SOCCER SCRIMMAGE SIGN-UP (no experience necessary)
by Brett Hodges
Brett Hodges had a clever idea. Well, okay, admittedly, it was an obvious idea, but it was still his and it was a good one. It was past time this school started offering some muggle sports and since soccer was the best muggle sport there was, it should clearly also be the first one.
And if Echo could make a novelling club and get more than a couple kids to show up, then Brett could definitely fill out two soccer teams. Definitely. They didn't even have to be the same teams every time. People could show up and learn to play and come when they felt like it. Maybe if there was enough interest they could get a Muggle Sports Coalition going and rally for official recognition. That would be so awesome.
Anyway, it was something to do. People around here were always looking for stuff to do, and not everyone could play Quidditch. Take himself, for example. Brett was probably one of the most athletic people he knew, but he couldn't fly a broom to save his life, and, in fact, saving his life was exactly what someone else would need to do if he ever got more than ten feet off the ground (as unlikely as that was).
After Echo pointedly told him that his lack of mad skills mandated that he not sign up for Quidditch, Brett went up to his room and sulked. But then he got wise. He took out a nice sheet of looseleaf paper and a black fine tipped marker and wrote:
SOCCER SCRIMMAGE SIGN-UPS If you are interested in playing soccer for fun, write down your name and availability. No experience necessary.
He started the list too.
Brett Hodges, 2nd Year. Anytime, all the time.
He went back down to the common room and tacked his sheet up right next to the Quidditch sign-ups. All the pens that hesitated over signing up for Quidditch would choose his soccer scrimmages instead... assuming the powers that be didn't take down his sheet.\r\n\r\n
Subthreads:
Solidarity! by Echo Elms
Excellent!!! by Irene Liddowe with Irene
I'm game by Saul Pierce
Genius by Derek Samonns
Gotta keep fit by Elly Eriksson
Count me in by Meredith Lail
0Brett HodgesSOCCER SCRIMMAGE SIGN-UP (no experience necessary)0Brett Hodges15
Echo was reading in the common room when Brett posted his notice. Worried that Brett had decided to make a fool of himself after all by trying out for Quidditch, Echo wandered over to see if he could do some damage control. He nearly laughed out loud when he saw what Brett had done.
Soccer at Sonora in a slightly more organized fashion than Brett yelling out to the common room at large, Elly fashion, Anyone wanna play soccer? Brilliant, and so Brett-like.
And Echo was armed this year with his goalie gloves and shirt and a band to keep his glasses from falling off when he was playing. No way was his name not going on the list. As long as Brett was in charge, he'd make sure Echo got to stay in goal and keep the offense from tackling him.
Echo slipped a pen out of his pocket and added his name in green ink.
Irene entered the common room and was slightly suprised to see a new announcement posted on the board. Irene walked up to the board, reading what this new paper might have to say.
SOCCER SCRIMMAGE SIGN-UPS
That's all she needed. Grinning, Irene whipped out a pen and signed her name.
Irene Liddowe, second year, ^likewise
Irene had thought about suggesting something like this to someone, but now it happened anyway! This was going to be awesome. The practice time in the Gardens was extremely fun and she was excited to play some more, even if she wasn't all too talented at it...
The day after he signed up for Quidditch, Saul noticed a new sign-up sheet on the board. He stopped. He read it. He frowned a bit, somewhat undecided. Brett was Echo's friend and, judging by the handwriting of the announcement and the first name on the list, the organizer of the soccer scrimmage thing. It would only be right to support him. Brett was, after all, like one of Saul's circle, mostly. Plus Echo had signed up too. And Irene. Elly almost certainly would. Meredith, too. His only friends not likely to sign the sheet were Briony and Pepper and that was because they were in Teppenpaw.
Saul took out his self-inking quill but hesitated again with the nub on the next blank line. What was he doing? He didn't even know how to play soccer! Sure, it said no experience necessary . . . Saul signed his name down anyway.
Saul Pierce, 4th year, not during Quidditch practice or Quidditch matches or February
It wasn't like he'd known how to play Quidditch when he had first tried out for that, either. He'd rarely so much as even watched a game before coming to Sonora. Jousting, yes, modern sports of muggle or magical varieties? Not so much.
He'd just have to corner Echo some time before the first scrimmage and get enough information so he didn't make a complete fool of himself in front of the younger kids (so far all three names already on the list were younger than him, and with the ban on Quidditch for first years, he expected they'd take this outlet instead).
Brett was amazing. That was all Derek could think of. Sure, the sign was for soccer, not volleyball (Derek's sport of choice) but still. Cool. It was a sport he was semi-okay at. Not like Quidditch with his slight hight fear and the four balls. But soccer, ground sport with one ball. And nets. Derek liked nets.
He wrote: Derek Samonns Saying Brett is a genius And is free whenever
Not long at all after Elly had signed up to play Quidditch, she noticed a new arrival posted on the board: another sign up sheet. Upon closer inspection she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Brett had taken it upon himself to make his soccer games more of a regular occurrence, and Elly couldn’t help but admire him for it.
Having read the notice over once, and the names of those who’d already signed up, Elly knew that she couldn’t very well not sign up. For a start she had thoroughly enjoyed playing with these same people just last year, and secondly she knew Brett would likely be disappointed if she didn’t. Besides, Elly wasn’t one likely to pass on sports, anyway.
Without further ado, she withdrew the biro she’d been using to keep her hair up from the twist of her curls, and added her name the steadily growing list.
Elly Eriksson, 3rd year, no Quidditch clashes
Elly had had a busy time of things last year, what with Quidditch, helping with charms club and writing a novel. This year she’d be playing football, too, and taking an extra lesson on top of all the usual ones. Wondering vaguely if she’d have time to sleep this year, Elly continued on her way up to her dormitory to finish unpacking. \r\n\r\n
Meredith had been excited over the Quidditch sign up being posted, and suddenly there were two sports being posted about. Soccer? A muggle sport. It had to be. Like hockey that Elly played in the summer. She looked at the names of people who signed up. A whole bunch of her friends wrote their names down already. Mere had never played before in her life. Well, it did say no experience necessary. She wondered if that included having absolutely no experience. She would be happy to join up if someone would teach her how to play.
Meredith was sure she could find someone to teach her how. In fact, she would go look for Elly or Echo and ask one of them right after signing her name. Mere went for her quill for the second time to sign a sports sign up sheet. She dipped it and signed beneath the other signatures.
Meredith Lail, third year, anytime that isn’t Quidditch time
Well she had to be honest. Quidditch came first. It looked like a few others thought the same thing. She did hope this soccer would be fun too. Especially since it seemed like all of her friends could play at once. Well if that many of her friends signed up, it had to be fun. She knew that they knew how to have a good time. She put her quill back in her bag and went off in search of one of her friends to tell her a few things about how to play soccer.