Flying Instruction: Now and Then

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Subject: Flying Instruction: Now and Then Thu Sep 06 2007, 19:12

Flying Instruction: Now and Then

Welcome to the first fun class of the new term! As most of you already know flying and anything Quidditch is a passion of mine and I’m happy to teach it! Of course don’t expect it to be all about Quidditch – there’s more to Flying than just the sport. Hopefully all goes well and you enjoy what I have in store for you! This is a rather simple homework to begin with. I would like you to pick nine points within the history of Quidditch and plot them on a timeline from earliest to most recent. Each point should cover at least one major change in Quidditch showing the progression of the sport from it’s earliest forms. Please be sure to include the date/year and a small summary for each.

1) Date (1)

2) Summary (4)

Total possible points: 45 points

Bonus: 5 points to the best in the class

Assignment total: 50

Be sure to include *all* sources. Missing sources will have 5 points deducted from their assignment automatically.

Subject: Re: Flying Instruction: Now and Then Thu Sep 27 2007, 11:34

The first broomstick:
AD 962
The broomstick was chosen as the magical flying device because it was a simple, everyday object. That was if a witch or wizard went outside with a broomstick in their hand a passing muggle would think nothing of it. It was easily portable and inexpensive. When broomsticks were first created they were excruciatable uncomfortable. One man, Guthrie Lochrin spoke of splintered filled buttocks and bulging piles. They were made of thick knotty handles and unvarnished ask.

The game from the Queerditch Marsh: The start of Quidditch.
Eleventh Century
Gertie Keddle wrote of a big leather ball landing in her cabbage patch. This unenviable was the first quaffle. They were on broomsticks through it to each other and trying to stick it into the trees. The first part of the goal posts of which the chaser scores through. “Now they have two big heavy rocks flying around trying to knock them of their brooms.” This would have been the start of the bludgers. We also see the development through Goodwins letter where she says she enjoyed a spirited gamer of Kwidditch. The start of the name for our great game. Goodwin’s wife was to have played “Catcher” which would be the old term for chaser. The blooder was of course the bludger we know of today. And the goals are no longer tress but barrels on sticks.

The golden snitch
Early 1100’s
Now as you see above the other positions and ball had already been in place. But there was no mention of our beloved golden snitch. For many century’s Golden sniget hunting had been fun. In the museum of quidditch hands a tapestry of some hunters carrying nets to catch them in. In the final part of the tapestry we see the winner holding a bag of gold. A man brought a golden snitch to a quidditch game and said that the first person who caught it would get 150 galleons. Thus the first entrance of a snitch made it to the quidditch game. All the players abounded their positions on the game and began to hunt for the snidget. After that golden snidget were used in the quidditch games with one player assigned to get them named the hunter. When the golden snidget had been killed the game was over and the team who had caught it got awarded 150 extra points. By the middle of the next century golden snidget numbers were falling low and thus the golden snitch was created.

Pitch
Fourteenth century.
The pitch was described as an oval-shaped, five hundred feet long and a hundred and eighty feet wide with a small central circle. This is a big change from the old queerditch marsh where all this began. One thing that really changed was the Baskets. The chasers used to throw the quaffle into a basket instead of a hoop. This was changed in 1620 when they thought it was best to bring in a hoop. Many fans hated this idea and a news paper article was wrote about bringing their baskets back. Though as you can see the baskets were not brought back.

Balls
From the start of quidditch until now.
The balls changed quite a bit through out the time. At the start of quidditch there was a leather ball with a handle on it. This was used as the quaffle. Through it is not much different from the quaffle we know today. Taking away the handle they made it harder for the chasers to keep their grip upon the quaffle they made another ball which had three holes in it. The shape was changed to out modern day one of smooth and round. The first bludgers or blooder as they were called were flying rocks. When hit too hard these would crack meaning that the game would have to stop. Some teams began to experiment with metal bludgers then later on into leather.

Rules
1750
In ever game it is important to have rules for the players safety and to stop cheating. These rules were put in place.
All players may only play a ball while they are on their unicycle, if any part of the player is on the ground they may not play a ball. Beaters or chasers may get off to pick up a bludger or quaffle but MUST re-mount the unicycle before throwing it.

No pushing or shoving
No Bludgers to aimed at heads
The Snitch Referee shall decide when to release the snitch.
Referees or spectators may re-start the snitch bouncing if need be.
Play stops when referee blows a whistle for penalty shot to be taken.
The spread of Quidditch worldwide
Not just one year.
Quidditch was already well developed in Ireland by the fourteenth century. People from Ireland were practising the game long and hard this was shown when they went to Lancashire to have a friendly match against another team and ended up fleeing the village for fear of their lives after performing things with the quaffle that no-one else had seen. By the early fifteenth century it had developed to places like Norway and France. Soon quidditch was introduced to most places.

The first Quidditch world cup
1473
Though there were only European countries there. 1473 marked the day of the first ever Quidditch world cup. It has not only gone down in History for being the first but also the most violent would cup seen. The final was Between Transylvania and Flanders had so many fouls in. Most of them had never been seen again. Some such as producing a broadsword from under a robe. The world cup was then held every four ears though it was not until the seventeenth century that non-European teams came to compete.

