summer 2012

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Like Connor, Gwen is excited about theidea of GFfQ, and programs like it, becominga regular part of the quidditch community andperhaps a summer-long, annual event. “I thinkit’s a great way for less athletic quidditch playersto get in shape and be supported while doingso,” she says. “In addition, there are a lot of veryknowledgeable players who are doing GFfQ andthey are very helpful when one needs advice.” nThe mixed tournamentBY LEAH SUMMERVILLE FARRARQuidditch is growing quickly. There are over 500 teams now recognized by the IQA, and more are forming everyweek. Though the majority of these teams are still college-aged, a marked and significantly growing minority arehigh school teams. One of the clearest signs of the growing popularity of quidditch with the high school populationwas the addition of a high school division to World Cup V, held on Randall’s Island this past November.The expansion of quidditch to high schoolsis wonderful for both the current state andthe future of the sport. Experience playing onhigh school teams will increase the talent offuture quidditch players, add vibrancy and furtherdepth to the sport’s culture, and will helpsustain quidditch’s popularity. However, a newconversation has sprung up as high school teamsincrease in numbers—one centered around theincreasing frequency of high school and collegeteams playing against each other in mixed tournaments.Of the thirteen tournaments listed onthe IQA calendar for the month of April, ninehad only college and/or community teams registered,one was a high school tournament, andthree had at least one high school team registeredto play. Though college-only tournamentsmay still be predominant, mixed tournamentsare a developing phenomenon.Probably the most significant reason for thegrowth of mixed tournaments is the relativegeographic scarcity of teams at both the highschool and college level. Without enough highschool teams in the area, entering college tournamentsmay be the only way for high schools toget game time. Likewise, if a college tournamentneeds enough teams to fill the pool play brackets,then allowing interested local high schoolteams to enter makes sense. Whether or notmixed tournaments are appropriate, however, is adifferent conversation. Mixed tournaments helppromote the community nature of quidditch,and they can foster some wonderful friendshipsand mentorships across age boundaries. Conversely,some feel that the dangers of havingyoung adults and adolescents play against eachother and older players in a rough, full-contactsport very much outweigh the benefits.The geographic issue is one that JeffersonDedrick understands. Jefferson is the captainand co-founder of the WEQL Griffins HighSchool Quidditch Club, a predominantly highschool-aged community team from Allegany,NY. So far, Jefferson’s team has only played inmixed tournaments. Unfortunately, the Griffinsdon’t have the opportunity to play high schoolteams on a regular basis. According to Jefferson,there are only two established high schoolteams in Western New York; one team is formingand there is one team in Central New York.Given distances of an hour or more between theGriffins and the other established teams, theyhaven’t really played each other outside of a fewmixed tournaments. Fortunately, all the highschool teams do plan on playing in their firsthigh school-only tournament in May.Danny Mendelson’s team, the BriarcliffNearly Headless Nicolas Cages, from BriarcliffManor, NY, has a bit more experience in thehigh school bracket. Briarcliff played in the highschool division at World Cup V, and has hosteda predominantly high school tournament, theBriarcliff House Cup. “There are plenty of highschool teams in our area,” Danny says, “butI honestly think it’s more fun to play collegeteams. It gives you something to look forwardto when you graduate. I also think that playingcollege teams really benefits your team becauseyou’re, in most cases, playing a more advancedteam and you have to play really hard to keepup with them.”Having to play harder against a college teamis an assertion that Jefferson shares. “If you’rea high school-level team, and you’re lookingto play against college teams competitively, it’snot something you can do once a month,” Jeffersoninsists. “You have to be always willing toimprove yourself, your game, and your peers…you have to be able to pick yourself up off theground after someone three years older than youoverpowers you, spins around you, or runs pastyou at a crucial part of the game. If you’re goingto play at a higher level, you’re being held at ahigher standard, and you have to live up to that.”Of course, that ‘higher level’ is the cause ofconcern for many about the potential dangersinherent in mixed tournaments. “The main argumentI’ve heard against mixed tournaments,”Danny says, “is the tackling aspect. To be honestit’s mostly from the parents of players on thehigh school teams that are nervous about sendingtheir kids off to play