peggy urquhart is a bit of a gilliflower (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} gilliflower) wrote in ![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} neeps,@ 2018-01-02 00:46:00 |
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| Entry tags: | ! media - daily prophet, # bil, # domgas, # neep, # whizz hard, peggy urquhart |
5§ • Pertinent News for the Discerning Wizard • Monday . 1 January 2000
THE 1999-2000 QUIDDITCH SEASON: A LOOK BACK AND AHEAD
By: Margaret Urquhart
The 1999-2000 BIL season so far has been a wild ride for the entire league, marked by ups and downs and unexpected scores. Ballycastle, the current league leader, has a 2-4-0 record after early high-scoring matches that even the steady Scots, Montrose and Portree, have been unable to meet on points so far.
The year has seen some odd games like the Appleby-Holyhead match in early December in which announcer Frances Cunningham joked that Holyhead showed up late and left early based on their sub-century performance and a shutout for promising newcomer Ginny Weasley. Significant turnover in coaching and players after the war has left the league in upheaval and some commentators believe these bizarre matches reflect teams not properly stirred together in cauldrons that might explode. Others, including Quibbler publisher Xenophilus Lovegood, suggest that the outlier matches have a more sinister cause, such as the Ministry testing experimental charms on the quidditch stadiums.
A more likely candidate for causing problems in the league overall is the ongoing question of whether to quash the 1997-1998 season, which is to be taken up again at the BIL's quarterly meeting at the end of this month. The motion, and the Muggleborn 'pink' movement that has emerged from it, have been an ongoing source of controversy, as have statements from League Chairman Hamish MacFarlan about quidditchers 'playing while pink'. MacFarlan's anti-pink stance has received significant pushback from players and owners of all heritages, and are sure to be another source of discussion at the commission.
The oddities of this season have also brought traditional league scoring methods into question. Fraser Macmillan, BIL Commissioner and recipient of the ADRIC Badge for Arithmanthetical Excellence spoke exclusively to the Prophet about the current system.
While such a change wouldn't take effect until at least the 2000-2001 season, Macmillan notes that analysis of previous seasons shows a high correlation between tournament winners and ICWQC rankings. While the league tables might change less from bloc to bloc, they would provide a clearer insight into which teams were strongest earlier on. With the current scoring system, 2000 could bring even more single-match surprises in league standings.
The second half of the season this year also brings the 400th anniversary of the Golden Neep, Scotland's quidditch prize, played between the Montrose Magpies and the Pride of Portree. Anniversary celebrations are anticipated for the longtime rivals, coached this season by first cousins M.G. McGonagall, the Montrose Seeker famous for the catch that won Scotland third place in the 1982 World Cup, and Elspeth MacFusty, the versatile chaser from Portree's dragon-and-quidditch dynasty. Alec Urquhart, editor of the upcoming The Golden Neep: A Rivalry Through The Ages, commented, "A rivalry that can last 400 years and still be the thrilling saga that is The Golden Neep is a testament to Scottish character that says plenty about the quality of the quidditch that comes out of Scotland. There's almost too much history to this event to document." The book will be released ahead of the three matches, which will be played in April and May.
Last but not least, the spring of 2000 will also see competition for a chance to represent Britain in the European Cup. Percival I. Weasley, Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sport for International Quidditch, is in charge of the playoff effort here in Britain and liaising with European Quidditch for the Cup matches later this year. He said, "Britain and Ireland have among some of the top players in the world. I expect each of our four teams will come together to put on a truly excellent showing during the upcoming European Cup."
With the remainder of the League season, the Neep, and the European Cup qualifiers all to come in the spring, 2000 looks to be a stunning year for British Quidditch. For more coverage of all these matches and more, read the Daily Prophet every day!
Hogwarts quidditch brings the stars of tomorrow together in junior competition for quidditch glory. In November and December, the school saw two matches.
The Gryffindor and Slytherin match was highly anticipated and this year the two teams were well-matched. Gryffindor took the match on the snitch with a come-from-behind 370 to 300 victory.
In December, Ravenclaw played Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff dominated the match, with its players scoring almost three centuries without counting the Snitch. The final score was 430 to 100.
