Quidditch Player Profile - Antigone IvanovaBarnaby SnellIt's been an eventful summer in British Quidditch, thanks in good part to the arrival of the celebrated Bulgarian Chaser, Antigone Ivanova. Her move on loan from Vratsa Vultures to Montrose Magpies sparked a hot summer of transfers around the Quidditch League. I spoke to Ms Ivanova to discuss her life as a star Chaser and get her insight on the changing face of the Quidditch League.
What drove you to play Quidditch professionally?I enjoyed it during school and had few other career options, to be honest!
What's the hardest part of being a pro Quidditch player?You really do see the hospital wings a lot, depending on your position, no matter how good you are.
What is the best part of it?Flying! And playing against some of the best players. And seeing new cities and places all the time.
What is your training regimen like?I do conditioning five days a week of some variety, run, practice, as well as strength and flexibility training.
What's the secret of your longevity as a top-flight player?If I told you it wouldn't be a secret, now would it? However I attribute part of it to being always willing to learn and grow as a player. You stop learning, you stop being able to be better than the newcomers.
What do you think of your team's chances for the coming season?I'm thinking we're pretty golden for the year - it's a great team.
Which matches are you most looking forward to?All of them - it'll be my first time competing against the teams over here!
What are the biggest differences you've seen between the Bulgarian and British leagues?Out here, it's very much about the fun of the game, that's not to say the British leagues take the game less seriously because they don't, but home was so much more you lived, breathed and died Quidditch daily. Here, I can relax a bit.
Your signing with Montrose sparked a migration of foreign players to the Quidditch League. What would you say to critics who believe the league should have only British and Irish players?I noticed that, it was like an avalanche of outside talent. I think the most important thing to say here, is that, if you want to keep the National teams citizens of British and Irish and so forth, then that's fine, but don't limit yourselves on the local club level. There's a whole world of players out there, it's smart to bring some in and learn from them. As long as you don't make up the entire club from outside talent, then one main player and a reserve from another country isn't bad to do.
Who is your favourite player, not counting yourself?I'm biased, we've been teammates before, but I do like Krum, but the trio of Mullet, Troy and Moran are certainly up there too.
Who is your biggest rival on the pitch?I look forward to finding out, actually. Back home I have a few but here, not yet!
The World Cup is coming up next year--Are you looking forward to it?Depends. I'm hoping to pull a repeat performance, but be it on a team from here or home, I'm not sure.
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring pro Quidditch player, what would it be?Keep at it - it's hard to get into but once you're here, don't ever stop learning and striving to be better, always learn from your teammates. The more you learn, the more valuable you are, the more you can keep up with the new guys
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