2021 MLQ Championship Spectator Guide

This spectator's guide originally appeared on the Major League Quidditch website on August 19, 2021. I thank my coworkers who edited the piece and provided statistics.

Friday, August 20
As the day before the 2021 MLQ Championship finally arrives after a long countdown, you’ll want to finalize your checklist for the tournament. The weather in the Mid-Atlantic region is usually hot and humid in August, so plan to wear a light, breathable fabric (like your favorite quidditch jersey). Other must-haves include: some spending money to purchase MLQ merch as well as food and drinks at the event, sunscreen, sunglasses (even if there are clouds in the forecast), and an umbrella, which is useful both as a portable shade structure on the sunny bleachers and in case of a surprise afternoon shower. 

Finally, do not forget to bring a mask or two! MLQ is taking the rise in Delta variant cases very seriously. Howard County, Maryland recently reinstated its indoor mask mandate in county buildings such as the on-site bathrooms at Troy Park, and MLQ is additionally requiring all players, staff and spectators to mask up in outdoor areas where individuals may congregate like vendor tents and spectator areas. We appreciate your understanding as we do our part to keep our communities safe, especially ahead of the start of the school year! Once you have completed your checklist, load everything into a backpack or drawstring bag, which are permitted and even encouraged at the event, and get a good night’s sleep! 

Saturday, August 21
The action starts early on Saturday morning with two pivotal matchups in the play-in bracket. A double elimination tournament with two spots in the Benepe Cup quarterfinals up for grabs, the play-in bracket promises lots of one-off intense games between teams from different parts of the country. Though the games later in the morning are to-be-determined by results, the first matchups of the day at 8:30 a.m. are preset by regular season seedings.

On Pitch One, the League City Legends from outside of Houston, Texas take on the Cleveland Riff, who are making their first appearance at the MLQ Championship since 2016. The Legends hail from the smallest city represented in the league, yet they have proven that they belong on the field while receiving strong support from their community, almost like the Green Bay Packers of the gridiron. They have the ageless wonder, chaser Kody Marshall (No. 1), who helped to revolutionize the sport with his physicality during his days for the first national champion University of Texas squad. They also have a history of springing dramatic upsets, including past triumphs over franchises from Los Angeles and New York and a strategic masterclass over their rival San Antonio earlier this season. While League City is the clear favorite against Cleveland, the Riff and their young beaters will look to give the Legends a taste of their own medicine in the first time slot of the day. 

At the very same time on Pitch Two, the Charlotte Aviators square off against the Detroit Innovators. Charlotte is the first-ever trial expansion team in MLQ, meaning that the Aviators were invited to join the league for a single test season and hope to become a full member franchise next year. They temporarily replaced the Ottawa Black Bears in the East Division, one of two Canadian teams who did not compete this season because of the suspension of cross-border play due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Seizing their opportunity to showcase the emerging talent of their region, the Aviators have already surpassed expectations by qualifying for the 2021 MLQ Championship. In their debut at the marquee event against Detroit, watch for Aviators seeker Ryan Davis (No. 30), who leads the league with six snitch catches. Davis will duel with Innovators seeker Leo Fried (No. 3), who is tied for third on the season with four pulls and also leads the league in takeaways as a chaser with 29.

Two more can’t-miss teams debut in the next time slot at 9:45 a.m. after earning first-round byes in the play-in bracket through their regular season performance: the hometown Washington Admirals and the Kansas City Stampede. With a pass-first offense and an irresistible team spirit, the Admirals are an easy team to root for if you are a local. Look for chaser Julia Baer (No. 53) to make an impact on both sides of the ball. Baer is a University of Richmond alum and Team USA player who won two league titles with the Boston Forge before moving back to the Mid-Atlantic region. She brings a championship pedigree to the team that is heavily favored to advance out of the play-in bracket. For the Kansas City Stampede, one of the youngest teams in the league, the story is all about rising star chaser Darian Murcek-Ellis (No. 2), who introduced himself to a national audience with 17 goals in his first three games of the year.

After you have seen every team in the play-in bracket — and snapped a picture of their beautiful jerseys designed by Nick Leimbach and VII Apparel for your kaleidoscopic post-tournament photo collage — head over to the merchandise tent to browse the collection for yourself. What is your favorite jersey in the league? What color schemes do you like the best? What do you notice about the logos? (Hint: Quidditch is a mixed-gender sport and the branding of our franchises strives to reflect that!) For an even larger display of quidditch paraphernalia, visit the MLQ jersey exchange. If you have an old jersey on hand and you are interested in participating in one of the most unique traditions in the sport, drop off your former kit on Saturday morning and return on Saturday evening or Sunday morning to acquire a new one for free. 

As the play-in bracket wraps up in the late morning and early afternoon, catch bits and pieces of a few more games before heading to the food trucks for lunch. On Saturday, you can check out Althea’s Almost Famous Jamaican catering and pick up a snow cone in the afternoon from Happy Hippo. On Sunday, you can get Smoke Stack’s House of BBQ and return for yet another snow cone! Find your way back to the fields before the high-stakes final play-in game at 2:30 p.m. with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. Strike up a conversation on the sidelines if there is a rule you are trying to understand or a team you want to know more about. 

Wherever the tournament takes you, 3:30 p.m. marks the start of the championship bracket for the coveted Benepe Cup — named after real-life quidditch founder Alex Benepe. With the potential for upsets and thrilling back-and-forth swings between closely contested teams, the quarterfinals are arguably the most exciting round of the tournament. Four different best-of-three series will unfold in alternating timeslots for the rest of the afternoon, with unexpected twists and turns almost guaranteed. 

