gooseberryhigh | QUIDDITCH & CHEER TRYOUTS

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QUIDDITCH & CHEER TRYOUTS

QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS

It a bright, sunny morning, and there are a lot of open spots on the Quidditch and cheer teams. If anything, this seems to have made competition even more fierce. Mr. Thorn sips a mug of coffee as he waves through the various teams, offering advice and keeping people in line with a sharp eye.

HOW THIS WORKS

You do not have to post to this to keep your Quidditch or Cheer position. This goes for cheerleaders, first string players and reserves.

However, we encourage you to do so anyway because it's fun and the more we know about your players and teams, the easier it is for us to write Quidditch games and add notes about what the cheerleaders and mascots are doing. There's a lot of pressure on captains to be active and involved in order to bring a team together, so get to know your players! Create a team dynamic! We want to create an interesting narrative for you and your team, even if there can only be one winner, and it's easier when we have a good feel for how your team relates to one another.

If you want to participate, fill out the form below and post it to the Tryouts comment header.

Captains don't try out, the team's already yours! But feel free to respond and react to your would-be players, or give an opening pep talk. Although Quidditch teams are set in stone, it's on you as a player to justify these decisions ICly. Assume that the players you got were the best ones available to you and the wisest choices! Mr. Thorn will advise, but captains get final say.
- Quidditch teams have already been established beforehand and are set in stone. You don't need to participate in this post to keep your spot, it's just for flavor and fun. If you applied in as a cheerleader or reserve player, the same goes for you. That said, we do encourage captains to post and interact with their team! An involved captain makes a tightly knit team!
- If you're playing a captain: Your character will have made these decisions on their own. Mr. Thorn will advise, but he does not have final say, only your captain does. It's your responsibility to justify their selections ICly. Assume that those who made the cut were the most skilled players/cheerleaders available.
- You may make your captain's choices known as early as Monday, Sep 4, or you can wait until Thorn posts the lists for everyone to see next week.
Tryouts start at 8:00 AM and last until 11:00 AM. They all take place at roughly the same time, but other teams can try to scope out their rivals in free moments.

Anyone's permitted to come and watch, as long as they're respectful. Mr. Thorn doesn't care if you want to yell ans scream for your friends, though! There's nothing that inspires an athlete like the roar of a crowd!

Characters who aren't on a team may try out! We'll assume they don't make the cut unless you hit up the dropbox asking the mods if the character qualifies to be a Quidditch reserve or cheerleader. Remember, there are limits on how many of these characters you can play.

» captains: Team captains have a moment before tryouts begin to stand in front of the hopeful athletes and tell them what they're expecting, or give them words of encouragement.

Name:
House:
How are they feeling about their team?: Nervous about replacing graduated players/cheerleaders? Excited about their first time as captain? Confident in their skill level?
What do they expect from tryouts?: What do they tell those trying out that they're looking for?
What, in your opinion, is their team/squad best at?: If you say everything I'm hitting you on the nose with a newspaper.

Name: House: How are they feeling about their team?: Nervous about replacing graduated players/cheerleaders? Excited about their first time as captain? Confident in their skill level? What do they expect from tryouts?: What do they tell those trying out that they're looking for? What, in your opinion, is their team/squad best at?: If you say everything I'm hitting you on the nose with a newspaper.

» Tryouts: Tryouts begin, whether you're an old player confident that you'll keep your spot, or a new kid hoping to make the team for the first time.

Name:
House:
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Just list them, regardless of what they end up getting.
How does their tryout go?:
Their strengths:
Their weaknesses:
Anything else?:

Name: House: What position(s) are they trying out for?: Just list them, regardless of what they end up getting. How does their tryout go?: Their strengths: Their weaknesses:

» Audience: If you've come to support your friends, your team, or just to scope out some cute jocks, now's your chance! You may also play out miscellaneous scenes here.

» OOC - QUESTIONS, COMMENTS & CONCERNS

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Name: CASEY Patterson
House: Coppertale (Cheer Squad)
How are they feeling about their team?: Yes, Casey is excited AND confident! Well. Mostly confident, but you wouldn't know it! He's throwing everything he has into making this the best fuckin' Cheer squad Gooseberry has ever seen, and he knows (and is V O C A L about) that the team already has a strong foundation with five of its seven members being Coppersquad veterans.
What do they expect from tryouts?: "Experience and talent" is obvious, but he's adamant that not everybody knows what tf they're doing when they try out for Cheer, and they don't need to. As long as you demonstrate that you have the tiniest bit of talent, the willingness to learn, and spirit out your ears, you'll be in the running. Those trying out for a lark are going to be disappointed. While it's OBVS the most fun extracurricular on campus, Casey takes Cheer S E R I O U S L Y and so should you. Dedication, bro. It's the name of the game. New members should expect to attend extra practices for the first couple of months so they can be brought up to speed.
What, in your opinion, is their team/squad best at?: ~~EVERYTHING.~~ ENERGY! There isn't a listless Coppertale to be found and that's because they all joined Ebonhide. Coppertale also has a history of strong dancers in the house (and on their team), which I imagine is how they gained their reputation for ass-kicking choreography last year that Casey intends to keep alive.

