Preview
West Wednesday: Los Angeles
The city of Los Angeles features some of the top quidditch in the world with two established programs that due to player retention problems may have seen their better days, two newcomers with a lot of potential and one program with more of a legacy then all of the rest that just keeps churning out talent.
After the West Region’s dismal Sunday performance at World Cup VII, many players and teams are hoping to set the record straight this season. The region will boast a completely different look this year as many players have transferred, and new ambitious teams are joining the competition. Last season featured one juggernaut team, a surplus of World Cup bids, and a fall West Regional Championship that arguably established the West’s World Cup slots too early. The end result was that teams in the West didn’t have as much reason to train throughout the entire season, and the effects were apparent in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The West Regional Championship tournament this season will be in February, and the competition for World Cup VIII bids will be fierce.
Each team will be discussed in five installments of sub-areas within the region (Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles, Northern California, Arizona, and Utah). The city of Los Angeles features some of the top quidditch in the world with two established programs that due to player retention problems may have seen their better days, two newcomers with a lot of potential and one program with more of a legacy then all of the rest that just keeps churning out talent.
LOST BOYS QUIDDITCH CLUB
2013-14 Finish: Eliminated in Round of 32, World Cup
Key Departures: Tony Rodriguez, Steve DiCarlo, Amanda Nagy
Key Returners/Recruits: Chris Seto, Peter Lee, Michael Mohlman
Strengths: Beating
Weaknesses: Player retention
Star Wars Character: “Han Solo because we shoot first” – Chris Seto (Beater)
The Lost Boys’ roster is currently a giant question mark. Starting keeper Tony Rodriguez and top seeker Steve DiCarlo left the Lost Boys to form their own team, which seems to have opened the floodgates for departures. Beater Amanda Nagy left the Lost Boys for Arizona Quidditch Club, Mitch Cavender has supposedly retired from quidditch, and numerous other players have yet to make a commitment one way or the other. Among these are star players Vanessa Goh, Missy Sponagle, and Alex Browne. Additionally, chasers Jeff Lin and Tiffany Chow are questionable.
Many believe that the Lost Boys’ success will be a shadow of last season. That may be true in the sense that it is unlikely that any West team will be undefeated within the region this season. However, the Lost Boys haven’t suffered any dooming player losses (yet). While Rodriguez is undoubtedly a major loss, he did not single handedly carry the team last season. Unlike the 2012-13 season, the Lost Boys had so much talent that he wasn’t needed on the pitch at all times. In short, while the Lost Boys will certainly miss the star’s contribution, they will survive without him. Losing DiCarlo as a seeker would normally be considered a gigantic loss, but he only had one SWIM opportunity last season. So, despite common logic, losing DiCarlo isn’t a reason to assume that the Lost Boys will be worse than last year. The Lost Boys will perhaps miss his strategic input and may find themselves in more snitch range games this year where DiCarlo could have matched his 2012-13 impact.
The Lost Boys still have the best beating depth in the entire region. Peter Lee, Chris Seto, and Michael Mohlman are all returning which will make the Lost Boys competitive in every game this season. Maddy Wojdak and Misty Gray should be able to combine to form a solid female beater rotation that can withstand the loss of Nagy. Many claim that beaters are the most important players; the Lost Boys have no shortage of talent at that position.
While Goh is injured and probably unavailable through the Regional Championship, the rest of the Lost Boys chasers have a chance of returning. Additionally, UCLA graduate and former captain Brandon Scapa might wear the crest this fall. If the Lost Boys can return most of their questionable players, then they will still have an extremely strong team that could combine elite beaters with a chaser line reminiscent of the World Cup VI runner-up UCLA team. No matter what, the Lost Boys will be competitive all season. If they return all of their possible players, they are at least a top three team in the West and could repeat their West Regional Championship.
Will they qualify for World Cup?
The Lost Boys are supposedly taking a more relaxed approach to quidditch this season due to players having “real lives.” Despite this, the Lost Boys are absolutely going to qualify.
