Feature
USQ Volunteer Spotlight: Kym Couch
As part of USQ’s new series on volunteers, we profile Kym Couch, Northwest Regional Coordinator. A volunteer since 2013, she currently coaches for the Boise State Abraxans.
An avid athlete in high school, Kym Couch was unfortunately unable to pursue her primary loves, field hockey and nordic skiing, when she went to college at Boise State University.
But she soon got hooked on another sport: quidditch. In 2012, she decided to start a team with fellow student Stew Driflot, the Boise State Abraxans. Like many rural quidditch programs, the Abraxans were several hours away from the nearest quidditch team. The first event they attended was over 16 hours away in Arizona, and they had less than a full roster. Despite these challenges, team manager Couch and coach Driflot helped grow the program to several dozen players and even expanded into a second team, the Boise State Thestrals.
In 2013, Couch decided to volunteer with US Quidditch. “[I wanted] to get further involved and make a positive influence on the sport and its community,” says Couch. Starting as a staff writer, Couch covered topics such as quidditch at VidCon and the Sunrise Spellcasters, a youth quidditch team based in Kissimmee, Florida.
After seeing the potential for growth in her region, Couch wanted to give back even more. When the Northwest Regional Director position opened in 2014, she applied and was selected to be the region’s first representative. Now called the Northwest Regional Coordinator, Couch works with 11 official teams to ensure they are aware of league policies and events. She’s often the first point of contact when teams and players have questions or need help. Along with other regional coordinators, she facilitates new team development and lets players know what’s going on with the league.
Couch continues to work with USQ because she’s seen how her work makes a difference. And she has made a difference in a myriad of different ways. Although she has worn many volunteer hats, some of her favorite roles include rulebook editor and field manager for the championship pitch at World Cup 8.
“When a base broke in the final,” Couch says of her experience in Rock Hill, “I had to rush onto the field with a replacement as fast as possible, which felt very stressful with people everywhere, like in between me and my replacement base.”
Let it be known: nothing can stand in the way between Couch and her USQ duties.
If you’d like to get involved with USQ and make a difference, apply here! We’re always looking for passionate people to join our group of year-round volunteers.
Jessica Shock is a Writing graduate of the Savannah College of Art & Design, and after spending a year working Florida's theme parks, she's back in Georgia as Wild Adventures Theme Park's new Communications Coordinator. Of course, she still keeps her connection to the Wizarding World strong by writing profile pieces of US Quidditch volunteers and blogging about business at The Wizarding Gazette.
