Y44 Gryffindor Quidditch Try-Outs

[Louis Alcott]

Louis was feeling pretty nervous about this, but pretty excited too. Here he was, with his brand-new captain's badge. He knew he had to share the position, but he was still proud of himself for achieving this, even if it was only for a year. He addressed the team first. "Hey everyone, as you can see, me and Zephryn are your new captains this year. So if there are any questions about anything, you can ask either of us." He said with a smile. "I want you all to treat this tryout as our first unofficial practice, so do your best even if your spot on the team is guaranteed. And please try to help the people trying out by playing with them and not just with the people you know." He told them. He then waited for the students trying out to gather themselves, smiling at them confidently. When he was pretty sure everyone was here, he spoke. "Bonjour and welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. I'm Louis Aclott, one of the captains of the team this year. If you want to try out, please clearly state your name and the position you want to play. Then show us what you can do!" He looked to his co-captain. "Anything to add?"

Position	Player
Seeker	OPEN
Beater	OPEN
Beater	Aurora Archer
Chaser	Zephryn Spencer
Chaser	Soren Gates
Chaser	Louis Alcott
Keeper	Genevieve Fuentes
Alternates	OPEN

Out of Character:

Returning team members must post to keep their spot on the team. Alternates must try out again!

First years are not allowed to try out unless there are still spaces that need to be filled. If you have a first year that's interested shoot me a PM.

 

[Santiago Torres]

Santiago didn't really get what the big deal was about quidditch. But he generally liked sports and if he wanted to do something with his time this wasn't the worst option. After his uncle had been one of the first to start on the quidditch team back at Ilvermorny and had given him some tips. He knew the rules, vaguely, and showed up right on time for try-outs. "Santaigo Torres, trying out for beater." he said simply when it was his turn. He took to the air and was glad his mom lived in the middle of nowhere since it gave him a chance to practice flying over the summer. With his bat in hand he got to work looking for bludgers. It was harder than he expected but finally after a few tries he made a connections. He shot went wide but it was something. On his next try he made contact and the bludger managed to hit. It wasn't exactly where he'd been aiming but it was something. He focused on the bludgers the entire time and could feel himself getting better already, and even took a few blows himself. But he kept a cool attitude, which was knew for him, until the whistle blew and it was all over. His blood was rushing and wondered if he might not hate school forever.

 

[Fraser Fergusson]

Fraser was very happy to try-out again, he knew he would every single year until he got it. If he never made it on to the team, it would be disappointing but he still had the optional backup of the not official possible team that people had been discussing setting up. Fraser had been considering if he should go for other positions, ones which might give him a better chance of making the team now, but he also didn't think he was a good seeker, and he didn't like being a beater, so he'd stick to what he could do. Fraser was on the pitch and listening along to what was being said. He nodded along and then eagerly stepped forward. "Hi both! I'm Fraser and I'm trying out Chaser again," he said. He knew there were no currently open slots for the position but he'd keep trying out until there were.

Fraser shot up into the air and began playing. He grabbed quaffle and made his way towards the hoops. His flying remained good, some improvement to handling. He was managing to go at speed without appearing off kilter. He approached quickly and with the skills he'd gotten from others tried to score. The keeper was quicker than him, but it was a good attempt. Fraser didn't let it phase him and instead continued to fly around, chasing after the quaffle, passing to teammates and attempting to score. He was certainly better at it than the previous year, he didn't struggle so much with being a team player. He still wasn't the best at passing, it was something he could improve on as time went on. Perhaps lacking because he didn't yet play with others. He was quick and the try-out was quick and he really hopeful about his chances. ​

 

[Aurora Archer]

Aurora was very eager for this. She knew that having quidditch was a good thing, and a good balance to everything else that she had. Aurora got to the quidditch pitch and then glanced to the two captains eagerly. She nodded along to what was said before grabbing her beater bat and heading straight up into the air.

