Coach's Oval

Jonathon Braun hails from the bustling metropolis of Woodlawn, Ontario; whose greater township boasts a thriving population of 6,920. An alumnus of the University of Ottawa’s academic and quidditch programs, Jon now attends the University of British Columbia’s Law School, where he plays beater for UBC Quidditch.

  What does playing for Team Canada mean to you?

It means the chance to play with and against people I have never gotten to before, in a highly competitive setting, surrounded by a lot of amazing drive and spirit! I'm super pumped!

  What do you hope to gain from playing for the national team?

I think I'll become a better player. I'll learn things from other people, and also, being on the team gives me confidence in my own skills and I think confidence goes a long way on the field.

  Favourite quidditch moment?

Going to World Cup V with uOttawa in 2011 was pretty special - not that I was all that great back then. The recent tournament that UBC played in LA was also an amazing time since we really proved our worth and surprised a lot of people.

  How did you first get involved with quidditch?

I met a guy dressed up as Harry Potter at a HP7:2 premiere in Ottawa. Then, when I was giving a presentation to science students during uOttawa frosh week, he was there as a guide. We got to talking and I learned that Quidditch was a thing, and obviously I jumped at the opportunity

  What was the most challenging part of your very first quidditch practice, and how do you feel you've improved since then?

I can't remember the very first practice, but the first game I played was against Carleton. Chris Radojewski thought I played beater for some reason and put me on the position. I did horribly. At another game, he misremembered that I had done a good job, so I got stuck on the position again. Eventually I figured it out. Maybe Chris just saw something in me!

  What is the most stereotypically Canadian thing about you?

Matt ‘Stoner’ Stone is a Computer Science student entering his fourth year of study at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. This Sydenham, Ontario native has been playing quidditch since his first year of university, and will be protecting the hoops as a keeper for Team Canada.

  What does playing for Team Canada mean to you?

To me, it's a chance to represent my country in a sport I love playing. Oh and making my family proud.

  What do you hope to gain from playing for the national team?

FRIENDSHIP AND FAME! …and maybe some experience.

  What was your favourite quidditch moment?

Tough one but last year at Canada Fantasy, I literally stole a goal from the other team. A player (I think it was Jeff Sherman) was dunking the quaffle into my hoops. I managed to get a hand on it and rip it away from him before the quaffle went through the hoop. I then immediately ran down the pitch, jumped over a bludger thrown at me by the defending beater, and dunked their hoops instead.

  How did you first get involved with quidditch?

I had a few friends in Ottawa already involved in quidditch when I moved here for school. I knew right away I wanted to get involved. I actually showed up the school's club fair in my yellow morphsuit dressed as a snitch and signed up for the tryouts. They definitely thought I was a bit of a superfan at first.

  What was the most challenging part of your very first quidditch practice, and how do you feel you've improved since then?

Hmmm, this might sound really conceited but either picking a position or staying on the broom. I had no idea what I was going to be good at or what I wanted to play but they really wanted people to try keeper so I went for it. And I find myself rolling on the ground, sprinting, jumping, and tackling all without falling off my broom now so that's come a long way.

  What is the most stereotypically Canadian thing about you?

Does this count?

The IQA Global Games are happening in Burnaby, BC, on July 19. We need your help getting 21 Team Canada athletes there to represent our great country!

Eastern Canada Leader Board Here are the rankings of Official IQA teams in the Eastern Canada Region. Only official games against other official teams in the region are counted for this ranking. This list includes all reported games up to November 11, 2013, including all Canada Cup III games. The rankings are determined first by Team Score (TS). TS = Points (P) / Games Played (GP). Teams receive 2 points for a win and 1 point for an overtime loss. Next teams are ranked by Points (P) only. Then by Total Point Differential (TPD).

The number in parenthesis represents the team's rank in the previous ranking post. We would like to have rankings for other parts of Canada and for basic teams, however we currently lack the data to do so. If you have data on games played for other teams, please let us know.

***Please note that these rankings are the Coach’s Oval’s interpretation of the data collected from games. They may not reflect the IQA’s official rankings.***

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Voici le classement des équipes officielles de l’IQA dans la région de l’est du Canada. Ces classements considèrent seulement les joutes officielles contre d’autres équipes de notre région. Cette liste inclue les joutes qui nous on envoyer jusqu’au 11 novembre 2013. Il compte tous les matchs de coupe canadien III.

Le classement des équipes est déterminé en premier par le score des équipes (TS). TS= Points (P) / Joutes joués (GP). Les équipes reçoivent 2 points pour une joute gagnée et 1 point pour une perte en temps de prolongation. Les équipes suivantes sont classées par points (P) seulement et par le différentiel de point (TPD).

Le numéro entre parenthèses représente le classement d'équipe dans la post précédent.