P.S. He's wearing his HBIC shirt and he charmed it orange for the occasion.

P.P.S. For the lovely Mods: Their routines will be heavy on the dance moves for Coppertale's first two games, then tumbling will be more have more of a spotlight after the winter break (still focused on the dancing, but there will be a much better balance between the two. ✌️)

Edited 2017-09-03 16:54 (UTC)

Name: Nisha Lewis
House: Coppertale
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Chaser, seeker, beater (lol)
How does their tryout go?: Nisha starts by tossing her broom into the air and mounting it like a total show-off, swinging full around once before seating herself. Once that foolishness is out of the way, she refocuses and gets serious. Nisha knows what her strengths are and she plays to those with a confidence that says she knows she's first string material, but a seriousness that indicates she's not going to take it for granted (yet).
As a chaser, Nisha plays up her precision and maneuverability. As a seeker, her willingness to make close-call moves. She tries beater as a joke, lacking the strength to really do much of anything. But she swings her bat like a Lewis and if she weren't bite-sized maybe she could take someone's head off.
Their strengths: An obvious talent on a broom, Nisha is fast and daring. Combining a willingness to attempt ridiculous maneuvers with the skill to pull them off. She's a high speed, high precision player with good spatial awareness. She's also a tiny, tiny target, difficult to nail with a bludger.
Their weaknesses: Incautious, cocky, lacks the strength to really launch a quaffle from far distances like her fellow Coppertale chasers, talent is raw and unrefined, hit her with a bludger and you really take her out.

Name: Jaime Castillo
House: Azurcrest
How are they feeling about their team?: Excited!! Jaime has faith in everyone he played with last year and has high hopes for new players, too. As far as he's concerned, Azurcrest is DEFINITELY Azurbest. Everyone will have good attitudes at the very least, right?? Though he's totally positive they'll end up with an awesome team in the end, he's a little nervous about being captain. He's definitely jittery in a way that's very different from his normal high energy, but he'll hide it pretty well. He's ready for the challenge, but he's not totally positive he has what it takes to be responsible for a bunch of other students??
What do they expect from tryouts?: Jaime is all about teamwork, so he'll make clear that he wants to see evidence that potentials for the team will play nice with others. There are all the other obvious things of course, like general skill, broom work, and the like, and he's willing to sacrifice some social compatibility for raw skill, but he's really hoping to form a cohesive team.
What, in your opinion, is their team/squad best at?: BEING REALLY CUTE :C Just like... enthusiasm, positivity, and working together because they're such good kids?? Happy Jay family -3-

Name: Heathcliff Lacey
House: Coppertale
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Chaser, Beater
How does their tryout go?: After trying and failing to make the team (or even the reserves) last year, Heathcliff is nervous but doing everything in his power not to make that obvious. He makes a big show of being confident and upbeat (and ends up obnoxiously boisterous as a result) and he listens to Sy more intensely than he's maybe listened to anyone ever. He's giving this his absolute all. While he can't compare to some of his peers in terms of maneuverability and quickness on a broom, he's still fast enough and willing to use his considerable size to his advantage; why go around someone when you can go through them, anyway? He's obviously not afraid of physical contact or of taking a hit from a Bludger. He also displays exceptional strength and very good aim and comes damn close to making a goal from just after the mid-point of the field when he's trying out for Chaser. He actually seems about equally qualified to play Chaser or Beater; he won't be the best at either but he would perform solidly in both positions.
Their strengths: Strength and accuracy are Heathcliff's most notable strengths and, in combination, allow him to make shots far out from the goal or pass the Quaffle to his teammates at a surprising distance. He's always been an athlete and he has a lot of endurance (it takes a lot to wear him down), fortitude (he can take a hit like nobody's business and won't always lose the Quaffle when he does), and determination. He's a team player and obviously willing to work hard.
Their weaknesses: Heathcliff is a big guy and he just isn't as quick or agile as many of his peers are on a broom, which may make it difficult for him to keep up with other Chasers (like Nisha) or outrun Beaters on other teams. While he's trying hard to listen to Sy, especially today, he isn't always great at sticking to specific plans and may deviate either because the situation has changed (which is fine) or because he gets caught up in the game (which is not fine).

