News

US National Team Tryout Process

by US Quidditch | November 10, 2017

Photo by: Ajantha Abey

The US National Team will run a tryout process with the aim of compiling the strongest roster possible to compete at the 2018 IQA World Cup in Florence, Italy between June 27 and July 2. The final roster–composed of 21 to 30 players dependent upon the applicant pool–will be unveiled late spring 2018.

Tryouts for the US National Team will be a three-step process. Players will be selected based on these steps, but their play throughout the USQ and Major League Quidditch (MLQ) season, public persona, and disciplinary history will also be taken into consideration.

Anonymous scouts have been selected across the US to observe prospects throughout the 2017-18 USQ season and to provide input on the final roster. Some of these scouts were also present at the 2017 MLQ Championship, and will be able to provide input based on players’ performance during the MLQ season as well.

USQ is proud to partner with MLQ in presenting the US National Team. Part of this partnership is in the application process for players to the team. Players who have experience competing in MLQ are able to utilize that in the application process for the US National Team, including game film, letters of recommendation, and participation in the MLQ season.

STEP ONE

Each athlete must meet the following basic requirements* to be considered for the US National Team:

• 18 years of age or older at time of the event.
• Must hold a valid passport at time of the event.
• Must meet at least one of the following requirements:
  • Be a US citizen;
  • Have lived in the US for at least three years;
  • Have played quidditch only in the US;
  • Have played officially in the US during the 2017 MLQ season and/or the 2017-18 USQ season.

Any athlete that meets the above requirements is eligible to fill out a US National Team application. The application is now live and will close February 1, 2018. It includes necessary waivers and written commitment to various requirements, including but not limited to fundraiser participation and US National Team practice attendance.

In addition to filling out the basic application, athletes should submit the below via email to US National Team Coordinator Amanda Dallas at amanda.dallas@usquidditch.org and US National Team Coach Michael “Yada” Parada at michael.parada@usquidditch.org as a single PDF file titled: “2018_Player_POSITION_LASTNAME”.

• Brief essay of 500 words that explains why they want this opportunity to represent the nation and the league.
• Letter of recommendation from a coach or captain of an official USQ or MLQ team they compete(d) for during the 2017-18 season.

Note that the US National Team Coach maintains the right to play an athlete at a position different than the one for which they initially applied.

* Requirements may change based upon IQA ruling. The IQA has not yet issued requirements for the 2018 IQA World Cup.

STEP TWO

All athletes interested in trying out for the US National Team must submit three unedited recordings of official USQ or MLQ games in which they have played. The footage must meet the below requirements.

• All video submissions are due by February 1, 2018 at 11:59 pm ET.
• All videos should be sent as either a YouTube, Google Drive or Dropbox link via the body of an email to Parada at michael.parada@usquidditch.org with the subject line “LASTNAME_US National Team Video Submission.”
  The body of the email must also include the athlete’s name, position(s), gender, their USQ seasonal team, their 2017 MLQ team (if applicable) and the address of assumed residency for summer 2018.
• In the body of the email, athletes should provide timestamps of when they were on pitch and a description of the play that takes place during each timestamp.
  • These are not highlight reels. Please only send complete or nearly-complete game footage.
• Footage will only be considered valid if the game took place during one of the following seasons:
  • USQ 2016-17
  • MLQ 2017
  • USQ 2017-18

STEP THREE

Optional training camps will be held across the US beginning in January 2018. Interested athletes are highly encouraged to attend.

The aim is to have at least one training camp accessible to each region. Training camps will be three to four hours in length and include a conglomerate of drills and scrimmages to test prospects on knowledge of the game, athletic ability, chemistry and attitude. Athletes planning to attend will be required to pay a registration fee. The registration fee for current USQ members will be $25. For non-members, it will be $35. These fees will go toward the cost of training camps and US National Team fundraising efforts.

Detailed locations and times will be specified on the USQ website, US National Team Facebook and US National Team Twitter upon finalization. US National Team staff hopes to hold each training camp in conjunction with a winter or spring tournament. If you would like to offer field space or assist in the organization of a training camp in your city or at your university, email Dallas at amanda.dallas@usquidditch.org. All offers will be considered.