2019 U.S. Quidditch Great Lakes Collegiate Regional Championship: Ball State Quidditch Team
The Ball State Quidditch Team is away this weekend competing in the 2019 U.S. Quidditch Great Lakes Collegiate Regional Championship. In 2017, BSU secured first place and this year the team is looking to reach that height once again.
Max Jolly, a senior architecture major, and head coach of the quidditch team at BSU, said he’s confident in this year’s team.
Max Jolly, a senior architecture major, encourages his teammates before the start of their game against the Purdue University during the fifth Ball Brother Brawl quidditch tournament at Morrow’s Meadow, Oct. 12, Yorktown, IN. Jolly is the head coach for the Ball State Quidditch Team. Image by Kyle Crawford
“I’m personally feeling really good about how the team is going into regionals. We’ve improved a ton over this season, and we’ve had a lot of really positive feedback from the quidditch community… This weekend we’re going to be bringing a full roster (21 athletes) and I think everyone is really going in with the right mindset,” Jolly said.
Jolly used this week’s practices to prepare for regionals. For the Oct. 29 practice, the team scrimmaged for the entirety of practice to get as much playing time as possible. Then, for the Oct. 31 practice, the team had a game film night to study up on their competition.
“It’s going to be difficult; teams always bring their a-game to regionals. It’s the most important tournament of this semester. Everybody is gunning to get a bid for nationals and trying to get that first-place spot at regionals, that’s the excitement of it,” Jolly said.
Favian Cervantes, a senior architecture major, and a chaser for the quidditch team at BSU, recently joined the team and hasn’t ever played quidditch before. Cervantes is both excited and a bit nervous to travel to regionals.
Favian Cervantes, a senior architecture major, takes a shot at a goal during quidditch practice Oct. 29 at the Field Sports Building. Cervantes is new to the team and this is the first season he has ever played quidditch. Image by Kyle Crawford
“Honestly, I think it’s (regionals) going to be times 10 of what I’ve had in my mind at least. We’ll see this weekend, but I’m expecting to see a lot of people hyped for regionals and trying to reach that next level,” Cervantes said.
14 teams are scheduled to compete at the Great Lakes regional championship according to U.S. Quidditch.
Ball State Cardinals
BearTrain Quidditch
Bowling Green State University
Carnegie Mellon Quidditch Club
Cleveland State University Vikings
Grand Valley Grindylows
Indiana State University Quidditch
Indiana University Quidditch Club
Miami University (OH) Quidditch
Michigan Quidditch Team
Michigan State Quidditch
Ohio University Quidditch Club
Quidditch Club of Pittsburgh
WVU Summit
Elizabeth Pruim, a sophomore religious studies major, and a 2019 season chaser for the Indianapolis Intensity, a major league quidditch team, said she’s proud of how far the BSU team has made it before regionals.
Elizabeth Pruim, a sophomore religious studies major, practices as a chaser during quidditch practice Oct. 29 at the Field Sports Building. Pruim is also a chaser for the Indinapolis Intensity, a major league quidditch team. Image by Kyle Crawford.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement in us over the past couple of months. A lot of our team is new this year, about 70 percent of us. For the most part, we understand all of the basics and then even past that,” Pruim said.
The Ball State Quidditch Team did compete in regionals last year and Pruim believes the team this year has a good shot at placing in the top three.
“It’s been our dream this entire semester to finish top in regionals and just show that Ball State is back to what we were used to be,” Pruim said.
The 2019 USQ Great Lakes Collegiate Regional Championship takes place this weekend at the Voice of America Park in West Chester Township, Ohio. Teams arrived on Friday and games start Saturday with the final games to be held Sunday.
