I n d ep en d en t
Issue no.
S t u de nt
V o ic e
o f
B o is e
S tat e
Sin ce
1933
48
March 2013
Volume 25
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Boise, Idaho
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First issue free
Top Stories
FSU v. BSU
Broncos, Seminoles schedule to square off in ‘19, ‘20
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Catching the Snitch
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In muggle Quidditch, the snitch is actually a person. Someone who has no affiliation with either team puts a tennis ball in a sock and ties it around their waist. The seeker who catches the snitch gets 30 points for their team; ending the game. This shifts a lot more importance to the chasers who score 10 points per goal with the quaffle, a volleyball. The snitch, who gets a head start, is not restricted to the pitch for the first 20 minutes of play. He could be anywhere: up a tree, or grabbing a quick coffee.
What’s Lent?
Don’t get bludgeoned Each team has two beaters who try to cause chaos with the other team using bludgers. In muggle Quidditch, bludgers take the form of a slightly deflated dodge ball. If a player is hit that player must drop everything until they make contact with their team’s goalposts. Then they can return to play as normal. It seems simple enough but it can get exhausting. “You’re on the other side of the pitch and then you get hit then you have to run all the way down and all the way back,” Monkarsh said. “You start thinking, ‘I’m not built for this.’”
Many people give up vices for lent. See the most popular inside.
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Campus read
Full Contact Chaos While muggle Quidditch might sound like something reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons it is a lot more physical than that. Tackling is legal and players have to be careful of their brooms. “My broom got broken,” said Monkarsh. “I had to tape it up with a sock so I don’t literally shank people.” The team has suffered a few minor injuries thus far: a chipped tooth and a broken nose. However, with all the running, throwing, tackling and the constant threat of being gored by a broomstick, Quidditch is not for the faint of heart.
Author Bruce Barcott to come speak on campus.
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What’s Inside News Briefs
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The Arbiter
Emily Pehrson Staff Writer
The only thing missing was the flutter of crimson and gold robes in the gentle early March breeze. Or perhaps the Boise State blue and orange would have been more fitting for the small group. But, for now, the collection of old gym shorts and t-shirts would have to do for Boise State’s all muggle Quidditch team, “The Boise State Abraxan.” They were a bit of a rag-tag bunch sporting a collection of metal and wood handled brooms; a mélange of plastic and straw brushes and one startlingly realistic, if shortened, replica of the
Nimbus 2000. “Brooms up,” was the call. In a mad helter-skelter dash they were off trying to toss a volleyball through plastic rings suspended from the soccer goals and pelt each other with semi-deflated dodge balls. Though the small crew hasn’t reached club status yet, all the paperwork has been submitted and it should become official within the next couple weeks. The Abraxan, the large flying horses that pull Madame Olympe Maxime’s carriage in the fourth Harry Potter book “The Goblet of Fire, were selected as Boise State’s Quidditch
Bryan Talbot/THE ARBITER
mascot by majority vote at a team meeting. Freshman history and secondary education major and Abraxan team captain Stew Driflot said, “We tried to stay close to what Boise State already has with the horse but we also wanted to make our own little thing.” Driflot has high hopes for what becoming an official club can do for Quidditch at Boise State. “There’s a lot of advertising potential so we just spread the word and try to get as many new players as possible. And funding is, of course, a wonderful thing that we could have access to,” Driflot said. Building up team membership is Driflot’s prima-
UNLV hangs on in MW bout
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Muggles grab their brooms
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Michael Steen Staff Writer
The Broncos traveled to Las Vegas on Tuesday night to take on the Running Rebels of UNLV in a game with major NCAA Tournament implications. Riding a four game win streak and coming off a historic night against Colorado State, the Broncos looked to move into solo fourth position in the Mountain West for the time being. The Broncos took down the Running Rebels 77-72 on Feb. 2 at Taco Bell Arena to break a two game losing streak. Tuesday was a different story, however, as the Broncos dropped at heartbreaker at the Thomas & Mack Center, 68-64. The Broncos got off to a hot start, jumping out to a quick 7-0 lead, forcing an early UNLV timeout. The Running Rebels would claw their way back into the game, but not for long, as the Broncos
stretched their lead back out to nine for a good portion of the opening period. Sophomore guard, Derrick Marks, the unstoppable hot hand against Colorado State, was virtually non-existent as he picked up two early fouls and sat the majority of the half. Marks would score just four points in the first half and would finish with that total for the night. Sophomore guard Anthony Drmic led the way for the Broncos in the opening half, scoring 10 of his game high 22 as the Broncos took a 32-25 lead into the break. The tables were turned on the Broncos in the second half, as UNLV opened the period on an 8-0 run to take a 33-32 lead. The Broncos finally got on the board on a Drmic threepointer four minutes into the half to reclaim the lead. With Marks and Drmic in foul trouble and Marks struggling offensively, junior guard,
Jeff Elorriaga, took control for the Broncos on the offensive end of the floor, as he followed Drmic’s 22 points, with 19 of his own. Elorriaga regained the lead for the Broncos late in the half, following three condsecu-
ry concern. He carries his Quidditch broom through campus to entice people into asking him questions so he can invite them to join the team. “He always walks around campus with the damn broom,” said freshman theater major and Quidditch chaser Robyn Monkarsh. “I always hear people saying, ‘I saw a guy with a broom.’ I’m like, ‘Ah. Yeah. It’s Stew.’” Despite her chagrin at Driflot’s insistence on the broom strategy Monkarsh also has dreams of building and expanding the team. It is their goal to travel and compete at Quidditch tournaments all over the west. “I would love to build
up this team so we can have our team there (at tournaments) because right now we’re just going as substitutes for other teams. It would be great if by the time I graduate we have a full-fledged Quidditch team with uniforms and real hoops,” Monkarsh said. According to Driflot they need 20 players to field a game. Right now, there are 12 members. Drilot urges anyone looking for a way to be a little more active, grab a broom and head down to the intramural field on Sunday at noon for open practices. “It’s not just for nerds,” said Driflot. “It’s a full contact co-ed sport.”
tive three-pointers. As both teams battled back-and-forth, Marks sat the bench most of the evening before fouling out with just over three minutes remaining. Drmic, the game’s leading scorer, fouling out with one minute left and the Rebels clinging to a three point lead, spelled trouble for the Bron-
cos. UNLV freshman guard, Katin Reinhardt, put the nail in the coffin for a UNLV win as he got the soft bounce off the rim on his third three pointer of the half, after he started out 0-8 from beyond the arc. The Broncos (20-9, 8-7 in MW) will face San Diego State this Saturday at 1:30 p.m in Taco Bell Arena.
CODY FINNEY/THE ARBITER
Boise State won the first battle against UNLV at Taco Bell Arena 77-72 arbiteronline.com