The beginning of the season is finally here! Tomorrow the India Point Ashwinders will kick off the 2013-2014 season in Boston at the MQC/SNEQC Season Opening Tournament.  The Ashwinders are eager to get playing again and have several interesting matchups to look forward to.  The tournament features three pools of five teams each and each team will play one game against the other teams in their pool.  Following the four games of pool play, the top eight will compete in a single elimination bracket for the championship.

 

 

 

The India Point Ashwinder's pool consists of Emerson College, Boston Massacre QC, Brandeis Wizengamot, and Smith College Quidditch.  IPA starts right away with a tough matchup against one of the oldest teams in Quidditch and one who placed in the top 16 at World Cup VI, Emerson College.  The second game pits the team against one of last year's better squads in the Southern New England Quidditch Conference (SNEQC) in the Brandeis Wizengamot.  SNEQC Cup 2013 would have been even more interesting had they attended.  Brandeis is followed by a matchup against Smith who is a new member of SNEQC this season. Pool play concludes with a showdown against the newest community team on the block, Boston Massacre QC, who consists of a formiddable lineup of some of the best players in the region including Team USA's Kedzie Teller from the 2012 Summer Games.  

 

IPA had a substantial influx of young talent this recruiting season and will be able to get some of them exposed to competitive Quidditch before the season starts.  Further, they also obtained some new players with experience in Chaser Joy Yamaguchi and Beater Jane Jacoby.  Yamaguchi started a high school-level community team, the Long Beach Wonderbolts, and Jacoby spent some time the past couple of years playing with the NY Badassilisks.  They are joined by Chasers Nick O'Mara and Leah Jones and Keeper Amanda Richards.  All will see considerable action on Saturday.

 

Rounding out the roster are six returning veterans from the SNEQC Cup 2013 Champion team.  They are: Chaser Derik Wagner, Beaters Rod Hasbun, Nate Kingston, and Patricia LaSalle, Keeper and 2013 MVP Jeremy Work, and Seeker Jeff Blum.