Community Quidditch Team of Providence, RI
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The India Point Ashwinders are coming out of the Fall 2013 season looking very different than they did in April. The season was about building a full team as opposed to their nine player squads last year and expanding the team's competitive horizon. Missions accomplished.
IPA had a solid recruiting season in tapping into the nearest market of Brown University. A freshmen at Johnson and Wales University caught wind of the team and also joined the team. In total, the Ashwinders got an influx of about a dozen rookies which more than doubled the team's size and rounded out most parts of the roster. Gone are the days of a Keeper playing the entire game, let alone an entire season.
SPRING SEASON STARTS
The India Point Ashwinders started their second season in the Southern New England Quidditch Conference (SNEQC) and took some opportunities to play against some of the best in the region. In September, the young squad competed in the first MQC/SNEQC Tournament. In November, the Ashwinders participated in their first Northeast Regionals Tournament.
One may fairly expect growing pains from a team composed of rookies and second year players and while of course that has been the case, IPA is in solid positioning in the standings. Just off their SNEQC Cup winning season, the Ashwinders (8-5) is sitting in second place in the SNEQC standings, only behind World Cup VI and World Cup VII-qualifying UMass Quidditch. They have a tough road ahead if they wish to maintain such high seeding for the conference tournament for two of the hardest matches on the schedule lie ahead in UMass and the Brandeis Wizengamot.
Not only is the team very different from what it was in April, the team is also very different from what it was in September. The Ashwinders have their most complete roster yet due to the development of the rookies.
The new Chasers are a tenacious bunch. Most notable is the effort of Joy Yamaguchi at Regionals where she played insane minutes and yet got up and played on everytime a player twice her size tackled her. In the final game of the tournament against Clark, she scored a huge goal at the end of an atrociously long shift that enabled IPA to win from a Snitch catch. Further, David Reich and Tyler Poole contributed at an increasing rate as the Fall progressed and Sarai Jaramillo and Leah Jones round out a nice female Chaser lineup.
Will Orton and Chris Carchedi came onto the team and started right away, adding considerable athleticism to an already solid and relatively experienced Beater core that featured three veterans.
At Seeker, the future is bright for the team acquired two Energizer bunnies in Max Rosenwasser and Jack Martin. Neither ever seem to tire and have incredible speed and agility and can help out at Chaser in a pinch.
First up on the schedule is the Whomping Wellesleys on Sunday, February 23rd. Brooms Up is at 1 PM at the India Point Park Soccer Fields.
