Contributions by Chula Bruggeling, François Carabin, Briana Earhart, Neha Korrapati, Jack Lennard, Lena Mandahus, and Carrie Soukup
Another week, another International Weekend Wrap-Up. There’s 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 awhile and take a look at the rest of the global community. This week we cover events from Canada, France, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
Another week, another International Weekend Wrap-Up. There’s 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 awhile and take a look at the rest of the global community. This week we cover events from Canada, France, Turkey, the UK, and the US.
Canada – Ravens Rumble
1. University of Waterloo
2. Valhalla Quidditch
On a chilly Saturday, Oct. 29, Carleton University hosted the Ravens Rumble tournament in Brewer Park in Ottawa, ON. Rainy conditions made the three available fields swamped and muddy, causing some of the matchups to be delayed or even cancelled. Still, there were a few notable results in the group stage, including a dominant 240*-0 game for uOttawa Gee-Gees vs. Canada’s Finest Quidditch Club, a 110-100 overtime win by Université de Montréal (UdeM) over Royal City Quidditch, as well as a close 80*-70 overtime win by Queens University over McGill Quidditch.
On a chilly Saturday, Oct. 29, Carleton University hosted the Ravens Rumble tournament in Brewer Park in Ottawa, ON. Rainy conditions made the three available fields swamped and muddy, causing some of the matchups to be delayed or even cancelled. Still, there were a few notable results in the group stage, including a dominant 240*-0 game for uOttawa Gee-Gees vs. Canada’s Finest Quidditch Club, a 110-100 overtime win by Université de Montréal (UdeM) over Royal City Quidditch, as well as a close 80*-70 overtime win by Queens University over McGill Quidditch.
As a result of the weather and field conditions, the intended semifinals were cancelled, and Waterloo and Valhalla proceeded directly to the finals, while Guelph and uOttawa where eliminated based on point differential. Waterloo got the win over its opponent in a tight and uneventful game with a final score of 50*-20. The mud and slippery field didn’t help the flow of the game. With Valhalla up by 10 with about a minute remaining, a crafty Waterloo goal tied it up at 20 apiece. The snitch catch happened less than a minute later, giving the win to Waterloo.
France – Random’s Cup III
1. Les Gardiens de la galaxie
2. Les 4² Fantastiques
3. Les X-Men
Hosted by Paris Frog, the third edition of Random’s Cup took place in Paris this weekend. Seven teams competed, all with a different superhero theme. Over the weekend, each team played a game against every other team, which meant six games for every team. The ranking was determined by the number of wins, and, in case of a draw, QPD was the tiebreaker. Les Gardiens de la galaxie (the orange team), who were captained by Quentin Lescroart, won the tournament winning all six of their games, with keeper Valentin Farese top-scoring and Fraser Posford catching all three of the team’s snitches. Les 4² Fantastiques as well as Les X-Men both had four wins; however, Les 4² Fantastiques placed second due to QPD, putting Les X-Men in third place.
Hosted by Paris Frog, the third edition of Random’s Cup took place in Paris this weekend. Seven teams competed, all with a different superhero theme. Over the weekend, each team played a game against every other team, which meant six games for every team. The ranking was determined by the number of wins, and, in case of a draw, QPD was the tiebreaker. Les Gardiens de la galaxie (the orange team), who were captained by Quentin Lescroart, won the tournament winning all six of their games, with keeper Valentin Farese top-scoring and Fraser Posford catching all three of the team’s snitches. Les 4² Fantastiques as well as Les X-Men both had four wins; however, Les 4² Fantastiques placed second due to QPD, putting Les X-Men in third place.
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| Third place winners Lex X-Men at Random’s Cup III | Photo Credit: Paris Frog Quidditch |
Turkey – Turkish Quidditch Cup Finals
1. METU Unicorns
2. ODTÜ Hippogriffs
Two weeks ago, Turkey held its Turkish Quidditch Cup. Unfortunately, due to time issues, the finals between METU Unicorns and ODTÜ Hippogriffs couldn’t be played, and the game was moved to this past weekend. The teams met in Ankara for an incredibly long game; the snitch wasn’t caught until a good hour and a half of game time had passed, due to a combination of defensive seeking and little to no beaters paying attention to the seeking game. After one hour and around 40 minutes, METU Unicorns were finally able to catch the snitch, securing the third championship title in a row for the team with a score of 320*-220.