THE LOS ANGELES GAMBITS
2013-14 Finish: N/A
Key Departures: N/A
Key Returners/Recruits: Ren Bettendorf, Tony Rodriguez, Steve DiCarlo
Strengths: Male chasers, seeking
Weaknesses: Experience, female quantity
Star Wars Character: “We'd probably be Darth Vader. We fully expect some people to consider us the bad guys this season, but we've got a great origin story and incredible power and potential.” – Steve DiCarlo (captain)
After departing the Lost Boys, All-Americans Steve DiCarlo and Tony Rodriguez created their own team fulfilling a plan that originated even before World Cup VI. Since internal issues within the Lost Boys caused the star athletes’ departures, one can only assume a great rivalry will develop in Los Angeles between the Lost Boys and the Gambits. Their matches will inevitably be some of the best quidditch that the West Region will have to offer in the 2014-15 season due to the high expectations for both squads. No one has higher expectations for this brand new community team than the Gambits themselves.
“I'm pretty sure I can say on behalf of everyone on the Gambits that World Cup qualification isn't our only goal for Western Cup,” DiCarlo said. “We fully intend on winning this year's [regional championship], and will consider anything less a failure.”
While the Gambits probably aren’t the current favorites to win the West Regional Championship, they certainly have a core group of players with the potential to be the best team in the West Region by February. DiCarlo and Rodriguez received interest from several newer players in the game whose young teams weren’t quite competitive enough to perform at the highest level of competition. By combining these recruits, the Gambits could be a very dangerous team. The most important of these is Ren Bettendorf, a chaser/keeper who just finished a sensational rookie season with the Santa Barbara Blacktips. Bettendorf will more than likely lead the Gambits in quaffle play and combining him with Rodriguez has terrifying potential.
“Tony and Ren sharing a pitch together looks exactly as you think it would look,” DiCarlo said. “They both can throw perfect alley-oops to each other, they are nearly impossible to pass around when they're on defense, and they are able to rotate who guards hoops and who plays point defense whenever they feel a switch is necessary. Throw one or two of our other amazing defenders into the mix and beaters who are actually willing to throw their bludgers, and you definitely have a team to look out for.”
All that remains to be seen is whether or not the two standouts’ play styles will cohesively mesh in official games.
Andrew Murray has established himself as a top-notch defender, and the former Harvard University and Long Beach Funky Quaffle chaser plays a great dual point defense with Bettendorf. Duston Mazzella and DiCarlo will provide a more than adequate male beater line. Alyssa Burton will be the first line of defense for female beaters, and this could be a breakout season for the former Riverside Quidditch captain as she is toeing the edge of becoming an elite player. Tanna Helm will support Burton as a player who is well versed in fundamentals and can be quite effective when paired with the right partner. The Gambits are deep in physicality: in addition to their formidable starters, the Gambits will have Alex Richardson, Kyle Epsteen, and Dakota Bloom providing hard-hitting defense off the bench. Michael Richardson is an incoming rookie that could have strong seasons, and Rich Hatch appears to becoming a much more fundamentally sound player which will allow the Gambits to maximize their benefit from his athleticism and potential. The only real area that the Gambits are deficient in is female players as they have only four (Burton, Helm, Julie Brietigam, and Caylen McDonald). While Nicté Sobrino is rumored to join the team, the Gambits just do not have enough female players to keep everyone rested during long tournaments.
At its core, the Gambits is an attempt to get back to the unbridled joy of playing quidditch with friends.
“We wanted to get back to playing on a team where everyone has each other's backs both on the pitch and off,” said DiCarlo. “We consider everyone on our team our closest friends, and the level of trust and respect everyone on the team has for each other allows us to push each other to the limit,” While some will consider the Gambits to be villains, the squad will have numerous supporters to its philosophy as well in its inaugural season.
Will they qualify for World Cup?
Yes. The Gambits seem to be at least a Final Four team, but the quidditch world will have to wait until February to see if they deserve that claim. Yet, DiCarlo has more ambitious goals, “I think right now, we're practicing and playing like a Sweet 16 team at worst. At best, I think we absolutely have what it takes to be a top ten team.”
UCLA & WIZARDS OF WESTWOOD (WOW)
2013-14 Finish: Eliminated in Round of 32, World Cup
Key Departures: Brandon Scapa, Katelynn Kazane, Kirby Cool
Key Returners/Recruits: Zach Luce, Michael Binger, Adam Richardson
Strengths: Depth, offense, point defense
Weaknesses: Seeking
Star Wars Character: “Princess Leia, because who wouldn’t want those buns?” – Sarah Coleman
UCLA had an unavoidable dip in performance in 2013-14 due to massive graduation departures from the 2012-13 season, but it was still a West Region powerhouse with its remaining talent.