...I like how Nisha and Heathcliff are essentially opposites. BALANCE. Or something.

Also omfg Jaime. Your captain goals are adorable. ♥

Name: Corrigan Bailey
House: Ebonhide
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Beater, Keeper, Seeker. (AKA Every open position because she's not leaving anything up to chance, but she's got her heart set on the beater spot.)
How does their tryout go?: Performing in front of an audience is second nature to Corrigan and it's easy for her to ignore the pressures that some might feel when being spectated. Her focus isn't to showboat because she knows that skill comes before show in Ebonhide, and her improvement from constant observation, research, and practise over the past year is evident.
Their strengths: Cor has a head for strategy. She's able to assess shots on the fly, only taking unnecessary risks when she's miscalculated. She's been working on her flying and, partially thanks to her build, is quick on her broom. She's especially adept with the beater's bat, demonstrating an ability to make misleading trick shots, and she has the on-point aim to make them effective.
Their weaknesses: She was on the team's reserves last year but didn't play, which means she's more familiar with playing against her own teammates than other people. (She has a little experience playing against Coppertale because of the joint practices late in the year, but there weren't enough of those to really make a difference.) She doesn't have the raw strength of a beater so her shots are more effective at misdirection and knocking quaffles out of hands than fucking shit up. In a more tense environment (ex. if there were extra-Quidditch events/altercations that she was preoccupied by), there's a good chance that her head wouldn't be completely in the game, making her liable to make mistakes.

Edited 2017-09-03 23:02 (UTC)

Name: Solomon Webb
House: Ebonhide
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Chaser
How does their tryout go?: He feels like it goes well. He's comfortable on a broom, he's comfortable in his position. He can enter a zone of hyper focus when it comes to sports that enable him to perform. Even tho he doesn't believe he'll be replaced, he treats this seriously.
Their strengths: Solomon is good at passing and changing direction quickly. He's clearly improved since last year but he's also very clearly built to be a chaser and no other position. He's a good team player, especially against people he's already played with. He's extremely good at assessing the strengths and weaknesses of his own team and moving to balance out those weaknesses, but due to the sophomore practices with other sophomores, he's also good at assessing the strength and weaknesses of other teams.
Their weaknesses: He's never the best. He's not the fastest, he's not the most daring. He's also likely not the most entertaining, he doesn't devote time to tricks. He doesn't necessarily have a head for strategy on a large scale beyond filling in the gaps of what he perceives to be weaknesses.

Name: Reid Wainwright
House: Coppertale
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Seeker and Seeker only.
How does their tryout go?: Reid acts very assured of his spot on the team, which is confidence he hasn't exactly earned. History shows that Sy totally will take his spot from him if he fucks up. Despite that, Reid walks out like he knows he's the best Seeker the school has to offer, and looks down his nose at his rivals ~~in order to hide his anxiety behind arrogance~~. As always, he's no frills, and his tryout isn't especially exciting to watch. He is, however, rightfully confident in his skills. Reid demonstrates what he can do with a combination of cockiness and impatience to get this over with. He remains impassive but his internal monologue is along the lines of "Don't fuck it up, Wainright, I fucking swear to God, get your shit together" over and over again.
Their strengths: Reid is confident, fast and agile. His reaction time is startlingly quick, and he's got a talent for instantaneously measuring distances and speeds. This allows him to weave around obstacles such as other players and Bludgers with relative ease. Reid can turn on a dime and is remarkably in tune with his broom. He's perceptive and driven, so it's difficult for other players to distract him with feints. All in all, Reid's genuinely an amazing Seeker, but...
Their weaknesses: Reid plays like he's the only person in the game. It's him, the Snitch, and sometimes the other Seeker or a Bludger. He's poor at keeping track of what his teammates are doing or what the score is, so asking him to strategize at all is taking a huge risk. He's not dependable, and has a history of allowing himself to zone out in the middle of games. He makes close calls when diving for the Snitch, and when he wipes out, it's usually pretty bad and takes him out of the game entirely. He's also not especially durable, so Bludgers can mess him up pretty badly if he gets hit. And lastly, Reid's not flashy, showy, or especially fun to watch. His charisma on the pitch is a big ol' zero.