NOTEZ BIEN: Nous aimerions avoir les classements pour toutes les autres régions du Canada et les équipes de base, par contre, nous n’avons pas présentement accès à l’information nécessaire. Si vous avez plus d’information à partager, s’il vous plait laissez nous savoir.

Coach’s Oval has been remiss for the past few months in leaving the stellar women of Canadian Quidditch out of the spotlight. But all that changes this month!

  Meet Jessica Domat, coach of McMaster Quidditch. Her club has been growing for the past four years into a competitive team ready for Canadian Cup in two weeks! Jessica was kind enough to talk to us about her team, their triumphs and challenges, and where she wants them to go in the future. Brooms up!

  What school do you go to, and what program and year are you in?

I’m in my third year of life sci at McMaster University.

  What brought you to quidditch?

I love the idea of how you can take a fictional game and turn it into something amazing and competitive in the muggle world.  It’s a very difficult and complex sport, that’s what makes it so unique and enticing to me.

  What position do you play?

The Mac team is made up of a versatile group of people, therefore it makes the roles on the team interchangeable. I am able to play beater and chaser.

  How long has your team been active?

We’ve been active for approximately four years, but have only been competitive for two.

  What's the hardest thing about running a team?

It would be simpler to list the things that were easy… Running a team will always have its ups and downs.  You will go through periods when you want to make them do 100 suicides because they aren’t cooperating, and there’s days where they want you to do 100 suicides because you’re driving them nuts, but the key is to never give up.  Always work things out and remember that every team has their ups and downs.  Often times we compare ourselves to people (or teams) that are better than us, however we should be comparing our selves to how we last played, and ensuring we’re always better than that.

  Sometimes it’s also really tough knowing when and how far to push your team, you know what they need to work on, but sometimes your team can miss the bigger picture.  That’s when you have to take it down a notch and reassure them that they’re awesome players that have extraordinary potential.

  What advice would you give teams that are starting up?

Never give up! There are going to be days where you’re only practicing with four players, but those are the days you have to keep pushing through.  I would also suggest analyzing your team. Learn their strengths and weaknesses. It definitely helps when planning practices and improving. 

  What is your favourite thing about quidditch?

I love how competitive it gets on the field, but as soon as the game is done, you’re hugging and laughing with each other.  It makes me chuckle because there are players who I just wouldn’t want to mess with, but off the pitch, they’re completely different. I’ve played a lot of sports and have never experienced anything like the etiquette of a quidditch tournament.

  What was the best moment of your quidditch career?

The best moments of my quidditch career happen when I’m coaching.  For the past two years, Mac has been working really hard to improve their team.  Often times we were at tournaments with nine players. This year I couldn’t believe when we had so many people try out and want to be a competitive team.  It was great.  I haven’t seen such a strong group of people from Mac before.  I know they can’t always see themselves improving, but every time they come out to practice and try harder than before, it demonstrates that this team isn’t going to stop until they win.

  What was the worst moment of your career?

I’ve been accident prone all my life, so I have become immune to the fear of injuries. However, at the Marauders Cup a year ago, I dislocated my knee (for a second time) and was genuinely concerned I wouldn’t be playing again.

  If you could claim the jersey of any other team for McMaster Quidditch, whose design would you steal?

That is a tough question, McGill’s A team jerseys are pretty awesome.  I would also love to steal Carleton’s cheer.

  What is your jersey number? Is there any significance to it?

My jersey number is 28, after my favourite hockey player (Domi). Go Leafs Go!

    Which team do you most want McMaster Quidditch to go up against?

I would love for the Mac team to go against any of the top three Canadian teams.  I wish we were a lot closer so it could happen more often. The only way to get better is to practice against the best.

  Who would be on the starting lineup of your All Star quidditch team?

There are so many talented and competitive people to choose from but I would have to say:

Seeker: Simon Marsello (Mac Alumni, Valhalla currently)

Keeper: Emeric Teilhol (Mac)

Chasers: Lomeharshan Lall (Valhalla), Hugh Podmore (Valhalla), Meredith Taylor (Bowling Green)

Beaters: Andrew Nguyen (Ryerson), Alexandra Bassa (GeeGees)

  It wouldn’t be a great game without Chris Beesley as our head ref.

  What do you think sets quidditch in Eastern Canada apart from the other IQA regions?

The camaraderie between the Eastern Canada region teams is great.   However, I wish we took it as seriously as the other IQA regions to allow us to become more competitive.  I think a lot of teams are attempting to do this, and it’s great to see them improve (which they demonstrated at the Marauders Cup).  I also understand that it’s a lot easier for other IQA regions, just because they have a greater mass of people in close proximately to one another (allowing for more practice between teams and season play).

  How do you hope McMaster Quidditch will develop over the next few seasons?

We hope to inspire dedication and discipline.  The team has a common vision that we want to work towards and that’s becoming one of the best teams in Canada.  With more training, I’m sure we will become a more viable competitor against the more experienced teams.