 

[Ruby Maeve Louw]

The day was finally here and Ruby couldn’t wait. She was ready to show her skills to the world school. Ruby made her way to the Quidditch pitch, her scarlet streak in hand, not caring that there were already other people there. She was the best, and they were going to see it! Ruby approached the captain, giving him her best smile. “Ruby Louw, trying out for beater.” After their cue, Ruby took to the sky, searching for beaters. One came flying towards her, and she managed to whack it far away. She searched for another one, hitting it towards another player, a bit disappointed when it didn’t hit them. Ruby spent the rest of the try out whacking bludgers and trying her hardest. She was happy with her performance, and hoped that it was good enough for the captain

 

[Astraea Kuya-Jenkins]

She had failed to make the team the previous year but that wouldn't stop her from trying again, the seeker spot was open after all so she would go out for it and let the chips fall where they may. She stepped out onto the Quidditch pitch with her broom in hand and waited for her turn. "Astraea Kuya-Jenkins, trying out for seeker" She announced when it was her turn to go out and look for the snitch.

Astraea had to shake the cobwebs loose from standing in one place too long before climbing on her broom and darting off into the sky. As she was trying out for Seeker there was a lot less structure to her tryout, she essentially had to stay in one spot and keep an eye out for a golden glint while everyone else was scoring goals and hitting bludgers. It took everything in her not to watch her housemates during their tryouts and instead keep an eye on the skies. She was determined to catch the snitch during her tryout no matter what, or how long it took.

Astraea didn't know how long she was up on the air for, only that the faces between the hoops had changed at least twice and a handful of bludgers had shot past her usually with an enthusiastic beater chasing after it, one even called out an apology as they passed. It was shortly after that overzealous beater had passed her that she saw it, a speck of gold out the corner of her eye. Astraea had no choice other than to immediately dart in the direction of it without a second to even try and get a letter look, there was no time to second guess herself. As luck (or skill?) would have it she had been right and seconds after leaning forward on her broom to dart forward she began to see the snitch coming into view, she had to get closer if she would have any chance of catching it. Astraea leaned forward with all her weight and held out her hand to try and grab the snitch but it was just out of reach of her arm. She was too close only to go and fail, she had to catch it but it seemed the snitch had other ideas. The little gold ball changed directions without warning and shot past her eat. Astraea grabbed her broom handle with both hands and rolled backwards and shot forward hoping she was following the right path. The snitch didn't escape her long and soon enough she was back with a little gold ball just slightly out of reach and her arm out in front of her desperately trying to get her fingers around the elusive little thing. Astraea wouldn't be outwitted this time and she gave her broom one last push forward and could feel the metal brush against her fingertips, she repositioned herself slightly enabling her to grab at the air in front of her and could feel the weight of the snitch in her hand. She let out a sigh of relief as she pulled up her broom and let herself relax for the first time while she had been in the air.

With the snitch in hand, Astraea returned to the ground to prove to the captain she had caught the snitch and with that, she fell back in with the group until the tryouts were over. Even if she didn't make the team she was happy with her work.

 

[Dahlia Doherty]

Dahlia wasn't sure if she'd get on to the Quidditch team, feeling a little set back by not having the magical background and experience other kids had. But what she did have was muggle sporting experience, and she hoped the new captains would see what she could bring to the game and give her a chance. Probably hoping more to impress Louis than Zephryn, since she always looked kind of grumpy and Louis meanwhile was one of the hottest boys in the school. Of course, when it came down to game time, sport was the focus, not boys, no matter how cute they were. The team was far more important.

"Hi!" she greeted, bouncing a little on the spot. She could see that Fraser was of course going to try out, and wasn't surprised, and expected Max would probably be along too. "I'm Dahlia Doherty, and I'm trying out for chaser. But I can also give seeker a go. Or even keeper! You name it, I'll play it." Chaser was probably more of what would use her netball skills, but seeker was something of a starring role and she wasn't going to say no to that. And keeper wasn't necessarily exciting, but she could catch a ball. Plus, showing a bit of versatility could only be a good thing. She started off with chaser, making sure to show off her skills passing and catching with the others. She also took a couple of shots - some were blocked, some missed because of her being used to shooting vertically, not horizontally - and managed to score a couple of times. If anything, that showed off her catching skills (especially when she cheekily intercepted a couple of scoring shots as well).

