Equipment Trial #1: Passing the Quaffle

[IQA Official]

On the Monday following the first weekend of the combine, players were again brought to the Quidditch Pitch early in the morning. Despite their preferred positions, only Quaffles sat out on racks for them to access.

Once everyone was situated, the instruction wizard called out: "Today begins our second week of the trials! Though you each have your own favored position, it is important that we see how everyone does in each position, as all of the balls will be around the field while you are playing. Today we will be working with the Quaffle."

He picked up a Quaffle and tossed it around in his hands for a moment before continuing. "First this morning you will practice passing from a standing position on the ground with your partner standing nearby, middle distance, far off, and to the direct left and right of you. Afterwards, you will run in straight lines, a zig zag, and then in opposite circles from one another while passing. Please partner up, and you may begin."

As each player lined up, they passed the ball in the five standing positions, then in the three running positions. Each time they were required to pass the ball five times. Afterwards, a break for lunch followed. When they returned, the flying portion of the trial began.

"For this next portion, you will be mounting one of the brooms to the far end of the field." He gestured to the brooms, all of which were the latest Cleansweep model. "You will soar to fifty feet mid-air, then complete similar trials as this morning: flying nearby, middle distance, then far away from your partner while passing, flying directly to either side, then doing so while flying in a zig zag, straight line, and circle.i"

Forming pairs again, one after the other each participant paired off and took to the sky with their Quaffle and began to fly around while passing.

After all of the trials were complete, the group was dismissed as the judges tallied scores.


Event Instructions: [ Click for OOC Comment ]

Write a role playing post that depicts your character throughout the trial - arrival, mounting their broom, and participating in the four tasks:
1. Ground-Level Standing Passes
2. Ground-Level Running Passes
3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes
4. Mid-Air Flying Passes

For this trial's scoring, you must choose one performance description from the following four options for each level - this means ONE description for Ground-Level, and ONE description for Mid-Air:
Failed, Dreadful, Fair, Decent, Excellent, Outstanding

You must also describe their accuracy in each part of the four tasks as follows:
Accuracy Score: 0-5 (0 - didn't catch a single ball; 5 - caught each ball)

For Accuracy Score, this includes:
GROUND LEVEL (8 Scores): standing nearby, standing middle distance, standing far off, standing direct left, standing direct right, running straight, running zig-zag, running circles
FLYING (8 Scores): nearby, middle distance, far off, direct left, direct right, straight flying, zig-zag flying, circle flying

You may either describe your results within the post, include them after each section, or include them all at the end together. You MUST have scores listed for ALL FOUR tasks.

Please only one post per person, but you may react to the posts above yours if you choose.
We suggest assuming that each player went with the person who posted above them for roleplay purposes.

Second week, and it seemed that today was going to be one of those great days to prove himself, Peter grinned and folded his arms across his chest as he walked onto the field once more with his brother Patrick, they barely left each other's sides at these drafts, and rightfully so as there were plenty of people who believed themselves to be better and tried to beat up on them, but when together that wasn't going ot happen since the boys would together kick butt.

Regardless he listened to the man as he talked about the Quaffle, and this made him quite happy as he knew how to work with the Quaffle and had the art down almost too perfection.

First the ground passes, at a standing still he of course was perfect, he caught all five balls, and it wasn't until they had to start running around on the ground that he missed one, which as a full on result ended him up in having caught nine balls out of ten, good thing too he thought that was some good performance.

Regardless, they were then allowed for a lunch break and Peter still didn't understand this but he stuffed his face anyway quite happily.

Back out on the field, when they were instructed to do basically the exact same things just on brooms. He mounted his broom, kicked off and they started doing a stationary pass. Once more, being a Keeper Peter truly excelled in this as he caught every single ball with great accuracy. Though this quickly changed as it turned into more of a moving pass, and while he did a good job at the basics the second it became more complicated, he lost his cool. Though still, in his quick pace he still managed to catch three of the balls out of five in the moving broom task.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes:
-Standing Nearby: 5/5
-Standing Middle Distance: 5/5
-Standing Far-off: 5/5
-Standing Direct Left: 5/5
-Standing Direct Right: 5/5
2. Ground-Level Running Passes:
-Running Straight: 5/5
-Running Zig-Zag: 3/5
-Running Circles: 4/5
Ground Level: Outstanding
3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes:
-Nearby: 5/5
-Middle Distance: 5/5
-Far Off: 5/5
-Direct Left: 5/5
-Direct Right: 5/5
4. Mid-Air Flying Passes:
-Straight Flying: 3/5
-Zig-Zag Flying: 2/5
-Circle Flying: 2/5
Mid-Air Level: Excellent - Decent

[Efrat Shalem]

Coming back from a week end that was barely used for relaxing and more for practicing, Efrat arrived at the pitch on Monday with a smile on her face, already feeling comfortable around the other trail participants. She partnered up with someone she already recognized from one of last week's challenges as an above average player.