If one of your teammates deserves to be next month's feature, send us a message to tell us why! 

Eastern Canada Leader Board Here are the rankings of Official IQA teams in the Eastern Canada Region. Only official games against other official teams in the region are counted for this ranking. This list includes all reported games up to October 27, 2013. The rankings are determined first by Team Score (TS). TS = Points (P) / Games Played (GP). Teams receive 2 points for a win and 1 point for an overtime loss. Next teams are ranked by Points (P) only. Then by Total Point Differential (TPD). We would like to have rankings for other parts of Canada and for basic teams, however we currently lack the data to do so. If you have data on games played for other teams, please let us know.

***Please note that these rankings are the Coach’s Oval’s interpretation of the data collected from games. They may not reflect the IQA’s official rankings.***

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Voici le classement des équipes officielles de l’IQA dans la région de l’est du Canada. Ces classements considèrent seulement les joutes officielles contre d’autres équipes de notre région. Cette liste inclue les joutes qui nous on envoyer jusqu’au 27 octobre 2013.

Le classement des équipes est déterminé en premier par le score des équipes (TS). TS= Points (P) / Joutes joués (GP). Les équipes reçoivent 2 points pour une joute gagnée et 1 point pour une perte en temps de prolongation. Les équipes suivantes sont classées par points (P) seulement et par le différentiel de point (TPD).

NOTEZ BIEN: Nous aimerions avoir les classements pour toutes les autres régions du Canada et les équipes de base, par contre, nous n’avons pas présentement accès à l’information nécessaire. Si vous avez plus d’information à partager, s’il vous plait laissez nous savoir.

Eastern Canada Leader Board Here are the rankings of Official IQA teams in the Eastern Canada Region. Only official games against other teams in the region are counted for this ranking. This list includes all reported games up to October 8, 2013. The rankings are determined first by Team Score (TS). TS = Points (P) / Games Played (GP). Teams receive 2 points for a win and 1 point for an overtime loss. Next teams are ranked by Points (P) only. Then by Total Point Differential (TPD). We would like to have rankings for other parts of Canada and for basic teams, however we currently lack the data to do so. If you have data on games played for other teams, please let us know.

***Please note that these rankings are the Coach's Oval's interpretation of the data collected from games. They may not reflect the IQA's official rankings.***

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Voici le classement des équipes officielles de l’IQA dans la région de l’est du Canada. Ces classements considèrent seulement les joutes officielles contre d’autres équipes de notre région. Cette liste inclue les joutes qui nous on envoyer jusqu’au 8 octobre 2013.

Le classement des équipes est déterminé en premier par le score des équipes (TS). TS= Points (P) / Joutes joués (GP). Les équipes reçoivent 2 points pour une joute gagnée et 1 point pour une perte en temps de prolongation. Les équipes suivantes sont classées par points (P) seulement et par le différentiel de point (TPD).

NOTEZ BIEN: Nous aimerions avoir les classements pour toutes les autres régions du Canada et les équipes de base, par contre, nous n’avons pas présentement accès à l’information nécessaire. Si vous avez plus d’information à partager, s’il vous plait laissez nous savoir.

This month’s Quidkid is Rithy Min from Université de Montréal. If anyone has ever met Rithy before, you will know that his French is where it’s at. As true Canadian’s this months article will be BILINGUAL! If you don’t understand French, no worries, each answer is translated to English in italics!

  Q: Quel est ton programme, ton école et ton année d'éducation?

  R: Je suis en dernière année de maîtrise en Design Urbain à l'Université de Montréal.

A: I am in my last year as a master student in urban design at Université de Montréal.

  Q: Qu'est-ce qui t'a fait découvrir le quidditch?

  R : J'ai découvert le quidditch par hasard dans le journal de l'université. J'ai regardé quelques vidéos sur YouTube et j'ai trouvé ça AWESOME! 2 jours plus tard je me retrouvais sur un balai à McGill, ça a été le coup de foudre!

A: I discovered quidditch by chance in a school newspaper. I looked up videos on YouTube and I thought it was AWESOME! 2 days later I was at McGill on a broom. It was love.

  Q: Quelle position joues-tu?

  R: J'ai joué 1 mois comme batteur, puis j'ai essayé chasseur et là j'ai retrouvé les même sensations que j'avais au football américain, rapidité, esquive, plaquage, contact, marquer, etc. Depuis je joue chasseur!

A: I played beater for a month. Then I tried chasing and found in it what I liked of American football: speed, dodges, tackles, contact, scoring, etc. I haven’t gone back since.

  Q: Quel fut le meilleur moment dans ta carrière de quidditch?

  R: Mon meilleur moment dans ma courte carrière (je joue depuis moins d'un an)?Je pense que c'est le tournois que j'ai fais à New York avec l'équipe de McGill. J'avais commencé le quidditch depuis seulement 2-3 mois, et je me suis retrouvé dans un tournoi avec des équipes du Top 20 Mondial, le niveau de jeu et de contact était intense, j'ai adoré ça!

