Coach Amelia Pierce

January 22, 2010 5:56 PM
The second game of the Quidditch season was scheduled for the first Saturday after midterm ended. The teams had only had a couple evening practices to get back in shape after their break. As both sides had the same disadvantage, she didn't consider the timing to be unfair, and Amelia was genuinely curious to see how well the two teams handled the extra challenge.

It was the elves she'd been the most concerned about, but they'd managed to clear away every trace of the midterm's winter wonderland in time for the game. Only a light frost on the grass beneath the player's feet remained.

Though the weather charms kept the day from being too terribly cold, it was still January. The air was chilly, the sky overcast, and a few odd flakes floated down over the pitch. She clapped her hands together more out of habit than to draw anyone's attention to her; her winter gloves barely made a whumping sound nevermind a clear clap. Still, the motion if not the sound seemed to focus the two teams as she called the two captains to her from their huddles.

As she had at the previous game, she detailed the rules of the game more as a formality than because she felt either of the captains need to be reminded. "Game starts at the whistle. Game ends when someone catches the snitch. Keep it clean in between. Medic's on hand if she's needed. Have fun, guys. Captains, shake hands."

Once Paul Tarwarter and Hannah Laurent had done so, Amelia released first the snitch and then the bludgers. Lastly, she picked up the Quaffle, and straddled her own broom before beginning the countdown. "Three. Two. One." She blew into her whistle and threw the Quaffle up into the air at the same time.

The game had begun and she lifted into the air, following the players up into the sky, a little relieved that this time she had no connection one way or the other to either of the teams playing today.



OOC: Usual Quidditch game rules apply. If you don't remember them, check out this post here. Hannah, I'm not sure if I have your email address. Could you drop me a line at my email given at the top of this post?
Subthreads:
1 Coach Amelia Pierce Game Two: Teppenpaw vs. Aladren 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 1 5

<font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font>

January 25, 2010 10:58 AM
Daniel was glad to be back at Sonora. Most of the midterm break had been spent with his mother and Anton. Due to the television show they were both in, Dad had custody of him for most of the summer, but for the two weeks in winter, Mom had full custody. And with all the wedding preparations going on, he'd barely even gotten to say 'Merry Christmas' to his father and Barry this break. Having more time wouldn't have changed that at all, and Daniel was immensely grateful midterm was only two weeks long. If he'd been asked about one more flowered centerpiece, he very well may have become one of those child actors with a sealed juvenile record.

Worse, Holly was ecstatically happy about the whole thing, as if she couldn't tell that this marriage was as doomed as the others. He didn't understand why she couldn't see that precedent clearly indicated it wouldn't last more than a year. And it just hurt his head when she went on about 'my wedding with Raoul' - which was evidently going to have a lot of similarities with the one currently being planned, and to hear her tell of it, would be taking place in under five years.

In short, Daniel was really looking forward to the complete lack of complications, angst, and flowers involved in a Quidditch game. He might not be the most Quidditch-obsessed sports guy in the school or even his House, but you couldn't tell it by today.

He woke early, showered, shaved (it was even almost necessary this morning - there had been actual visible hairs on his chin that his shaver removed), dressed in his Quidditch Robes, ate a healthy breakfast, gave his broom its full maintenance process, and got out to the pitch with time to spare. Aside from a few hygienic and puberty related thoughts when he spotted the chin hairs, he didn't allow himself to dwell on anything other than the upcoming game.

When the whistle blew, he was so ready for it. He launched up off the ground, grabbed hold of the Quaffle before it reached its apex, and flew up and toward the center Teppenpaw goal. His broom was barely a year old, and meticulously taken care of so it carried him swiftly and surely in the direction he wanted to go. He knew better than to hold onto the ball for too long, though, or there would soon be a bludger with his name on it.

