International Weekend Wrap-Up - November 19-20

Contributions by Marco Anglano, Andy Marmer, Bex McLaughlin, Kamil Urgun, Carrie Soukup, and Audrey Wheeler

There is a lot going on in the world of quidditch on any particular weekend, and most of us only see the stories immediately relevant to our regions. However, it can be very interesting to look outside of our own bubble every once in a while and take a look at the rest of the global community. To that end, each week the Quidditch Post collects information about tournaments and events that happened during the weekend around the world.

This week we are covering Copa Catalana (Catalan Cup), Italy’s Lega Quidditch: Girone Bianco, Turkey’s league game between METU Unicorns and Bilkent Foxes, and the US’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship and Texas State’s Mini Fantasy Tournament.

Catalonia – III Copa Catalana

1. Barcelona Eagles

2. Nightmare Grims

Sunday, Nov. 20 witnessed the third iteration of Catalan Cup, which was also the European Quidditch Cup (EQC) 2017 qualification for the Associació de Quidditch de Catalunya (AQC). The championship match between the Nightmare Grims of Tarragona and the Barcelona Eagles was played at 6 p.m. after the playing of the Catalan national anthem and introduction of all the players. The score was 130*-30 in favour of the Eagles, who will now be making their fourth appearance at EQC in March.

Barcelona Eagles win Copa Catalana III | Photo Credit: Barcelona Eagles

David “Kise” Snopko capitalised on two opportunities to score in the first two minutes of the game for the Eagles, Cristòfol Roselló caught the snitch within ten seconds of release, and Angel Miguel Guerrero was the Grims’ MVP with strong offensive and defensive presence. Overall, this was an improved performance from World Cup.  

The championship game was a pre-determined matchup as the Grims and Eagles are the only Catalan teams currently in the financial position and with enough players to make the trip to Belgium for EQC. The rest of the day was spent with mixed, non-official matches between the other Barcelona team, the Wyverns; the new UAB Ashwinders (Autonomous University of Barcelona); and the Manresa Bipolar Bears formed by some of the Eagles, with some mercs also in attendance. Imperius Zaragoza dropped from the event. AQC thanks Yeray Espinosa for traveling from the Basque Country to referee the event.

Italy – Lega Quidditch: Girone Bianco

1. Smashing Frogs - Clanis Quidditch

2. Siena Ghibellines Quidditch Club

3. Hinkypunks Bologna Quidditch

The final rankings of the Lega Quidditch’s first tournament surprised almost everyone on Nov. 19 in Imola (near Bologna), but it represents perfectly what happened on the pitch. Smashing Frogs - Clanis Quidditch have won their first official tournament played, showing a tactical intelligence both in quaffle and bludger game that is usually unexpected from a recently officialized team.

Siena Ghibellines, Hinkypunks Bologna, and Smashing Frogs have complicated the rankings, arriving together at the top with 12 points. QPD has rewarded Smashing Frogs, while the other two teams are equal in terms of QPD and thus it has been necessary to take into account the snitch catches. Both teams have shown some improvement from the last national tournament, which will make the games against them more unpredictable.

Imola Hurricane Quidditch and Perugia Gryphons - Muggle Quidditch – both debuting in this tournament and with a small roster – have showed a lack of tactics and fundamentals that have permitted the other three teams to take the distance in the final ranking, but have showed to have the potential to surprise in the Coppa Italiana next May, with some interesting players that could be the key of their improvement in the next months.

Smashing Frogs Clanis Quidditch | Photo Credit: Ramona Ciocanelea

Turkey – Turkish Quidditch League: METU Unicorns vs. Bilkent Foxes
With the Turkish Quidditch Cup having passed, the second half of the Turkish Quidditch League is now in full swing, and almost every weekend from now until the end of the year there will be league games.

On Nov. 20, METU Unicorns faced Bilkent Foxes for their second league game of the season. The game ended in favour of the METU Unicorns, with a score of 210-120*.

US – Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship

Nine teams qualified for US Quidditch Cup 10 at this past weekend’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship hosted in Fruitland, Maryland. The tournament saw Maryland Quidditch reclaim its spot atop the region for the third time with a 110*-70 victory over regional newcomers the Warriors. Brenden Hutton caught the snitch that gave his team the regional crown.

Rutgers University entered bracket play as the second seed and qualified for USQ Cup, as did the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Penn State University Nittany Lions, District of Columbia Quidditch Club, Virginia Quidditch Club, Appalachian Apparators, and first-year team the Richmond Ravens.

US – THE TXST Mini Fantasy Tournament (draft sheet here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N8_ToYREVuLj8Nknb2AflPEPEHQ0Xtd2Ck1Bytq7kXI/edit)

For the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, Texas State threw a little fantasy tournament. The initial draft was held on Nov. 14, with all information for team captains withheld until the draft was over. A small snake draft was held the day of for anyone who was not part of the initial draft. Overall, a good representation of local teams attended. The day was windy and “cold” for Texas, but otherwise a great day for quidditch. While Jackson Johnson’s Team Cream won the fantasy part of the tournament, the real winner of the day was the Hays County Food Bank of San Marcos, the recipient of the food drive held that day as a reminder that we can all help to beat hunger.

US – Flagler Cup

Despite predictions of cold weather in St. Augustine, Florida, Flagler Cup rapidly heated up with teams more than ready to get the games started.  With players travelling from as close as Gainesville, Florida to as far as Columbia, South Carolina, there was a guarantee of regional-wide competition that is sometimes lacking in Florida tournaments.

Carolina Heat and Florida's Finest dominated most of the competition, with Heat walking away with the ultimate win after beating Finest 90*-70.  Flagler continued with its steady rebuilding, which was easily seen by its improved performance and well-run tournament. Florida Gulf Coast University forfeited due to a player being taken to the hospital, and Florida State University went 1-3, a departure from the last two tournaments where it went 2-1. College of Charleston made a strong showing with multiple wins, giving Florida a taste of what it may face in February at the South Regional Championship.

After a tournament that ended on time, Florida is left with one question: When will Gainesville Siege and Florida's Finest have their face off? The mercenary team this weekend was primarily Siege players, and yet Finest still did not face them. As the two top contenders in the state, it seems as though both are waiting until the regional championship to find out who will best the other.

International Weekend Wrap-Up is a roundup of quidditch tournaments our correspondents attended last weekend. Were you at a tournament and want to make sure it gets featured in International Weekend Wrap-Up? You can send in your short submissions to quidditchpost@gmail.com until Tuesday.