Beater spot.
But instead, thanks to the Impostor he was playing nothing. If he was lucky enough not to be worm food, that is.
Not to mention that one of Crot's beaters was the legendarily scary Dmitry Talsky. If their Dmitri was half as scary as him maybe it wouldn't matter that he was their only beater. Also, Crotalus's Seeker had way more experience than Kate did. None of this helped Kirstenna feel any better.
At least they weren't playing
As soon as Coach Pierce blew the whistle, Kirstenna took off into the air and flew over to the Teppenpaw goals. She watched as Crotalus took posession right away and sighed. It was going to be a long game. She tried desperately to think of any advantages Teppenpaw might have had and the only things she could come up with were that they had Lucie, who had to have more experience than anyone on the field-and her. Kirstenna had a whole year's experience on Miya Saren.
She smiled. The second year hated to be egotistical and she doubted she was the best Keeper in existance but at this momentm Kirstenna needed any little thing to make her feel better. They may not win, but competing was hardly the most important thing. It just mattered that they all tried their best and had a good time.
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna M, Keeper</font>
That is a plus.
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna M, Keeper</font>
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<font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
November 11, 2010 3:55 PM
Passing it on... please catch. by <font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
Renée was so surprised she had actually caught the quaffle she paused in mid air before an eager bludger pulled her back to her senses. Blushing furiously, but smiling wide nonetheless, she sped her broom out of the way and continued to head towards the Teppenpaw goals.The first year had woken up nervous on the eve of her first ever quidditch match, but a letter from her older brother Gabriel had done wonders for her nerves. Though there were a couple of words she did not know in spanish (speaking the language was vastly different from reading it) she had understood most of his letter. She was so eager to play well in the game, mostly to seek his approval. He was a chaser in Sapienti university and very good. She was planning on becoming just as good... and maybe even a little better. Her brother had also drawn her sketch of herself throwing a quaffle in the hoop with his familiar scrawl, Buena suerte.
Renée kept the quaffle tucked tightly in the curve of her arm, keeping her eye out for both Sam and Charlie. When she thought she had an opening, Renée raised her broom handle and passed over one of her teammates before smoothly dropping the quaffle, expecting it to land safely in their waiting hands.
Continuing to head to the goals, the first year craned her neck to watch for bludgers and any passes from her teammates. The bubble of nervousness that had been growing in her body had evaporated as she plunged broom handle first into the thrill of her first ever game.
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<font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
Passing it on... please catch.
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<font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
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<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
November 12, 2010 11:28 AM
Caught, and continued by <font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
There was nothing so invigorating as a game right after the holidays. Without the burden of unfinished assignments, and with festive activities still fresh in her memory, Charlie felt she had more energy than usual for the first Crotalus game of the season. Which was just as well, because this game was actually making her a little nervous. The downside to playing so soon after the holiday, was that the players might not be in as good shape as if Charlie had been able to organise a week’s worth of practises in the run up to the game. As it was, all she could do was pull them together for a very brief pre-game meeting, and hope they’d all remembered their brooms. So once they’d gathered on the pitch, crimson colored Quidditch robes at least making them look more serious than their cheery yellow counterparts, Charlotte summoned the team around her.“Okay guys,” she began briskly, the fingers of her right hand clenched firmly around her broom handle. “You’ve all had a good rest over midterm, so I expect to see you at your very best during the game. Don’t slack off just because we’re playing Teppenpaw.” This was actually what had concerned Charlie most about the game. The prairie dogs didn’t even have a full team, and their Seeker was a firstie, and their team was usually pretty bad without these defects. Yet that didn’t mean they couldn’t pull off a good game. The very worst thing that could happen would be a Crotalus loss – they’d never live it down. Hopefully that just wouldn’t happen. Miya had been patchy during practises, and in all honesty Charlotte thought maybe Teppenpaw had the stronger Keeper, but that shouldn’t be enough to sway the game. She and Sam had already worked together as Chasers, and Reneé was shaping up to be a decent player, too. Dmitry and Theo were enough to send even the Pecaris flying in the opposite direction, so the Tepps should fear them, and rightly so. On top of all that, Marissa was an excellent Chaser with years of experience. When she thought of it like that, Charlie wondered why she’d felt nervous in the first place. “It’s good weather for playing, and you’ve all worked really hard in practises. Let’s go play our best and win this game!”
