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"Weasly is our King,
Weasly is our King,
He didn't let the Quaffle in,
Weasly is our King...
Weasley can save anything,
He never leaves a single ring,
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Weasley is our King"
Quidditch is the wonderful, and fantastical sport created by J.K.
Rowling. Harry Potter is a seeker for the Gryffindor House Team. We also
see the final of the 422nd Quidditch world Cup between
Bulgaria and Ireland. Here we try to explain Quidditch to all you
Muggles.
Contents:
What is it?
Quidditch League
Quidditch Teams of the World
Brooms
Other broom games
What is it?
Quidditch is a sport enjoyed by many witches, wizards and the odd goblin looking to win a bet. Quidditch is a
team sport with seven players on two teams playing each other on field with three hoops on either side. The point of the game is
to score more points than the other team. In a team there are three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper and one Seeker.
The Chasers are the point scorers who play with a football (soccer) sized red ball
known as the Quaffle. They throw it at each other and try to get it into one
of the three opponents' goal posts. Each time they score their team earns
10 points.
The Keeper guards his or her team's goal posts to keep the other
team's Chasers from scoring. They usually make the best captains as they can
see the whole Quidditch field from their position.
The
Beaters play with a round black ball called a Bludger. Unlike a Quaffle
(which cannot move by it self), a Bludger zooms around the field and try's
to unseat as many players as possible and if possible break some bones. A Beater is armed with a bat (which
looks like a baseball bat) and tries to hit the ball away from his or her
teammate and into their opponent.
A seeker is perhaps the most important position of them all. They play with a
small walnut sized golden ball with wings. This ball, called the Snitch,
zooms around the field is near impossible to see.
The
Seeker, who tends to be light and has a keen eyesight, must fly around the field, look for the snitch, ignore the others,
make sure his opponent doesn't find the snitch and catch the snitch first.
The team whose Seeker catches the Snitch first gets 150 points, which almost
always ensures a victory. The game ends when the Snitch is caught. They are usually the most fouled against player.
Quidditch League
The Quidditch League was formed by Department of Magical
Games and Sports who wanted to keep Quidditch secret from the Muggles. They
limited the teams to the thirteen best teams of England and Ireland. They
continue to compete annually for the League Cup.
Appleby Arrows
Robes are pale blue, emblazoned with a silver
arrow. Their most glorious hour was their 1932 defeat of the European
Champions, the Vratsa Vultures, in a sixteen-day match through dense fog and
rain. Has a fierce rivalry between the Wimbourne Wasps.
Ballycastle Bats
They wear black robes with a scarlet bat across
their chest. Has won the Quidditch League a total of twenty-seven times,
making it the second most successful team.
Caerphilly Catapults
They wear vertically striped robes of light green
and scarlet. They have won the League eighteen times and has a famous
victory in the European Cup in 1956 under their belts. Their most famous
player "Dangerous" Dai Llewellyn, was eaten by a Chimaera in
Greece.
Chudley Cannons
They wear robes of bright orange emblazoned with a
speeding cannon ball and a double "C" in black. They have won the
League a total of twenty one times. Their glory days are considered to be
over by many, as they have not won the League since 1892. Nevertheless their
devoted fans remain in hope of a renaissance.
Falmouth Falcons
Wears dark-gray and white robes with a falcon-head
emblem across the chest. They are known for their tough plays and their
famous Beaters, Kevin and Karl Broadmoor who were suspended at least
fourteen times.
Holyhead Harpies
A unique team, because they've only hired witches.
Their robes are dark green and consist a golden talon upon the chest. Their
defeat of the Heidelberg Harriers in 1953 is one of the finest Quidditch
matches ever played.
Kenmare Kestrels
Their robes are emerald-green in color with two
yellow "K's" back to back on the chest. Their Keeper (and Captain
for the Irish International Team) is credited with the invention of the
Chaser Hawkshead Attacking Formations
Montrose Magpies
The most famous and successful team in the history
of the League, which they won no less than thirty-two times. They were twice
European Champions. They wear black and white robes with one magpie on
the chest and another on the back.
Pride of Portree
They wear deep-purple robes with a gold star on
the chest. Known as "The Prides" to their fans.
Puddlemere United
The oldest team in the League; founded in 1163.
They wear navy-blue robes with the emblem of two crossed golden bulrushes.
They have won the League twenty-two times and the European Cup two times.
