Let me try! on Cascade Hall

The Coach

January 31, 2022 11:34 PM

Quidditch Sign Ups by The Coach

Sonora’s Quidditch fortunes were steady. They probably weren’t going to earn a reputation as an elite or specialised school for the sport, but they were good enough to get into games with scouts, so that the truly exceptional players did have some chances to rise up. One of their most recent graduates had even been awarded a prestigious Quidditch scholarship enabling her to attend university.

The team itself was similarly steady. They were a long way from buidling back to having individual house teams, but the whole school team was strong, and popular enough to be competitive, with people rising up to take positions after years of training under a senior member. Usually. There were some years where it still seemed all the Beaters graduated, and the new ones looked awfully small. But, on the whole, it was going well. The Coach was confident of a full team, at a minimum, and excited for the opportunities to try new Seekers, who had been working their ways up the ranks.

It was the first day of classes when the notice went up, and judging from previous years, it wouldn’t stay blank for very long. The poster was topped with enthusiastically bouncing letters which declared Quidditch Sign Ups - Both New and Experienced Players Welcome! There followed a basic explanation of Quidditch, and each of the positions, along with the dates and times of the tryouts.

Sign up below with your name, year, house, and preferred position (if any).

OOC: Try outs will be posted around two weeks from now. If you don't get around to signing up, you will still be able to try out as a walk on, but it's strongly encouraged to try getting a sign up post done if possible. Like other site posts, it should be 200 words minimum - talk about your character's experience, why they're signing up etc, as well as noting what they actually write.

Subthreads:

Finally! Almost. by Valentine Duell

My turn to fly! by Anya Delachene

Count me in! by Fortune Ardovini

Sign me UP for this!! by Xander Faro

Fight or flight by Oz Spellman

Let me try! by Cole Pierce

Whoo! by Billy Cobb

Pick me pick me! by Freya Curtis

Willing to try by Yaniel Ayala Velez

13 The Coach Quidditch Sign Ups 0 The Coach 1 5

Valentine Duell

February 01, 2022 3:44 AM

Finally! Almost. by Valentine Duell

Valentine Duell 5th year, Teppenpaw, Seeker or Chaser

Val wrote the line on the sheet with only minor hesitation. It was the same line she'd been writing since she first arrived at Sonira with only the minor change of her year each time. She was perfect now, and hoped that didn't mean she wouldn't have time to play. That would be a disaster since it had finally happened.

Jeremy was gone. She'd had to play chaser for the past four years because of Jeremy... and to a much lesser extent Anya. Still Anya had gotten to at least been the reserve seeker. Now though, Anya could finally take her place as the team seeker and Val would (hopefully) get to be the official secondary seeker.

She didn't begrudge Anya at all, they'd both been trapped while Jeremy had been around and now Anya would only get one year of being the team Seeker before graduating. Assuming some first year didn't come on and blow them both away. That didn't seem to likely though, Anya was an amazing seeker and she didn't think she was to bad herself. Try-outs would tell though.

She just had to stay on her game, she wanted to reclaim Mama's old position if it was the last thing she did! Still, she'd been chasing for the last four years, and she wasn't bad at that either. Ultimately she wanted the team to do well, so if that meant chasing, well... she could chase again.

2 Valentine Duell Finally! Almost. 1490 0 5

Anya Delachene

February 01, 2022 6:55 AM

My turn to fly! by Anya Delachene

Anya had been waiting for this for six years. Jeremy was finally gone. She honestly wasn't sure if she resented him more for being a prat or for being the one blocking her chance to play first string Seeker. But he was gone now, graduated, and this year, this year, Anya could finally fly. She could go to all of the away games, see new places, and revel in the cheers of the crowds. She wanted this so bad. She had waited, so patiently, for her turn.

There was no hesitation at all as she pulled out a pen to add her name to the list right under Valentine's. Val was a good player, too, and Anya wished her all the best, but this year was Anya's. It was her only chance left, and she really had gotten quite good, she thought, practicing all these years as the reserve seeker, playing against Jeremy in the intraschool matches (sometimes even winning!), and filling in for him during real games when he couldn't play.

Anya Delachene, 7th year, Pecari, Seeker!!

She also added a little drawing of a stick person flying a broom and used her wand to animate it doing some loops, because she could do that kind of thing now, and it was awesome. Feeling quite pleased with her effort and excited about the new year, she walked away to get breakfast.

1 Anya Delachene My turn to fly! 1453 0 5

Fortune Ardovini

February 02, 2022 6:31 PM

Count me in! by Fortune Ardovini

This is what Fortune was waiting for! Well, at least one of the things anyway. He wasn't sure if he would make the team, but there was no way he wasn't going to at least try out for it! Whether or not he wanted to become a professional Quidditch player was yet to be seen, it could be amazing, but he'd have to see if he actually liked it. But, that would be an option to him if he didn't try.