As Marissa added her call of good luck, and Coach Pierce called for the Captains to shake hands, Charlotte felt her competitive nature rise inside her like some powerful creature hidden in the depths of her psyche. It didn’t matter anymore that they were playing Teppenpaw – if Charlie was taking on the entire world right now she’d be equally as determined to win. She managed a smile at Lucie as she shook the older girl’s hand, but didn’t offer any vocal accompaniment. Wishing the other captain luck would be insincere, and any goading would come back to her three-fold if, by some catastrophe, they didn’t win. It wasn’t worth the risk.
So, mounting her broom, Charlotte readied herself for the whistle. She was so intent on the game she didn’t pay as close attention to where she’d positioned herself as perhaps she should, as when she kicked off her right foot slipped sharply on the mud where she’d been standing, causing a slow, unbalanced rise into the air that made her truly ashamed of herself. No matter; Crotalus had the Quaffle, and the other two Chasers were already progressing up the pitch. Charlie continued her course to join them, flying a little lower as she caught up, which placed her in a perfect position to receive Reneé’s pass. Furthermore, as she rose up, the red ball held tightly under her left arm, she managed to put herself in a commendable position for attempting a shot at goal. With the sound of a Bludger nearby, it was probably too risky to pass back to one of her fellow Chasers, anyway. With a quick upward glance, Charlotte flew upwards in a steep slope, heading towards the goalpost furthest on the right, and she flew as close as she dared before hurling the Quaffle at her goal. It was obvious where she’d been going, but she’d been close enough to make it difficult for the Keeper to act in time.
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<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
Caught, and continued
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<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
November 16, 2010 2:52 PM
Not caught by <font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
Kirstenna sighed as she watched the game. Crotalus had continued posession of the Quaffle which meant she had to be on alert. Not that she wasn't usually, Quidditch was an exciting game, and she enjoyed being involved in it.Usually, that was. Today Kirstenna was having difficulty getting into it. As much as she wanted to be positive and believe Teppenpaw had a fighting chance, she just couldn't delude herself. Kirstenna honestly believed that being down a person was going to make a huge difference. It was one less person to take out the other team.
Though come to think of it, maybe that wasn't so bad. The idea of taking out the other team was sort of barbaric and maybe Tepp didn't need to have the extra beater. Maybe they could win a game with good chasers and a good seeker. In fact, Tepp even had more experienced Chasers. Lucie was the most experienced player on the field and Tobar had more experience than either Sam or Renee.
They didn't need to take out the other team, even though they could have used another protector and it would even things out if Dmitri eliminated one of the Crotalus players. Maybe they could win this after all.
Kirstenna continued to watch. That's when Charlotte Abbott went for the goal. The young Teppenpaw moved quickly, but the older girl seemed to be moving quicker and seconds before Kirstenna was able to reach the ball, it passed through the hoop.
She sighed to herself and went to go get the ball. Now was time to throw it and Kirstenna passed it off to the nearest Teppenpaw chaser.
Maybe they could win, but not if she kept missing goals. Her hopes once raised were now dashed in a minute of seconds. Kirstenna vowed that she would save the next goal. She knew she wasn't in this to necessarily win, she would rather just have fun, but the second year didn't want to let down her house.
Besides, she wasn't having much fun today.
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
Not caught
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
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<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Chaser</font>
November 18, 2010 12:23 PM
Getting into the game. by <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Chaser</font>
Tobar was excited today was his first game as Assistant Captain. He was nervous about being in a leadership role but he figured he was the best for the job; after all he was one of the most senior players on the team besides Lucie. He donned his Quidditch robes nervously and ran a hand threw his short black hair. Could he really be only a year away from getting Captain? He shook his head no need to dwell on those thoughts at the moment he needed to focus on the game today. Teppenpaw was defiantly the underdogs today. By losing Hannah they had lost their experienced Seeker. Sure Kate was good but he worried about her going against Marissa Stephenson.He grabbed his broom and made his way down to the pitch. The game started pretty quickly and before he knew it Crotalus had taken control of the Quaffle before he knew it Charlotte had scored. ‘Crap!’ He thought and zoomed forward to the catch the ball from Kirstenna. Tucking it under his arm he shot forward looking around for the other Chasers.
