USQ Update

Membership

US National Team Structure

by US Quidditch | October 24, 2018

Photo by: Miguel Esparza

The US National Team (USNT) will move toward a standing team model in preparation for the 2019 IQA Continental Games and 2020 IQA World Cup. Amanda Dallas and Michael “Yada” Parada will return as USNT coordinator and head coach, respectively. Miguel Esparza will return as the USNT photographer.

The decision to move the USNT in the direction of a standing team is one that was not taken lightly. While it may seem like a no-brainer, it comes with its own pros and cons, just like any other system. After extensive discussions with European teams and USNT players and stakeholders, USNT staff and USQ management have decided to move in the direction of a standing USNT.

The decision process for the USNT standing roster will take place over the course of Oct. 2018 through April 2019. The primary reason for the length of this process is that this roster will undergo minimal changes over the course of the next two years, with the next major round of adds and cuts scheduled for the 2020-21 USQ season.

Player Eligibility Requirements

While the IQA has not updated their eligibility requirements for the 2019 Continental Games, we are currently working under the assumption that they will remain the same as they were for the recent IQA World Cup. Every National Governing Body (NGB) or Emerging Area may set their own criteria for who can compete on their team, however, at a minimum, athletes must:

• Be at least 16 years old by June 30, 2018.

AND at least meet one of the following requirements:

• Hold citizenship;
• Have lived in the country for at least three years;
• Have played quidditch only in the nation;
• Have played in the nation (and not their nation of citizenship) for at least the last international season (September 2018-present). ­

The additional national team player eligibility requirement for USNT athletes are as follows:

• Be 18 years of age or older at time of the event.
  • This overwrites the IQA rule of 16 years.
• 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 2018 Major League Quidditch (MLQ) season and/or the 2018-19 USQ season.

USNT 2018

The 2018 USNT roster and alternates will be used as a starting point for the standing team roster, assuming they are 1) selected by the head coach, 2) willing to participate on the team and 3) willing to adhere to new requirements. The reason to retain the 2018 roster is that these players have already been tested on the international stage. USNT staff has insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

USNT Head Coach Parada will announce the returning players on Nov. 11, giving those who are not asked to return a chance to try out during the December and January training camps.

Applications

Any athlete that meets the aforementioned IQA and USNT requirements is eligible to fill out a USNT application.

Applicants who applied for the 2018 USNT that would like to apply for the standing USNT do not need to re-submit the full application. They may skip the process and simply mark the box on the general application indicating they would like last season’s application to be reconsidered. If they would like to submit updated film or an updated letter of recommendation, that option is available.

The application is currently live and will close Jan. 30, 2019. It includes necessary waivers and written commitment to various requirements:

• US Quidditch Code of Conduct
• US Quidditch Harassment Policy
• USNT Certificate of Accuracy/Release of Liability
• US Quidditch National Team Fundraising Policy
  • In the event I am chosen for and accept a roster spot on the USNT, I agree to participate in fundraising efforts for the benefit of the USNT.
    OR
    In the event I do not want to participate in fundraising efforts, I understand the USNT will not pay for any portion of my kit, travel, food etc. in relation to the USNT.
• USNT Practice Policy
  • In the event I am chosen for and accept a roster spot on the USNT, I agree to make an active effort to attend as many USNT practices as my financial state and distance from said practices allow. I will also make a concerted effort to be at all USNT tournaments at least one week in advance to participate in on-site training.
• USNT Video and Photo Release

New applicants will be required to request a letter of recommendation from a coach or captain of an official USQ or MLQ team they compete(d) for during the 2018 MLQ season and/or the 2018-19 USQ season and a letter of recommendation from a current teammate that is not in leadership. Letters must be emailed directly to the USNT Coordinator Dallas (amanda.dallas@usquidditch.org) and USNT Coach Parada (michael.parada@usquidditch.org) as a PDF file titled: “PlayerRecLetter_POSITION_LASTNAME”.

• This letter is meant to help USNT staff understand what the player is like on a team. It will—ideally—reveal any issues we may encounter and the player’s strengths and weaknesses that they may not see in themselves.
• Any letters sent by the applying athlete to USNT staff will not be accepted. The author of the recommendation letter must send the letter themselves to USNT staff.

All new applicants will be required to submit three unedited recordings of official USQ or MLQ games in which they have played. Fantasy games, merc games or games against official teams deemed unofficial will not be accepted. The footage must meet the below requirements:

• All video submissions will need to be submitted by Jan. 30, 2019.
• All videos will be sent as either a YouTube, Google Drive or Dropbox link via the body of an email to the USNT head coach with the subject line “LASTNAME_USNT Video Submission.”
  • The body of the email must also include the athlete’s name, position(s), gender, their USQ seasonal team, their MLQ team (if applicable) and the address of assumed residency for the summer during which the IQA Continental Games will be taking place.
  • In the body of the email, athletes will be required to provide timestamps of when they were on pitch and a description of the play that takes place during each timestamp.
• Footage will only be considered valid if the game took place during the 2017-18 USQ season, 2018 MLQ season and/or the 2018-19 USQ season.