2. ODTÜ Hippogriffs
Two weeks ago, Turkey held its Turkish Quidditch Cup. Unfortunately, due to time issues, the finals between METU Unicorns and ODTÜ Hippogriffs couldn’t be played, and the game was moved to this past weekend. The teams met in Ankara for an incredibly long game; the snitch wasn’t caught until a good hour and a half of game time had passed, due to a combination of defensive seeking and little to no beaters paying attention to the seeking game. After one hour and around 40 minutes, METU Unicorns were finally able to catch the snitch, securing the third championship title in a row for the team with a score of 320*-220.
UK – Southern Cup (BQC qualifier)
1. Warwick Quidditch Club
2. Werewolves of London
3. Briston Brizzlebears
This weekend saw the first of QuidditchUK’s two qualifying tournaments for both the 2017 British Quidditch Cup (BQC) and the 2017 European Quidditch Cup (EQC). Seventeen teams competed, which meant only one team would fail to make the national tournament qualification. This unlucky team ended up being Canterbury’s Flying Chaucers, who were beaten by the Oxford Quidlings in a pulsating encounter that ended 130*-60. Despite losing, the Chaucers captured the imagination of the region with minimal players and experience, and set the tone for a weekend full of upsets and surprises leading up to the climax.
This weekend saw the first of QuidditchUK’s two qualifying tournaments for both the 2017 British Quidditch Cup (BQC) and the 2017 European Quidditch Cup (EQC). Seventeen teams competed, which meant only one team would fail to make the national tournament qualification. This unlucky team ended up being Canterbury’s Flying Chaucers, who were beaten by the Oxford Quidlings in a pulsating encounter that ended 130*-60. Despite losing, the Chaucers captured the imagination of the region with minimal players and experience, and set the tone for a weekend full of upsets and surprises leading up to the climax.
Far less exciting was the final, between Warwick and Werewolves. After a tense and tactical game where both teams were hesitant to overextend and offer their opponents an opportunity, Warwick’s Jonathan Purvis caught the snitch to take the title with a 40*-20 win. Both teams qualified for EQC 2017, with the final qualification place going to the Brizzlebears. The Bears qualified for Europe for the second year running, defeating an impressively resurgent London Unspeakables side (who had defeated Southampton Quidditch Club’s first team en route to the semifinals) in a third-place playoff 110*-30.
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| Tournament Director Connor Simpson presents Hannah Dignum, captain of Warwick Quidditch Club, with the 2016 Southern Cup | Photo Credit: Jack Lennard |
The Quidditch Post will be releasing an extensive review of this event in the coming days, so keep an eye out for more details!
US Southwest – Battle For the Axe
US Southwest – Battle For the Axe
1. San Marcos Sharknados
2. North Texas Firebolts
Battle For the Axe is an unofficial tournament in Texas, hosted by Lumberjack Quidditch and was attended by eight teams this year. Overall, the tournament was a mix of close, SWIM-range games, and resounding wins in other matches. After group stages during the first part of the day, the tournament proceeded to a regular elimination bracket.
Battle For the Axe is an unofficial tournament in Texas, hosted by Lumberjack Quidditch and was attended by eight teams this year. Overall, the tournament was a mix of close, SWIM-range games, and resounding wins in other matches. After group stages during the first part of the day, the tournament proceeded to a regular elimination bracket.
Semifinals were Sharknados vs. Death Row Quidditch and North Texas Firebolts vs. Houston Cosmos. Sharknados won their game 120*-60, while the Firebolts won with a resounding 100*-10 score, leading to a Sharknados vs. Firebolts final. Unfortunately, the Firebolts were unable to score on the Sharknados in the final, leading to a strong Sharknados win with a score of 90*-0.