Where were they? Come on guys! Was his team sleeping? Knowing he was a flying target he had to get rid of the ball. Finally he caught a glimpse of another Teppenpaw chaser. Knowing he had had the Quaffle for too long he threw it off to the other player, praying to Merlin it got in the hands of Lucie who could try and score.
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<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Chaser</font>
Getting into the game.
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<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Chaser</font>
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<font color="yellow">Arista Rose, Chaser</font>
November 18, 2010 5:39 PM
I GOT IT! by <font color="yellow">Arista Rose, Chaser</font>
The first year woke up in a cold sweat early in the morning of the day of her first ever Quidditch match. She had just had a nightmare that she'd not only forgotten to put on her game robes, but that she'd gone out there to the pitch without her broom! Shivering, she looked at her sweat-stained face in her small mirror by her bedside table and she wiped her forehead with the back of her arm."I'm okay... It was only a nightmare..." She said to herself, slightly less panicked now that the nightmare was over. Arista took in a deep breath and sent it back out again in short spurts. 'There is no need or reason to stress, right?' the nervous first year thought to herself as she stood up and put on her clothes. What she hadn't realized however, was that her shirt was on backwards and inside out and her jeans were the ones she had on the day before, not the ones she had been planning on wearing that morning. Pulling her shoes onto the wrong feet, she stood up and realized what she'd done. Sitting down once more, a red blush forcing itself across her face, she switched her shoes and left her room in a hurry, grabbing her robes and broom on her way out. Arista still not realize her shirt was not on right.
She knew it was much too early to head to the pitch, but she knew she wouldn't be able to eat that morning, so to the pitch she went anyway. 'I can get some extra flying in...' she thought as she reached the pitch. Pulling her robes on, she picked up her broom and mounted it.
Flying high into the air she readied herself as best as she could for the game that lay ahead. She didn't realize how long she'd been flying, but it seemed as if it was hours later. The rest of her team, not to mention the other team, Crotalus and the rest of the school was arriving on the pitch and she waved at them, coming down to the ground once more, dismounting and walked towards her teammates, waving.
The game began, and already Crotalus had the Quaffle. "No!" She screached and flew faster to try to get it when they threw it, to no avail. The Crotalus chaser scored on Kirstenna and again Arista's competitive edge (as well as her mismatched socks) HATED to lose at anything. She vowed to get the Quaffle back and score on Crotalus in retaliation. Tobar caught Kirstenna's throw of the Quaffle and held onto it far too long and it seemed that they both knew it. She flew as fast as she could to be underneath him so that he could toss her the ball.
He threw the ball and she removed her sweating hands from her broomstick and caught the large red ball with ease. "YES!" She shouted happily to herself and she held the ball safely in the crook of her arm. Flooring it across the pitch, she almost made it to the Crotalus end when she spotted Lucie, her other fellow chaser and their team captain. "Lucie!" The young Teppenpaw shouted and aimed the Quaffle hard at her. She knew she'd had the ball too long as well, and she wouldn't get much further towards the goal posts! 'Come on Lucie!' she thought to herself as she threw the ball right in Lucie's direction. Watching in anticipation of the hopeful catch, she fell back to get out of the way of a flying black bludger.
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<font color="yellow">Arista Rose, Chaser</font>
I GOT IT!
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<font color="yellow">Arista Rose, Chaser</font>
0
5
<font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
November 18, 2010 7:03 PM
Intercepted {What a wonderful time to gloat} by <font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
Renée beamed when Charlie scored the first goal of the game. Letting go of her broom for a moment, she clapped her hands and gave a 'whoop' before concentrating back on the game. She knew she hadn't been the one to score, but just helping with her successful pass made her feel all important and wonderful. She glanced momentarily at the stands, as if expecting people to point out her role in the game.Teppenpaw now had possession of the quaffle. Renée urged her broom faster as the opposing chasers made their way to Crotalus goals. Her roommate Miya was keeper and while Renée knew she was capable (especially considering that they were both only first years) she didn't think she'd be doing a good job as chaser if the quaffle was heading in her keeper's direction. She dropped down low on her broom as a bludger came whizzing past her. She hadn't yet been able to master abrupt twists and turns so as to avoid altering her entire course around a bludger. She looked up to see a Teppenpaw chaser pass to another.
