Sydney City Serpents: A New Team and New Era for Australian Quidditch

By Ajantha Abey 

This Saturday past saw trials for New South Wales’ newest team and the start of a new era of quidditch in Australia. After years of rumours and discussion, the Sydney City Serpents were announced as a new community-based team in mid-December last year. The club is expected to be made up mostly of players graduating from other university clubs, making this the first graduate community team in Australia, similar to Velociraptors Quidditch Club in the UK or Lone Star Quidditch Club in the US.

QUAFL Roundtable Recap

By Liam McCoppin, Regina Atkinson, Ajantha Abey, Victor Tan, James Hyder, and Katelyn Stubberfield

Editor’s Note: Liam McCoppin is coach and player of the Wrackspurts, Ajantha Abey is a player for the University of Sydney Unspeakables, Victor Tan is a player for the South Australia Bunyips, James Hyder is captain and player for the Perth Phoenixes, and Katelyn Stubberfield is a player for the Perth Phoenixes

The Australian National Championships , also known as QUAFL, were held Dec. 10-11, 2016. Various Australian staffers from the Quidditch Post got together after the tournament to discuss topics ranging from team performances to opinions on the overall tournament, including highlights and some stand out players.

International Weekend Wrap-Up - December 3-4 and 10-11

Contributions by Chula Bruggeling, Yeray Espinosa Cuevas, Christopher Dewing, Sean Fry, Can Kaytaz, Sudiksha Kumar, Carrie Soukup, and Katelyn Stubberfield

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 have a special edition of IWWU, covering not one but two weekends worth of events. This special edition covers the Australian National Championship, updates on the national leagues in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey, and the US's Threaux Me Something Mister Quidditch Expeaux, Lone Star Invitational, and Silicon Valley Showdown.

QUAFL Preview 2016 – Pool 4

By: Liam McCoppin, Ajantha Abey, Maria Wizbicki, Daniel Scharf, and Annabelle Murdoch.

Editor’s Note: Liam McCoppin is coach and player for the Wrackspurts, Maria Wizbicki is a player for Macquarie, Daniel Scharf is a player for ACU Paladins, and Annabelle Murdoch is a player for the Wollongong Warriors.

QUAFL is the Australian national championships open to all teams held at the end of every calendar year, signifying the end of the Australian season. The year 2016 will see 23 teams from six states travel to the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra. Here we preview the teams from Pool Four in order of Pod seeding, with guest writers from around the country.

QUAFL Preview 2016 - Pool 3

By: Liam McCoppin, Daniel Scharf, Katelyn Stubberfield, Victor Tan, and Ajantha Abey

Editor’s Note: Katelyn Stubberfield is a player for the Perth Phoenixes.

QUAFL is the Australian national championships open to all teams held at the end of every calendar year, signifying the end of the Australian season. The year 2016 will see 23 teams from six states travel to the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra. Here we preview the teams from Pool Three in order of Pod seeding, with guest writers from around the country.

QUAFL Preview 2016 - Pool 2

By Daniel Fox, Minh Diep, Liam McMoppin, Arfy Papadam, and Daniel Scharf

Editor’s Note: Minh Diep is a player for UNSW and Arfy Papadam is a player for the Macarthur Weasleys.

QUAFL is the Australian national championships open to all teams held at the end of every calendar year, signifying the end of the Australian season. The year 2016 will see 23 teams from six states travel to the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra. Here we preview the teams from Pool 2 in order of Pod seeding, with guest writers from around the country.

QUAFL Preview 2016 – Pool 1

By Stephen Butler, Ajantha Abey, Aden Weatherstone, Liam McMoppin, and Daniel Scharf

Editor’s Note: Stephen Butler is a player for WSQC, Ajantha Abey is a player for University of Sydney, and Aden Weatherstone is a player for UTS.

QUAFL is the Australian national championships open to all teams held at the end of every calendar year, signifying the end of the Australian season. The year 2016 will see 23 teams from six states travel to the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra. Here we preview the teams from Pool One in order of Pod seeding, with guest writers from around the country.

International Weekend Wrap-Up - October 21-23

Contributions by Ajantha Abey, Emma Bramwell, Chula Bruggeling, Serena Cheong, Yeray Espinosa Cuevas, Los Angeles Gambits Quidditch, and Katelyn Stubberfield.

The Quidditch Post is trying out something new this season. 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 a while and take a look at the rest of the global community. You might discover interesting formats, learn about developments around the world, or simply have some interesting knowledge you can surprise your friends with next training. This week's installment, the second of its kind, covers events in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US.

What's Next After the Asian Quidditch Cup?

By Andrew Kasimir 

The first Asian Quidditch Cup, held on 30 and 31 July, 2016, has come and gone, with the Australian National University Owls (ANU Owls) being crowned champions. It was a three-team tournament comprising two Malaysian teams, the Subang Chimaeras and Damansara Dementors, as well as the Australian champions. The final scores can be found here.

Until the Asian Quidditch Cup, the majority of Malaysian players had never played at a tournament with certified referees. Furthermore, the Subang Chimaeras and Damansara Dementors never really played as a unit until recently; the Chimaeras only started up in March of this year, meaning the Dementors were the only quidditch team in Malaysia for almost as long as quidditch has been in the country.

