[HPforGrownups] Quidditch Miscellania

[Alexander]

No: HPFGUIDX 49837

  Greetings!

> Ali wrote:

AAzo> At Hogwarts, at any one time there are only 28 first
AAzo> team players. If Hogwarts is the only Wizarding school
AAzo> in the country (here I'll take JKR's words at face
AAzo> value), then it would not be unreasonable to assume
AAzo> that the majority of these players would go on to play
AAzo> professional Quidditch. Where else are the players
AAzo> from the Professional Leagues 13 teams recruited from?

AAzo> The only professional Quidditch players mentioned in
AAzo> QTTA seem to have had careers of around 12 years
AAzo> (Kevin & Karl Broadmoor, 11 years; Darren O'Hare, 13
AAzo> years; Hamish MacFarlan, 11 years) which is not so
AAzo> different to the careers of professional footballers
AAzo> (as in soccer) in the English Football League. Yet,
AAzo> despite this, Oliver Wood, captain and keeper of the
AAzo> successful Gryffindor team manages to secure only the
AAzo> position of a reserve keeper and the 3 Weasleys all
AAzo> choose alternate careers. Perhaps foreign players keep
AAzo> the Professional League afloat?

  Well, considering these numbers, we get that "at the
average", 7 professional Quidditch players stop their
careers, while only 4 Quidditch players graduate from
Hogwarts.

  Now, there are reserve players in Hogwarts teams as well.
Probably enough to double the "graduating" number. But as we
know, many of graduating Quidditch players don't go into
professional sport.

  At the same time, I find it unlikely that foreign players
are reinforcing British Quidditch teams. At least I have
found no reasons to think so, and my general impression from
GoF and QTTA doesn't fit with this theory either.

  Solution can probably found in suggesting that not all
kids go to Hogwarts.

AAzo> Quidditch rules. QTTA provides us with a framework for
AAzo> Quidditch rules. However, this leaves many questions.

AAzo> I'd like to refer to Shaun's Haterley's suggestion
AAzo> that Quidditch must operate on 2 levels: school
AAzo> Quidditch and Professional Quidditch. I would
AAzo> definitely agree that this is likely, but these
AAzo> differences can only be imagined. Without any further
AAzo> information I would have to assume that the rules we
AAzo> are given refer to both Hogwarts and Professional
AAzo> Quidditch.

  Not quite so. While game rules are the same in school and
in the championship, strategies differ considerably. In the
World Cup, if you lose, you are kicked out. In the School
Cup, if you lose, you lessen your chances, but you still
participate in the Big Game. This has a great influence on
strategy, as we see in PoA.

AAzo> This would lay Hogwarts' students open to the
AAzo> possibility of month long games. Perhaps it is only
AAzo> the strategy of the teams themselves  and the skill
AAzo> of the seekers, which prevents this from happening.

  Well, I think that as soon as score gap reaches several
hundred, everybody will forget about the Quaffle and will
start looking for Snitch, in order to "finish this damn game
at last". ;)

AAzo> I know that there are circumstances when Harry needs
AAzo> to catch the Snitch quickly  bad weather, Snape
AAzo> refereeing, or as in the case of the "Quidditch Final"
AAzo> only a set number of points that need be achieved
AAzo> before Harry's Snitch catching would win the game.
AAzo> But, I do wonder why there has not been any further
AAzo> discussion on Harry delaying catching the Snitch until
AAzo> Gryffindor has a certain point ratio. Perhaps Shaun is
AAzo> right, and school Quidditch does not need such
AAzo> tactics.

  In fact, it's School Quidditch which *does* need them. ;)

AAzo> I'm slightly confused. Wood tells Harry that he thinks
AAzo> that the record for a professional match is 3 months.
AAzo> "They had to keep bringing on substitutes so the
AAzo> players could get some sleep". (PS/SS UK edition
AAzo> p.125). This contrasts with Rule 5 in QTTA (p.28 UK
AAzo> edition): In the case of injury no substitution of
AAzo> players will take place. The team will play on without
AAzo> the injured player. This inconsistency is either a
AAzo> Flint, or the rule about no substitutions is
AAzo> relatively recent and actually serves to shorten the
AAzo> length of the match.

  I have always had an impression that "substitute for
injury" applies only when injured player touches the ground.
That is, if you have been injured and touched the ground, no
replacement for you dear. But I may be wrong of course.

  BTW is there anybody to discuss Quidditch strategy and
tactics with?

AAzo> really excited about finally reading OoP on June 21 -
AAzo> hurrah!

  June 21? Whoops... I was hoping for April the latest... :(

Sincerely yours,
Alexander Lomski,
Gryffindor/Slytherin crossbreed,
great supporter of McGonagall/Crookshanks SHIP.

-----
   "Porry Hatter! I have been told your owl is made of iron!
 Is it so?"
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 had to use an alloy..."
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