He spotted another blue-clad chaser not too far off and who he had a clear shot toward. Meeting the guy's eyes and giving a small nod to indicate he was about to make the pass, Daniel threw the ball in his teammate's direction.
1 <font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font> Flying away 130 <font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font> 0 5


<font color="yellow">Lucie Dupree, Chaser</font>

January 27, 2010 2:05 PM
Hop left. Hop right. Lucie was bored. She kept shifting her feet, bouncing back and forth. Every match was the same thing. Hannah always tried to boost morale with some long-winded speech. She really didn’t see the need. She figured everyone knew what they were supposed to do and everyone was eager enough to play. After all, if they weren’t, why had they joined the team? While Hannah droned on, Lucie glanced over to the other team to where Grayson was. She wondered if he had a date to the dance yet. Should she ask him? Yes, she had flirted with him a bunch of times, but had never actually asked him out or anything like that. Would it be too bold to do so?

Before she could give it any more thought, Hannah had stopped talking. Phase II was underway where they listened to the Coach and then got up in the air waiting for Phase III, which was actually playing. Her eyes drifted back to Gray and darn it! She completely missed the quaffle being released. Hannah was going to kill her if she kept drifting off like some brainless twit. She set out after Daniel Nash II. If it weren’t for the fact that she knew better, she would swear the boy was a pureblood. She would say his attitude was more fitting for one than hers was. Lately, even Danae had become an example for her mother to use for how she should act. How sad was that when it had always been the reverse?

Forcing herself to concentrate, she trailed under Daniel, hoping he would pass, but she couldn’t be sure he would. So close to the goals, it was possible that he might attempt to take the shot, but with the sounds of bludgers in the background, he might also not want to take the risk of holding on to the quaffle. All she could do was wait. There it was. The pass that she had been looking for. Urging her broom forward she intercepted the quaffle cleanly. Hugging it to her, she shifted to the right to turn her broom around. She wanted to go straight to the Aladren goals, but that was dangerous territory. Instead, she weaved in and out of the other players in the attempt to keep Aladren’s chasers off her trail.

There was also the pesky little problem of bludgers. She was a moving target. She looked around for the nearest Teppenpaw Chaser. Spotting one, she gave one of the signals from practice to say that she was going to pass it. As soon as she was sure it was safe, she threw the quaffle towards her teammate.
0 <font color="yellow">Lucie Dupree, Chaser</font> Chasing After 0 <font color="yellow">Lucie Dupree, Chaser</font> 0 5


<font color="blue">Paul Tarwater</font>

January 29, 2010 6:03 PM
Steadily, slowly, Paul had been feeling better. He was still paranoid, a wreck, but the promise of leaving this school forever was far too good to ruin with too horrible of thoughts. He’d even accepted his role as Quidditch captain quite easily, still stuttering through his demands of those, however less than usual. The game though, the game was quite different, and the boy felt the need to even write out and memorize such a speech. However, when he got to the pitch, this was all forgotten.

“Uh, okay guys. Okay, we have this,” he wasn’t positive, we know this, but he’s hopeful. Can’t you take that and go with it? Please. “We have this. I-I’m sure, we’ve practiced hard, I’ve seen you guys. You’re good. Chaser’s… remember… team-work. Be careful, the Teppenpaw Chasers are… fairly ruthless when it comes… down. Grayson…” he almost told the boy to refrain from flirting with Lucie, “Look. For the. Quaffle. The Chasers could trick you.” It didn’t make much sense, but it as a little better than the former. “Juri, if at all possible, go for the Seeker… or the Chaser with the Quaffle.” (Just don’t hit the Quaffle, unspoken idea).

“Jera.” … “Get that snitch.”

He was sure they weren’t listening, really it was just a speech most captains made. And Paul wasn’t most captains, they should know that.

He shook Hannah Laurent’s hand, his eyes on his feet until he had to look up to fly. And then he did, stalking the sky until he found his Bludger, and his chance to hit it at Lucie Dupree from above as she was passing the Quaffle away. [I]But damn[/I], was it too late?

Not if he injured a player.
0 <font color="blue">Paul Tarwater</font> Watching over you 0 <font color="blue">Paul Tarwater</font> 0 5


<font color="yellow">Amber Carey, Beater</font>

January 30, 2010 9:20 PM
The way Amber saw it, Teppenpaw had this game in the bag. A sixth-year Seeker almost always had a big advantage when up against a fourth year, and when it came to captains, Hannah almost certainly beat Paul any day. Plus, Aladren had, as a starting Chaser, one of her cousins, and everything she had heard indicated he was a little out of touch with reality - or at least the rest of the species. If that was as good as Aladren could get, then they ought to be easily handled.