Four more matches will complete the schedule by the end of May, with April's Hufflepuff v Gryffindor being the most anticipated by fans.
The year has seen some odd games like the Appleby-Holyhead match in early December in which announcer Frances Cunningham joked that Holyhead showed up late and left early based on their sub-century performance and a shutout for promising newcomer Ginny Weasley. Significant turnover in coaching and players after the war has left the league in upheaval and some commentators believe these bizarre matches reflect teams not properly stirred together in cauldrons that might explode. Others, including Quibbler publisher Xenophilus Lovegood, suggest that the outlier matches have a more sinister cause, such as the Ministry testing experimental charms on the quidditch stadiums.
A more likely candidate for causing problems in the league overall is the ongoing question of whether to quash the 1997-1998 season, which is to be taken up again at the BIL's quarterly meeting at the end of this month. The motion, and the Muggleborn 'pink' movement that has emerged from it, have been an ongoing source of controversy, as have statements from League Chairman Hamish MacFarlan about quidditchers 'playing while pink'. MacFarlan's anti-pink stance has received significant pushback from players and owners of all heritages, and are sure to be another source of discussion at the commission.
The oddities of this season have also brought traditional league scoring methods into question. Fraser Macmillan, BIL Commissioner and recipient of the ADRIC Badge for Arithmanthetical Excellence spoke exclusively to the Prophet about the current system.
The current rating system, which is incompatible with international play, has long been an issue for the British and Irish Quidditch League. Just looking at the rapid ups and down of the first half of the season shows that this method does not reflect the power or potential of any of the teams, and our arithmancers have compared past years and found the same thing. Right now a team with a losing record is on top of the statistics, but could be overturned in a single match. That’s why I plan to introduce a motion at the next BIQL meeting to change rankings to the international system used by ICWQC.
While such a change wouldn't take effect until at least the 2000-2001 season, Macmillan notes that analysis of previous seasons shows a high correlation between tournament winners and ICWQC rankings. While the league tables might change less from bloc to bloc, they would provide a clearer insight into which teams were strongest earlier on. With the current scoring system, 2000 could bring even more single-match surprises in league standings.
The second half of the season this year also brings the 400th anniversary of the Golden Neep, Scotland's quidditch prize, played between the Montrose Magpies and the Pride of Portree. Anniversary celebrations are anticipated for the longtime rivals, coached this season by first cousins M.G. McGonagall, the Montrose Seeker famous for the catch that won Scotland third place in the 1982 World Cup, and Elspeth MacFusty, the versatile chaser from Portree's dragon-and-quidditch dynasty. Alec Urquhart, editor of the upcoming The Golden Neep: A Rivalry Through The Ages, commented, "A rivalry that can last 400 years and still be the thrilling saga that is The Golden Neep is a testament to Scottish character that says plenty about the quality of the quidditch that comes out of Scotland. There's almost too much history to this event to document." The book will be released ahead of the three matches, which will be played in April and May.
Last but not least, the spring of 2000 will also see competition for a chance to represent Britain in the European Cup. Percival I. Weasley, Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sport for International Quidditch, is in charge of the playoff effort here in Britain and liaising with European Quidditch for the Cup matches later this year. He said, "Britain and Ireland have among some of the top players in the world. I expect each of our four teams will come together to put on a truly excellent showing during the upcoming European Cup."
With the remainder of the League season, the Neep, and the European Cup qualifiers all to come in the spring, 2000 looks to be a stunning year for British Quidditch. For more coverage of all these matches and more, read the Daily Prophet every day!
Hogwarts quidditch brings the stars of tomorrow together in junior competition for quidditch glory. In November and December, the school saw two matches.
The Gryffindor and Slytherin match was highly anticipated and this year the two teams were well-matched. Gryffindor took the match on the snitch with a come-from-behind 370 to 300 victory.
In December, Ravenclaw played Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff dominated the match, with its players scoring almost three centuries without counting the Snitch. The final score was 430 to 100.
Four more matches will complete the schedule by the end of May, with April's Hufflepuff v Gryffindor being the most anticipated by fans.