Edited 2017-09-03 17:49 (UTC)

Name: Avery Davenport
House: Ribbonfin (Quidditch)
How are they feeling about their team?: On the surface? Excited, ready for fresh meat, etc etc. Deep down, Avery is nervous. Basically her entire team is gone and the one that's not gone is... well, not exactly the one she'd have picked to be the only one to stay. However, knowing a few of the students trying out and having seen them flown already - she's feeling much more confident. After last year's devastating loss, maybe it's better to be so fresh.
What do they expect from tryouts?: Avery is looking for skills, of course, but more than anything she is focused on finding people who fly well together. Not just can fly in formation all nice and whatever, she wants people who she feels can learn how to fly as one. She wants Ramon and his partner to be as in sync as Roxie and Chris were last year. Avery wants to see passion and dedication. She wants to avoid players who take it too seriously - the kind who will rage and let stupid things affect their gameplay.
What, in your opinion, is their team/squad best at?: Considering it's not much of a team, who knows? If they were all back, though, Avery would likely say they were best at playing in unison, being a true unit. A lot of teams and players can't ignore their personal drama when they're on the pitch, and even though Anuhea challenged Avery at every step and Ramon was kind of pushy, too, both of them respected her on game days, on the field when they played. They were always able to work together and did their best. So really, team unity. Which is why finding players who can fit in with Avery and Ramon and with each other are so important.

Name: Sy Stoker
House: Coppertale
How are they feeling about their team?: His team's in a pretty good state, especially compared to the others, but Sy's a little preoccupied by the need to round out his Chaser team again. Leading up to tryouts, he's threatened to take people off the team if they don't prove themselves on Sunday, but Reid, Roxie and Ana can rest assured that he's bluffing. Not that any of you were worried in the first place—am I right, Coppertales? Charlotte can also consider herself a lock, as Sy already has an idea of how she performs. He's asking Roxie and Charlie to do their damn best to knock someone off their broom; he needs to see how these prospective Chasers fly.
What do they expect from tryouts?: "The only fuckin' goal here is winning. If some shithead told you try out for 'friendship' or 'family' or 'fuckin' feel-good times down at the pitch', you can tell them to go screw themselves, 'cause the only assholes who are getting on this team are the ones who know how to bring a win. We got goddamn fuckin' close last year, and I'm not settling for second place again. Be ready for blood. Be ready to work hard. Be ready to do whatever the shit it takes."
What, in your opinion, is their team/squad best at?: ~~EVERYTHING.~~ No one hits harder than Coppertale. Foxes have a reputation for delivering brutal games, with an experienced Seeker and Keeper who were both starters on the school team last year. Sy's concern now is finding Chasers and reserves who can match that standard. You need to be able to take a Bludger and stay on your broom, or be fast enough to avoid getting hit. He's running repetitive drills on the Chaser hopefuls, trying to see who tires out last.

hey i love every one of these kids and i want them to succeed

Edited (also hey sorry my captain response is Long) 2017-09-03 17:58 (UTC)

Name: Oscar Zabinsky
House: Azurcrest
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Chaser, Seeker
How does their tryout go?: It's fine. But that's it. It's a good try-out, but not a great try-out. It doesn't stand out or stand up to a lot of the other players. His try-out is solid, strong, and technically there's nothing wrong with it. He's just... not the best? Most improved, definitely. He's tried out for the team before, and his first try outs were shameful. Like, hang-up your broom shameful. However, it's obvious that Oz has been practicing all last year for this moment and he flies really well. In fact, his performance as Seeker is quite nice - there's just something about it that feels off, makes it unmemorable. His run for Chaser is about the same - he doesn't make every goal but he doesn't miss all of them, either. The one thing that stands out about Oz is that you can tell how bad he wants this. Maybe that's what's off about his try outs? Who knows.
Their strengths: Fast. Oscar is a very fast flyer. He doesn't have much to back that up, but he is fast and has a much better handling of his broom than he used to. He's got good aim when he believes in himself and can make tricky goals you might not expect him to make, but then easy ones he misses.
Their weaknesses: Lack of confidence, and slightly uncoordinated. Oscar's biggest downfall is that, no matter how improved he actually is - he doesn't think he's good enough. That's always been an issue for him, not just in Quidditch, and it shows when he plays. He's hesitant, so even though his technical skills are really good, his lack of confidence holds him back from actually excelling as a player. He also is still a tad uncoordinated. If he's not going fast, like trying to catch the Snitch, the slower-speeds or just hanging-about in air require a different type of focus he finds difficult to nail down and he often drifts out of place or 'stumbles.'