A: The best moment in my quidditch career (less than a year long) would be a tournament I attended with the McGill team in New York. I had been playing for 2 or 3 months at that point and I got to play with 20 top ranking teams. The level of play and contact was intense and I loved it.

  Q : Quel fut le pire moment dans ta carrière de quidditch?

  R : Je ne pense pas avoir de mauvais souvenirs, j'aime le quidditch et je m'amuse constamment. Mais si je dois citer quelque chose, ça sera surement toute la paperasse à faire et le combat avec l'administration pour créer l'équipe de l'Université de Montréal. Heureusement mon coéquipier Minh Nat Bui c'est occupé de tout pour nous!

A: I don’t think I have bad quidditch memories. I love the sport and I am constantly having fun. If I have to say something, I would have to say it was filling out all the paperwork and fighting with the administration to create a team at my own school. Thankfully, my teammate Minh Nat Bui took care of all of it!

  Q : Tu es dans le processus de créer une nouvelle équipe. Quel est ton plus grand défi?

  R: On a deux grands défis: entrer dans son budget et recruter des joueurs pour notre équipe compétitive!

A: We have two challenges: to stay within our budget and recruiting members for our competitive team.

  Q : Comment est-ce que votre proximité avec la meilleure équipe au Canada vous a influencé?

  R : Notre équipe venant tout juste d'être créée, on ne peut pas encore savoir comment cette proximité va nous influencer. Mais cela ne pourra qu'être positif! Que ce soit lors des entraînements communs ou des matchs, on pourra profiter de leur expérience pour nous améliorer! Jouer contre une équipe de ce niveau ne pourra qu'augmenter le notre!

  Mais sinon personnellement, ils m'ont entraîné et ils m'ont amené à des tournois depuis que j'ai commencé le quidditch. Je leur dois énormément! Je ne remercierai jamais assez l'équipe de McGill pour tout ce qu'ils ont fait, et tout ce qu'ils feront pour nous!

A: Since our team is so new, we have yet to find out how our proximity to Canada’s best team will affect us. We can already guess. We will be able to have some joint practices and play each other. We can only benefit from this situation. To play against a team of that caliber will only make us better.

  Personally, I cannot thank the team enough. They trained me and brought me to tournaments ever since my first quidditch days. I owe them a lot. I will never be able to thank the McGill team for all they have done for me, and all they will do for us.

  Q: Quelle équipe voudrais tu affrontés le plus?

  R: L'équipe que j'aimerai affronter le plus? Je n'ai pas de nom pour l'instant, mais ça serait l'équipe qui se trouvera face à nous lors de la finale de la Coupe du Monde de Quidditch VII !

A: I’m not too sure which team I would like to play yet. For now, I guess it will have to be the team that faces us at the finals of the VII Quidditch World Cup!

  Q : Qui serait les membres de ta ligne de départ canadienne idéale?

  C'est dur à dire, je ne connais que peu de joueurs, et essentiellement des joueurs de McGill. Mais si je devais avoir une équipe de fantaisie, peu importe

l'alchimie de l'équipe, ça serai :

(RITHY randomly decided to answer this one in English)

  Chasers :

Hugh Podmore (McGil/York) – He was the Canada Day Fantasy Tournament MVP and a great scorer.

Adam Robillard (uOttawa) – Because he plays very aggressively!

Me! (UdeM)

Alexandra (UdeM Rookie) – She has a very good arm and hands!

Meredith Taylor (Bowling Green) _ She isn’t Canadian but we played together for CDFT and she ROCKS!

  Keepers:

Andrew (McGill) – He can make fast counter-attacks!

Patrick Oi Wang (McGill) – Because sometimes, you need someone who can tackle everything.

Adam C Palmer (York) – He did an awesome job during CDFT!

  Beaters :

Cynthia (UdeM) - Because she's my teammate and she can steal aaaaall the bludgers.

Sarah Basciano (U of Toronto) – She’s a SNIPER!

Ema Shiroma - She is a veteran, and she has a lot of expérience.

Clare Hutchinson (uOttawa) – Because for the rest of the world, we can’t have a Canadian team without Clare!

  Seekers :

Plunger (McGill) - Awesome beard, awesome seeker, awesome man!

Alexandre Graham – He kicked out my team during CDFT with 2 quick snitch grabs when his team was losing by 20 points…

  Et je veux que Chris Beesley arbitre tout nos matchs!

And I want Chris Beesley to ref all our games!

  Q : Quel est le numéro de ton chandail? Est-ce qu'il y a une certaine signifiance derrière ce numéro?

  R: 32! Mon joueur préféré de football est Ray Lewis, et son numéro est le 52. Mais quand je jouais au football, j'étais running back, et on a généralement les nombres entre 20 et 39. J'ai choisis le 32!