After some others had tried out for seeker, Dahlia refocused and had a go herself. It took her a little while to manage to find the snitch, especially as she had to dodge around bludgers and might've gotten hit by a couple as she did. They hurt, but she could shrug them off - after all, netball could be rough, and she'd been shoved over more times than she could count. But eventually she did find the snitch, and managed to secure it in her safe hands. Maybe not as fast as some of the others did but she could happily say that she did it. She wasn't sure if she'd make the team, but Dahlia hoped she'd made a good case for herself and shown that she would certainly be an asset.

 

[Joshua Lynch]

Josh had been a chaser alternate for as long as he could remember. He didn't mind that he was only an alternate because he enjoyed playing with the team. He excitedly made his way down to the pitch as he waited for the tryouts to begin. It wasn't long before the new captains announced that they could state the names and positions that they were trying out for. "Joshua Lynch, trying out for chaser, again," Josh says with a chuckle before taking off into the sky. Josh decided to try and work with the other chasers, passing the quaffle to them to show he was a team player. He also managed to score a few goals as well as miss a few. He spent the rest of practice practising goals and passing. It wasn't long before the tryouts came to an end.

 

[Zephryn Spencer]

Zee was more than thrilled to receive the Quidditch Captain badge. She knew she had deserved it after all the work that she had put into the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She was less than thrilled, however, to hear that she was the co-captain with Louis. This had to be some sick joke or something. But as she joined the Quidditch Pitch, the reality became clear. They were co-captains and she just had to deal with it. Zee would try her best to be professional towards the boy that made her blood boil.

She stood next to him, a good distance as he addressed the students that were trying out. "Nothing really to add" she said, annoyed that she was not able to speak first. She would not let that sour the mood though. 'Gryffindor really needs the win this year. It will be hard work and a lot of practice. So show us what you've got" she added, feeling as if she had to say something.

The try outs began. Zee watched, taking a few notes about the name and the position that they wanted to play, as well as how they did obviously. Zee already took her role as the co-captain very seriously. Gryffindor needed to win this year.

 

[Raawhiti Te Rangi]

Rāwhiti felt like he was going to catch fire. Today was finally, finally the day he had been waiting for since first arriving at Hogwarts He was going to be the best Seeker this school had ever seen, he knew it in his blood, and finally there wasn't anyone else left in his way. His heart was racing as he carried his Firebolt down to the pitch, freshly polished, with not a twig out of place. He wasn't leaving anything up to chance. Rāwhiti bounced slightly on his toes as Louis spoke, extra pleased at the selection of co-captains this year. He wasn't sure if Louis was Manaia's boyfriend or if it was the guy Marama said she had seen at Ollivanders, or... someone else entirely, but Louis at least liked Manaia, and surely that would play even more into his advantage. Not that he needed it - Louis and Zee had both seen how well he played as an alternate last year, and knew he was the right guy to carry the team to victory.

"Rāwhiti Te Rangi, trying out for Seeker again!" He said confidently when his turn came, giving the co-captains his brightest grin before kicking off into the air. It was easier now, with a year of playing with the team under his belt. These weren't just unfamiliar Quidditch superstars he was trying to impress, these were the teammates he had celebrated and commiserated with, even if he hadn't actually gotten to play in any of the games. All he had to do was put on a good show today, and they'd see he was made for this. He didn't showboat this time, flying a smooth, easy circle around the pitch as he began his search. The first sign of the snitch came pleasantly early and Rāwhiti angled his broom up, shooting off like a rocket with his arm outstretched for the catch, and was rewarded moments later with the cool feel of metal in his hand. Reminded of catching the snitch right at the start of practice last year, he released it with a flushed grin to the captains, and returned to the hunt. By the end of his tryout he had captured the snitch a couple more times, and was feeling proud of his showing.

 

[Genevieve Fuentes]

Evie was more than ready for another year of Quidditch. She wanted to do better than last year, and so with her OWL exams out of the way, she was ready to put in as much practice as possible so that she could be better. She made her way onto the Quidditch pitch for the trouts, smiling at all of the new faces that could potentially be joining the team. It seemed everyone was getting smaller and it made Evie feel a little sad that it meant she was also getting older.

