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Posts tagged ‘IQA’

Oct 18

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Inside The First Middlebury Quidditch Classic

On Sunday, 20 Quidditch teams from 13 schools across North America gathered on Battell Beach for the first annual Middlebury Quidditch Classic.

Organized by tri-chairs Andy Hyatt ’12, Phil Palmer ’12 and Marianne Guarnieri ’14, the Classic began with pool play and was supposed to transition to bracket play mid-day, but due to a bit of confusion and admitted disorganization, the bracket was ixnayed, pool play continued throughout the day and no Middlebury Classic champion was crowned.

In spite of the unforeseen bracket problems, the Middlebury Classic was a great success. Among the spectators were people from the town of Middlebury, College students and parents of both students and Quidditch players, alike. Noonie’s Deli and American Flatbread were in attendance, selling freshly-made sandwiches and pizza. Middlebury’s own improv groups, Otter Nonsense and Middlebrow, provided witty commentary on the games and atmosphere.

The primary motivation behind the inception of the Middlebury Classic was to make up for the fact that the World Cup grew to be too large for Middlebury’s campus and was relocated to New York City last year. The tri-commissioners, in tandem with International Quidditch Association (IQA) CEO and President Alex Benepe ’09, saw the Classic as a means of bringing the sport back to its roots and giving back to the local community.

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Oct 16

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Middlebury Hosts Middlebury Classic Quidditch Tournament

Here are a few photos from today’s intercollegiate Quidditch tournament, the Middlebury Classic.  The countdown to the International Quidditch World Cup begins…it’s only one month away!

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Nov 15

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Middlebury Quidditch Claims 4th World Cup

Proving that our dominance extends beyond our small Vermont campus, Middlebury Quidditch captured their fourth World Cup title last night in New York City by defeating Tufts, 100-50. The match was a close one at first, with the Tufts Tufflepuffs playing a hard, and violent game. Middlebury soon pulled ahead however, and came out on top at the end, even with the Tufts seeker catching the snitch.

Photo courtesy Metromix New York

The numerous Middlebury fans stormed the field and went into a rousing rendition of “There’s Only One Middlebury” before being awarded the prestigious, if not flimsy gold World Cup trophy. The team and its fans celebrated their victory in true Midd Kidd fashion: a playing of the Midd Kid Rap, complete with the Quidditch verse being sung by player Phil Gordon.

The final match marked one of many for Middlebury and the other 45 teams competing in the 2010 IQA World Cup IV this Saturday and Sunday in DeWitt Clinton Park in Manhattan. Earlier in the fall, many Middlebury students expressed concern at the fact that the World Cup was moving from Middlebury to the Big Apple. However, the move seems to have been a success for the IQA, gaining a multitude of press coverage for the event. With a total 757 players competing, the IQA has set themselves up for another great year of publicity. This year’s World Cup featured high school teams as well as graduate schools.

Middlebury was still very well represented at the Cup though, with many students taking advantage of the fan bus from Middlebury to NYC. Three Middlebury groups also took part in the festivities, with Otter Nonsense and Middlebrow providing commentary to the matches and the Mountain Ayres performing their Quidditch repertoire.

Overall the event was one of pride and excitement, resulting in a great weekend for not only Middlebury College but for the sport of Quidditch as well.

Nov 4

“Snatch the Snitch” in NYC

Check out the IQA’s newest Quidditch promo video and get excited for the Quidditch World Cup, November 13th and 14th in New York City!

 

 

After last weekend’s Middlebury Cup, the team ‘Constant Vigilence’ will be representing Middlebury in New York.  Good luck!

Sep 23

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NYC Quidditch Cup attracts unusual spectators

Last year, the Quidditch World Cup in Middlebury, VT gathered somewhere around 22 teams from across the country, two live owls, one crepe-making stand, numerous chemistry professors performing “magic” on the sidelines, several a cappella groups, two hilarious improv comedy groups, and hundreds of fans.

Dementors swarm the field – photo credit to Barrett Smith

With the recent announcement of the move of the cup to New York City, the International Quidditch Association (IQA) has opened up the cup for many more teams to attend.   In addition to the increase in teams, however, comes an increase in spectators from some unusual arenas.

The Feminist Majority Foundation recently put the World Cup on their calendar, citing Quidditch’s uniqueness as a coed contact sport.  They are coming with a political agenda:  to support the induction of Title 9 3/4 into the Quidditch rulebook, overwriting the current gender clause stating that at least two women must be present on every team.

“With Title 9 3/4, the IQA will use the growing popularity of real-life Quidditch to challenge the way our world thinks about gender in sports and athletics.”

p.s. if you haven’t seen it, check out the new trailer here.