It was a little unexpected that they would spend so much time on the ground level passing- passing on the ground and while flying were two different types of skills, one that would be highly needed in a game of Quidditch and the other that would be of nearly no use at all. Nevertheless she tried doing her best in this type of task, making quite a success in doing it while standing but finding out the more complex running positions required much concentration. Funny how flying could sometimes be easier than flying.

After having a light lunch, Efrat returned to the pitch and disappointedly took one of the Cleansweeps. She hoped that they would have another chance to choose a type of broom, and she could return to good old Nimbus. Never mind, she would have to get used to this eventually.

These were exactly the kind of things they would usually do to warm up before practice in her old team, so she had many years of experience. Although, as she already learned last week, many years of experience did have some flows after taking a year off.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes:
-Standing Nearby: 5
-Standing Middle Distance: 5
-Standing Far-off: 5
-Standing Direct Left: 4
-Standing Direct Right: 5
2. Ground-Level Running Passes:
-Running Straight: 3
-Running Zig-Zag: 3
-Running Circles: 2
Ground Level: Excellent/ Decant
3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes:
-Nearby: 5
-Middle Distance: 5
-Far Off: 5
-Direct Left: 4
-Direct Right: 5
4. Mid-Air Flying Passes:
-Straight Flying: 5
-Zig-Zag Flying: 4
-Circle Flying: 4
Mid-Air Level: Outstanding

Konrad wasn't much liking these early morning trials. He would have preferred that they take place sometime in the afternoon or at least late morning. Yeah, late morning would have been fine with him that way he could get more sleep and stuff. Sadly this was not the case and early Monday morning he was once more on the pitch with all of the other hopefuls. He caught sight of the rack of Quaffles and a grin came over to his face. His preferred position was keeper so he knew how to handle a Quaffle rather well. As the man spoke and tossed the Quaffle about in his hands the teen's eyes were focused on said Quaffle, but he was listening to what was being said.

After getting the directions on what they would be doing before lunch Konrad partnered up, grabbed a Quaffle and started passing. Passing the Quaffle standing still was not hard at all and he easily caught every pass. It was the running that threw him a little. Of course running was just like flying only you were on the ground and had to make your legs move at the same time as thinking about catching the ball that was soaring towards you, but it wasn't to hard to do. He successfully caught almost every ball passed to him during the running part of the passing for an overall excellent score.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes
- standing nearby = 5/5
- middle distance = 5/5
- far off = 5/5
- direct left = 5/5
- direct right = 5/5

2. Ground-Level Running Passes
- running straight = 5/5
- running zig-zag = 4/5
- running circles = 4/5

Ground Level: Excellent

Konrad was happy to get a break for lunch because by the end of the running he was starving. Then again he hadn't really eaten much at breakfast. He grabbed his food and took a seat and started stuffing his mouth. There wasn't much left once they got back. He assumed they'd probably take to the air since there wasn't anything left to do on the ground. Finishing up he headed back to the pitch ready to start once more. The eighteen year old listened to the instructions for the next part of the trial, glad that they would be in the air this time, and once given the go ahead grabbed one of the brooms, a Quaffle, and took to the air. He partnered up once more and got to work.

The easy part was when it was simply passing it back and forth nearby and middle distance and far away and then to the direct sides. It was also rather easy to pass it when flying in a straight line. He found it slightly more difficult to pass the ball when flying in a circle and in a zig zag, but he felt that he'd done well enough throughout the trial to gain an overall score of Excellent.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes
- nearby = 5/5
- middle distance = 5/5
- far off = 5/5
- direct left = 5/5
- direct right = 5/5

4. Mid-Air Flying Passes
- straight flying = 5/5
- zig-zag flying = 4/5
- circle flying = 4/5

Mid-Air Level: Excellent

As soon as he finished Konrad dismounted and put up the broom and the Quiaffle before heading off. He believed that a shower and a nap were now in order after such a good try-out and that's just what he was going to do.