A: 32! My favorite football player is Ray Lewis and his number is 52. However, when I used to play football, I was a running back and we generally have numbers between 20 and 39, so I chose 32!

  Q : Avec quel autre sport pourrais-tu comparer ton style comme joueur de quidditch?

  R: J'ai joué running back, donc le football américain représente bien mon style de jeu. En défense, je suis agressif, je ne laisse pas de répit à mes adversaires et je n'ai pas peur de plaquer les plus grands que moi (de toute façon, tout le monde est plus grand que moi). En attaque, je sais éviter les plaquages et je sais également casser un plaquage quand il le faut. Mais en tant que running back je devais garder la balle, donc mon jeu de passe et mes long-shots laissent à désirer...

A: I used to play as a running back so American football represents my playing style the best. On defense, I am aggressive and I don’t give any breaks to my opponents. I am not afraid to tackle those bigger than me (anyways, everyone is bigger than me). On offense, I know how to dodge or break tackles when I need to. However, as running back I had to keep the ball so my passes and long shots could use some work…

  Q : Quels sont tes trois objectifs principaux avec ton équipe cette année?

  R: Avoir une équipe soudée, faire oublier à mes joueurs ce que les mot "abandonner" & "impossible" signifient, et La coupe du Canada, La coupe du Monde!

A: My goals are to have a solid team, to make my teammates forget the meaning of the words “giving up” and “impossible”, and both Canada and World Cup!

  Q : Si tu pouvais décider les lieux pour la prochaine Coupe du Monde, où choisirais-tu?

  R: Montréal, parce que rien ne remplace la maison!

A: Montreal, because there is no place better than home.

  Q : Quel est ton élément préféré du quidditch?

  R: Le mélange réussi du sport, de la compétitivité, du fair play, du fun, et de la communauté!

A: The perfect mix of sports, competitiveness, fair play, fun, and the community.

  Q : Quels sont trois de tes passes temps favori hors quidditch?

  R: Workout, workout, workout! Je veux prendre la place de Hugh en tant que MVP du Canada! Je ne pense pas avoir de vie en dehors du Quidditch! Plus sérieusement, je passe des heures et des heures à m'entraîner! Manger : en fonction de mon entraînement je peux avoir 5 à 7 repas par jour, et j'aime ça!

L'associatif : je fait partie de plusieurs associations étudiantes qui organisent des sorties, des party, des visites, des actions humanitaires, etc.

A: Workout, workout, workout! I want to take Hugh’s place as Canada’s MVP! I don’t think I have a life outside quidditch. Seriously though, I spend hours and hours working out. Eating: in order to keep up with my fitness regime I need to eat 5 to 7 meals a day and I love it! Student associations: I belong to multiple student associations that organize outings, parties, visits, campaigns, etc.

  By Erin McCrady

Here are some events coming up in the Quidditch community. If you would like your event to be advertised let us know!

Tuesday, September 10, 2013: 17:30 Guelph University - Quidditch Demo Practice https://www.facebook.com/events/410885785688385/?ref=2

Wednesday, September 11, 2013: 17:30 McMaster University - First Meeting and Practice https://www.facebook.com/events/192480560932937/?ref=2

Samedi, le 14 septembre, 2013: 13:00 - 16:00 Dimance, le 15 septembre, 2013: 13:00 - 16:00 Club de Quidditch de l'Université de Montréal - Camp d'Entrainement https://www.facebook.com/events/1381592418738996/

Sunday, September 15, 2013: 13:00 - 16:00 Ryerson Quidditch - September Friendlies With Ryerson https://www.facebook.com/events/151631398367555/?ref=2

Sunday, September 15, 2013: 13:00 - 16:00 uOttawa Quidditch Club - Introduction to Quidditch: Part 2 https://www.facebook.com/events/205683202940365/

Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 18:00 - 20:00 Friday, September 20, 2013, 06:30 - 08:30 Saturday, September 21, 2013, 10:00 - 13:00 uOttawa Quidditch Club - Competitive Team Tryouts https://www.facebook.com/events/380475745414325/?context=create

Recurring Events:

Sundays, 13:00 - 16:00 uOttawa Quidditch Club - Open Practice

  This month, Coach’s Oval is joined by uOttawa’s Adam Robillard. Robillard has managed to make quite a name for himself in the summer fantasy circuit, and we expect to be hearing a lot more from him in the upcoming season. In addition to the aggressive chasing style and split-second seeking that put him on the map, Adam will join Rebecca Alley as uOttawa Quidditch’s competitive team coach this season. He is also the Event Director of the new Eastern Canadian Coaches’ Conference, designed to facilitate partnership and growth amongst Canadian teams.

