EQC 2017 Group C Preview

With European Quidditch Cup (EQC) 2017 rapidly approaching, the Quidditch Post takes a look at each of the teams competing in this year’s tournament.

Group C

METU Unicorns

By Can Kaytaz

Editor’s Note: Can Kaytaz is a player and former captain of the METU Unicorns.

This is the third consecutive EQC appearance for METU Unicorns, who impressed by finishing joint third last year with the Nottingham Nightmares. The Unicorns won both the Turkish Quidditch Cup and Turkish Quidditch League in 2016, with a record of 18-2 in the two competitions.

EQC 2017 Group B Preview

With European Quidditch Cup (EQC) 2017 rapidly approaching, the Quidditch Post takes a look at each of the teams competing in this year’s tournament.

Group B

Virtute Romana

by Dina Caruso

Virtute Romana Quidditch, the current Italian national champions and champions of their regional “Girone Rosso,” are Italy’s strongest team. Under the captaincy of Giorgia Quinti, Virtute Romana Quidditch were able to steal the national title from Green Tauros at the “Torneo Nazionale” last May.

Oslo Open Preview

By Kai Haugen Shaw

Editor’s Note: Kai Haugen Shaw is a current player for OSI Vikings 1. He is a co-founder of the team, is captaining for the third year running and has previously been the club vice president and president. He also formerly captained NTNUI Rumpeldunk for two years, and was the club president and vice president.

As the only tournament hosted in Norway, aside from the Norwegian Championship (NM) in spring, Oslo Open represents the highlight of the autumn season in Norway. This year, Norway also has a league, which means Oslo Open will not be the only chance for teams to meet each other, but as a European Quidditch Championship (EQC) qualifier and a long-standing tournament, Oslo Open is still a highly-anticipated event. This year will be the third iteration of the tournament; the reigning champions NTNUI Rumpeldunk won the two previous years. Katta Rampeldank has traditionally exceeded expectations, twice earning second place, while OSI Vikings have twice been left with a disappointing third, after losing only a total of three games in the two previous tournaments, all of them in SWIM-range.

World Cup 2016: Spotlight on Norway

By Bex McLaughlin with further reporting by Jørgen Helgeland Stenløkk, Andy Marmer, and Kai Haugen Shaw 

History

Rumpeldunk, as quidditch is known in Norwegian, was brought to Norway by students at Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) in the summer of 2012 after a group heard about the sport’s popularity in the United States and started playing. Since the inception of NTNUI Rumpeldunk in Trondheim, a total of 10 teams have cropped up around the country, mostly centered around the capital of Oslo, but also with a sole and somewhat isolated team out west in Bergen.

Norwegian Quidditch Championship 2016 Preview

By Kai Haugen Shaw

Editor’s Note: Kai Haugen Shaw is the captain of OSI Vikings and was previously captain of NTNUI Rumpeldunk.

On the weekend of 12-13 March, 12 teams will participate in the fourth annual Norwegian Quidditch Championship (NM). So far, no team has ever won the championship twice, and with a lot of strong new teams that trend might continue.

Unicorns Win Intergalaktik Cup

Unicorns Quidditch of Middle East Technical University hosted Intergalaktik Cup on Jan. 23-24 in Adana, Turkey. Two-time undefeated Turkish champions METU Unicorns and their second team METU Minicorns hosted eight other teams: six from Turkey, and one each from France and Norway. Below is a review of the teams from both Division 1 and Division 2 in order of their standings, as well as the tournament overall.

NTNUI Takes Oslo Open

By Kai Haugen Shaw

On the weekend of Oct. 10 and 11, five teams competed at the second annual Oslo Open. The tournament will be the only quidditch tournament in Norway until the Norwegian Championship in spring 2016, and therefore provides insight to how teams can be expected to perform when they meet again in half a year. The tournament saw a lot of exciting games and the overall skill level of Norwegian quidditch has definitely increased, since there was stiff competition between all participating teams.

Oslo Open Preview

Written by Elisabeth Ingeberg Jørstad

This weekend, the Norwegian club teams will finally get their first opportunity of the season to face off against each other, as the Oslo Open takes place in Oslo, Norway. Approximately six teams will be attending the tournament, where one of the main focuses will be to provide new players with tournament experience. 

European Games 2015: Triumphs and Controversies

By Abby Whiteley

Introduction

On 25–26 July 2015, the inaugural European Games were held in Sarteano, Italy. Teams representing 12 European nations came together in the first tournament of its kind to play for the title of European champions. After a nail-biting final against the United Kingdom, France took the championship 80*-40, which followed its victory at the 2015 European Quidditch Cup (EQC) and established its position as the strongest quidditch nation in Europe. This tournament brought with it fantastic matches and exciting indications for the development of quidditch in Europe, as well as  a couple of controversies along the way. Here we will look at the performances of each national team and break down some of the conversations brought on by the tournament.

Stampeding to Sarteano: Norway

by Abby Whiteley (Norwegian translation by Jørgen Helgeland Stenløkk, with assistance from Kai Haugen Shaw)

Introduction

Quidditch first came to Norway the same time it arrived in other European countries, following the first Global Games in summer 2012. Since then, it has quietly proliferated, only sending small contingents to international tournaments. And yet quidditch in Norway demonstrated significant popularity at its national tournament, with 11 teams in attendance. Some of these teams were temporarily formed for the event, with organisers using the event to facilitate growth in the region. It is certain, though, that approximately six teams regularly train in the country. Norway has always impressed on an international level, with both OSI (formerly UiO) and NTNUI performing at a high level at EQC, creating high expectations for the Norwegian side at this tournament.

EQC Division 1 Team Reviews

On the 18 and 19 April, the 2015 European Quidditch Cup (EQC) was held in Oxford, UK. With 32 teams from 11 regions, it was the biggest quidditch tournament held outside North America to date. Now that the dust has settled, our writers review how each team performed, starting with the 16 teams who made it into Division 1.

Onward to Oxford: UiO Quidditch

As part of our efforts to preview all 32 teams competing in the European Quidditch Cup (EQC), the Quidditch Post is chatting with representatives from each team. Today we spoke with Kai Shaw captain of UiO Quidditch.

EQC 2015 Group Predictions - Part 1 (A - C)

After the excitement of USQ World Cup 8, we will be spending the next few days going through the eight groups that will decide who goes into Division 1 and Division 2 at this weekend's European Quidditch Cup 2015 in Oxford, UK. Stay tuned as we delve into what groups A, B, and C hold in store for us with the help of our talented analysts!

Onward to Oxford: NTNUI Rumpeldunk

As part of our efforts to preview all 32 teams competing in the European Quidditch Cup (EQC), the Quidditch Post is chatting with representatives from each team. Today we spoke with Elisabeth Jørstad, captain of NTNUI Rumpeldunk.

Small Country, Big Ambition

With the Benelux Cup approaching this weekend, we caught up with the quidditch happenings in Belgium and the Netherlands and previewed this weekend's upcoming tournament.