Her job, of course, was to make them even easier to handle by taking some of them out of the game. Since the only one of the Beaters, she thought, more experienced than her was Paul, who was a little off, Amber thought she'd be able to make a decent job of it.

There was the usual process of speeches to go through, the captain's and the coach's, and then they were off. Aladren got the Quaffle, but then Teppenpaw got it back, and while Lucie was passing, Amber caught the distinctive whistle of a Bludger. Looking up, she saw Paul and found where it was coming from.

Taking out the Quaffle-bearer. Nice. Figuring she was out of range of their Seeker, Amber intercepted the Bludger's path and sent it toward the first bat-less blue robe that she saw. Taking out Chasers usually wasn't a game-changer at this level of play, but you never knew; maybe having a random Aladren removed would give Hannah a view she would not have otherwise had and secure Teppenpaw an early win.
0 <font color="yellow">Amber Carey, Beater</font> That's a new way to put it. 0 <font color="yellow">Amber Carey, Beater</font> 0 5


<font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Chaser</font>

February 02, 2010 10:30 PM
Psychology was not a discipline Edmond had studied, but he felt safe in saying that the Aladren team captain could do with speaking to someone who had. The disjointed manner he communicated in was unsettling; as far he could remember - which, admittedly, wasn't far; his memories were primarily academic in nature, with the personal ranking a very poor, patchy second - Edmond had never heard anything like it in his life. If he had attempted to speak in such a way, they would have reprimanded him to his face and then had one of those quiet talks he wasn't supposed to know about.

He did, however, manage to glean at least one useful tidbit from the speech: the Teppenpaw Chasers could be ruthless. A good thing to remember. Of all the days for him not to make a stupid mistake, today probably ranked pretty high, as the illogical practice of blaming the new guy for anything that went wrong might hold true even in a supposedly-logical set of people.

Coach Pierce was a much more organized speech-giver, which was welcome. As the game began and Aladren managed to take the Quaffle, Edmond tried to block out all the distractors in the area. It was an effective technique for studying in unideal conditions, and he needed to be at least almost as focused at the moment as he was when he did that.

Either his focus or his reflexes failed to operate, though, because one of the Teppenpaw players - he thought she was a Miss Dupree, though he couldn't say he really paid all that much attention to older non-Aladrens - managed to intercept the ball as it was passed. Irritated with himself for being slow, Edmond followed her uneven path back toward his goals and unreliable Keeper.

His strategy was based on being good enough at evasionary techniques for the Miss Dupree not to notice him, and the strategy seemed to be working. Maybe - contrary to many a very exasperated exclamation of Julia's - Edmond did have at least one subtle bone somewhere in his body. When Miss Dupree passed and he was able to intercept it, he decided that qualified as further evidence for the interpretation as, grateful that the alleged Carey wealth had gifted him with a decent broom, Edmond turned and began to head back toward the Teppenpaw goals. Since there were several not-exactly-uninfluential people who would be irritated if he got his skull knocked in and take out their irritation on people he cared for, Edmond passed the Quaffle as soon as he felt it was safe to do so.
0 <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Chaser</font> Cutting in 0 <font color="blue">Edmond Carey, Chaser</font> 0 5


<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen</font>

February 08, 2010 12:12 PM
Tobar put on his Quidditch Robes and sighed he was nervous today was his first ever Quidditch Match. He had played in games with the family but they weren’t at this caliber of play. He put his helmet under his arm and sighed as he made his way down to the pitch. When the match began he got on his broom and flew up towards the goals.

Holding himself steady he clapped his hands in the chill and smiled. This was it this was going to be the day Teppenpaw would beat the scholars that called themselves Quidditch players. He watched as the Quaffle was passed back and forth between the two teams. This was nerve wrecking, and it only got worse when one of the Aladren Chasers shot towards him.