   After a hectic July filled with Canada Day Fantasy Tournament, Champagne Cup, and a score of awkward questions and comments about his centerfold in uOttawa’s calendar, Robillard went off the grid and into the woods for a month of deep personal reflection. In all seriousness, though, he’s busy earning Good Guy Points as a camp counsellor for marginalized boys. We, here at Coach’s Oval, believe that makes Robillard’s greatest accomplishment to date his ability to answer all these questions via Blackberry keypad, but you be the judge. Brooms up!

  To begin, tell the folks at home what you study.

I’m in my second year of criminology at the University of Ottawa.

  What brought you to quidditch and how long have you played? I was hanging out with a girl during 101 Week who liked Harry Potter, so I signed up to impress her. Obviously I fell in love with the sport and not her, because two years later I am still playing and haven’t seen her since.

  Ah, Frosh Week love. The kind of love that lasts a lifetime. What position do you play? I play Chaser and Seeker and sometimes dabble into the realm of keeping.

  What is your jersey number and is there any significance to it? 93, my birth year.

  What was the best moment of your quidditch career? My favourite moment comes from a workshop I ran a year ago at my old high school. I was playing quidditch with a grade 9 and 10 all-boys’ gym class and at first they weren’t very receptive. However, as soon as they started playing it, their hard teenaged boy angst left them and they got really into it! They kept asking questions about university teams and the sport.

  What has been the worst moment of your quidditch career?

The most frustrating moment was the NAU game at WCVI. One of the bludgers went onto another pitch so the other team had control and we had none. I couldn’t get anywhere near the snitch, and I knew if I could get there I could catch him. We had the same snitch in our next game and I had him with a quick catch. It was frustrating because it made our record 3-1 and placed us second in our pool giving us a lot harder of a bracket than we should have gotten.

  What house are you? My parents’, I live with my parents.

  Very funny. What do you think is the best thing about quidditch? I like it because it is the bridge between imagination and athleticism that is so rare these days. It lets the jocks embrace their nerdy, imaginative sides, and the nerds embrace their athletic sides.

  As a new coach, what are you most looking forward to this season? I am looking forward to bringing a new perspective to the team and finding fun new ways to combine skills and strategies from different sports I have played into Quidditch.

  Recommend one skill that you believe to be important and how players can improve it. Something that every player needs to be able to do regardless of position is to force the play. What that means is to put pressure on the other team or snitch and force them to make quick decisions and plays when you want them to.

For example, when the opposing team is advancing with the quaffle, the point chaser would put pressure on the ball carrier to force them to make a pass or drive earlier than they wanted to. This is important because, when pressured, players fumble and make a bad pass more often and they are not set in their play. Teams that can effective force the other team can change control of the flow of the game and gain the edge. Skills that are necessary for this are endurance and aggressiveness. Forcing the play can be tiring, so the players need to have endurance to keep it up. Also, players need to be aggressive and cannot hesitate. They need to put pressure on immediately and hold it on until the play ends.

  What team you would most like to play against in a tournament? I’d like to go up against Bowling Green or Lost Boys or some of the other top 8 teams to see how our team matches up. I really believe our team deserves to be up there with those teams.

  You've made quite an impression at fantasy tournaments this summer, what is your approach to playing on a fantasy team? Score a couple goals and then catch the snitch as quickly as possible so we can get a break before the next match, seeing as we play a lot of games in tournaments.

  Who would be on the starting lineup of your all-star quidditch team?

C: Chris Radojewski, Hugh Podmore, Michelle Ferguson B: Ahmed al-Slaq, Alex Bassa K: Adam Palmer S: Adam Robillard This line up is based around speed on the quaffle and aggression on the beaters. It would play a quick game with strong rebound control. It also finishes strong with seeking, having an experienced seeker to start with an experienced backup (Ahmed) available if necessary.

  We’re looking for players to feature in upcoming months. If you or someone you know deserves to be featured on Coach’s Oval, send us a message!

Canada Fantasy Tournament was not the only tournament this summer that had a strong Canadian presence. In the next two weeks, you will hear from both Champagne Cup and North-East Tournament about how our players performed.

  Here are the standings in pool play:

Leopard Army 3-0 (second place overall)

Dragon Army 3-0

Pheonix Army 2-1 (first place overall)

Salamander Army 2-1 (tied third place overall)

Griffin Army 1-2

Rabbit Army 1-2

Tiger Army 0-3 (tied third place overall)

Rat Army 0-3

  Adam Robillard – Leopard Army, Seeker/Chaser

ROBILLARD played a big part in Leopard Army’s 2nd place finish at Champagne Cup. His was a driving force on their chaser line-up; he regularly secured quaffle control on brooms up, put points on the board, and was a physical presence. His fast and strong chasing style, combined with chasers Devin Sandon and Ethan Sturm, created a strong offensive and defensive line that clinched 1st overall after pool play and a 2nd place finish. Robillard also led his team in seeking. He caught the snitch in five straight games, including a grab from behind versus Griffin Army, to clinch 1st place overall in pool play.

