Groningen Griffins - Quidditch

Hello everyone,

Unfortunately we have to postpone our training sessions for at least 4 weeks. We will keep you posted if we know more. Stay safe, only together we can beat COVID-19!

Hallo iedereen,

We moeten helaas onze trainingen voor minimaal 4 weken uitstellen. We houden jullie op de hoogte als we meer weten. Stay safe, only together we can beat COVID-19!

For our third instalment of the Meat the Team series, we've got a special one. Our Team Mascotte Luna.

Listen, I'm not gonna pretend to speak dog, so just enjoy a cute puppy picture.

In part 2 of our Meet the Team-series, we talk to one of our co-founders, Hanna. In the last interview, we talked to the other co-founder and trainer Sander, so if you’ve missed that one, you can find it on our page.

Hanna is 22 years old and originally from Germany. When asked how she came to the Netherlands, she tells me the following: “I’ve always loved to travel. When I was 14, I did a year abroad in Turkey as well. So when I finished high school, I decided to do a year of voluntary work in another country. As I want to become a Maths teacher, I decided to work at a school as a “jack-of-all-trades” kinda deal. That’s when I landed on the Novalis College in Eindhoven.”

“This all ties into how I started quidditch.” Hanna tells me, “I’ve always been a huge Harry Potter fan. So when the father of one of the players of Lumos Eindhoven saw me wearing a Harry Potter-sweater, he gave me a flyer about quidditch and the team in Eindhoven.”

“At my first training, I complete fell in love with the sport. I liked the game, how everyone had a different part to play to achieve the same goal, and the people were so welcoming to me. It’s also where I met my fiancé Sander. It’s also where I completely shattered Sander’s ego by tackling him on the first try, but he likes to tell another story.” (Sander: “Joke’s on you, Hanna, I edit these posts. So, dear readers, I was only pretending to fall. Yeah, that’s what happened.”)

“So how come you started a team in Groningen?”, I asked her. “Well, I like to exercise, but I don’t really like doing it alone. Sure, I could go run with my fiancé, but then either I had to speed up or he needed to slow down. Plus, what’s a better way to meet some new friends than to set up a team?”

The defining part of doing a team sport vs. exercising alone, is the people. That’s why we decided to write these interviews as a way of introducing you to the team. Let’s start with our trainer Sander.

Sander Geraedts (25) grew up in North Brabant, in a village near Eindhoven. His quidditch adventure started at Lumos Eindhoven. When asked about how he found out about quidditch, he chuckles. “This was when I was still at Fontys studying Software Engineering. I had bought a vegan filet americain to try for lunch. However, the plastic wrapping was too tough to open, and none of us brought a knife. A classmate of mine, Laurent Lardenois, the current head of Quidditch Nederland, came with the brilliant idea of burning it open with his lighter. This worked, but he then decided to pull it open at the metal cap that had been in the flames for a good minute. You could hear his skin sizzling as a blister formed almost immediately. Anyways, the next day he told me he had trouble holding the quaffle during practice, and we got onto the subject of quidditch and he invited me to the next practice.”

After 6 weeks of joining practices, the original trainer had to step down and Sander was asked to take his place. “At first I didn’t feel up to the task. I had some experience as an assistent when I still did juggling, but I never had to come up with a training plan. I was really nervous for my first training, but I went through with it and after a while I got the hang of it.”

“My fiancée Hanna moved to Groningen to study for Math teacher on international schools”, Sander said when asked why he moved so far away from his hometown. “I got an assignment in Assen so I could see Hanna more often, starting at the first of October 2019. After a few months in a hotel, we got a house together in Veendam. After settling in, we started working on setting up a team in Groningen.”

“But why start a quidditch team?”, I asked him. “Well, first of all, we both really like the sport and wanted to play again. The closest team is at least an hour drive and we didn’t want to spend another 4 hours per week in the car. Second, I have seen Lumos Eindhoven grow from just a few people, into a team who could hold their own in the Dutch Quidditch League. I’d love to see the same thing happen with the Groningen Griffins.”

It's now easier to send Groningen Griffins - Quidditch a message.

Tonight at 19:00 is our very first COVID-style quidditch training!

So right about now might be a good time to start packing. What should you bring to a quidditch practice?

- Sport shoes, preferably cleats
- Sport clothing (You have to change at home!)
- Water (or sports drinks) (We're not allowed to give you our water)

Our equipment has been cleaned prior to training, but keep in mind that washing your hands is cool!

See you tonight!

Like us, you probably gained a few "Corona Kilo's". Let's do something about it!

Wanna get to know what quidditch is and get that butt back into shape, join us for our weekly COVID-style quidditch practice.

https://www.facebook.com/events/988908698227035/

Quidditch Nederland, the governing body of quidditch in the Netherlands, just released this statement about training during the COVID-19 crisis. We're excited to start up again, but we want everybody to be safe. Later this week we'll announce our plans for COVID-proof practices. Stay tuned!