Was he going to shoot for the goal? Would Tobar save it? The nerves were killing him and Tobar was just ready to get the first shot down and over with. He watched closely as the chaser tossed the quaffle and he sighed in relief he wasn’t coming just yet giving Tobar time to calm himself down. He closed his eyes for just a second and let out a long breath. Once again he clapped his hands and smiled. ‘Let’s do this.’ He thought and his mind was back in the game.
0 <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen</font> Ahhhh Just shoot already! 0 <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen</font> 0 5


<font color="blue">Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser</font>

February 10, 2010 4:07 PM
They had, for who alone knew what reason, made him an assistant captain. Thomas wasn’t sure what had possessed them to do that. The only possible answer was that Gray was already a prefect, a little impaired in the communication department, and, well, related to Anne Wright, whose manic shadow still seemed to crop up around the Quidditch program from time to time. Thomas had never so much as spoken to her, but she had been one of those people you knew whether you knew her or not.

So far, being assistant captain had been an ambiguous affair. Thomas figured no one, at least in Aladren, really knew what the purpose of one was; Layne hadn’t had one, and he’d seemed to be Wright’s boyfriend-therapist when he was hers before that. Thomas was sure someone out there would find Paul romantically appealing, but that someone was not him. It had probably not been a great idea to have both the captain and assistant captain in exam years, either. The whole thing had failed to fall into the neat categories that Thomas liked his life to be divided into.

The game was simpler. He caught and threw a ball as part of a weekend diversion, and did his part to keep people in the wrong color uniform from getting hold of the ball. The logistics were, of course, a great deal more complicated than that, but since he didn’t have to actively do the math to make all that work, he wasn’t worried about it. It helped that while Teppenpaw had its advantages – Hannah was more experienced than Jera, New Teppenpaw Keeper Kid was not Gray Wright – they did not come across as indestructible. Thomas believed in the power of psychology; how the groups perceived of each other and of themselves could have a big impact on how things went.

He didn’t know if that contributed to Aladren making a decent showing for itself, but it seemed to be working. It was a mild surprise that the new kid, Carey, was the one to get the ball back once it was briefly lost, though. He would keep an eye on him. When Edmond opted not to attempt the shot, Thomas caught his pass and did it instead. New Teppenpaw Keeper Kid was a first year, but he threw in a feint before actually directing the Quaffle toward the left hoop.
0 <font color="blue">Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser</font> Well, if you insist... 0 <font color="blue">Thomas Fitzgerald Chaser</font> 0 5


<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen </font>

February 10, 2010 7:07 PM
Tobar was ready to prove himself, he wanted to be the best keeper in Sonora and his first shot was coming quick. The boy he thought was going to shoot for the goals just passed it to another one. What was going on here? Did they want to mess with his mind? Probably but Tobar knew everything would be okay he would save shot right? “Stop doubting yourself Tobar.” He said and knew it was probably crazy to be talking to himself.

Watching the Chaser who currently had the ball Tobar wasn’t sure which way he was going to go. He feinted and then shot toward the left hoop. Tobar went towards the left hoop and slapped the Quaffle down before flying around the hoop in a victory lap.

He loved the rush it had given him to save the goal, he had been apprehensive to play the Keeper position but after all the work he had done it had paid off. He clapped his hands again and nodded ready to go again. He hoped that this would keep going throughout the game.
0 <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen </font> I do. 0 <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen </font> 0 5

<font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font>

February 11, 2010 12:56 PM
Daniel's pass was intercepted by Lucie Dupree, but before he could get too upset about it, he realized Amber Carey had targeted him with a bludger. He jutted and juked and lost track of the quaffle action for a few minutes while he evaded the malevolent metal ball. By the time he finally shook it, Thomas was taking a shot at the Teppenpaw goals. Daniel looked over just in time to see Tobar Brishen block the shot.

Fortunately, his evasive maneuvers had put him in the perfect position to collect the falling ball before it hit ground. He flew back out to the proper post-goal-attempt distance, met the coach's eyes, and play resumed. He flew up higher than Chasers normally ventured, as it was above even the tallest of the goal hoops, then dropped into a fast dive that would put him at the ground right where the center hoop's post was planned into the dirt if he didn't change direction.

