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 Alamo Cup III and the Northern California Quidditch Conference.
US Southwest - Alamo Cup III
By Carrie Soukup
Editor’s note: Carrie Soukup is a player for the San Marcos Sharknados.
- Texas State
- Texas Tech and Texas A&M
- The Silver Phoenix
Alamo Cup III’s weather did not stop the physicality of the tournament, a characteristic that the Southwest is known for. As with last week’s Diamond Cup, concussions and injuries plagued teams throughout the day.
Texas State University - San Marcos dominated the day, going 5-0 in a round robin tournament that saw it defeat the likes of Texas Tech Quidditch, Texas A&M Quidditch, Lumberjack Quidditch, Baylor University, and the Silver Phoenix, all out of snitch range, on their way to victory. Their smallest margin was against the Silver Phoenix in a 140-90* win.
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| Texas A&M playing at Diamond Cup V | Photo Credit: Alex Russell |
Coming in a surprising third on the day was the Silver Phoenix. Most of its points were earned by remaining in snitch range to rack up nine points to Tech and A&M’s 10. The round robin style of the tournament lent to some added intensity throughout the day and a harder-hitting dynamic.
US West - NCQC #2
By Christopher Dewing
The second tournament of the Northern California Quidditch Conference (NCQC) was hosted by the San Jose State University Spartans (SJSU) this past weekend. Initially marred by drops from teams that were unable to field rosters for various reasons, the tournament ended successfully as those teams that could make it all competed hard. San Jose State made the most of its first game in the cavernous Spartan Stadium, upsetting the Silicon Valley Vipers with a quick snitch catch. SJSU showcased its tenacity and physical play, despite a lack of bludger control for most of the game, on the way to one of the more memorable results from the tournament.
The tournament, however, is likely best seen through the lens of a warm-up for the West Regional Championship in less than a month. Both the Silicon Valley Skrewts and Cal Quidditch put in strong and determined performances as they each compiled victorious results from all their games. The Skrewts, if they continue to play the way they did this weekend, will be strong contenders for a US Quidditch Cup bid as they continue to be driven by strong beater play and a cohesive, if slightly inflexible, quaffle game. A shutout of Stanford Quidditch proves just how ready the Skrewts’ defense is for greater challenges.
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The Silicon Valley Skrewts face Stanford Quidditch during last year’s 14th of MAYhem Cup | Photo Credit: Sofia de la Vega Photography
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Cal also beat Stanford but continues to struggle balancing its aggressive, physical play against the rules. It had at least one player red-carded in each game and received lots of yellow cards for illegal contact. Unless Cal is able to fix these issues, its strong chasing game will be for naught as more opponents are able to better take advantage of its short-handed defenses. Stanford and the Vipers each lost both of their official games, but with so many new faces on their rosters, the real question will be what they can learn from NCQC #2 to improve at the West Regional Championship.
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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