He looked over the sheet so far and it looked like there was already more than one person trying for seeker. That was fine, he was planning on chaser anyway... but he could potentially be persuaded to take a beater position if that is what it took to get on the team. He wasn't sure about keeping, he liked flying around and such and keepers just kinda sat there and stopped the Quaffle. It didn't really seem all that exciting of a position. Still... if the team needed one... he could try it. Maybe he'd be the best keeper ever!

Fortune Ardovini, first year, Pecari, Any position (preferably Chaser)

He looked at his line on the sheet. Yeah, he could do any position the team needed. The important thing was to get on the team, from there he could figure things out when the time came.

2 Fortune Ardovini Count me in! 1549 0 5

Xander Faro

February 07, 2022 3:21 AM

Sign me UP for this!! by Xander Faro

After his conversation with Fortune at the Opening Feast, Xander was more enthusistic than ever about joining the Quidditch team, and it was with a wide grin on his face that he trotted over to the signup sheet to add his name.

He'd done a lot of flying growing up, loving the freedom that being on a broom offered. His sister was too little and his cousins too old for Xander to have had regular Quidditch games or practices, but he'd played enough to have a good idea of the game rules. Plus after going to several Quidditch games with his father, who had a big Quidditch fan, there was no doubt that Xander wanted a go at playing proper Quidditch.

Xander had low expectations regarding actually being picked to join the Quidditch teams, but he was never one to let expectations get in the way of an attempt. Besides, as Fortune had pointed out, if there were enough people interested they might be able to get a second team for practice matches!

If he had to pick any position, Xander would have picked chaser. However, he wasn't going to reduce his chances of being picked by limiting himself to just one role, and besides, he wanted to do whatever he could to get a second team going!

It was with this in mind that Xander added his name to the list.

Xander Faro, first year, Pecari, Chaser or any position

There, that was done. Xander was satisfied with his signup, and now he had to try and contain his excitement until the tryouts. He couldn't wait!

9 Xander Faro Sign me UP for this!! 1550 0 5

Oz Spellman

February 07, 2022 3:12 PM

Fight or flight by Oz Spellman

Oz had mixed feelings about Quidditch. Or rather, he had one main feeling, which was scared, which he didn't think he was really allowed, so he was breaking it into lots of smaller issues in order to better ignore it. Everyone kept telling him that if he got badly hurt, they would just swish and flick him back together, and that wizards didn't have the concept of copays. He still didn't trust it though. His gut instinct...well, his gut instinct said this was mad fun and he should dive in with both feet, and that was exactly the voice he had learnt to doubt over the years because it always led him into trouble. He hadn't got badly hurt at training yet, but even when he got bruised up, they told him to go to the medic, and it made his stomach clench and a cold sweat creep down his neck. He usually didn't go. There had been one non-Quidditch related situation last year, where he'd had a cold that just wouldn't budge, because it had turned out to be a chest infection, and he'd basically been marched to her office. Part of him wanted to guzzle it all down. It was free medicine, and it worked, it really, really worked. But unlike the copious food, it was a line he just couldn't bring himself to cross. He was pretty sure he would have taken the medicine if it had been on tap, but being in a clinical room just made it feel like someone was squeezing all the air out of his lungs, regardless of what he was in there for.

Which was stupid, cos it was just a room, and the doctor was just a tiny little woman. Not the type of person any reasonable person would be scared of at all.

But still, he was back at the noticeboard. There was an undeniable rush with playing Quidditch. When things were going well, it was the best thing ever. There was also the old motivation, that said sports were a way out of poverty. He had probably never been good enough for that to apply, even when it had been a sport where he'd played it all his life and could keep his feet on the ground, and maybe he didn't even need that any more - the miracle of being a wizard had come along to save him. But old habits died hard, and against all the doubt and the worry that his gut feelings couldn't be trusted, was that sense that this was a field where he could actually show dedication and commitment. Maybe he was never going to shine enough to get a sports scholarship, but it was the one thing that might ever make him make a positive impression over Henry. That on its own would probably have been enough to bring him back. When even your own face wasn't just yours (and when almost everyone probably wanted to see the other version of it walking through the door), it was good to have a place where he was the better twin.

Oz Spellman, 4th year, Beater.

He signed up, and tried to push down the thoughts of ending up in the medical tent, in favour of the feeling of flying.

