Y33 Ravenclaw Quidditch Try-Outs

[October Alcott]

October could scarcely believe where she was standing. She had stepped into Quidditch years ago as a complete outsider, with no experience at all and no idea what she was doing, a completely unfamiliar experience. October was so used to only ever doing things she knew she was good at, things she had worked hard at for years, and Quidditch had been an entirely new challenge. Although she had grown more confident in herself over time, and worked hard to improve her skills, October still felt as though she barely knew anything. So when she had been offered the co-captaincy it had come as a complete shock. She didn't feel nearly prepared to lead a team. October had spent a lot of the holidays researching the Quidditch positions she didn't play, hoping to be able to offer guidance to teammates as they practiced, and now tryouts had come around at last.

October tried not to let her nerves show on her face as she looked around the housemates assembled in front of her. "Alright, welcome to tryouts. My name is October and this is Jackson, and we'll be your co-captains for this year. We have a lot of empty spaces, so thank you all for coming today. Before taking off, please tell us your name, and which position you intend to try out for. Those who were alternates last year will need to try out again to secure a spot." October paused and glanced at Jackson, giving him a chance to speak if he had anything to add, then looked back at the group gathered in front of them. "Alright, let's begin."

Position	Player
Seeker	October Alcott (Co-Captain)
Keeper	Open
Beater	Jackson Cade (Co-Captain)
Beater	Open
Chaser	Open
Chaser	Open
Chaser	Open
Alternates	Open

Out of Character:

Returning players are guaranteed their spots as long as they post attendance in this thread before tryouts are over. Returning alternates must try out again.

First years must PM me or Jackson Cade if they want to try out. No first years will be allowed to try out unless there are not enough older students.

 

[Simon Vanity]

Simon had talked with Joshua towards the end of the last semester about many things, but quidditch had come up and the teen had been considering trying out. His sister being a part of the time had always put him off trying-out. He’d always been keen to work on his studying and to focus himself on those things instead. But now, he was in the most important year and decided maybe with his sister gone it was time to stretch out a little, that and he felt he was finally in a position to actually be good at the sport. He knew how to fly, and had every so often occasionally flown, but the boy was trying out. He’d taken Noemie’s old broom, since his sister wouldn’t be using it much any more and found himself on the pitch eager to tryout. He was definitely hopeful for the opportunity to try out and knew that he wanted to get on to the team. He also figured he might really have to work for it. The teen knew that there was a chance he wouldn’t get on to the team, he was older than most people when they first tried out. But, he was keen and eager to give it at least a little try. When his turn came up, ”I’m Simon, trying for Keeper, but I could probably also be a beater if necessary,” he’d pretty early on decided that he wanted to be a keeper more than anything else, but he could be pushed into being a beater if that was more needed.​

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He hopped on to the broom and flew up to one set of hoops, and got himself ready. The boy had never really played quidditch before, least not in any sense of how a game would actually be played. He’d played a little with Noemie, or practiced on his own, but this was a lot busier, he was looking at the crowd of other fliers, this was going to be a good challenge. The ravenclaw had to pay a lot of attention to just about everything - perhaps this would be trickier than he thought it might be. But the part veela was not one to back down from a challenge. He had to work hard, he managed to block a few goals, sometimes actually catching the ball, other times, just managing to knock it off course. A few times he just missed completely, the ball would maybe go into the hoops or occasionally the person scoring would miss. The boy worked hard during the try-out, he wasn’t sure how well he had actually done, but it had been a lot of fun in the end, and every time he caught it, he thought he was pretty good at throwing the ball back out to the appropriate chasers. He found a little smile crossing his features. Eventually the try-out came to an end, and Simon flew back to the ground a little out of breath. It had been pretty good for a first time trying out. Simon regretted now not trying out earlier. ​

 

[Zoe Westwick]

Being an alternate on the Quidditch team last year had been loads of fun, and Zoe was excited to give her best in this year's tryouts, and hopefully earn a permanent spot for herself. She made her way down to the pitch, broom in hand, and listened to the captains, bouncing a little in her excitement. If there were lots of free spots, hopefully Zoe would be more likely to get one of those spots for herself! Once the time came, she introduced herself cheerfully. "Zoe Tsuji, trying out for Beater again!" Zoe beamed, before mounting her broom and kicking off with a rough kick. Zoe had been very frustrated over the holidays, and found a lot of relief in practicing her beater drills, so she felt really confident about her chances this year. Shooting across the pitch, she dove directly for the first bludger she saw, drawing her bat back and swinging hard. Zoe grinned as the strike connected loudly, and she watched the ball soar across the pitch. Looking around, she saw another bludger and flew after it, swinging roughly again. She clipped the ball at an odd angle this time, and it spun off in a direction Zoe hadn't expected, but she was still satisfied with the force she had put into it. Keeping her head high, Zoe worked hard for her whole tryout, pleased with how many hits she managed to make successfully. Once the tryout was over she returned to the ground, grin still firm on her face. That had been cathartic, and she couldn't wait for the year of games to come.