Training Camps

To avoid tryout fatigue, USNT staff will not be hosting open tryouts in every region as it did last season. However, three open training camps will be held during the 2018-19 USQ season. Tentative dates are as follows: early December in northern New Jersey; Jan. 20, 2019 in Los Angeles, Calif. and Jan. 27, 2019 in San Antonio, Texas.

Training camps are three to four hours in length. Athletes planning to attend are required to pay a registration fee unless they have already been placed on the USNT standing roster. The registration fee for 2018-19 USQ members is $25. For non-members, it is $35. These fees go toward the cost of tryouts and USNT fundraising.

In addition to attendance at open training camps, play throughout the USQ and MLQ seasons, public persona and disciplinary history are taken into consideration. Anonymous scouts from across the US have been selected by the head coach to observe prospects. They will periodically provide the USNT head coach with their feedback, which will be used to make roster decisions.

Performance Review and Cuts

The USNT standing roster will be evaluated formally on an annual basis, but athletes may be released at the discretion of the USNT coaching staff.

As mentioned above, the 2018 USNT roster and alternates will be used as a starting point for the standing team roster. For those athletes and other applicants, the following criteria will be taken into consideration each time the USNT coaching staff reviews player performance:

• USNT practice and tournament attendance/participation
• Film submission
• Workout/practice snaps
• Communication with leadership
• Adherence to USNT policies
• Participation with a USQ and/or MLQ team
• Player performance
• Attitude and public persona
• Cohesiveness and interaction with teammates

Roster Selection

Nov. 11: Returners from the 2018 USNT will be announced. Those not selected will have the opportunity to try out once again at training camps in December and January.

Feb. 3, 2019: Post-training camp evaluation will take place. Athletes with standout performances will receive standing team roster offers.

April 21, 2019: Evaluation of US Quidditch Cup performances will take place. Athletes with standout performances will receive standing team roster offers.

April 28, 2019: The approximately 25-person IQA Continental Games roster will be announced.

No athlete on the USNT standing roster is guaranteed play time or a tournament roster spot at any point during their time on the USNT standing roster. While there will be designated periods for mass adds and cuts, the USNT head coach may add or cut a player at any point they deem necessary.

Once the 2018-19 application process closes on Jan. 30, 2019, the USNT head coach will meet with his appointed coaching staff and scouts to discuss the USNT standing roster applicants. The USNT coaching staff—with the USNT head coach given the final say—will then select a roster of athletes to be eligible for USNT tournament consideration. The USNT will have no obligation to hit a minimum or maximum number of players at any point.

25-PERSON ROSTER

Prior to a tournament in which the USNT will compete, the USNT head coach will meet with his appointed coaching staff and scouts to discuss the approximately 25-person roster. The USNT coaching staff—with the USNT head coach given the final say—will then select a roster of approximately 25 athletes from the standing team roster to be eligible to compete in the upcoming USNT tournament. Alternates will be rotated in at the USNT coaching staff’s discretion, should a member of the approximately 25-person roster become incapable of or ineligible for attendance at the upcoming tournament. At no point is a member of the 25-person roster guaranteed a spot on the 21-person roster or play time.

21-PERSON ROSTER

The following tournament roster rules are expected to be enforced at IQA events:

• Teams may have a maximum of 25 players on their tournament roster.
• For each day of the tournament, coaches may select up to 21 players to include on that day’s roster.
• The roster may be edited up until eight hours before the first game of the day, at which point it must be submitted to the IQA Gameplay Department.
• Players not included on that day’s roster will have entry into the tournament but cannot enter the player area during a game.
• At no point is a member of the 21-person roster guaranteed play time.

Rostered Athlete Requirements

In addition to meeting the aforementioned player eligibility requirements, adhering to the signed policies and exhibiting the actions and attitude of a role model within the community, athletes will be expected to complete workout requirements set by the coaching staff and attend closed training camps.

Closed training camps will be held twice a year, at minimum, for the existing standing team roster. The exact dates and times are to be determined based on the American quidditch calendar, however, the following are potential time periods:

• Two days following US Quidditch Cup
• The week prior to IQA World Cup or the Continental Games, following suit with what was done for the 2018 IQA World Cup
• Two days following the MLQ Championship
• A weekend in December/January
• Sundays following major, recurring regular-season tournaments such as Alamo Cup, the Heroes vs. Villains Invitational, the Oktoberfest Invitational etc.

For questions, email USNT Coordinator Amanda Dallas at amanda.dallas@usquidditch.org.