Feature
Welcome to the Madness
From the ashes of NYDC Capitalists rises another community team ready to take the Mid-Atlantic by storm and change the face of community teams as we know them. Welcome to the Capital Madness!
Last year, the quidditch world witnessed the rise and fall of the community team known as the NYDC Capitalists. After failing to make it out of pool play at World Cup VII and struggling internally, the team disbanded. Earlier this summer, many of the players from the New York part of the squad developed the solely New York-based team, the Warriors. But now, from the ashes of NYDC rises another community team ready to take the Mid-Atlantic by storm and change the face of community teams as we know them. Welcome to the Capital Madness!
Choosing purple, silver and black for their logo, the Madness is a Washington D.C.-based community team founded by Robby May, Steve Minnich and Jesse Mayer (the former two were previously NYDC players). Quidditch has not grown in Washington D.C. and Maryland like it has in other parts of the country; the only two official teams in Maryland last year were Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). There was no opportunity for graduates or locals to play on these college teams, so the need for a community team was apparent.
Photo by: Michael E. Mason | IQA Photo Editor
“Basically, there’s been a need for a team in this area for a while,” said team General Manager Steve Minnich. “As an area that produces a lot of collegiate quidditch players and is a hotspot for young professionals, we thought it was best for an independent team to be able to to bring in any graduating collegiate players looking for a community team to continue playing as well as to recruit in this area booming with potential athletes that fit our target demographic.”
The Madness’ first order of business was to find someone to help lead the team to victory, and they found this in former UMD and NYDC player James Hicks. Hicks played what he claims was his last official season last year and has decided to retire as a player. Taking the skills he has gained from three years of playing, Hicks is now under contract with the Madness and will serve as a non-playing coach so that he can assess the team’s progress, give valuable insight and offer a unified voice to provide direction, rather than risk disagreement between many captains.
Assembling a team in an area without many former teams—but many potential players—comprises the basis of the team’s motivation for development.
“While we’re already on our way to building a roster of talented individuals, we want the focus of our club to be not on what we can do individually, but how we can perform as a team,” Minnich said.
Prioritizing the team as a whole as opposed to focusing on all-stars trying to play by themselves should allow the Madness to develop cohesion and a much cleaner game
Photo by: Michael E. Mason | IQA Photo Editor
Besides the focus on team identity, the Madness also hopes to serve as a role model for other community teams. The Madness is incorporated as a nonprofit, which gives businesses an incentive to donate and sponsor the team because all donations will be tax deductible. In fact, the Madness is currently in negotiations with several small local businesses who may serve as possible sponsors for the upcoming season. These donations benefit the Madness because as a community team, they do not receive school funding to help them travel or acquire jerseys and equipment.
“Although we are a competitive organization, we want to have people to compete against,” said team President Jesse Mayer. “By working hard and being successful, we will be able to help other teams and organizations avoid the little potholes that we may encounter.”
The Madness will not be holding official tryouts, but anyone who is interested and available may participate in a practice. Using Hicks as a non-playing coach will allow him to evaluate players at practices and allow the Madness to maintain a rolling roster instead of one set in stone.
So if you’re in the D.C. area, grab a broom and get ready for some madness!
Erin Mallory is a senior at the University of Maryland and is entering her fourth year of playing chaser for the team as well her second year as team president. The future elementary school teacher is very much anticipating what Maryland can do in her last year of playing.
