Nothing...

It's been over a week since my last post. And yeah, I've been busy, but I haven't done much of anything interesting.

That's a lie. Halloween happened, and the Mid Atlantic Regional Quidditch Tournament happened, and studio always happens.

Me, quidditching. I'm a beater.

But I just haven't felt motivated to write anything.

Halloween was fun, my apartment building filled with people, and my roommate and I danced on the balcony with glowsticks in hand.

Finder dressed as a creepy guy, and I threw together a construction worker costume. It was very last minute, but it worked out. I'm  lucky I keep a hard hat with me at school.

The quidditch tournament was insane. We played six teams during pool play, and we had high hopes of going 4-2, maybe 5-1 if we played really well. However, we went 3-3 in our pool, not as well as we had hoped, and we didn't get a Division 1 spot at the World Cup.  At the time, I was really, really, upset when we lost the match that bumped us out of the World Cup. It was absolutely heartbreaking- we played the Carolina team in pool play, and lost in overtime by 10 points. Then, due to our seeding, had to play them again in the tournament bracket. They bested us a second time, and our dreams were shattered.

You can't tell in the photo because of my facepaint and smile, but I am crying. Actually crying.

I hold the successes and failures of my team very close to my heart, and I felt like I had failed my team. I pour hours into the team every day, and the team is practically my child. And it really hurts me when we don't do well. I feel like I let everyone down. Flash pointed out to me, though, that quidditch is more than the sport- it's about the relationships and the friendships that are created. And when I realized that my entire team was excited about how the weekend went and I was at home, sulking, then I snapped back. And it's true, the Quidditch community is far greater than the sport. We come together to celebrate and we come together to mourn. And as soon as you get off pitch, you're friends with everyone. We're hardcore bros with VCU's team, and we have mad respect for UVA (even though they're a bunch of trains who play very aggressively). 

The sport has changed, though, even in the past year. It has become very physical, and people hit each other without restraint. The rule changes this year allow people to tackle from behind, as long as the tackle is initiated from the front or side. However, it's just burred the lines even more, and people are just steamrolling each other. I was originally proud of how I could take a hit, and how resilient I am. But after this weekend, and watching my teammates get flattened by people who, frankly, didn't give a damn, my opinion has changed. The safety of my team must come before any desire to be the best. I'm not about to sacrifice people on the journey to the top.

I refereed a match where one girl was knocked down by an opposing player and wrenched her knee. She was behind me, screaming, and play was still continuing. I was yelling at everyone to stop playing, but no one could hear me, they were still wrestling for the ball. After what felt like eternity, the head referee finally noticed and called play. But I can't get that girl's scream out of my head. I felt completely powerless, and it's not a feeling I enjoy. 

We made the decision after this weekend to switch from D1 to D2, where the physicality will hopefully be less and the fun will be more. I think it's a good step for the team in a positive direction, let's just hope my teammates feel the same.