  Alex Lynde – Tiger Army, Chaser

LYNDE was a strong player for the Tiger Army. He inspired fear in his opposing teams who could barely manage to stop him from scoring. His fast footwork and incredible ability to dodge bludgers made him on of the top scorers of his team. He also led a furious comeback against the Rabbit Army. Lynde was an excellent captain and kept everyone motivated.

  Arlene Rosenberg – Tiger Army, Beater

ROSENBERG once again demonstrated her beating skill at Champagne Cup. She constantly demonstrated her defensive control and her ability to gain bludger superiority. She, along with her beater partner Michael Sanders from Tufts werewas a force to be reckoned with and integral to Tiger Army’s semi-final finish.

  Howie Levine – Rat Army, Chaser

LEVINE was a very strong chaser for both Rat Army. However, when his team was quickly eliminated, he got a chance to join ranks with Leopard Army who were in need for some extra chasers. Levine demonstrated great communication skills on the field listening to his team and being heard.  He was on of the top scorers with Rat Army. Levine demonstrated great athleticism by playing a total of seven games throughout the day with very little substitutions. As a recent graduate, whichever team that inherits him this fall will be lucky.

  Jamie Lafrance – Tiger Army, Keeper/Snitch

LAFRANCE was a strong presence on Tiger Army, leading his team from the keeper zone with a solid defence and offense. He kept to his signature style of strong drives and deep passes that led to a big win over Griffin Army in the quarterfinals. Unfortunately Lafrance’s day ended in the semi-finals when Tiger Army was unable to defeat the eventual winners, Phoenix Army.

Lafrance also made his snitching debut at Champagne Cup. He brought a new snitching strategy to the table, one that relied on strength and size over the classic speed and dexterity. He sent many seekers flying and even pulled out the (soon to be copyrighted I’m sure) infamous belly bump to avoid getting caught.

  Marilyn Tourangeau – Rat Army, Chaser/Seeker

TOURANGEAU has really improved her play over the past year and it really showed at Champagne Cup. She was a strong presence on the field with her chasing game; she was not afraid to give and receive hits and had a solid off-ball game. Her dedication to the sport and the improvement of her fitness level was also demonstrated by playing additional games with the Rabbit Army who was short on players near the end of the day.

Tourangeau also played as a seeker during Champagne Cup. She was a seeker for the Rabbit Army against the Tiger Army and really demonstrated her seeking abilities. Although she was unable to make the pull because of a strong defensive seeker, she had a number of good chances.

  Rebecca Alley – Rabbit Army, Beater

ALLEY made her return to the game at Champagne Cup. She has been coaching the University of Ottawa Quidditch team and has unfortunately suffered from a bad ankle which sidelined her. Even though she had not played for a long time, she brought energy and dedication to the pitch. She played beater for the majority of the tournament, and helped create a solid defensive wall for her team. She also had great bludger control with her bunny slipper wearing partner, Rickie. They were often able to hold bludger superiority and resist the opposing offense.

  Ryan Smythe – Griffin Army, Beater/Snitch

SMYTHE brought out his beating game at Champagne Cup. After unfortunately being sidelined at Canada Day Fantasy by a concussion, Smythe returned with a strong beating game helping form Griffin Army’s strong defence. 

Smythe also had a large snitching presence. He snitched in three games, including both a quarter and semi final game.

  Samy Mousa – Dragon Army, Utility/Referee

MOUSA, like always, was a great utility player at Champagne Cup. He uses his knowledge of the rules to a point to the dismay of his opposing teams. Regardless of his position, Mousa is always aggressive and a noticeable presence on the pitch.

Mousa also brought his refereeing skills to Champagne. He refereed a number of games (including the final) and also administered a number of field tests for new referees. He contributed not only to the success of this tournament, but also to future ones as well.

Canadian quidditch players may be one of the IQA’s best-kept secrets. We’re talking ‘who is Quinksy?’ and ‘how does Benepe keep his hair so silky-smooth?’ levels of secrecy.

  Here at Coach’s Oval, we’re lifting the veil of secrecy with a new Quidkid of the Month feature. Every month, we’ll bring forth one of Canada’s Elite competitors for your scrutiny, admiration, and enjoyment.

  Our first tribute is Canada Day Fantasy Tournament MVP Hugh Podmore, formerly from McGill Quidditch. You may recognize him as the friendly ginger with a whiteboard whose roommate hunt went viral a couple weeks ago. Hugh was generous enough to take some time from his busy schedule of house hunting and Internet fame to chat with us. Brooms up!

  Welcome, Hugh! We’ll start with the basics. What school, program, and year are you in?

I just finished my undergrad in Physics at McGill and now I'm going into the first year of a Masters in Earth and Space Science at York University

  What brought you to quidditch, and how long have you played?