Renée again urged her broom to go faster, staying below her opponent, Crotalus robes flapping against her knees as she stayed bent forward, parallel to the broom, only her head tilted up to watch for the quaffle. Luckily, the chaser had held onto the ball long enough for Renée to catch up with her. They were very near the goals when the chaser suddenly shouted, "Lucie!"
Renée suddenly swerved in an upward diagonal direction, one arm outstretched, and was just able to graze her fingers on the red leather bound ball. She bumped it up on the air before being able to get a confident grip on it, and then she tucked it quickly into the curve of her arm. Her eyes bright, she shot a grin towards the chasers who had failed to make the pass, and shot off back towards the Teppenpaw goals, her wild curls waving around her face. Spotting both Charlie and Sam, she sent a feint pass to one before sending the real thing to the other.
She had been trying to look fancy, but in retrospect she supposed it was obvious to whom she was sending it to. 'Still,' She thought with glee. 'I made the first interception of the game.' And with that happy thought, she went back to focusing on winning the game.
0
<font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
Intercepted {What a wonderful time to gloat}
0
<font color="red">Renée Errant, Chaser</font>
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5
<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
November 19, 2010 3:52 PM
Don't boast <s>Draco</s> Renée by <font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
Woot! The Keeper hadn't been able to block the goal, which wasn't really a reflection on her performance: it had been an escpecially difficult shot to block. Charlotte wouldn't let this color her opinion of the young Keeper. Still, the frst goal of the game had been a real Crotalus team effort. Charlie was proud of her Chasers. If they kept this up all game then there really was nothing to worry about. Charlie didn't want to get cocky, but she was feeling more confident by the minute that Crotalus had the better team in this game. It therefore only seemed polite to let the Keeper pass back to one of her own players. It was only when the quaffle went zooming off down the pitch that Charlie felt some unease again. Where the devil were her Beaters? There were two of them! There should be no way two Tepp Chasers could get the Quaffle that far down the pitch, especially when the yellow clad team just had one Beater, and Crotalus had a full set of two. They kept this up and Charlie would take a Beater's bat to the both of them after the game, she didn't care if she was dating one of them.Already following the Tepp chasers down the pitch, Charlie noted Sam and Renée were already ahead of her. Just as well for her to take up the back, unless they - yep, just like that. Renée intercepted the Quaffle in a fantastic manouevre that made the captain proud. Sooner than you could say 'Firebolt' the Quaffle was heading back dwon the picth. Charlie turned and followed suit, slowing her pace and giving Renée more options for a pass. Unlike the Tepps, the Crotalus Chasers knew not to carry the ball for a long stretch down the picth. She only hoped they tried it again and the Beaters were actually paying attention this time. For now, Charlotte's attention was on her other Chasers. Renée feinted to Sam, then passed to Charlie in a very neat manner. Pleased as punch at her newest Chaser, Charlie tucked the red ball under her arm, and carried on up the pitch. She kept up her speed, hoping to out-fly all the Teppenpaw Chasers they'd left down the other end of the pitch, and giving her space to pass the ball again. having flown into the centre of the pitch, the captain had the luxury of a Chaser each side. Deciding which looked like the safest bet for a catch, she veered in that direction as she made a short chest pass. If they could get in another Crotalus goal she would be elated.
She knew the Chaser team had worked well together during their practises, but you could never tell how people would be in a game until they were actually, well, in a game. Sam had been fair last year, and had only improved. Renée was turning out to be a real asset to the team. In fact, they were playing as well together as Charlie had played with her brother, and they'd had a whole lifetime of experience to perfect their game play. Charlotte liked to think that teppenpaw didn't stand a chance. Of course, the truth of the matter was that more often than not the Seeker determined the outcome of the game. Here Charlie had confidence, too - Marissa had been excellent thus far. So long as she kept her focus today, she should be able to out-fly some newbie from the Teppenpaw team. Still, no reason not to stay focussed.