 

[Lars van Houten]

What am I doing here? was all Lars could think as he stood on the Quidditch pitch with a broom in his hand. He had never pictured himself as part of a school sports team, but it had been Fleur who had encouraged him to at least try. She had told him he wasn't a bad player, and had argued for his tryout so much that it had actually started to sound logical after a while. It would be a way to make more friends, it would be fun to work in a team, it would be good for him to be a bit more active. Those had all seemed like good arguments when Fleur had made it on warm sunny days when they had been playing on the field outside their house together, but now that he was standing here the whole idea seemed silly. He was decent on a broom, but why would that mean he would be good enough for the team? The only reason he didn't walk away was because he was already here, and he didn't want to be rude.

He listened to the captains talk, and he felt nerves dance in his stomach. Would it be okay if he backed out? But what if he disappointed Fleur? And what if he did manage to make the team? Everyone knew Quidditch players were cool. Maybe Blake and his buddy would no longer dare to bully Lars. Or maybe if he did, other team members would protect him. There was something appealing about being part of a team, which was why Lars didn't leave even with all his doubts. When it was his turn, he stammered a little. "I'm uh, Lars van Houten. I'm trying out for keeper." He said, his voice a bit quiet. He hoped they had been able to hear him. "Keeper." He repeated, in case they hadn't. Then he flushed, wondering if that had been weird. He quickly took to the air and flew in front of the hoops, trying to get away from the captains after that embarrassing moment. He tried to imagine the chaser coming at him was his sister, and that made the situation feel more familiar and less terrifying. To his delight, Lars managed to block the first attempt. He grinned, starting to feel more confident. He blocked the next one too, but let the third one through. The fourth and last attempt he barely managed to knock out of the way of the goals. He wasn't sure how well he had done, but at least he had done it. That was already something Fleur could be proud of.

 

[Jackson Cade]

Jackson couldn't believe that he had been named co-captain, it was surreal and it was being treated as a big deal by his family but the Ravenclaw couldn't revel in it as it still hadn't quite hit him. Even as he made his way out onto the Quidditch pitch for his first tryouts as co-captain the reality still hadn't sunk in. He stood beside October as she introduced herself to the group. The fact that Jackson and his co-captain October were the only returning players left on the team was surreal, they would be recruiting a whole new team. With nothing additional to add on top of October words Jackson stood back and let the tryouts begin.

 

[Sophie Elliston]

Sophie couldn't believe that she was finally in her second year at Hogwarts. As she saw the flyer for Quidditch tryouts in the common room, her eyes widened at the thought of being able to join the team. The sport seemed similar to muggle sports that Sophie knew but it was played in the air, which would make the whole experience really fun. The Ravenclaw had enjoyed her flying lessons last year and so supposed that trying out for the Quidditch team would be a good experience for her and hopefully familiarise herself with the wizarding world more. As the other Ravenclaws began heading down, Sophie followed them, feeling quite small amongst the much older people. They all seemed much better than her and Sophie just tried to shrug this off, hoping that wouldn't be a problem. After all, once they left and she was a bit older, she would hopefully have a better chance of getting onto the team.

As everyone had arrived, Sophie listened as one of the captains spoke, telling everyone how the tryouts would work and what they would need to do. The Ravenclaw nodded at this, waiting for others to sign up first before she went ahead and did it. She smiled at the other second years that were there, feeling a little bit more confident as she approached the captain. "Hello my name is Sophie Elliston. I would like to try out as a chaser." she told her, suddenly feeling butterflies inside her stomach. Her cousin was an excellent chaser and so Sophie hoped that she also would be.

Sophie could feel the nervous sweat build up in her hands as she mounted her broom and took off into the air. She watched as other people trying out for the position scored some goals, before catching a quaffle from one of them and flying to the other side of the pitch to hopefully score as well. She flew as fast as she could towards them and aimed carefully for the middle hoop. Concentrating hard, Sophie pulled back, and using as much energy as she could muster, the girl threw the quaffle in the hoop's direction, beaming with delight as it went straight through. Sophie did this a few more times, getting almost every single shot in a hoop. It was quite a tiring practice but Sophie was proud of her efforts. She just hoped that it would be enough to get onto the team as she made her way back to the castle, completely tired from playing.