Rather be informed via newsletter: https://mailchimp.groningengriffins.nl/signup

From this week onward we are allowed to train again in The Netherlands!

The government now allows outdoor sports activities, including group trainings. Existing hygiene measures still apply, so if your team eases back into training, make sure you .

Read more about training safely during the pandemic on our website: http://www.quidditchnederland.nl/en/2020/05/11/train-safe-during-the-pandemic/

Given the new meassures the government has taken in the fight against COVID-19, we've decided to cancel our Open Training for now. Once everything is safe again, we'll pick back up in full force!

We've set up a mailinglist to make sure we can inform you when there will be a new Open Training. The sign up form can be found in the link below:

https://mailchimp.groningengriffins.nl/signup

I hope you all stay safe during these hard times, and I truly wish to meet everyone happy and healthy when all this is done.

Lots of quove,
Your trainer, Sander.

Groningen Griffins - Newsletter Due to the Corona-crisis, we're unsure when the Open Training will be. With this newsletter, we'll inform you of our plans and when we will be organising our training. Hope to see you on the pitch!

Quidditch can be a complicated sport, so we're gonna break it down into the 4 roles. Last but not least, the Seeker.

TL;DR: Wanna catch some Snitches? Join the Open Training: https://www.facebook.com/events/1310724535982490/

At the 17-minute mark, the Snitch Runner enters the field. The Snitch Runner is a impartial volunteer wearing yellow pants, with the Snitch, a 15cm long sock with a ball in it, stuck to the back of it. One minute later, the Seekers are released. It's the Seeker's job to catch the Snitch. Catching the Snitch ends the game and gives your team 30 points.

The Snitch Runner won't make it too easy though. They can run away, throw Seekers to the ground, or pull brooms away, forcing the seeker to run back to their hoops.

Stamina and explosive power are the Seeker's best attributes. They need to sprint back to their hoops when they're beat, and still have the energy to duke it out with the Snitch. Gettting past a snitch requires finesse, speed and a quick eye to spot the smallest hint of error.

Does being the Seeker sound like a job for you? Join our Open Training!

Quidditch can be a complicated sport, so we're gonna break it down into the 4 roles. Now, the Keeper.

TL;DR: Try out being our newest Keeper at the Open Training of the Groningen Griffins: https://www.facebook.com/events/1310724535982490/

In a nutshell, the Keeper is a Chaser with a couple defensive perks. In offence, the Keeper acts like any other Chaser, although they often tend to hang back.

Defence is where the Keeper shines. They're in charge of organising the defence, informing their players what's happening and communicating what to they need to do. They're also the last line of defence for any goal attempt.

The ideal Keeper keeps calm under pressure. They know their team, are able to communicate clearly and are able to take attacking Chasers down with a well-placed tackle.

Are you able to keep our hoops clean? Join our Open Training!

Quidditch can be a complicated sport, so we're gonna break it down into the 4 roles. Up next, the Be**ers.

TL;DR: Wanna try being a Be**er? Join the Open Training: https://www.facebook.com/events/1310724535982490/

Be**ers support their team by forcing the opponents to dismount and run back to their hoops. They do this by beating them. Beating someone means throwing one of the 3 Bludgers against them. When you get beat, you have to put raise your broom above your head, drop any ball you are holding and run back to the hoops.

The Be**ers are the best, most important and by coincidence the most handsome players on the pitch. Yes, the people in charge of this page are Be**ers. 😉

Any personal biases left aside, an ideal Be**er recognises the flow of the game, knows when to attack and when to hold back, and supports their Chasers, Seeker and (most importantly) their Be**er buddy. Are you our next Be**er buddy? Join our Open Training!

First order of equipment received. Very happy trainer. Less happy girlfriend who still remembers the speed ladder drills Trainer gave her. 😜

Quidditch can be a complicated sport, so we're gonna break it down into the 4 roles. First up, the Chasers.

TL;DR: Try out being a Chaser at the Open Training of the Groningen Griffins: https://www.facebook.com/events/1310724535982490/

The Chaser's job is to score as many points as possible. They do that by throwing, kicking, dunking or in whatever way propelling the quaffle through any one of the 3 opposing hoops. Scoring gives your team 10 points.

With 3 Chasers on the pitch at any given time, they're the most plentiful on field. This is important, because a Chaser needs to rely heavily on teamwork.

An ideal Chaser can pass without fail, knows where their team is, and can spot an opportunity to score. Do you think you have what it takes to become one of our Chasers? Join our Open Training!

Belangrijke mededeling: 26 februari 2020

Groningen Griffins - Quidditch updated their phone number.