Could Quidditch really work?

[mythxhp]

No: HPFGUIDX 47832

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Alina" <alina at d...> wrote:
> > The thing that gets me most about Quidditch is the 150 pts. Why 
can't the
> > game just be over when the snitch is caught? Or why not 50 
points? I mean
> > having more than an 150 point difference is SO unlickly it makes 
the rest
> of
> > the game almost pointless.  Or even, have like a 2 hour time 
limit on the
> > game and if you get the snitch you get the extra opints but if 
not, the
> > games just over. I don't know, it's just unreasonable to me.
> >
> > Megalynn44
> >
> 
> I guess you haven't read "Quidditch Through The Ages". In 1269 
Chief of
> Wizards' Council Barberus Bragge brought a bird, a Golden Snidget, 
to a
> Quidditch match. He let it out and said he'll pay 150 galleons to 
the one
> who catches it. It started a tradition that replaced GSnidgets with
> GSnitches after the bird almost became extinct. The 150 galleons 
became 150
> points.
> 
> Alina.

Ahh, so theres a backstory to it. Well, we can see where it was 
established. But looking at the balancing, I can't see too much of a 
problem. It's supposed to be impossible to catch, and from what Ron 
tells us of the wizarding world, the big important games have been 
known to go on for long peroids of times - months and such. 

Just deviating off a point here for a second - but looking at it in 
the context of a league, one can't really see how you could plan a 
league if some games were to go for months, others a matter of 
minutes.

The thing is, if games in Professionalised Quidditch were to run a 
lot longer than those in School Quidditch, 150 points could be 
considered too little. The time of the match varies from match to 
match, so no matter what point margin you give to it, some games it 
will seem too much, others too little. For example - the game could 
be 450 points to 100 after 10 hours or something... no matter which 
seeker gets the snitch, its over.

What I found most interesting about the concept of quidditch was why 
Hogwarts games never last as long as a professional quidditch game. A 
game that lasts a few months could have quite a catastrophic effect 
on the education at Hogwarts, especially for the players :). I 
suppose the only answer is that the seekers at the top level are far 
more talented, and have the ability to destract each other from the 
snitch far easier, making use of moves such as the Wronski Feint to 
distract each other from the snitch.

On the point of could quidditch really work, I think it could. I see 
what the original poster was saying, with the games divided, but I 
think the role of the seeker is that of a timekeeper. They can decide 
the length of the game, but in making a decision to go for the 
snitch, they need to take into consideration the score, and what they 
hope to achieve.


The original poster on this topic said that catching the snitch early 
on may not be a good thing. I disagree, when the snitch makes an 
appearence, nobody knows who is going to catch it. By deciding not to 
catch it, the seeker runs two risks: Firstly, that the other side may 
outplay his own side, and the other side could amass more than 150 
points before the snitch puts in another appearence, and secondly 
that the person to catch the snitch the second time around may not be 
himself. Catching it will mean a win, and a win by a larger margin 
than may have been otherwise attainable.

Quidditch could be seen as two games merged into one, but I disagree 
with that. The requirement on the beaters to defend a seeker and 
chasers adds a level of complexity to the game, and the fact that the 
Seeker can be used as an excellent method of distraction [as was done 
by Harry in the quidditch final that Gryffindor won] proves that when 
the snitch isn't around, the seeker has duties which tie in with the 
game. When the snitch puts in an appearence, the seekers are attacked 
by the other side, trying to block the opposing seeker and allow 
their own one to get the snitch. The score board will be a deciding 
factor on the seeker's decision to make a grab for the snitch or 
allow it to scatter and attempt to block the other seeker. I would 
imagine that this would be more of a factor in professional quidditch.

Well thats my 2 cents for the day. I've been lurking on the group for 
a while, but never posted.
James