 

[Katia Hensel]

Today was the day of fate. She hoped that her friend Aonghas would be trying out for Hufflepuff like she would be trying out for Ravenclaw. She looked in the mirror as she neatened her robes and tied her shoes to ensure that she would not trip. That would be humiliating to say the least. Katia smirked to herself, knowing that one way or another, she would be seen and noticed for her skills. Katia did not want to have her talents wasted. However, she did not doubt that others would be there to hone their skills, and try out as well. At least she knew what position she wanted.

Katia made her way to the Quidditch field, ready to start her Quidditch career. Her mother used to be captain and a keeper for the Ravenclaw team, but she felt that position might not be for her. She wanted to be more active, a chaser. Katia approached the captains, giving them a smile that was more than likely forced than natural, "I'm here to try out for Chaser." Katia had her broom in hand and she was more than ready to start. Katia made sure that she was at least heard before mounting her broom, and taking off toward the skies. The second year had the quaffle in her hands and she started her try outs. She zoomed around in the air, before taking a shot at the keeper, who blocked it. She hissed under her breath. Katia paused for a moment to tie her long, red hair into a ponytail. Now, it was time to get serious. She needed to do something in Quidditch this year, or else her name would never be heard.

The second year waited until she had the quaffle, and rather than hog the ball and always go for shots, she had to prove that she was also a team player. She passed the quaffle on several occasions, and eventually, took a gander at a few shots herself. Overall, she made half of her goals, which were better than nothing. She landed, and hoped to Merlin that she would have made the team. She did her best, and that was what was important.

 

[Alexis Kramer]

After two years of being away from Quidditch, Alexis was back on the pitch, not to watch but to try out. With her broom, she smiled as she saw familiar faces. It was a bit awkward to find Jackson Cade as the co-captain but she shrugged it off. She knew they were still friends. Simon, her classmate, and prefect, was there too. She wondered if the old members still remembered her when she joined on her second year as an alternate keeper. She would try for the position again but was open to the possibility of being a chaser since she loved the wind rushing through her hair when she flew. With Simon trying out for Keeper, she wanted to contest him but later on decided otherwise. It would be fun to be on the same team with her friends. When called for her turn, she stepped forward. "Hope you did not miss me.", she joked. "Alexis Kramer, trying for Chaser.", she called out to the group before mounting her broom and kicked off with determination. ​

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She went for a lap before facing the hoops. When the quaffle was put in play, she zoomed in and got possession of the red ball. She leaned forward for the hoops and swiftly sailed the quaffle through the middle ring. She pumped her fist, her nerves getting steadier because of that goal. The practice games she and her brothers routinely had over the holidays paid off. She rounded again and caught the ball thrown her way and sped for the goal posts again, taking aim of the right ring. Faking a left to which the keeper fell for, she cleanly let the quaffle sailed through. She was getting the hang of it now. She made the right decision to try out for a different position. She kept up the performance, ending up with six out of ten goals. Some misses were miscalculations which she could improve later on. She landed back on the pitch and smiled at the captains, both she knew, and stepped to the sides to watch others try as well.​

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[Joshua Toubia]

He did not use a pro or con list to make the decision to try out for quidditch the new school year. He was basically persuaded into trying out again because Joshua had not intended on trying out this time around. Alexis coaxes him into trying out and he gave in easily. He did not want to say no to Alexis and Joshua heard from Simon he was trying out too. That meant both his friends may or may not be on the team. There was a big chance they would be on the team together. There was a chance he might not make it pass these try outs after last year disaster of a game. Joshua was somewhat of a person who went by chances, so he took his chances and roll the dice. If he didn't make it, it was better for him. It would mean Joshua could dedicate more of time in his writing and reading more up on Sherlock Holmes. If he did make it, Joshua would have to make time to practice more, preferably alone so he wouldn't make a fool of himself in front of his friends. However, knowing Alexis and Simon, they probably wouldn't let him. Joshua wore sweats for the try outs and used one of the school's broom to go for chaser again.

Joshua arrived at the pitch, a bit taller than last year and a lot more lean in appearance. He actually did more than just read and write during the break, Joshua started to run in the mornings. Most mornings he was out for a jog, but during the weekend he took a break. And that was all thanks to Simon, it made him feel a little strong. Though he wasn't as confident as his friends, Joshua worked with whatever he could muster for today's try out. "Hi, I'm J-Joshua, and I'm going for chaser," the boy announce, still stuttering. Joshua has been working on that too, it was a lot harder to overcome than what he previously thought. Joshua mounted the broom and took for the skies. Someone tossed the quaffle his way and the boy manage to catch it with ease. He was off to a good start, until he dropped the quaffle a second later. Joshua groans, this was going to be a long day. Joshua retrieve the quaffle and started flying towards the hoops. He near the one on the right and shot it and made it through the hoop. He pumped his fist, smiling that he had succeeded. His try out resume in that same manner, it wasn't all bad but it wasn't all great either. Joshua last shot he missed, but his time had ended before he could redeem himself. Joshua flown back down to the field, exhausted but feeling a little bit optimistic how things played out today.