Tutshil Tornadoes
Wears sky-blue robes with a double "T" in
dark blur on the chest and back. They have won the League five times in a
row (a League record) when they were captained by their Seeker, Roderick
Plumpton, who holds the record of the fastest capture of the Snitch (three
and a half second). He has played Seeker for England twenty-two times.
Wigtown Wanderers
Wear blood-red robes with a silver meat cleaver
upon the chest. Founded by the seven offspring of a wizarding butcher named
Walter Parkin.
Wimbourne Wasps
They wear horizontally striped robes of yellow and
black with a wasp upon their chests. They have won the League eighteen times
and have been the semifinalists in the European Cup twice.
Quidditch Teams of the World
Quidditch was not only played in England and Ireland, but all over the world.
Europe
The most famous teams of Europe are: Vratsa
Vultures, Quiberon Quafflepunchers, Heidelberg Harriers, Bigonville Bombers,
Braga Broomfleet and the Grodzisk Goblins.
Australia and New Zealand
Their famous teams include: the New Zealand
Moutohara Macaws and the Australian Thunderlarra Thunderers and Woollongong
Warriors.
Africa
The African continent contains a few famous teams:
Patonga Proudsticks, Tchamba Charmers, Gimbi Giant-Slayers, Sumbawanga
Sunrays.
North America
Quidditch had never been popular in North America
because of Quod, but they still have famous teams. From Canada comes Moose
Jaw Meteorites, Haileybury Hammers, Stonewall Stormers. The US displays
Sweetwater All-Stars, and Sitchburg Finches.
South America
Quodpot beats Quidditch here also, but their
Tatapoto Treeskimmers are highly acclaimed when they toured Europe.
Asia
Since countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Iran, and Mongolia have a flourishing trade in carpets they Quidditch is not
popular there. Japan on the other hand has Toyohashi Tengu, which almost
defeated Lithuania's Gorodok Gargoyles in 1994.
Brooms
Once upon a time brooms were made by individuals who sold
them, but they could not keep up with demands and they had no precision and
speed, and defiantly were not reliable. Later more sophisticated brooms
would be developed and they would end being mass produced.
Oakshaft 79
Crafted by the broom-maker Elias Grimstone. The
Oakshaft is a handsome broom with a very thick oaken handle, designed for
endurance and to withstand high winds. Was not too popular with Quidditch
players because it never achieved great speeds. It is now a very highly
priced vintage.
Moontrimmer
It's principle advantage over other brooms were
that it could achieve greater heights and remain controllable. But since it
was made by a single broom-maker, it couldn't get on with players because it
couldn't be mass produced.
Silver Arrow
Was the true forerunner of a racing broom, achieving
greater speeds (up to 70 miles per hour with a tailwind) and heights than
the two previous ones. But since this was also made by a single wizard, it couldn't
be mass produced.
Cleensweep
The first brooms to be mass produced. Started with
a Cleensweep One. It was specifically designed for sporting use and could
take on corners like no other.
Comet
Fought with the Cleensweep for control over the
market. Started with a Comet 140. Their patented braking charm was the best
of the kind. The competition between Comet and Cleensweep was fierce.
Tinderblast
A highly resilient broom that never achieved the
top speeds of Comets and Cleensweeps.
Swiftstick
Faster than the Tinderblast but tended to lose
power in ascent, and has never been used by professional teams.
Shooting Star
Created by Universal Brooms Ltd. and was the
cheapest racing broom to date. It was found to lose speed and height as it
aged and Universal Brooms Ltd. went out of business in 1978.
Nimbus
Created by the Nimbus Racing Broom Company in
1967, it galvanized the broom market. Starting with the Nimbus 100 and
subsequent models of 1001, 1500, 1700, 2000, and 2001, were the best brooms
manufactured to that date. It could reach speeds that no other brooms could
(up to 100 miles per hour) and were capable of 360 degrees at a fixed point
in mid-air. It was the preferred broom of most professional Quidditch Teams.
Twigger 90
Created in 1990 to unseat Nimbus from the top, it
never caught on. It had a tendency of warping at high speeds and gained the
reputation being flown by wizards with more Galleons than sense.
Firebolt
The one broom that unseated the Nimbus from
professional Quidditch teams. A highly finished broom, with greater speeds
and and precision turning. The best broom to date. Unfortunately it's a bit
expensive for individuals, but it's the preferred broom for most Quidditch
teams.
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