In sharp contrast to last season, the Bruins will lose a considerably smaller amount of players in 2014-15. Co-captain Brandon Scapa will be departing, as well as Katelynn Kazane, a strong female chaser. In addition to those two major contributors, UCLA will also say farewell to role player Brennan Ross, big bodied tackler Theo Olson, and primary seeker Kirby Cool. Aside from those players, UCLA has very strong returners. While final rosters are still in flux, 2014-15 should be a great season for both UCLA and its B-team, the Wizards of Westwood.
Zach Luce and Adam Richardson are two storied players entering their senior seasons. Luce, a Team USA keeper, will likely lead the offense and ensure opposing defenses are subjected to wide variety of tactics including passing, charging fast break dunks, and Luce’s trademark long shots. Luce demonstrated in May that he can keep a team afloat when he won MVP at Beachside Brawl. Richardson sustained an injury early last season, but if he is fully healed, he will assist UCLA with his strong point defense and ability to turn defensive sets into fast break dunks in the blink of an eye. Fellow seniors Ryan Donahue and Sarah Simko will anchor a solid beating line that should be able to protect UCLA’s stout chaser line. Junior Michael Binger is nearing his transformation from impressive rookie to an all-star after a very successful 2013-14 season, and if he has improved further in the offseason, then UCLA is going to have a deadly offensive line. Utility Kayl Eubanks and new addition Justin Raya will also provide top-notch depth to UCLA, provided both are on the squad. Raya had a magnificent debut tournament as a chaser at Beachside Brawl where he was awarded Most Valuable Rookie. In addition, WOW keeper Ryan Seaton has improved immensely in the course of a season and has been developing a Luce-esque long shot.
“From their performances at West Fantasy, I am sure Justin Raya and Ryan Seaton will become familiar names, regardless of which team they play on this season,” said UCLA captain Donahue.
While UCLA won’t feature the most intimidating beaters in the region, the Bruins have many-- and they don’t have any obvious flaws. Donahue and Simko are two reliable beaters who improved their on-pitch chemistry by pairing together last season, so they will stand out as a strong unit immediately.
“Sarah and I will definitely benefit from last year’s experience, and I think we will be at our peak,” said Donahue. “We all have much more experience in official games than last year, and now we can sub through our entire beater line without a drop in skill.”
Devin Pearson and Nicole Remsburg are great examples of players who transitioned from inexperienced dodgeball handlers to dependable beaters last season, and UCLA can feel comfortable as they sub for Donahue or Simko.
In summary, UCLA is returning a huge amount of talent. Having improved individually and refined its chemistry together already, UCLA will prove a formidable force in the region this season. Additionally, with 120 recruits expected to attend UCLA’s tryouts, WOW should look more competitive than in previous seasons. UCLA will have a strong passing game with a surplus of male chasing talent and a stable beater depth chart. The biggest worries are if any of the female chasers in the program can replace the gap left by Kazane and how UCLA will fare in snitch range games without a true seeker. If UCLA doesn’t have a strong female chaser, it could find itself exploited and fall short in games against top-tier teams. Yet, the likelier scenario is that UCLA will enjoy a very competitive and sometimes dominant season.
Will they qualify for World Cup?
Yes. The real question is whether UCLA is going to win the West Regional Championship. The Bruins have never fallen short of a Final Four and anything less this season would be unexpected. UCLA’s roster could have the makings of a West region champion, but UCLA could also be in a class below some of the other top competitors in the region.
University of Southern California (USC)
2013-14 Finish: Qualified for World Cup, but did not attend
Key Departures: August Lührs, David Demarest
Key Returners/Recruits: Nicky Guangorena, Thomas Schoettle
Strengths: Defense, speed
Weaknesses: Offense
Star Wars Character: “Han Solo because we're boisterous, obnoxious, and we get excrement done... and we're good looking too.”– Diana Henzler (former chaser)
USC is the quidditch version of Friday Night Lights’ Jason Street--a known star with a bright future that, more or less overnight, becomes paralyzed and loses control of its most vital ligaments. Then, the doctors tell USC that it will never walk again, much less throw a quaffle. Yet, much like street training for quad rugby, USC finds itself being able to rebuild through recruitment, defying medical naysayers by trying to walk again.