13 Oz Spellman Fight or flight 1514 0 5

Cole Pierce

February 07, 2022 6:21 PM

Let me try! by Cole Pierce

Cole was excited to get to try some wizard sports. He'd been in muggle little league, so he was pretty handy with a bat, plus his dad and uncle and cousin had all played beater, so he figured that was probably a good place to start. He added his name to the bottom of the list:

Cole Pierce, 1st year, Teppenpaw, Beater

Of course, he was a first year, so he wasn't particularly large or strong like beaters were supposed to be, so he doubted he'd make it onto the team this year, but he figured being a first year meant he was kind of poorly suited for all the positions relative to the older kids who had actually played before and had more years of growth behind them, so he considered adding a parenthetical 'or whatever' to the end of his sign up like some of the other first year sign-ups had done, but he ultimately decided against it. If there were a million people trying out for Beater when he got to the try-outs, he could tell the Coach he was willing to take another position, but until that happened, he figured it probably just confused matters.

So far, though, as far as competition went, there was just the one beater and some people who seemed to prefer chaser but were willing to try other things. It was the two people who wrote 'beater' or 'seeker' and nothing else for their sign-ups that sounded the most like they knew what they were doing though, so he decided to emulate that. It might give him a very slight psychological advantage.

1 Cole Pierce Let me try! 1546 0 5

Billy Cobb

February 07, 2022 7:46 PM

Whoo! by Billy Cobb

It was about time! Billy got to the Quidditch sign up sheet a bit later than he wanted to. Still, he'd made it! This year was going to be weird. His mentor, Hilda, was gone. Filipe was gone. He was one of the most experienced beaters the team had. He sure hope he lived up to whatever expectations Hilda had for him.

Over the summer he'd practiced as much as he was able, swatting at rocks with sticks 'n stuff. Naturally he couldn't do it on a broom, stupid secrecy laws. Still, now that he was back he could practice properly again! His eyes scanned over the list so far, not a bad start he thought. Who else might sign up yet? At the bottom of the list he scrawled his own information.

Billy Cobb, fourth year, Pecari, Beater.

It looked like there were some others signing up for beater as well. That was good, he couldn't do everything himself after all. Did this mean he'd get to be the mentor? He'd have to practice his Hilda impression. She'd been quite intimidating when she had wanted to be... and sometimes when, he suspected, she had not. He'd grown a bit, soon he might be able to do that as well.

2 Billy Cobb Whoo! 1519 0 5

Freya Curtis

February 27, 2022 12:52 PM

Pick me pick me! by Freya Curtis

Freya loved the outdoors, kind of a given if you grew up on a farm, and she liked to be active. Quidditch was practically in her blood and she had always loved to play. She was aware that it wasn’t considered the most ladylike pursuit by some but she wasn’t going to let that get in the way of having a good time and she had never been discouraged by her family - in fact rather the opposite. Her mother being European probably lent to that, and Aunt Joella and Aunt Franki had always been a big inspiration.

When the Quidditch sign up sheet went up on the first day of classes, it caught Freya’s eye straight away and she didn’t hesitate in bounding over eagerly to put her name down.

Freya Curtis, 1st year, Crotalus, Chaser (or any position)

She wrote her preferred position down but guessed as a first year she might have to take whatever she could get, but she really didn’t mind that. She glanced curiously over the other names of students that had signed up before her, but she couldn’t really put many names to faces yet.

Freya played club Quidditch back home so was pretty comfortable in a competitive environment but probably the biggest difference between that and at her new school would be the greater age range on her team, that was if she made the team. As a first year, to think she would be trying out against seventh years was very daunting but she tried not to think about it, and the poster did encourage new players so it really didn’t seem all that elite. There was no real pressure to make the cut anyway, from herself or her family, but she rather hoped she might - it would be fun, not only because the sport was awesome but also it might give her more opportunities to make friends.

8 Freya Curtis Pick me pick me! 1551 0 5

Yaniel Ayala Velez

February 27, 2022 3:16 PM

Willing to try by Yaniel Ayala Velez

Yarielis was definitely signing up for Quidditch. There was no doubt about that. Well, apart from all the ones about it being a mixed age team, and the probability of being so far behind everyone else, but those were more just worries that needed swallowing down than actual reasons against joining. The set up encouraged and welcomed new players, and there were already several other first years signed up, so it seemed unlikely that they'd be laughed off the pitch just for trying. Most schools did mixed age teams, so it wasn't unexpected, just scary, but at least Sonora didn't have a total ban on first years trying out, and actually seemed to welcome them.

Yarielis was relatively confident on a broom. It wasn't a totally new skill, having grown up with a witch mother, but it wasn't something Yarielis was free to do all the time, because of having a non-magical father and living in the non-magical part of town. Having a non-magical father also meant a strong familiarity with baseball, which meant that Yarielis was leaning towards one position in particular...

It made sense to be open though, especially having never really tried most positions out properly, only ever really playing pick up or doing skill drills in the park. There was only one position that was totally off the cards.

Yarielis Ayala Velez, 1st year, Crotalus. Not Seeker/Preferably Beater.

13 Yaniel Ayala Velez Willing to try 1554 0 5