Quidditch season might be in full swing, but for those not into team action, there are other wizarding sports particular groups of wizards look forward to as well. One particular favorite among a peculiar group of wizards is “Broom Racing”, a sport which trails its history back to a Quidditch match in 1604, in which the golden snitch was caught in an endless loop, forcing seekers to zoom around the pitch hundreds of times trying to catch it. The spectators enjoyed the action so much, they decided to develop the event into its own sport. Though the snitch is no longer used for racing inspiration, Broom Riders do bear the same lightweight, small forms of Quidditch Seekers. Apparently, their tiny size helps to cut down on wind resistance, aids in passing and swerving, and generally, applies less stress to their Brooms. Broom Racing, which has often been compared to Hippogriff Running, features qualifying Riders lining up at one starting point. The leader of the group, known as the Handle Sitter, launches the group, and they begin a number of predetermined loops around an oval field the size of a Quidditch pitch. Riders attempt to zoom over, around, under and above their fellow Riders, to try and seize the lead. They are not allowed contact with other Riders unless by accident, although some spellmaking has been known to occur between extremely frustrated or tired riders. Originally, the sport would continue until all Riders save one had collapsed from exhaustion, but given the amount of time spectators had to devote to the sport, the new improvements in brooms, which allow riders to rest while on them, and the propensity of officials to forget who was officially in the lead and who had just hung back to overtake the pack, sporting officials at the Department of Magical Games and Sports officially designated the longest a Broom Race could be as 1000 turns around the pitch. Broomstick Racing has become an increasingly popular sport around the last twenty years or so, perhaps because of a peak in the types of new brooms being created. The latest, the Firebolt, has riders zooming about so fast that Racing sponsors have started giving away ominoculars solely for the purpose of allowing the race to be viewed in slow motion. Contrary to popular belief, this sport is a sport for all to enjoy, and has gained quite a few fans from wizarding families who believe that Quidditch has become too violent. “With Broomstick Racing, all you have to worry about are occasional crashes,” said one spectator. “And its thrilling to boot! Plus, if your kids try and imitate them, all they’ll be doing is riding around in circles in your backyard. It’s marvelous!” There is no doubt that with the ease of assembling Broomstick Racing (all it takes is a free Quidditch Pitch), the new faces coming up as sponsors (Glengary Humbolt is said to be the fastest Broomstick Rider this side of the North Sea), and the relatively inexpensive cost of tickets, it will soon become one of the country’s most enjoyed sports. End of the Year Tournaments Quidditch in Full Swing Hogwarts, UK—It is the end of the year for most schools in the United Kingdom, which means some of the best sporting action around—the end of the year Quidditch matches, which will determine the Champions for all the different schools. “There is nothing like winning a Quidditch championship,” says Ronald Weasley, Keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team at Hogwarts. Weasley should know. After a fairly uneventful set of matches during his first year, he single-handedly defended his team’s Quidditch hoops to make Gryffindor the Cup Winners for the second time straight (not including the year off from Quidditch the school took during the Triwizarding Tournament.) Outcomes this time around are uncertain, although it seems more than likely Gryffindor shall be somewhere near the lead, as they have been for the past four years—especially now, with hotshot Seeker Harry Potter back on the team (from which he was absent last year, due to disciplinary action.) The final matches are important not only as determining factors for House Champions, but also for recruiters, who are going out and scouting the final games for potential professional players. “We love the end of the year matches, because the kids really make a go of it,” says Harold Hooplery, a scout for the Falmouth Falcons. “We can really see where their talent lies—and where it counts.” Many of the nation’s brightest stars have come out of Hogwarts’s end of the year matches…including Oliver Wood, who, in just two years, has advanced out of the amateur league to become a rotating stand-in for Puddlemere United’s pro team. “Oliver Wood is a testament to Hogwarts’ training and determination,” says Myrelle Longstand, a representative for the team, “his skill and rather well-organized training methods show of what students are capable.” Determination of all championship winners will be made at the end of May, barring unforeseen circumstances. Decisions regarding recruiting will take place later in the summer. Quidditch Scores British National Teams: Appleby Arrows (2-3) d. Kenmare Kestrels (2-2) Montrose Magpies (2-3) l. Chudley Cannons (1-4) (130-220) Cannons 1st win of the season Caerphilly Catapults (2-4) l. Pride of Portree (3-1) (350-160) Falmouth Falcons (4-2) d. Tutshill Tornadoes (3-3) (170-150) Holyhead Harpies (1-3) l. Puddlemere United (5-0) (15-450): Puddlemere Stand-in Wood: 70 points Ballycastle Bats: Off Wimbourne Wasps: Off Wigtown Wanderers: Off Hogwarts Standings: Gryffindor (3-0) Slytherin (2-1) Ravenclaw (1-2) Hufflepuff (0-3) |