As part of our efforts to preview all 80 teams competing in USQ World Cup 8, the Quidditch Post is chatting with representatives from each team. Today we spoke with Luke Changet, coach of Blue Mountain Quidditch Club (BMQC).
Photo courtesy of Blue Mountain Quidditch Club
Quidditch Post: Although Blue Mountain is a first year team, you have many players who’ve had both individual success with players such as Team USA's Ashley Calhoun and team success with players such as Katie Milligan being key to deep World Cup runs in the past. Who would you say is crucial to BMQC having a deep World Cup run?
Luke: I wouldn't say any one person would be crucial to BMQC having a deep run; it's all about our depth. We have a bunch of solid players on our bench, but none of them have ever been able to step up and make great plays consistently. If we want to make a deep run at World Cup, we need solid contributions from all 21 players, not just the starters.
QP: Are there any players who haven't gotten the recognition they deserve?
Luke: Ha. All of them? Alex Scheer and Graham Giles are our defensive rocks who nobody notices, but without them the whole defense collapses. Ryan Sparks might be the best raw female talent in quidditch, but because she's only a second year player, she struggles to get the recognition she deserves.
QP: Do you or the team have any goals for World Cup?
Luke: Win.
QP: What will that take?
Luke: Heh. Scoring more points than our opponents. But actually, improvements across the board. Our depth isn't strong enough right now to win a World Cup, but we have all the tools we need if we put in the work to hone them.
QP: How will you all be preparing for World Cup?
Luke: Well, as a spread out community team, it's a bit tricky. We can't hold regular practices like just about every other team in the IQA (yes, I meant IQA, not USQ). So, we have to improvise. Over the fall, our plan was to play as many games as possible in order to build chemistry. We viewed every tournament until the Midwest Regional Championship (MWRC) as practice, where we tried new things to see what worked, to see what didn't, and to build from there. This semester, we're changing that up a little. We're going to about one tournament per month, with practices as evenly spaced between them as we can get. Our practices were all two-a-days, and before MWRC, we had four in a weekend with two film sessions breaking them up. I can see each of our spring practices going the same way. Beyond that, we've begun recruiting again. We've already made what I feel to be two incredible additions and are still looking for more.
QP: Would you say that BMQC has a particular style of play?
Luke: I guess it's a tricky question because our style of play has changed so much over the course of the year.
QP: Can you elaborate on that at all? How would you say it’s changed and why?
Luke: Yeah. I also think that it will continue to keep evolving as we add new pieces and continue to mesh. We tried a bit of up tempo, which worked moderately well, but we never had enough depth at tournaments to really stick with it. As we add new players to our roster, we're hoping to get enough depth to maybe go back to this. We've played slower before as well, particularly later in tournaments when trying to save strength. We've played zone defenses, man defenses, and one defense was just for Ohio State Quidditch (though that one is now outdated). Our style of play is adaptable to who we have at tournaments and who we're playing. In every situation, we try to play a particular style, but overall we don't stick to one particular style.
QP: Are there any teams you'd particularly like to play?
Luke: Lone Star Quidditch Club.
QP: Because it looks like the top team, or are there other reasons?
Luke: Lone Star is the top team, and everyone should want to take a shot at the best to see how you stack up. Sadly, we won't get a chance until World Cup. By then it'll be too late to improve if we need to. So yeah, if there was any one team I could play today, it's Lone Star for sure.
QP: I think that covers everything. Thanks, Luke!
Luke: Sure thing!
Photo courtesy of Blue Mountain Quidditch Club
Quidditch Post: Although Blue Mountain is a first year team, you have many players who’ve had both individual success with players such as Team USA's Ashley Calhoun and team success with players such as Katie Milligan being key to deep World Cup runs in the past. Who would you say is crucial to BMQC having a deep World Cup run?
Luke: I wouldn't say any one person would be crucial to BMQC having a deep run; it's all about our depth. We have a bunch of solid players on our bench, but none of them have ever been able to step up and make great plays consistently. If we want to make a deep run at World Cup, we need solid contributions from all 21 players, not just the starters.
QP: Are there any players who haven't gotten the recognition they deserve?
Luke: Ha. All of them? Alex Scheer and Graham Giles are our defensive rocks who nobody notices, but without them the whole defense collapses. Ryan Sparks might be the best raw female talent in quidditch, but because she's only a second year player, she struggles to get the recognition she deserves.
QP: Do you or the team have any goals for World Cup?
Luke: Win.
QP: What will that take?
Luke: Heh. Scoring more points than our opponents. But actually, improvements across the board. Our depth isn't strong enough right now to win a World Cup, but we have all the tools we need if we put in the work to hone them.
QP: How will you all be preparing for World Cup?
Luke: Well, as a spread out community team, it's a bit tricky. We can't hold regular practices like just about every other team in the IQA (yes, I meant IQA, not USQ). So, we have to improvise. Over the fall, our plan was to play as many games as possible in order to build chemistry. We viewed every tournament until the Midwest Regional Championship (MWRC) as practice, where we tried new things to see what worked, to see what didn't, and to build from there. This semester, we're changing that up a little. We're going to about one tournament per month, with practices as evenly spaced between them as we can get. Our practices were all two-a-days, and before MWRC, we had four in a weekend with two film sessions breaking them up. I can see each of our spring practices going the same way. Beyond that, we've begun recruiting again. We've already made what I feel to be two incredible additions and are still looking for more.
QP: Would you say that BMQC has a particular style of play?
Luke: I guess it's a tricky question because our style of play has changed so much over the course of the year.
QP: Can you elaborate on that at all? How would you say it’s changed and why?
Luke: Yeah. I also think that it will continue to keep evolving as we add new pieces and continue to mesh. We tried a bit of up tempo, which worked moderately well, but we never had enough depth at tournaments to really stick with it. As we add new players to our roster, we're hoping to get enough depth to maybe go back to this. We've played slower before as well, particularly later in tournaments when trying to save strength. We've played zone defenses, man defenses, and one defense was just for Ohio State Quidditch (though that one is now outdated). Our style of play is adaptable to who we have at tournaments and who we're playing. In every situation, we try to play a particular style, but overall we don't stick to one particular style.
QP: Are there any teams you'd particularly like to play?
Luke: Lone Star Quidditch Club.
QP: Because it looks like the top team, or are there other reasons?
Luke: Lone Star is the top team, and everyone should want to take a shot at the best to see how you stack up. Sadly, we won't get a chance until World Cup. By then it'll be too late to improve if we need to. So yeah, if there was any one team I could play today, it's Lone Star for sure.
QP: I think that covers everything. Thanks, Luke!
Luke: Sure thing!
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