Spotlight: UC Berkeley
by Lindsay Garten | February 15, 2013
Founded in 2010 by Sean Robbins and Caroline Wurde...
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Founded in 2010 by Sean Robbins and Caroline Wurden, No. 7 University of California Berkeley Quidditch (Berkeley, CA) has risen to the top to become a powerhouse in the West Region. Since the team was founded, they have gained players, fans, and recognition in the quidditch community. Berkeley's Captain, Taylor Pierola, explained, “We are very proud of the progress we have made, and are honored to be able to pass on and spread the wonderful sport of quidditch to the rest of our school, community, and friends.”
Photo courtesy of Taylor Pierola
Practicing three times a week at the center of campus has built team camaraderie both on and off the pitch. In addition to playing quidditch, Pierola noted, “Other than playing quidditch, the team also hosts birthday parties for children where we bring our equipment and teach them how to play quidditch. We tailor the rules to fit the ages of the children participating.”
The group has also come together through successful fundraisers such as selling T-shirts during homecoming week reading “Voldemort went to Stanford.” “These sold well because Stanford is our school's rival, and they were very popular and sold out quickly,” said Pierola.
While it's clear that Berkeley has had many successes off the pitch, their No. 7 ranking indicates that they're also a force to be reckoned with on the pitch. This is due in part to the many loyal players on the team who show up early to practice to set up, are the last to leave, and make an extra effort during practice in order to become better players. Pierola explained, “On our quidditch team we have many dedicated players who come to every practice.... I couldn't single out one or two because there are more that deserve to be recognized and appreciated for their dedication.”
Leading up to the Western Regional Championship on Feb. 16-17 in Roseville, CA and coming off of five consecutive wins, the team is most looking forward to playing the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC), a new attendee. Berkeley also looks forward to seeing all of the West Region teams, especially Southern California Rivals, No. 20 University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA), No. 5 University of California Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA), and No. 42 The Lost Boys (Lomita, CA).
Pierola hopes that regionals will be a good bonding experience for the players that joined the Berkeley team last semester, since this is their first major tournament of the year. “We are looking forward to learning and growing as players, [and] making connections with the rest of the quidditch community,” Pierola noted.
Although they carry the No. 7 ranking, Pierola explained that the team has continued to work hard to prepare for regionals and a possible shot at competing in the World Cup. “We are proud to be so highly ranked among such exceptional quidditch teams. However, we are very aware that we still need to play very hard and have many more games to play before we can be comfortable [with our strategies].”