[Victoria Tyler]

Victoria didn't mind the early morning trials; she was used to getting up early for her morning runs, so it didn't bother her but looking around at the faces of the people with her as she listened to the instructions, they weren't appreciating it, especially after they'd had the weekend off. Seeing the quaffles, Vee relaxed. As keeper, she worked with the quaffle. Maybe starting with the quaffle would gain her confidence - hopefully.

Vee partnered up with Konrad and their passing went well enough. Throwing and catching a ball was easy enough, and Victoria almost groaned at the simplicity of it. Still, if it was going to help her become a pro-Quidditch player, she was not going to grumble, so she simply did the task, throwing it back and forth. The running bit was also easy for Vee, mainly because she was so used to running and keeping her eyes on things at the same thing; running was a second nature to her, after all - almost like breathing.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes
- standing nearby = 5/5
- middle distance = 5/5
- far off = 5/5
- direct left = 5/5
- direct right = 5/5

2. Ground-Level Running Passes
- running straight = 5/5
- running zig-zag = 5/5
- running circles = 5/5

Ground Level: Oustanding

They broke off for lunch then and Vee was happy to go for a little bit, if only for a break and mull over the morning's events. Obviously, they'd be flying afterwards with the Quaffle but Vee wondered what they'd be doing. She sat in silence as she ate, thinking. When she returned, she was focused and ready to start. She listened intently, and then grabbed a broom, mounting it swiftly when it was time.

Of course, transferring their skills was part of the trial. The circle was most difficult, but Vee found the zig-zag fun to do and the line wasn't too hard. Throwing the quaffle back and forth was simple; as a keeper, Vee was used to having to catch it, after all. The only reason the circle was different was because she didn't necessarily have to do that during her game. Still, when it was over, she felt confident that she'd done well

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes
- nearby = 5/5
- middle distance = 5/5
- far off = 5/5
- direct left = 5/5
- direct right = 5/5

4. Mid-Air Flying Passes
- straight flying = 5/5
- zig-zag flying = 4/5
- circle flying = 2/5

Mid-Air Level: Excellent

When finished, Victoria headed off, deciding that she was going to find Loanne so they could grab some food or something.

[Olivia Cromwell]

Today's trial wasn't going to go brilliantly for Liv; she knew that already. As either a seeker or a beater, she worked more with the bat, or a smaller ball - she hoped she wouldn't be too clumsy with the quaffle. Listening intently to what she had to do today, her eyes were focused on the ball and the girl frowned. She would give it a shot, but she was a little nervous about her performance given that she had never played Keeper or Chaser in a proper match before, except for with her Uncle. Hopefully the morning's warm up would help for when she was flying.

Liv partnered up, grabbed a Quaffle and then began the exercise. The first bit was easy; she soon realised there was nothing difficult in throwing and catching a ball - there was no real reason to be nervous.The running was a little more complicated but again, Olivia didn't find it too hard and the morning passed relatively quickly. Olivia was confident with how her performance went, having caught almost every ball that had been thrown her way throughout the exercise.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes
- standing nearby = 5/5
- middle distance = 5/5
- far off = 4/5
- direct left = 4/5
- direct right = 5/5

2. Ground-Level Running Passes
- running straight = 5/5
- running zig-zag = 5/5
- running circles = 3/5

Ground Level: Excellent

They then broke off for lunch, and Olivia put all thoughts of the exercise out of her mind to concentrate on her dinner. She had a light lunch, knowing she was nervous for the afternoon's trials.

When she returned, she listened to the instructions, then grabbed a broom and a Quaffle. When they were told to mount, she did so. Being up in the air made it more difficult, as you had to focus on your co-ordination, and not falling off. That was definitely more trickier, and Olivia felt herself go red every time she nearly fell or stumbled. She knew she had good hand-eye co-ordination because she was a good seeker, but the ball didn't feel right in her hands when she was flying. She was used to hitting a ball away from someone, not catching it - or at the very least, she was used to catching the snitch, which was very small, and could fit inside the palm of her hand.