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<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
Don't boast <s>Draco</s> Renée
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<font color="red">Charlotte Abbott, Chaser</font>
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
November 23, 2010 8:53 PM
Moving things along by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
Sam liked Kirstenna Melcher as well as he liked anyone here at Sonora, and more than a few, but he still grinned when she failed to save Charlie's attempt at a goal. This wasn't about liking someone - this was about Quidditch. It looked better for him to be on a team of Chasers that scored goals than on one that didn't. Therefore, Kirstenna's loss was his gain, and he didn't like her that much.His mother had occasionally, on her more pious and less ambitious-by-proxy days, listed a selfish streak as one of his flaws. Sam supposed she wasn't wrong.
He was, however, exactly enough of a sportsman - and aware enough of his neck, and the penalties Crotalus would incur if he managed to collide with someone in the process - not to swoop in and try to steal the Quaffle right at the goals when Kirstenna threw it back into the game. He supposed Charlie and Renée felt the same way. Very soon, though, he was regretting it, because Teppenpaw Chaser Guy and Little Teppenpaw Chaser Girl proceeded to keep the ball between them way too long. The moment she intercepted it was the moment Sam decided he officially liked Renée. The way she pulled off the feint didn't hurt matters, either.
He picked up speed with Charlie to avoid the Teppenpaws and, since she seemed to prefer a less complex approach to passing at the moment, caught the pass without difficulty. Because of the speed-up, though, it looked like it was going to be up to him to attempt the next goal.
Well, it had to happen sometime. He had done this often enough in practice, and it didn't seem all that different to do it for real. Not when he looked at it logically, and Sam liked it better when he looked at it that way. He went as though he were going to try for another right hoop goal before pulling, as close in and quickly as he quite dared try, which was probably closer and more quickly than even he believed was really advisable, away to the left and throwing the Quaffle that way instead, hoping the movement had been quick enough to throw Kirstenna off.
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
Moving things along
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
November 24, 2010 6:13 PM
Stopping you by <font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
Although she had failed to stop the last goal, Kirstenna smiled. Smiled because Tobar had not just caught it, but that her throw actually went to a Teppenpaw instead of oh, possibly going into the stands and hitting a spectator. Kirstenna was terrible at throwing and she was extremely glad that her throw had managed to stay on course.That didn't mean she was happy that she failed to block the goal but Kirstenna knew things like that happened to everyone. It wasn't worth getting too down about both because there were far worse things in life-such as being kidnapped and having your identity stolen or being turned into a beetle-and because there was no time to worry about it or she'd be too distracted to block any further attempts by the Crotalus team to score.
Kirstenna grinned as Arista caught Tobar's pass and the Quaffle began to move towards the opposite end of the field. She hoped that if Teppenpaw tried to score, the other Keeper would miss just as she had, even though she wasn't entirely comfortable with that thought. Kirstenna thought that it was kind of mean to wish for someone's failure but she couldn't help it.
Unfortunately, instead of going for a goal, or Lucie or Tobar catching Arista's pass, Renee, the girl she'd met in the gardens, intercepted. Kirstenna groaned inwardly. She had so been hoping Teppenpaw could score a goal. To make up for the one she'd missed.
Kirstenna winced as Charlie got the Quaffle and then Sam. She watched carefully as her classmate started to go for the right goal, but then pulled over to the left. She zoomed over and caught the Quaffle seconds before it could go in. Kirstenna threw it off, hoping for second lucky throw that would reach a Teppenpaw Chaser.
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
Stopping you
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<font color="yellow">Kirstenna</font>
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
November 24, 2010 7:24 PM
*grumbles* by <font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
It was a sure thing. It had to be a sure thing. There was no way it could not be a sure thing. Somehow, though, Sam found himself coming back around to see Kirstenna holding the Quaffle and trying to pass it back to her team.He looked again. Yep, that was what was happening.
Well, there was no such thing as a sure thing, anyway. Bits of his brain were aware, though, that his lack of annoyance about this was a product of his focus on the game more than anything, though, and that he was going to spend the rest of this week berating himself about it. Next time, he told those bits, try harder.