older people.”Given the age difference between college andhigh school players, parents’ concerns aren’t illfounded;particularly if the high school teamhas 8th graders on the roster, as some teams do.Most players on high school teams range in agefrom 13 to 18 years, while college players are frequentlyin their twenties. With such a large gapin the physical size and maturity between theyoungest and oldest players, it is easy to see howyounger players could potentially face injury.However, Jefferson is adamant that the fullcontactnature of quidditch shouldn’t be, andisn’t, an overwhelming concern. “When we goon the pitch as high schoolers playing [against]college [teams], we expect to take and dish outjust as hard of hits and as fierce of playing as theother team.”Though Jefferson does say that college playersare “obviously a little stronger and a little fasterthan [high school players], we try our hardest.I’ve never got any complaints from teams, nordo I think that any of them have ‘taken it easy’because we’re high schoolers.”Confidence doesn’t mean that care shouldn’tbe taken, however; something that both Jeffersonand Danny insist is important to successfulmixed play. Jefferson is careful to speak to otherteams about the age gap when necessary. Duringthe Blue Devil Invitational, the 8th grader onJefferson’s team wanted to start, so as captain hewent over to the other team’s captain before thegame and “pointed out that she was 13, and theywere, you know, 10+ years older than her.” Thegame—and age difference —went without issue.However, while Mendelson agrees that communicationis the key, he is a bit more reservedabout the issue of tackling. “I think [tackling]can be a concern,” he admits, though he doesn’tthink it should be an impediment. “At our tournament[Briarcliff ’s Second Annual HouseCup] we’re telling the college players that theycan tackle just as long as they’re safe and awarethat they might be playing teams that aren’t asused to having their faces meet the dirt... Playersjust need to be smart about how they playand play safely. As long as that happens, thereshouldn’t be anything wrong with a mixed tournament.”Communication, like Jefferson and Dannymention, could potentially answer many of theproblems inherent in the age-physicality gap.Certainly, as long as younger players and their58 Quidditch Quarterly • Summer 2012
parents or guardians know the risks and communicatewith the college teams, then it is thehigh school student’s choice and responsibilitywhen entering a mixed tournament.However, it should be considered whether itis fair or appropriate to the college teams to askthem to assume responsibility of playing againstyounger players. In the issue of safety in mixedtournaments, a great deal of attention is givento the younger, high school players. However,when teams are unmatched in such a way, theburden of safety falls on the older player. Theymust consciously and continually check theirown strength and the style of play that they areused to to prevent injuries. Furthermore, it canpotentially be a legal burden on the college student;particularly if a much younger player becomesinjured in a game or scrimmage.Every state has its own laws regarding thesafety of those under eighteen. In New York,Article 260 of the Penal Code defines a personas guilty of “Endangering the Welfare of aChild” if he or she “knowingly acts in a mannerlikely to be injurious to the physical, mentalor moral welfare of a child less than seventeenyears old or directs or authorizes such child toengage in an occupation involving a substantialrisk of danger to his or her life or health.”This law and laws like it are typically invokedin more serious cases of abuse or misconduct,but they are also very vague. If an older playerinjures a young high-school player, then thatolder player, unfortunately, could be held legallyaccountable under the law, given that quidditchis full-contact and can be quite aggressive. It isan outcome that seems (and hopefully is) preposterous,but it is still a very present possibility,particularly when 21- or 22-year-olds are askedto play against 14- and 15-year-olds. Althoughwith communication and proper training, highschool and college teams can play each otherwith a reasonable expectation of safety, therewill always be a very real danger for both sidesshould something go wrong.support. As Jefferson explains, “At every tournamentwe’ve been to, we’ve had a friendly facecome up to us and start with a, ‘Woah. You guyswere way better than we expected,’ which wouldmorph into a mini-quidditch lesson with all ofour team gathered around the college playerwho would be explaining a standard tactic orquidditch rule of thumb. Beyond that, we alsoschool teams, but it’s just not as fun.”There are other options for the formation ofcommunities in quidditch that side-step someof the concerns about mixed tournaments. Onesuch option is the new Mentorship Programthat the IQA’s Development Department hasunveiled, where established teams (high schooland college) can act as ‘mentors’ to startingDARIEN HIGH SCHOOL PLAYS TRINITY HIGH SCHOOL AT WORLD CUP V. (PHOTO: QUIDDITCHPHOTOS.COM)“High school teams get better by playing more advanced teams,and the college teams get to adopt pupils. In the World Cup’s teamvillage, which was mixed, we befriended some of the best athletesand nicest people we’ve ever met. Briarcliff Quidditch is now thesister quidditch program of both Texas Quidditch and VCU Quidditchbecause teams of college and high school levels were putinto a tournament together.”Looking beyond all this talk of potential for injuryand liability, one of the greatest positives ofthe mixed tournament model is the chance forcommunity, and for education. When collegeand high school teams play in the same tournament,the high schoolers get to benefit fromthe older player’s knowledge, while the collegeplayers can help nurture the future of their sport.Both groups get to benefit from knowing andinteracting with people from a different stage inlife. Every time we reach out beyond the limitsof our own social group, whether the boundariesare formed by location, age, or preference,we learn more about ourselves and the world.We get a different perspective. One of the bestthings about quidditch is the way it brings peopletogether from different groups (athletes,fans, mischief-makers, the idle curious, andmore) and forges them into one team.This community-building bond is somethingthat both Danny and Jefferson whole-heartedlyget more walls to post silly posts or pictures on.Just a couple weeks ago one of the Griffin’s statuseswas attacked by [players from] RIT, Universityof Rochester, Edinboro University, andSUNY Fredonia all trying to convince [our]player to come to their school and play for theirteam upon graduation from high school.”Danny also experienced this welcoming atmospherewith his team. “High school teams,”he says, “get better by playing more advancedteams and the college teams get to adopt pupils.In the World Cup’s team village, which wasmixed, we befriended some of the best athletesand nicest people we’ve ever met. BriarcliffQuidditch is now the sister quidditch programof both Texas Quidditch and VCU Quidditchbecause teams of college and high school levelswere put into a tournament together.” Thoughcommunities can, and do, form internally in thedifferent age groups, as Danny succinctly putsit, “There can be an internal community of highteams through sharing experience and tips. Sisterprograms, like the informal ones Briarcliffhas established, can be great options. Nothingsays that high school teams playing in a separatebracket at a tournament cannot still interactwith the college teams off-pitch.As more and more teams are established atboth the high school and college level, we arelikely to see more and more high school tournamentsstarting to appear over the next fewyears. However, mixed tournaments are likelyhere to stay for quite some time. Beyond questionsof community and tackling, the scarcity ofage-appropriate teams will continue to lead highschool teams to register for college tournaments,and vice-versa. This is an opportunity for teamsto learn from each other and build connectionsand friendships. It is also an opportunityfor careful direction and thought about how tomake our sport grow into something that is safeand nurturing for all. nLeah Summerville Farrar played in World Cups III and IV as a beater for St. Lawrence University, before graduation forced her to retire in 2011. Refusing to letquidditch leave her life, she got involved with the PR team for World Cup V, and is now putting her English degree to use as the IQA’s PR director.Quidditch Quarterly • Summer 2012 59
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CONTENTS16226Recent TournamentsHous
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NORTHEASTMAY 26, 2012 • BRIARCLIF
Page 8 and 9: SOUTHPHOTO: ALI FISHMANABOVE: MARCH
Page 10: PHOTO: MATT HELLMAN1ST: UT2ND: A&M3
Page 13 and 14: L: THE NE PRESENTS A SHRUBBERY (PHO
Page 17: SHOPIQA.COMWITH THIS SHIRT,THE ODDS
Page 20: SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL QUIDDITCH.BUY
Page 24 and 25: QUIDDITCH DOWN UNDERBY ERIC ANDRESQ
Page 26 and 27: BUILDINGCOMMUNITYIN FRANCEBY LUKE Z
Page 28 and 29: FLYING TO CHINABY KATIE STACKThis p
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Page 32 and 33: JE NE PARLE PASL’ANGLAIS, BUT YES
Page 35 and 36: THE CORE CONFLICT:WHIMSICALITYVS.CO
Page 37 and 38: matter how you were seeded for the
Page 39 and 40: “There’s one big problem with t
Page 41 and 42: Quidditch Quarterly • Summer 2012
Page 43 and 44: Who is he?PHOTO: JAKE HINESBut sinc
Page 46: LEFT: MISSY SPONAGLE (PHOTO: JERRY
Page 50 and 51: The QQ interview: QuiykBY ABBIE RIC
Page 52 and 53: PLAYERS’ CORNERGetting into the s
Page 54 and 55: Tackling safe tacklingBY ERIC ANDRE
Page 56 and 57: A SNITCH HOLDS A BLUDGER BEFORE BRO
Page 60: “It always seems impossible until
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summer 2012

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