The Fall of the South
Photo by Isabella Gong/IQA Staff
This year couldn't have been any more different. Despite the massive home field advantage, this year was an absolute disappointment for the South. The University of Florida didn't make it to the bracket round; USF barely edged their way into the bracket with the lowest seed, losing to the Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY); and UM ironically suffered the same fate as last year, losing to the shocker of the tournament, Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH), by a snitch pull in the first round. This leaves the quidditch community with more questions than answers, but it answers one important question:
Which region is the “weakest” region?
The answer is undoubtedly the Southern region. With only three teams advancing to bracket play - the smallest number from any region in the United States, with none of the teams winning a game in day two - it's very difficult to make an argument otherwise. As the saying goes, you have to put up or shut up. The Southern region was put down and shut down, quite literally, might I add. There is a lot of pride in the South, which was justified but is now unfounded. While the past success of the teams from Florida is undeniable, it is evident that the region has become stagnant, relying on old strategies and players, while watching other regions successfully progress.
I suggest that the reason other regions are flourishing is that their “bottoms” are higher. How do you get better? You practice better, you work better, and most importantly, you play better teams. The reason that teams like the University of Texas (Austin, TX) are so good - in addition to their overall physicality and strategy - is that they play against better teams on a regular basis. For example, let's look at the 2013 Southwestern Regional Championship. Roadrunner Quidditch went 0-3 in their pool, amassing a -110 point differential. The University of Texas outscored this team by 120 quaffle points; that's a beat-down. This same team gave USF, arguably one of the best teams in the Southern region, a run for their money, requiring the Bulls to catch the snitch to force overtime. On a personal level, I can attest to Roadrunner being better than most teams I've played in Florida.
While this anecdotal evidence may not be sufficient, it's important to look at the Division 2 championship, the teams that represent a lower level of play. Almost half of the teams (8 of 18) in Division 2 were from the South. In my eyes, it was a glorified Southern Regional Championship. However, only three of the Southern teams made the quarterfinals, and only one team, Ringling College of Art and Design (Sarasota, FL), made it to the semifinals. On the other hand, the Southwest region only brought three teams to D2. Sam Houston State University (Huntsville, TX), Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, LA), and Rice University (Houston, TX) all advanced to the bracket rounds, all ranking in the top four after pool play (1st, 3rd, and 4th, respectively). The Southwest swept the World Cup, taking both the Division 1 and 2 titles. It's obvious that every region has some catching up to do, especially the Southern region.
While the tone is somber, the rhetoric accusatory, and the overall message demeaning, there is a point to it. It needs to be said. Unless we identify the problem and work toward a solution, there will be no change. We will remain mediocre. We will retain our status as the weakest region in the IQA. If anything, those of you in the South, take this for what it is—a wake-up call. Go out there and recruit harder, train better, and just improve. The potential is there: a lot of the teams are filled with freshman, our public universities boast massive populations filled with open-minded athletes, and we have the privilege of practicing in the scorching heat and humidity.