The cushioning Charm
1820
In 1820 quidditch had become and immensely popular sport but their was one problem. It hurt every time you rode a broom. Elliot Smethwyck thought of an idea to make them more comfortable. He created the cushioning charm to make the broom comfortable. The cushion was made invisible. Though many people did not use it as they preferred agility over safety and went through the pain that came with broom riding for the sake of quidditch.

Sources: Quidditch through the ages.

Subject: Re: Flying Instruction: Now and Then Tue Oct 09 2007, 15:51

Flying Instruction: Now and Then

Welcome to the first fun class of the new term! As most of you already know flying and anything Quidditch is a passion of mine and I’m happy to teach it! Of course don’t expect it to be all about Quidditch – there’s more to Flying than just the sport. Hopefully all goes well and you enjoy what I have in store for you! This is a rather simple homework to begin with. I would like you to pick nine points within the history of Quidditch and plot them on a timeline from earliest to most recent. Each point should cover at least one major change in Quidditch showing the progression of the sport from it’s earliest forms. Please be sure to include the date/year and a small summary for each.

One

1) Date

A.D. 962

2) Summary

This is the earliest recordings of when wizards started to use booms as a way of travel. During this time brooms where made by their owners. Eventually wizards would trade their brooms, if they were good at broom making, for other items like potions that they themselves could not make.

Two

1) Date

1105

2) Summary

Stichstock is an old game played on brooms. One person was tied to a pole that was twenty feet high while they protected an inflated dragon’s bladder with only his wand in hand. The other players would have a sharpened point on the tip of their brooms which they tired to use to pop the bladder. The game ended when the bladder was popped, the guarder became too exhausted or he jinxed all of the other players so that they could not play any longer

Three

1) Date

1473

2) Summary

This was the first ever final World Cup were all of the fouls occurred in this one game. After this game was over the Ministry went and added many more fouls. Many of them require a use of a wand which is not allowed to be used against another player. There are a list of 700 fouls to date.

Four

1) Date
1538

2) Summary

This is the year the ban on wands was introduced. Too many qudidtch players used their wand to gain passions of the quaffle or in any other way use magic to their advantage.

Five

1) Date

1711

2) Summary

In 1711 the quaffle finally received its red color. Before it was brown this made it extremely hard to find in the rain when it had fallen towards the ground blending in with the mud. Also shortly after the quaffle also was bewitched so that it would fall slower to the ground. This was so that the Chaser wouldn’t have to keep diving towards the ground just to retrieve it when one of them dropped it.

Six

1) Date

1750

2) Summary

There are seven rules placed upon the game of qudditch which effects how the game is played today which is different from its earlier days. The rules apply to all of the players and where agreed upon by the Ministry of Magic which they believed made the game safer.

Seven

1) Date
1762

2) Summary

Creaothceann was banned. When a whistle was blown the players, with a cauldron strapped to their heads, flew around trying to catch falling rocks in it.

Eight

1) Date

1875

2) Summary

This was when the Gripping Charm was invented. It was placed on the quaffle to make it easier for the Chasers to catch it. Before this discovery there was a strap or some finger holes placed on the quaffle to make it easier to hold and to catch.

Nine
1) Date

1883

2) Summary

Before 1883, the three goal posts on each side of the pitch where made from baskets that the team found placed on top of a pole. This became a problem because not all of the baskets would be the same size. One team might have very little baskets that made it hard for the other team members to make a score while the opposing side would have huge baskets that were much easier to make a score. When 1883 came around the Ministry had banned the use of baskets and replaced them with the poles that we use now making the game much fairer because all goal posts must be the same size.

Sorces

Book:

Qudditch Through the Ages

Subject: Re: Flying Instruction: Now and Then Thu Nov 29 2007, 16:59

A.D. 962--Earliest records of broomsticks with flying capablilty come from this time period.

1203--Holyhead Harpies were founded. Since this date, they have only ever allowed female members on their team.

Roughly the mid 14th century--Bowman Wright, of Godric's Hollow, invented the Golden Snitch. This was in response to the need of a replacement for the Snidget, which had been made protected.

1398--The first full description of the game, Quidditch, was written by Zacharias Mumps.

1820--Flying was made much more enjoyable by the invention of cushioning charms by Elliot Smethwyck.

1875--Finger holes and handles were no longer needed for the quaffle as gripping charms were discovered. This made the chasers' job much easier.

1883--Much to the dismay of fans and players alike, all baskets were replaced with the goalposts still used today. This prevented unfair basket sizing and the tendency for the sizes to vary.

1926--Cleansweep Broom Company was founded by Bob, Bill, and Barnaby Ollerton. This revolutionized the marketing of racing brooms. Soon every player had a Cleansweep.

1967--The Nimbus Racing Broom Company was founded, replacing the Cleansweep Company as the top seller. They also raised the standard for professional level racing brooms.

Subject: Re: Flying Instruction: Now and Then Wed Dec 12 2007, 10:44

Ravenclaw
Polly 45
Stephy 45

Gryffindor
hppamela 45

Slytherin
None

Hufflepuff
None

Flying Instruction: Now and Then Game-3

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