BU takes Northeast
Boston University Quidditch took home the gold at ...
The 11 teams moving on to the international championship tournament in Kissemmee, Florida are Boston University, Emerson College, Tufts University, Hofstra, Macaulay Honors College, SUNY Geneseo, Boston Riot, New York University, University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, and University of Massachusetts Amherst.
The final match of the tournament was between Boston locals Boston University and Emerson College, and it was a crowded, chaotic, and inspiring affair. Audience members pressed on both sides of the field as the sky grew worryingly dark. The two longtime rivals stayed very close throughout the game, with Emerson closely trailing the BU squad; at one point the scores lined up evenly at 70-70. BU captain Joe Barkus received two yellow cards, which gave him an automatic red card and ejected him from the game. Despite playing down for two minutes, BU still pulled away to a 100-80 lead, as the snitch Harry Greenhouse from the University of Maryland returned to the field. Greenhouse faced the unenviable task of going up against the twin unicorn cores of IQA seeking - Jon Blackler of BU and Ryan Barnada of Emerson, both seniors and four-year veterans of the position, who have been seeking against each other since their debuts in the 2009 World Cup. Interestingly, both teams were rapidly subbing various seekers in and out, and the final grab was made by BU seeker Tom Ford, after several false grabs (and subsequent, increasingly unbearable tension for all concerned), bringing the final score to a 150-80 BU victory.
The story of the day was Boston as a city, with three of the four teams in semi-finals hailing from the beantown area. Boston University went up against Tufts (both teams entered Sunday's brackets with undefeated tournament records) and Emerson College took on the "Strong Island" team Hofstra University (also with an undefeated record). While Tufts has reclaimed some of the glory of their debut against Middlebury in the World Cup finals in 2010, they were strongly outclassed by Boston University, who began pulling away early in the game and finished 160 – 40. Hofstra, who narrowly survived a 60-30 win over NYU by grabbing the snitch in the quarterfinals, performed admirably in a defensive struggle of a match against Emerson.The game was hard-hitting and very aggressive on both sides, with Hofstra's very effective chaser game and overall teamwork allowing them to keep the match extremely close throughout. Emerson's squad overmatched them, though, and eventually brought home the snitch for a final score of 50-20.
An ongoing theme at this tournament was the comeuppance of university teams and the struggles of smaller college teams. Most notably among them were the two oldest, founding quidditch teams in the IQA, Vassar College and Middlebury College (five-time World Cup defending champions), who participated in the first game of interscholastic quidditch ever, on November 11th 2007, the first "World Cup." Middlebury lost many of its top players this past year to that academic meatgrinder known as graduation, and their fresh new squad had trouble keeping up with the veteran crews of other teams. Vassar and Middlebury both went 2-3 at NERC and for the first time since the formation of the sport, neither will be going to World Cup as a Division 1 team. It is a sad but interesting moment in the history of quidditch, and it will be intriguing to see how these teams adapt to the changing landscape, and/or remain true to their current philosophies and values in future seasons.
The majority of the Northeast teams found a way to creatively distinguish themselves in addition to the high level of competition present throughout the weekend. Vassar boasted bright pink hair and the Badassilisks sported green and yellow facepaint. Many teams wore new and stylish jerseys with pride. The University of Vermont seemed to collectively decide to forgo strict competition in favor of on-pitch hilarity, and certainly were champions in that category. Tenzin Chophel was unofficial MVP of tomfoolery, employing such devious plays as: only turning in right angles, tickling the opposing chasers, and jumping over incoming bludgers while wearing a nearly impenetrable balaclava. The team also enacted comprehensive team-wide strategies, including "dinosaur mode," which involved players screeching and stalking around like Velociraptors, with hands twisted up to resemble claws. Occasionally the entire team broke into skipping. Massage trains with the opposing team took place before games, and captain Jake Seymour stood on the field with his signature, genuine orange mustache, shouting "NO GOOOOAAALLLLL!" and pumping his fist in the air triumphantly on any occasion that he failed to score.
Individual players also had the opportunity to distinguish their team by participating in the all-star match at the end of the weekend. Teams nominated two players from the opposing team after every match. Once the votes were tallied, the players were divided into two teams: the New England Rock Lobsters and the New York Emperor's New Groove (all teams present at the tournament were from either New England or New York state). Hilarity ensued and hundreds of spectators enjoyed watching as multiple snitches commandeered the use of the quaffle; league commissioner Alex Benepe even jumped on the pitch at one point to steal the quaffle, using his well-known snitch cane as a broom and somehow managing to keep his top hat perched on his head.
Fort Adams was an extraordinary location for a quidditch tournament. Holding the tournament within the walls of a historic American military fortress made the event feel as if it were transported to another world (complete with rumors of ghosts lurking amongst the walls). Large gates with steep ramps of weathered stone marked the entry points to this parallel universe of quidditch wonder. The Fort Adams trust set up a fantastic food shop at the north end of the fort that included delicious local clam chowder that warmed the bones on a chilly day. Bright sun and a strong sea-breeze prevailed throughout the day, and a wonderful view of the Newport Bridge could be accessed from Pitch 5, located outside of the north walls of the fort. The Fort Adams Trust under Laurie Labreqcue did an amazing job of co-hosting and organizing the event. To cap it all off, the fort staff fired off one of their cannons at the conclusion of the tournament, and a massive, startling boom echoed across the emptying pitches as a dense cloud of smoke wafted over the fort's walls.
Some of the greatest heroes of the day however, were not located on the pitch. These heroes were the volunteer coordinators of the event - the NERC organizing committee, led by Kristina Moy, and the University of Rhode Island Ridgebacks quidditch team, led by organizer Zara Collier. The India Point Ashwinders (yes, their team acronym is IPA) also helped out in a pinch with extra brooms. Referees and snitches drove in from across the Northeast, as well as the Midatlantic and Midwest regions to lend their support. The headquarters of the event was based in one of the fort's barracks, where a local, intrepid medical team also set up shop. Overall the event was superbly organized, well-officiated and staffed (with the exception of a shortage of snitches due to unforeseen injuries), wonderfully situated, and very enjoyable for all teams present.
Pictures for the weekend, taken by the stalwart Michael E. Mason, better known as “Cupcakes”, can be located here.
All scores can be found here.