Departures after the 2013 Southern California Quidditch Conference Fall Division I Tournament crippled USC. Most notably, star players August Lührs and David Demarest left USC without much offensive firepower. Harrison James, a promising keeper, never registered an official game with the Trojans in 2013-14. By the regional championship, the powerhouse squad that was previously coached by Cavender and Nicté Sobrino was a distant memory. Ryan Parsons remained with USC, and the 6’5” keeper singlehandedly kept USC’s offense together, but he no longer had the support and passing options that freed him up to be the standout player he had been the year before. Parsons’ status with the team remains uncertain, and even if he returns, he doesn’t have much known talent to support him. Julia Thomas is also uncertain, and after playing some tournaments as USC’s only female beater, she will be a major loss to USC’s depth if she does not return. Tony Likovich’s status is also uncertain and Jack Cannis will be gone for at least the first half of the season.
Castle Cavender may have fallen, but USC is not devoid of hope. Co-captains Nicky Guangorena and Thomas Schoettle are two very talented players, and both will give the relatively inexperienced USC team a huge boost throughout the season. Guangorena did not receive much attention last season due to the team’s performance, but he will still be a strong beater. Schoettle is a speedy and physical chaser capable of tackling talented and much larger opponents. He has remained one of USC’s best kept secrets. Also, the Trojans have had a successful recruiting season so far.
“After two weeks, USC has some great talent showing up to practices,” said Thomas. “We're potentially gaining some much needed depth in our female beater line, and we've got great additions at both male and female chaser.”
USC will supposedly shift to a speedier game with more beater emphasis. This plays to both of its strengths: quickness and defense. However, it also highlights what USC is missing: the Trojans don’t have any offensive superstars nor enough known scoring depth to carry the team to a competitive reputation.
Will they qualify for World Cup?
In very sharp contrast to the Western Cup III Champions’ history, USC is not a favorite to earn a World Cup bid. In short, the Trojans just have too much rebuilding to do, specifically, they will be adding new beaters who will be difficult to teach and refine by February. If Parsons returns, USC will still contend for a bid at Western Cup VI, but they will likely struggle without him unless new recruits can replace his output. Still, February is a long way away and USC could still successfully rebuild by then.
CALIFORNIA DOBBIES
2013-14 Finish: N/A
Key Departures: N/A
Key Returners/Recruits: Salvador Sanchez
Strengths: Team chemistry, size/athleticism
Weaknesses: Lack of game experience, player retention
Star Wars Character: “Given that Yoda and Dobby look similar, I would say Yoda.” – Salvador Sanchez (Captain)
After a successful playing career at University of California at Berkeley, utility standout player Salvador Sanchez has decided to create his own quidditch team, the California Dobbies. In addition to the California name, the Dobbies inherit Sanchez, Richelle Swarts, and Chelsea Friedman from Berkeley’s squad. The Dobbies got their first taste of gameplay in Palo Alto, California at the 2014 Cinco De Mayo Cup where they demonstrated potential with a physical play style. However, only Sanchez will return for the 2014-15 season. As such, that spring experience can be essentially disregarded. Furthermore, this immediately raises red flags about the Dobbies’ ability to retain players. However, Sanchez has found a group of players who may be more invested. The Dobbies now consist of athletic people who are acquainted outside of quidditch--which may give potential deserters reason to stay.
“The biggest strength our team has is its chemistry and communication,” Sanchez said. “We are all either childhood friends or coworkers with years of experience playing other sports such as football or basketball together.”
The Dobbies have some promising athletes who may be able to further elevate the standard of athleticism in quidditch. Cesar Dumaine and Julio Leon have natural chasing chemistry together and may have the potential to become standout players after they get the chance to refine their raw talent. German Enciso, a 380 lb and 6’6” player, will add some size to complement Dumaine and Leon. While natural athleticism may indicate a good future for a young club, even more promising is the players ability to play cohesively as opposed to as individuals.
“What I love about these players is their selflessness,” Sanchez said, highlighting their team-oriented play.
Despite early signs of promise, the Dobbies are a new team this season and haven’t played a game yet, apart from a casual scrimmage against the Lost Boys, which the Lost Boys won. There will certainly be growing pains. Being situated in Los Angeles will help the Dobbies improve, but they should also prepare themselves for a few losses at the hands of some of the best teams in the West Region. The Dobbies probably won’t shock the region and knock off upper-tier teams, but they have the potential to beat some established teams.
Will they qualify for World Cup?
With competition increasing, a first year team probably won’t qualify at the Regional Championship. Sanchez can beat for the team, but nonetheless newer teams generally struggle greatly, which could limit the gain from their athleticism. However, with a February qualifying tournament, the Dobbies could improve enough to make a Cinderella run and probably have the best shot out of any first year teams. Overall, don’t make any hasty bets on this team showing up to South Carolina in April.