The teen gathered around with everyone as the two new captains addressed them all. It was pretty simple, and so when instructed she headed up into the skies, heading straight for the hoops so she could try blocking all of the shots that came her way. By the end of it she was quite sweaty, so she headed back to the dormitories so she could clean up before her afternoon classes.

 

[Max Goose]

With his grades back to his parents' high standards, Max no longer needed to worry about whether or not he could practice his flying skills over the break. And so Quidditch had been the only thing on his mind all winter long. In fact, it had been on his mind until he was ready to return to school again. Third year was going to be an exciting year what with electives and such, but it would be even better if he could play on the Gryffindor team.

When it was time for tryouts, the boy eagerly made his way down to the Quidditch pitch with Charlie's tattered old broomstick in hand. While his father was proud of him for achieving good grades in most of his second-year subjects, he still wasn't keen on getting his son a broomstick of his own. Not that it would matter much as Keeper, of course, but it would have been nice not to return to school with a half-functioning broomstick. Max smiled politely at the two new captains as he stepped onto the pitch and looked around to see who else showed up. It did not surprise Max that Dahlia and Fraser were again trying out for a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Their anger towards the previous captain and his decision to not let or allow them to play had united them in a funny sort of way. If either of them could make it onto the team this year, he knew who he'd cheer for during matches. ''Hi, I'm Max Goose and I'm trying out for Keeper!'' the boy said when it was his turn. While he knew that the chances of getting on the team as an alternate Keeper were low, he didn't really see himself playing any other position other than maybe Seeker but even he knew that Rāwhiti would be the better choice for Seeker.

He got onto his broomstick and headed straight towards the assigned hoops, giving Evie a friendly nod. He watched as she blocked all the shots coming towards her, quite amazed by how easy she made it seem. It was his turn shortly after so he adjusted his gloves and watched the position of the sun to see if it wouldn't bother him much during his tryout. Thankfully, it wouldn't. He flew down to the ground again not long after that, pleased with himself since the Chasers only managed to score one goal against him. While it was an improvement over his tryouts from last year, he could definitely use some proper practice.

 

[Soren Gates]

Despite being unsure of his commitment to the team last year, Soren was feeling a bit more like himself this year. Things with Aurora had put him in a better mood, and he'd decided that instead of pouting, he needed to just make himself stand out more. So, with his passions renewed, he showed up at the try-outs, smiling at the captains before taking off into the air. He hung back, letting the new try-outs have the floor, though he did get a couple of practice shots in himself.

 

[Eluned Strangewayes]

Ned might have been the smallest girl on the pitch, but she was by no means the least confident. Her brother Mervyn subscribed to the belief that falling off your broom and cracking your head open was character-building, and for this reason Ned already had four years of flying under her belt. “Eluned Strangewayes,” she said. “Trying out for seeker, please and thank you.”

Wasting no time, she mounted her broom and shot off. Being small had its advantages in the air; there was very little resistance as she zipped around, occasionally stopping to scan for gold. Twice she thought she saw the snitch and sped toward it, only to realise when she arrived that it had simply been the sun bouncing off someone’s watch face. But the third time was the charm. Eyes locked on her target, she sliced through the air, curving around the stands and diving toward the grass. The real snitch was a lot quicker than the golf balls Mervyn used to charm for her to catch, but Ned was quick, too, and after a three-minute chase she came to land with the shiny golden trinket in her hand. “Not bad for a little’n,” she said, in case nobody else was going to compliment her. She didn’t suppose she would make the team - not over the older kids who’d tried out - but she was pleased with herself all the same.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Out of Character:

Tryout will close in a few days!

 

[Zephryn Spencer]

Out of Character

Thank you all for trying out!

Here is this year's Gryffindor Team. A message will be sent out soon with game dates, practices, and such.

Position:	Player:
Seeker	Raawhiti Te Rangi
Beater	Aurora Archer
Beater	Santiago Torres
Chaser	Zephryn Spencer
Chaser	Louis Alcott
Chaser	Soren Gates
Keeper	Genevieve Fuentes
Alternates:
Alt Chaser	Joshua Lynch
Alt Seeker	Dahlia Doherty
Alt Beater	Ruby Maeve Louw