Name: Micah St. Clair
House: Azurcrest
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Seeker, Keeper
How does their tryout go?: Micah's been training for this for over a year, so by all rights, he should be feeling pretty good about his odds. But jumping from a reserve to a linchpin position like Seeker or Keeper is nerve-wracking, and Micah tries to cover it up by loudly cheering for his friends whenever eyes aren't on him. It helps. By the time Micah's kicking off, he seems cool and confident, and displays almost uncharacteristic focus when he's racing for the Snitch.
Their strengths: It's obvious that Micah's heart is set on Seeker, so I'll just deal with that position. Highly manoeuvrable, comfortable on a broom, and already experienced with working with the team, after his year as a reserve. Fearless; willing to throw himself into risky conditions to get his hands on the Snitch.
Their weaknesses: Prone to flashiness, and not in a good way. Kind of a ham; is likely to take his attention off the Snitch just to entertain the crowd or playfully antagonize an opponent. Reckless; see "willing to throw himself into risky conditions" above.

Edited 2017-09-03 17:59 (UTC)

Only One Can Win

right right right and clearly it's gonna be ebonhide but still i love and support all of them

is this a highlander situation

is this also where we do cheer try outs or...??

Name: Calvin Evercreech
House: Ribbonfin
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Beater, Chaser
How does their tryout go?: Calvin's been training all summer, and by now he's practically vibrating with nervous energy. He's very serious and a little stormy on the pitch, but if he spots any friends there to support him, he stops scowling long enough to look flustered.
Their strengths: Strategic, clever and aggressive. Calvin's amping up to be a bruiser, but he's a very think-y player at his core. He won't take a shot just because he can, or endanger himself or a teammate thoughtlessly. Calvin would rather let an opportunity pass than risk a move that would give control of the Bludger/Quaffle to an opponent. Calvin may have a reputation for being a bit of a mess off the pitch, but when it comes to goal-oriented activities like school or Quidditch, he's steady and ruthless. He doesn't play very nice and is good at exploiting openings and weaknesses in other players, even when it's not especially sportsmanlike. He's tall and strong, and his Bludgers land with force and accuracy. When he goes for a hit, he really wants it to count, and once he's more experienced he'll be truly dangerous.
Their weaknesses: Calvin's not particularly acrobatic or fast. He's solid on a broom, but he's not going to be doing any wild moves to get in a hit. His tendency to play things safe might mean he'll let a good opportunity pass. And, you know, ruthlessness is a good trait in a Beater, but it can easily get out of hand. His underhanded tendencies might also not be appreciated if he doesn't learn when it is and isn't appropriate. Aaaaand Calvin super duper does not want to get hit by Bludgers. He knows he has to, and honestly he can take a Bludger a lot better than he acts, but oh my god he hates being hit and flinches pretty obviously any time he anticipates it. And lastly, he's just inexperienced and a little rough around the edges.

Yep! I think people are just doing their Quidditch kids first.

Name: Concordia Knight
House: Coppertale
What position(s) are they trying out for?: Coppertale Cheer Squad!
How does their tryout go?: Fantastic! Concordia has been dancing, cheering, and doing gymnastics for most her life. She didn't try out last year because she was focused more on school and starting things out - but now as a big bad Sophomore and all that, she's on it. She wants it. She's peppy, has an endless amount of energy, a big smile and she's got flair. She dances with the kind of sass you'd expect. She's obviously not just regurgitating routines and moves she's memorized, she's dancing with the beat and improvising as she goes. She follows routine where it's necessary. She's not humble or confident enough to not try and out-do the other girls, but fortunately she has the skills to fill in where her confidence lacks.
Their strengths: Great dancer and tumbler. Technical skills needed for Cheer are there and on point. Great at smiling for long periods of time. Tons of school spirit. When she's cheering you can literally feel the freakin love she has for this school.
Their weaknesses: Bit of a know it all and constantly trying to out-do other people. Sometimes she gets too into the music and dances a little too much. Rusty on her tumbling but the skills is still there underneath the obvious I-haven't-practiced-in-too-long (then tried to cram it all in the last two days).

Spencer wolf-whistles at Micah when he kicks off.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 13

QUIDDITCH & CHEER TRYOUTS

CAPTAINS

TRYOUTS

AUDIENCE

OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

CAPTAIN: CASEY Patterson, Coppertale Cheer

TRYOUTS

CAPTAIN: Jaime Castillo, Azurquid

TRYOUTS

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

TRYOUTS: Corrigan Bailey, Ebonhide Quidditch

Re: TRYOUTS

TRYOUTS

CAPTAIN: Avery Daveport, Ribbonquid

CAPTAIN: Sylvester Stoker, Coppertale Quidditch

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

TRYOUTS

TRYOUTS

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

TRYOUTS

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

TRYOUTS

Re: TRYOUTS