NEIRAD
Who's Who on the Quidditch Pitch
By Joe Simonson- 09/08
Continued from the September 2008 Neirad Print Edition
NEIRAD enilno edition | printer friendly
o not let the genesis of Quidditch fool you – just because it comes from a book does not mean there isn’t some serious action. Quidditch is a full contact sport, and things can get pretty heated. The seemingly innocent role played by the golden snitch can turn into a violent one in a matter of seconds.
“I’m really excited to be the snitch because as a cross country runner, a track sprinter, and a wrestler, I love to run, juke people out, jump around, and flip people over. So this is my dream job,” senior Matt Liguori said.
Many DHS students are up to the game’s challenge and will stop at nothing to beat the opposing teams: “As a mythical piece of sporting material, I think I will be able to take and give many magical blows,” said senior and fellow snitch Chris Shaker.
While football players are busy roughing up their opponents on the turf field, Darien’s golden snitches will be using everything in their environment to resist the enemy seekers. “Depending on where we play, I’m game to climb up trees, hide in bushes or crowds of fans, and jump over obstacles to avoid the seekers,” Ligouri said.
Currently all teams are full but the teams are always looking for fans to come support their favorite players. T-shirts are in the works, and should be for sale this school year. The famous “Blue Wave Pride” t-shirts made famous by loyal students may soon be replaced by an unfamiliar logo demonstrating the love for Darien High School’s new Quidditch phenomenon.
Above: Jake Seymour flies across the pitch.
Below: (From left) Jake Seymour, Kevin Ramsey, and David Hammer ponder the magical sport.
Team captains include seniors Matt Gorski for Gryffindor, Lily Bryant for Hufflepuff, Michael Baresich for Ravenclaw, Peter Duker for Slytherin, Patrick Smith for Chudley Cannons, Will Canning and Zac Yezzi for Equipe Nationale de Côte d’Ivoire, Robby Nevin for Falmouth Falcons, Emily Cordner for Puddlemere United, and juniors Liam Fitzpatrick for the Irish National Team, and Christian Holmes and Connor McCarthy for Moutohora Macaws.
A broomstick, a quaffle, and two bludgers.
“...I’m game to climb up trees, hide in bushes or crowds of fans...”
Ligouri said.
Essentially, the team’s goalie. The keeper tries to prevent the other team from scoring by blocking the quaffle from entering one of the three hoops.
The team’s defensive line. The beaters stop the other team from scoring by hitting their opponents with bludgers. Players that are struck by bludgers are forced to drop the quaffle.
The team’s offensive line. The three chaser attempt to score goals by getting the quaffle past the keeper.
The seeker tries to catch the golden snitch. Catching the snitch is essential to winning the game because it is worth a grand total of 150 points. Thus, the winner is often determined by the team that catches the snitch, making the seeker a vital part of the team.
Commissioner David Hammer is ready to take flight on his specially ordered regulation broom.
