Quidditch Reserve Team

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 49880

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Renati Adriani <renati at l...> wrote:
> Hi, this is my first post here so please be gentle.
> 
>  
> From Chapter 11 of PS, Lee Jordan's commentary of the Gryffindor vs
> Slytherin game: 
> "... Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a
>  reserve-"
> 
> >Then why does the main team apparently train alone? If you have
> > enough players to form two teams ...
> > 
> >Also, at the end of PS "we've been steamrollered withoutyou" but 
> >doesn't mention who played seeker. ...edited... All in all, it 
> > seems like they have no second seeker, or any reserve players 
> >at all.
> 
> I forgot - do we know who the last Gryffindor seeker was before 
> Harry came along? 
>
> ..edited... 
> 
> Tituk

bboy_mn:
I think the existance of a reserve team is based on need and available
players. Classe sizes are very small now, so there aren't a lot of
available player to choose from. Gryffindor has a strong team once
they find Harry, so that's all they need. There is not reserve team,
and yes, they did play the 'steamrolled' game without a seeker.

When McGonagall introduces Harry to Wood, she says, 'Wood I've found
you a Seeker." Not a replacement Seeker, or another Seeker or a
different Seeker, but a Seeker. That makes me think the position was
open. Who ever it was, graduated the year before. I suspect McGonagall
was intentionally watching the new Gryffindor student to size them up
as potential Quidditch players. When she saw Harry flying, it was like
a dream come true. I bet she even did a 'happy dance' before she ran
down to the grounds.

Alicia Spinnet was probably a excellent Chaser, but not much good at
other positions, although, I'm sure at least functional. So until a
position opened up, she was on reserve. I have to assume that the
person she replaced also graduated.

Now let's look at how and why they would create a reserve team. (This
same thing actually came up a week or so ago). The team currently has
an opening; Wood is gone. After this (5th) year, the rest of the team
will be gone except Harry and the new Keeper. Next year they will have
no team. So this year, they recruit the replacements (3 chasers and 2
Beaters) and start training them on the reserve team. That way they
are skilled, practiced and ready for next years season. So while the
current team plays, the reserve team practices and gets ready for next
year. 

They really haven't needed that, since, as I said before, they had a
full strong team, and no one was about to leave (graduate). 

Another note, they can change players. Slytherin did it. When they
come to one game, Lee Jordan points out that the Slytherin captain has
replaced his player with much larger guys. He went for size and
intimidation factor, rather than speed and skill. So apparently, team
members can change between games, but not during a game.

So, if Wood had had someone who could play Seeker, he could have
brought that person to the game. But there don't seem to be any likely
candidates. And they really didn't have the time to test out new
player to see if anyone was even remotely able to play Seeker. They
were stuck.

Now if the school was at full 1,000 student capacity, there would be
lots of students to choose from and they could conceivably keep a
second string of player available. But as it is, I have a hard time
seeing where they are going to come up with five new player. Colin and
Dennis seem too small for Beaters, and being muggle-born are probably
not skilled flyers. Dean and Seamus could have potential, but Deam is
a muggle-born too. The only people left are the underclassmen; years 1
through 4. Since we only know a couple of underclassmen, they will
have to introduce some new characters.

In my opinion, the hardest player to replace are going to be the
Beaters because they have to be strong. We don't have may boys and the
Gryffindor girls don't seem to have expressed much interest. 

Year 6 team:
Chasers - Colin, Ginny, Seamus
Beaters - ??? (Dean?, Neville?, Hermione?)
Keeper - Ron (we know Ron can fly)
Seeker - Harry

If anybody has any better suggestion, I'm open to hearing them.

Alternative 6th year:
Chasers - Seamus, Dean, (Ginny?), ????
Beaters - Ron and Harry
Keeper -  Neville??, Hermione??
Seeker - Colin or Ginny


Just a few thoughts.

Bboy_mn