This time, he really did consider trying to steal the ball right at the goals. Kirstenna's throw was far from the best he had ever seen, so it might not even be very hard, and it might catch her enough off-guard that another goal would get past her. Of course, he couldn't really go anywhere with it, so if it didn't shock her right off the bat, then the exercise would be doomed to failure.
Yeah, that would suck. Once was bad luck, could happen to anyone. Twice was just...Yeah. Plus, it might look kind of bad to the masses. Unsportsmanlike. Breaking the unwritten rules of the game. He wasn't going there. Instead, he dropped back slightly, ready to give one of the girls something to maneuver with if they did feel like going there or to steal the ball back from the Teppenpaws before they could cover any real distance toward Miya if they succeeded in reclaiming the ball.
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
*grumbles*
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<font color="red">Sam Bauer, Chaser</font>
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
November 27, 2010 2:50 PM
...and I'm finding it. by <font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
Between looking for the Snitch, make sure Kate Bauer was not getting close to the Snitch, and being aware of whether or not Bludgers were in her general vicinity, Marissa couldn’t pay much attention to the fluctuations of the game, but she did hear the applause from one side of the Pitch when Crotalus made a goal and the clamor on the Teppenpaw side when Kirstenna Melcher saved another. As long as the action stayed firmly at the Teppenpaw end of the Pitch, though, she wasn’t really worried about it. The worst that could happen while everyone was at the Teppenpaw goals was Crotalus simply not getting further ahead.She did wonder, though, how people with no affiliation to either side organized their seating at a game. She could understand someone with a sibling in a different House siding with that House if their own House wasn’t playing, or if one or the other parent had been a such-and-such back in the day, but what about people like her? The only person in all the Wizarding World she had was herself, so she either sat where people she knew were going or switched back and forth based on where she’d sat last, but she’d never noticed that even the Houses had firm alliances or disagreements – the Aladrens might get along with the Teppenpaws here, or with the Crotali another, and it didn’t seem that uncommon for even Crotali and Pecaris, who were supposed to be total opposites by definition and who often seemed to have the strongest antagonism of the Houses as collectives, to have friendships or even couples between them. Certainly she couldn’t remember there ever being a physical fight in the whole time she’d been at Sonora.
Everyone could get along. Except during these games. Everything went out the window when there was a great number of points and a bit of glory to be won.
As the Quaffle came back into play, Marissa saw a glint of gold in the direction the players were, no doubt, about to start moving and her head jerked toward it. The placement was all wrong for it to be a reflection. If she could just get there before the rest of the teams made that general area a madhouse in which she couldn’t find her own name, never mind a ball the size of a walnut….
Outflying Kate wouldn’t, she thought, be much of an issue. She’d been watching her opponent out of the corner of her eye, a bit, and while she wasn’t bad, definitely better than Marissa had been when she started doing this – magical family, Marissa guessed, especially since there were two Bauers in Crotalus and one of them acted like a pureblood – she was still more awkward on a broom than Marissa was. They were on full-sized brooms, and from what she understood, there were smaller ones between the toy and adult sizes that children often used before school. Kind of like bicycles. Still, she moved fast, faster than she had been in quite a while, toward that sparkle, holding onto her broom hard enough for her knuckles to hurt a little as she altered her trajectory to match the darting of the ball and didn’t blink in case she missed that one second it took it to move somewhere unexpected.
She had never actually managed to catch the ball before, not in a game, so she was a little surprised by how anti-climactic it was. She mostly just felt jolted from how she’d slowed to manage it without being thrown from her broom, like her heart was going far too fast for her long-term health to benefit, and an awareness that she’d better get out of the way if she didn’t want to be flattened by a Chaser before everyone realized the game was over. It was only after she had done so that she began to grin.
They’d won.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
...and I'm finding it.
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<font color="red">Marissa Stephenson,Seeker</font>
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Coach Pierce
November 28, 2010 12:13 AM
Crotalus wins! 160-0 (nm) by Coach Pierce
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Coach Pierce
Crotalus wins! 160-0 (nm)
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Coach Pierce
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