 

[Professor Minnie Calida]

Minnie had been flying for a good few years now. It had been something her parents had been keen for her to learn, if only because there were only a few other magical sports and certainly none that she would be able to do in school. She had been told that most first years had to get permission to try out, but that it had been pivotal for her to do so. Minnie had been told by her parents that not getting on to the team was fine, not trying out was unacceptable. So, she’d found out when they were happening and had asked permission for it. Which was why she now found herself on the pitch with a second hand broom and a determined expression on her features. She looked towards the captain and nodded as the older girl went over what they would be doing during this try-out. She nodded along, definitely keen and eager to get started. She felt very nervous, feeling keen to get herself trying out and hopefully even just an alternate on the team. The girl stepped forward when it was finally her turn and looked towards the captain, ”Minnie Calida, trying out for seeker,” the girl had played in both positions, her parents teaching her that it would be good for her to excel in the positions, in two positions rather than one so that she would be able to maximise her chances of being useful to the team. But she was specifically trying out for the seeker position and would only bring up the latter should it be necessary in the future.​

Minnie took a deep breath and got on the broom, she liked to think of herself a pretty fair flier by this point. She’d certainly gotten better at it over the last few years. She’d never actually played in a game, but Minnie had played other sports and knew that it was no different. You had to start at the bottom and had to work to really improve and she hoped to be given the chance to. She steadied herself on the broom and immediate put herself into the action. She just had to focus on doing well now, she couldn’t really stray from that task as she worked hard to even be good enough to try out. She focused on looking around and finding the little golden snitch. She was flying around the pitch, keeping her eye on what was happening around her but specifically trying to spot a little hint of gold. She had a few false attempts, where she’d been chasing the sun hitting things in a certain way, she had a few close attempts where she spotted the snitch and was rushing after it, where her fingers seemed to brush the feathers of the little thing, and then it would fly off in the other direction. The first year was determined however to not fair at this, to actually manage it. She reached out and finally near enough the end of the try-out she finally caught the little thing. A wide smile broke out over her features as she held the little thing as it fluttered in her hand. Perfect! The ravenclaw smiled and flew down to the ground with the little thing still in hand. She’d managed it! It had been a little trickier than her more private training sessions and any of the practices she’d had, but she’d been alone and this had everything else that a game might have. It had been more challenging but she had still got it at least once.​

 

[October Alcott]

The thought of how many spots on the team they had to fill had filled October with dread going into today, but as the tryout progressed, she was relieved to see how many people had come along. Hopefully they would stand a chance for the cup after all, even with a mostly new team. She took mental notes as she helped put players through their drills, though she mainly hung back to observe. After she felt she had gotten a decent idea of everyone's abilities, October glanced at Jackson, exchanging thumbs up with her co-captain before blowing the whistle around her neck. "TEN MORE MINUTES!" October yelled, her voice carrying across the pitch.

Out of Character:

Tryouts will be closing in roughly 24 hours, you have until then to post in order to be considered for the team!

 

[Chloe Llewelyn-White]

Chloe nervously walked onto the pitch, clutching a broom. First years were allowed to try out for the Quiditch team and she was excited. She loved Quiditch and had been playing as a Chaser and a Beater for a while, and she was excited to try out, even if she didn't make the team.

She listened as the captains talked before climbing onto her broom and kicking off. It felt good to be flying again, and for a moment she surveyed the pitch, letting the breeze cool her face. After a second, she looked forward, tightening her grip on the broomstick and waited for the whistle. Soon, they had begun and Chloe swooped around, waiting for an opportunity to help.

Soon, the Quaffle was passed her way and she managed to catch it and throw it to another player. Happy that she had caught the ball, her spirits were raised. She was usually quite clumsy, but in Quiditch she became less awkward.

The Quaffle was passed her way again, she caught it and flew toward the goal before throwing it. It missed the goal by a meter and the game soon resumed.

Finally, they finished, and Chloe gently slipped off her broom and onto the ground, unsure about how she had done.

 

[October Alcott]

Out of Character:

Tryouts are now closed, thank you to everyone who took an interest in the team! If your character didn't make the team this year I would encourage you to follow the games and look to try out again next year!

Position	Player
Seeker	October Alcott (Co-Captain)
Keeper	Simon Vanity
Beater	Jackson Cade (Co-Captain)
Beater	Zoe Tsuji
Chaser	Joshua Toubia
Chaser	Alexis Sage Kramer
Chaser	Sophie Elliston
Alternate Seeker	Minnie Calida
Alternate Keeper	Lars van Houten
Alternate Chaser	Katia Hensel