The stationary passes were okay-ish but she found the others a little more difficult, and it made Olivia wonder how it would affect her overall score.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes
- nearby = 5/5
- middle distance = 5/5
- far off = 4/5
- direct left = 3/5
- direct right = 4/5

4. Mid-Air Flying Passes
- straight flying = 4/5
- zig-zag flying = 4/5
- circle flying = 3/5

Mid-Air Level: Decent

[Carlota Zabala]

Carlota was excited to start the second week of trials. It meant one less week until she became a professional quidditch player, hopefully. She stood with the others as the wizard explained the first task of the day. Carlota wasn't thrilled with it, but she did have experience in the position.

She found her partner and assumed the appropriate position to begin passing the quaffle. Things started well enough. Throwing a ball straight at someone wasn't hard for Carlota, but things got a little trickier when it came to passing directly left and right. It wasn't something she was used to doing. She was pretty bad at catching the quaffles, though she did manage to touch most of them that came at her. Following the stationary passes, Carlota and her partner started running passes. Again, doing it straight on wasn't bad but when forced to move around more Carlota wasn't all that great. She was rusty indeed. She was glad when it was over and they were released for lunch.

Of course the end of lunch brought the flying part of the trial. Carlota was happy to get off the ground and on a broom but she realized the areas she had issues with that morning weren't going to get any better once she was in the air. She got back with her partner after grabbing a broom. She kicked off and assumed her position and began passing the quaffle with her partner. As predicted, she failed horribly on the direct left and right passes. The moving passes didn't exactly go well either.
[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes:
-Standing Nearby: 5/5
-Standing Middle Distance: 5/5
-Standing Far-off: 4/5
-Standing Direct Left: 1/5
-Standing Direct Right: 2/5

2. Ground-Level Running Passes:
-Running Straight: 4/5
-Running Zig-Zag: 3/5
-Running Circles: 3/5
Ground Level: Fair

3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes:
-Nearby: 5/5
-Middle Distance: 45/5
-Far Off: 4/5
-Direct Left: 0/5
-Direct Right: 1/5

4. Mid-Air Flying Passes:
-Straight Flying: 4/5
-Zig-Zag Flying: 2/5
-Circle Flying: 3/5
Mid-Air Level: Dreadful

Declan was ready after a weekend of rest and relaxing. Of course, Saturday he'd spent flying and shooting goals in the practice pitch. Today's trial was passing the quaffle. Having been a professional chaser before, this was something he was pretty good at, so he jumped right in and went to town with impressing the judges.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes:
-Standing Nearby: 5/5
-Standing Middle Distance: 5/5
-Standing Far-off: 5/5
-Standing Direct Left: 5/5
-Standing Direct Right: 5/5
2. Ground-Level Running Passes:
-Running Straight: 5/5
-Running Zig-Zag: 5/5
-Running Circles: 4/5
Ground Level: Outstanding
3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes:
-Nearby: 5/5
-Middle Distance: 5/5
-Far Off: 5/5
-Direct Left: 5/5
-Direct Right: 5/5
4. Mid-Air Flying Passes:
-Straight Flying: 5/5
-Zig-Zag Flying: 5/5
-Circle Flying: 4/5
Mid-Air Level: Outstanding

[Francis Elliot]

Francis had taken the weekend as a chance to catch up on his sleep, and to get down to the pitch and try to practice things he wasn't used to doing. He figured it might help to boost the skills he was no good with, if even just a little bit. He never knew what he might need for the next few trials, and anything could help at that point. When he showed up for the trial on Monday morning, he was surprised to hear what he had to do. Francis knew he could handle the quaffle passing on the ground pretty fairly, but on a broom... Well, that probably wouldn't go so well. He could catch it just fine, but catching and flying and moving all together was going to be something awful for him, having never really practiced with quaffles before.

[ Click for OOC Comment ]

1. Ground-Level Standing Passes:
-Standing Nearby: 5/5
-Standing Middle Distance: 5/5
-Standing Far-off: 5/5
-Standing Direct Left: 5/5
-Standing Direct Right: 5/5

2. Ground-Level Running Passes:
-Running Straight: 4/5
-Running Zig-Zag: 4/5
-Running Circles: 4/5

Ground Level: Excellent

3. Mid-Air Stationary Passes:
-Nearby: 5/5
-Middle Distance: 5/5
-Far Off: 4.5/5
-Direct Left: 5/5
-Direct Right: 5/5

4. Mid-Air Flying Passes:
-Straight Flying: 4/5
-Zig-Zag Flying: 2/5
-Circle Flying: 3/5
Mid-Air Level: Decent