South Australia Hosts First Ever Competitive Match

By Victor Tan

A crowd of roughly 100 spectators came on an unusually warm, fine July day to witness the first formal South Australian match between the Adelaide Augureys and the Flinders University Fantastic Beasts. The hype for this match had been growing for some time now and was well-attended not only by friends and families of the quidditch community, but by the general public as well thanks to media coverage from the radio and newspapers. Although no doubt overshadowed by the IQA Quidditch World Cup preparations and coverage, the game merited the turnout, coverage, and excitement that had been anticipated for several months.

World Cup From Their Perspective: Team Australia Coach Gen Gibson

Hello, friends. My name is Gen Gibson, and I was the coach for the Australian Quidditch team for the 2016 World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany. Before I start my story, it’s important to acknowledge that success is never achieved alone. I would like to take a moment to thank the players and reserves of the Dropbears, captain James Mortensen, assistant coach Liam McCoppin, team manager Carolyn Themel, Nic Hirst [President of Quidditch Australia] and Quidditch Australia, the Dropbears’ cheer squad and helpers, the Aussie quidditch community, the teams at World Cup, and the people who made it happen. You are all the real MVPs here.  

Asian Quidditch Cup 2016

By Charmaine Goh

Literally a week after the very eventful IQA World Cup in Frankfurt, Germany, which saw Team Australia emerge as overall champions, Asia will see its first international quidditch tournament that is set to take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The inaugural Asian Quidditch Cup will see three club teams from Australia and Malaysia competing for the right to call themselves the best team in Asia. The three teams are the Subang Chimaeras (Malaysia), Australian National University Owls (Australia), and the Damansara Dementors (Malaysia).

The World Turned Upside Down

By Andy Marmer

Dameon Osborn lunged for the snitch and then lay on his back for minutes hardly believing what he held in his hand. With his single moment of brilliance, Osborn grabbed Australia’s first gold medal in international play with a 150*-130 win over the United States, marking the United States’ first loss in international play.

World champions Team Australia after their expo match against Germany | Photo Credit: Ajantha Abey Quidditch Photography

World Cup 2016: Spotlight on Australia

By Liam McCoppin 

History

Australian quidditch has come a long way since its first baby steps in the early 2010s. It has evolved from its beginnings of capes and bristling brooms in early 2011, to the development of teams, leagues, and the inaugural national tournament, the QUAFL  Cup (held that same year). Since then, Quidditch Australia has grown to a community of more than 650 registered players in nearly every state. Australia has competed at every World Cup (previously Global Games), achieving a bronze medal in Oxford, UK in 2012, then finishing second after being beaten by the United States in the final in 2014. Aside from these appearances, Australia has not competed internationally due to its isolation.

A Non-American’s Guide to USQ Cup 9

By Andy Marmer

European, Australian, Canadian, and really any quidditch player from around the world has probably seen countless Indiegogo fundraisers and other social media posts about the upcoming US Quidditch Cup 9. Since not everyone knows all of the going-ons of US Quidditch (USQ), we figured we’d provide a little post to help non-Americans discern what exactly is happening in the US.

Victorian Fantasy Tournament 2016 Recap

By Liam McCoppin

Editor’s Note: Liam McCoppin was the GM for Team Grey at the tournament. 

On March 5-6, Melbourne hosted its second annual Victorian Fantasy Tournament at La Trobe University, Bundoora, where players from around Australia had the chance to play in teams and with people they had never played with before. Tournaments like these appeal to those who wish to try new positions, work with different playing styles, or perhaps learn new skills from experienced players. This tournament continues to grow, with 91 players participating this year and a record number from interstate. Here is a short rundown on how each team performed, including analysis of their mistakes, highlights, and how they went right or wrong.

State of Origin Analysis and Recap

By James Hyder with Nicola Gertler

State of Origin (SoO) games have their origin in Australian Rules Football, which has featured matches between Victoria and Western Australia since 1977. Australia Rugby League caught on in 1980 and has become the most commonly referred to SoO, as it continues to thrive in modern day Australian sport, with a yearly best of three series between New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. The Australian Quidditch Association’s State of Origin series features the two longest-playing and most-developed states of Victoria and NSW in three rounds of three games throughout 2016. ‘QuidCamp,’ held in Berry, NSW, hosted the first series on Feb. 6 and 7.

Trying to Be Well-Rounded Makes You Worse at Quidditch

By Austin Lillis

Many quidditch players struggle to find their place on the pitch, even when they are not lacking in knowledge, athleticism, or passion for their team. The trait that changes someone from “just another player” to a key part of a team is their identity. Quidditch has four positions that interweave so heavily that it is easy for players to lose sight of where they can be most useful. Players get caught up in trying to imitate too many styles without realizing the potentially negative impact that has on their own skill level. 

Mock National Team - Australia

You voted, and we delivered. Here are the 21 mock national players for Australia, compiled by a selection panel with input from the public’s votes. The voters’ choices made up the core team, with tie breakers decided by a selection panel consisting of Chiani Sharma, Katelyn Stubberfield, Rajtilak Kapoor, Rayan Calimlim, and Thomas Russell.

State of the Origin: Captains’ Interviews

Interviewers: Rajtilak Kapoor and Liam McCoppin

State of Origin is the first event of its kind in Australia. In three matchups throughout 2016, states will send hand-picked teams to battle their rivals. The first states to kick off this series are New South Wales and Victoria, who will go head to head at QuidCamp on Feb. 6 and 7. Each state’s representative team has been carefully selected by a panel of great quidditch minds. Three games will be played between the teams over the weekend, and it is looking to be some high-quality quidditch with some of the best players from each state competing.