My friend Ben Cohen (who was coach of the team at the time) and I had a summer afternoon at one of our favourite bars where we had a few drinks and talked about the strategies of various sports, baseball and quidditch for him, soccer and ultimate for me. I think that was probably when I first decided that I was going to at least go to a practice, and that was two years ago. After the first practice I just kept coming back for more until they asked who wanted to buy jerseys and I kinda thought "yeah, I guess I play quidditch now".

  What position do you play?

I play chaser and occasionally keeper.

  What is your jersey number and is there any significance to it?


Haha, last year my number was 69 because I have little to no shame sometimes. This year my number was 7 because that's the original number for a right winger in soccer, which happens to be my position, and if you've seen me play quidditch you'll notice that I almost always attack down the right hand side.

  What house are you?

Everyone always compares me to Ron Weasley because of the hair, so I'll take that to mean I should be in Gryffindor. Plus I suck at finding things.

  What would your patronus be?

Oh wow, I really don't even know, does anyone until they first produce one? I feel like Psycho-Pantrono-Analysis must be a thing in the wizarding world, like you sit down on a couch and produce a patronus and someone in wireframes and a goatee tells you what that means about your personality.

  What has been the best moment of your quidditch career so far?

That would have to be last season's semi-final win over Carleton in overtime at the Canadian cup. Simply an unbelievable game from

both sides, I couldn't stop shaking for at least 10 minutes afterward. Carleton's team really stepped up this year, big ups to them.

  What has been the worst or scariest moment so far?

Going into the overtime part of that game? Haha, don't think I've ever had a case of nerves as bad as that.

  What do you think is the best thing about quidditch?


Definitely the people, it's an amazing community, one of the nicest I've ever known, with an incredible work hard play hard kind of

attitude. Quidkids are enthusiastic, inclusive and all around great friends to have.

  What aspect of quidditch do you have the most difficult time explaining to those unfamiliar with it?

"It's really physically demanding in terms of fitness, no, really. Guys stop laughing." "It's actually really easy, you really don't

notice the broom at all."

  Describe quidditch using as much innuendo as possible.


Quidditch is a game in which 14 playas of mixed gender grip hard shafts, put them between their legs, and play with their balls. There are three chasers and a keeper who penetrate the opposing team, while the two opposing beaters try to slap the chasers with their balls. The two seekers take it in turns to try and grab the butt of a neutral party, who is dressed up in costume, and the game ends when the one ball belonging to the neutral party achieves full release at the hands of a seeker. Male/male, female/female and male/female body contact are all assured, but as often as not players will finish having only used one hand.

  Who would be on the starting lineup of your all-star quidditch team?

Do I get to be on it? A big part of my ideal lineup is team chemistry, and ain't no chasers got better chemistry than myself, Jenn Beer of McGill and Ben Cohen, formerly of McGill and now of Skidmore, (Although in reality Devin Sandon - RIT, Phil Palmer and Kathryn Nagel - Middlebury, and Robyn Fortune, Wiz and Mark Mcbride of McGill are also dangerously chemical and talented).

For keepers I gotta put Patrick Qi Wang of McGIll this year, he was our rock, although I was really impressed with Adam Palmer from York at the Canada Day tournament.

For beaters honestly the toughest beating combo I've ever played against is Stephen "V" Camozzi and Anisha "$lumz" Chadda of McGill, you just cannot score against them when they have BS, but of course I have to give a shoutout to Alex Bassa of Ottawa, I'm always intimidated to go up against her.

Finally, for seekers the one and only Alexander Graham "Belle" who proved in decisive fashion at the Canada Day tournament that he is still the granddaddy of Canadian Seekers.


K: Patrick Qi Wang


C: Me, Ben Cohen, Jenn Beer for best chemistry. Wiz, Phil Palmer and Kathryn Nagel for best talent.


B: $lumz and V, with Alex Bassa yelling at $lumz to take a sub


S: Belle

There you have it, a little McGill heavy, but I didn't go to WC this year, so I don't know the state of the field outside Canada.

  Team you would most like to play against in a tournament?


America's Finest, love cutting that team down to size in the name of Canada. Or the old Midd dream team that no one could beat for 5 years.

  Top 3 non-quidditch hobbies?

Ultimate Frisbee, Rock Climbing, Kiteboarding

  Provide some words of wisdom for the quidditch players of the world

Chasers: Develop your short passing game, it's the most underrated but deadly offensive tool you have. Do catching drills. You don't have to go for the big hit, just grab and hold on and wait for a beater; just fall over if you have to. Do catching drills. Most teams almost never pass to their girl chasers, if you think about it that's like intentionally playing one down for an entire match, which is stupid. DO CATCHING DRILLS. 


Beaters: Sub more often, beating is a mental game and your decisions suffer worse than you think they do when you're tired.


Seekers: Uhhh... Be more like Belle?

  ...and just in case you missed it, he wants to be your roommate!

http://imgur.com/a/BwRMu