As he passed by the altitude where the side hoops were at, he took a second goal shot, aiming this time at the right one. He was moving too fast for a feint, so he was counting entirely on its speed and unconventionality to make it in. Assuming, of course, that the Quaffle was even flying anywhere near its intended target. Daniel hadn't had more than a moment judge distances and take aim, and his ability to throw where he wanted the ball to go was not yet instinctual.

There was a fair to good chance it wouldn't make it in even if Tobar wasn't there at all.

Still, Daniel pulled out of his dive as quickly as gravity and inertia would allow him to do so, and looked up to see if he could again catch a wayward Quaffle as it fell toward the ground.
1 <font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font> Did you want it again, then? 130 <font color="blue">Daniel Nash II, Chaser</font> 0 5


<font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Keeper</font>

February 12, 2010 1:09 PM
Tobar had just got back to the goals when he saw Daniel take control of the Quaffle. Well they were sure gunning for him today. Where was his team? ‘C’mon beaters.’ He muttered keeping his eye on Daniel as he went up further then any other, Chaser ever did. ‘What is he doing? That is not cool’ Tobar mumbled and sighed as he rubbed his face.

When Daniel began his dive, Tobar gasped and shook his head. This was not good, not at all; they had not practiced a save like this ever. He shook his head nervous as hell and then he lost track of Daniel, one moment was all it took. He had blinked and the Quaffle had sailed in. “Crap.” Tobar said with a frown.

He had let the damn ball into the hoop. ‘It’s okay the Chasers on our team have to step up and score now, it’s not the end of the world you just let the Quaffle in one time it won’t happen again.” He sighed as he clasped his hands on the broom for a moment as the game play began again.
0 <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Keeper</font> uh oh 0 <font color="yellow">Tobar Brishen, Keeper</font> 0 5


Coach Amelia Pierce

February 12, 2010 1:40 PM
Amelia Pierce blew into her whistle, the shrill sound cutting through the air. "Aladren scores!" she called out, with the help of a sonorus charm, so that the spectators could clearly hear her. "The score is now 10 points Aladren, zero points Teppenpaw!"

She collected the quaffle from the Aladren boy who caught it after it scored and moved to the middle of the field. "Chasers, ready?" she asked, more formality than question, because she didn't wait for a response before throwing the ball high into the air and blowing the whistle again.

The game was back on.
1 Coach Amelia Pierce Aladren Scores! 20 Coach Amelia Pierce 0 5


Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser

February 12, 2010 6:31 PM
Edmond's pass went off flawlessly, but Thomas's goal wasn't as lucky. The Teppenpaw Keeper, whose face Edmond was quite sure he had seen in class but whose name he was unaware of, saved it. He pressed his lips together in irritation as the Quaffle was -

Caught by Daniel?

Edmond felt his respect for his teammate, which had already been established, rise as he secured the goal and the coach blew her whistle, causing a pause in the action of the game as she announced the score. Though ten points wasn't much - Crotalus had gotten that before midterm, and they'd lost by a hundred and forty points - Edmond still felt very pleased to be on Aladren's team as the Chasers went back to center.

The biggest difference between this and playing with a few of his cousins was how fast everything moved on the school Pitch. Unaccustomed to rhetorical questions, Edmond was in the middle of nodding when he realized Coach Pierce was in the middle of throwing the Quaffle. The game back was on.

He wasn't quite sure how it happened, and had to admit that it was at least half an accident, but he ended up being the Chaser who got the Quaffle. His first priority became, in a very brief instant, getting it as far away from his yellow-clad counterparts as quickly as possible, before they could use their proximity to try to take it away from him. He had a good enough reaction time that he was able to do so with, in his opinion, a respectable amount of haste.

Once the initial impulse to run was past, though, he passed. It was always a risk, but almost everyone admitted that the risks associated with presenting a consistent target for as long as it took to get from the central circle to the goals was even riskier. Teppenpaw's Beaters and Chasers could and most likely would have a field day with him if he did that.
0 Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser Can't complain about that. 0 Edmond Carey, Aladren Chaser 0 5