US Southwest – Wolf Pack Classic
1. Texas Cavalry
2. Gulf Coast Gumbeaux
3. Florida’s Finest
Oct. 29 saw the fifth annual Wolf Pack Classic, attended by 13 teams this year, spread over three pools. Overall, it was a well-organized tournament that managed to run relatively on time, a very necessary quality to be able to finish a tournament with 13 teams and both pool and bracket play in one day.
Oct. 29 saw the fifth annual Wolf Pack Classic, attended by 13 teams this year, spread over three pools. Overall, it was a well-organized tournament that managed to run relatively on time, a very necessary quality to be able to finish a tournament with 13 teams and both pool and bracket play in one day.
Third place went to Florida’s Finest, which had a good run in pool play, winning all of its games to come out on top. Meanwhile, Texas Cavalry and Gumbeaux made it through to the finals. Gumbeaux played fast and aggressive, but ultimately was unable to win against the stronger Texas Cavalry, losing the final 150*-60.
Outside of the three medalists, other attending teams also showed good performances. Silver Phoenix, while unsure of its game at the start, seemed to be getting a bit more confidence over the weekend and showed definite potential for the future. Likewise, USM Quidditch showed a lot of potential. While the team attended with only a small roster, the players had a lot of heart, and started out strong. Unfortunately, USM’s small roster lead to physical exhaustion and injuries for its players, leading to a disappointing performance later in the day.
US Northeast – Northeast Regional Championship
1. Quidditch Club Boston (QCB)
2. Rochester United (RU)
Despite concerns about a team that lost almost half of its championship-winning core from last season, QCB won the Northeast Regional Championship (NERC) in a rematch against RU. The faces that remained proved more important than those that left, as Max Havlin and Harry Greenhouse again led a very small number of players used in competitive games. A notable face joining that rotation for the first time was Stewart Driflot, former Boise State Abraxan seeker, keeper, chaser, and beater and 2016 Team USA player. He spelled for Greenhouse in ball carrying and seeking, eventually ending the tournament with an out-of-range snitch catch to put QCB up 140*-60 over RU.
Despite concerns about a team that lost almost half of its championship-winning core from last season, QCB won the Northeast Regional Championship (NERC) in a rematch against RU. The faces that remained proved more important than those that left, as Max Havlin and Harry Greenhouse again led a very small number of players used in competitive games. A notable face joining that rotation for the first time was Stewart Driflot, former Boise State Abraxan seeker, keeper, chaser, and beater and 2016 Team USA player. He spelled for Greenhouse in ball carrying and seeking, eventually ending the tournament with an out-of-range snitch catch to put QCB up 140*-60 over RU.
Rochester United had a strong tournament, winning every game by at least 100 points until the semifinals, where the team played an incredibly tactical game against RPI Quidditch in a game that was dominated by beaters. Mario Nasta’s consistently excellent beating kept RPI’s passing game and defense afloat and was the only thing that kept Rochester United from pulling away.
NERC offered a total of 10 qualifying spots for the National Championship, and most of these spots went to the same teams as last year. BosNyan BearSharks were the only new team to qualify, finishing as a semifinalist in their first NERC.
US Mid-Atlantic – Halloween Hoedown 2
1. UMD Quidditch
2. UNC Quidditch (Chapel Hill)
Halloween Hoedown 2 took place this past weekend in Richmond, Virginia. The tournament was supposed to have ten teams in attendance, but with Villanova Community Quidditch ultimately unable to make it to the tournament, it proceeded with nine teams.
2. UNC Quidditch (Chapel Hill)
Halloween Hoedown 2 took place this past weekend in Richmond, Virginia. The tournament was supposed to have ten teams in attendance, but with Villanova Community Quidditch ultimately unable to make it to the tournament, it proceeded with nine teams.
UMD won its semifinal against District of Columbia Quidditch Club (DCQC) with a score of 190*-110, while UNC won the other semifinal game with a score of 90*-20 over the University of Richmond, which resulted in a UMD vs. UNC final – the second match of the day where UMD and UNC played each other, as the teams had met in pool play earlier during the day as well.
During pool play, UNC managed to defeat UMD with a score of 100*-60, but UNC was unable to repeat that performance during the finals. UMD ultimately won the game in 32 minutes, with a score of 140*-60, driving up the score to get out of range when the snitch came on pitch.
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.
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