The reigning champion and most storied team in the league, the Boston Forge, kick off the action on Pitch Two against the North Division champion Minneapolis Monarchs, who got to choose their opponent in the first round and made the gutsiest pick possible. The Monarchs, an expansion franchise in 2019, opted to challenge the team with three titles to their name and one of the most impactful beaters in the sport in Max Havlin (No. 14). While Boston dropped series to New York and Washington in the regular season and finished second in the East Division unlike past years, Minneapolis showed immense trust in their deep beating corps, especially starting beater Sean Pagoada (No. 6), in deciding to face the Benepe Cup holders. 

Simultaneously on Pitch One, the San Antonio Soldados meet the Indianapolis Intensity in a rematch of the most riveting series from the 2019 MLQ Championship. Indianapolis entered the series as the four-time North Division champion and the higher seed, but San Antonio scored a memorable upset with their lightning-quick fastbreak offense and tricky zone defense. Now, the Soldados begin the weekend as the favorite and the Intensity will have to surprise the doubters. Keep your eyes on beaters like Kylie McBride (No. 93) for San Antonio and Tim Kwan (No. 8) for Indianapolis, who won the last two college national titles with the University of Texas and the University of Rochester respectively.

Finally, at 4:30 p.m., you will get your first look at the co-favorites for the 2021 Benepe Cup title: the East Division champion New York Titans and the South Division victor Austin Outlaws. The Titans technically enter as the number one overall seed because of a higher strength of schedule, but New York is coming off its first-ever division title, never having dispatched the archrival Boston Forge in a three-game series before this season. They are relatively new arrivals to true title contention. A big part of their breakthrough this year has been chaser J.C. Arencibia (No. 88) and his ability to drive through tackles and rip shots from distance. 

Indeed, with two previous league trophies in 2017 and 2018, the Outlaws are expected by many quidditch players to return to the top in 2021. They have the most decorated individual athlete in quidditch, keeper Augustine Monroe (No. 10), who leads the team on offense with 29 goals and 20 assists. But Austin prides itself on the defensive side of the ball. In addition to her 20 goals, chaser Kaci Erwin (No. 2) in particular is one of the most feared tacklers in the game, a headliner to a roster that is filled with Team USA veterans and standout performers. After falling in the finals of the most recent MLQ Championship to the Boston Forge, the Outlaws will attempt to once again prove the old maxim that defense wins championships.

With a long day behind you, head to the Mutiny Pirate Bar and Island Grille for dinner, where you can cool off and keep watching the tournament on television! Located conveniently at the entrance to Troy Park, Mutiny Pirate Bar is showing the games from the nearby fields all weekend, so you won’t miss a moment. You can enjoy a meal and a drink while seeing live quidditch with onscreen scoreboards, trained commentary, referee microphones and postgame interviews. You won’t want to leave your seat! By tuning into the livestream, you will also join a worldwide community of quidditch players in almost 40 countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and Brazil, that is following the tournament online.

Sunday, August 22
For the most part, you know what you are doing by now and what you enjoy the most, whether it is spectating specific teams in-person, browsing around the merchandise tent or watching the livestream at Mutiny Pirate Bar. You will want to know a couple of important times, location changes and special events for day two of the tournament though. First, the opening best-of-three semifinals series begins at 9 a.m. on Pitch One, which will shift slightly within the beautiful Troy Park complex to a larger field. The second best-of-three semifinals series starts at 10 a.m. in the same place, as the two matchups will trade off every hour on the featured field until the finalists are determined. The semifinals are sure to produce emotional performances and highlight-reel plays as teams attempt to write their place in history.

Meanwhile, over on Pitch Two, MLQ will host its inaugural Next Gen Showcase, a chance for practice squad players to compete against each other. Though MLQ is the highest level of quidditch in North America, the league is dedicated to developing the talents of tomorrow and strengthening the sport at the grassroots level. Expect to see the tables turned as older, more experienced players in the stands root for younger, less experienced players on the field.

Last but not least before the finals, don’t miss the closing ceremonies at 3 p.m. on Pitch One, where the co-commissioners Amanda Dallas and Ethan Sturm will announce the divisional MVP awards sponsored by the Under Armour Brand House in Columbia, Maryland and the volunteer and manager of the season awards. A short break will follow as the two remaining teams start their warm-ups. What do you notice about the team drills they run or the pregame routines of your favorite players to watch? 

As you will soon find out, the Benepe Cup finals are a unique experience because the players will hear their names announced before the games with walk-up music and more. It is the closest real-life quidditch players come to the hype that athletes in professional sports stadiums feel before a game. Cheer loudly and settle in with the crowd for a best-of-three series that will determine the next champion. Remember, only two teams have ever hoisted the Benepe Cup: the Boston Forge and the Austin Outlaws. And since those esteemed programs were slotted into the same side of the bracket, at least one franchise will get the chance to compete for its first title. Stick around for the trophy presentation at the conclusion of the final match.

Monday, August 23
But wait, there’s more! MLQ will host the hugely anticipated Take Back the Pitch tournament on Monday. A showcase for athletes who are not cis men, Take Back the Pitch will challenge your understanding of gender in quidditch and create an opportunity for some of the best cis and trans women, non-binary folk and trans men in the sport to compete on the field together. With the first games beginning at 9 a.m., the event will feature four teams drafted in advance by general managers selected from a pool of applicants. In the morning, the games will take place simultaneously on two pitches, just like the days before, in a round robin format.

For the Kyoshi Warriors, the team drafted by New York Titans manager Mitch Usis that is named for the order of female warriors in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, watch out for chaser Emma Vazquez. Vazquez will have played a key role for the revamped Detroit Innovators offense if they defeat the Charlotte Aviators and make a run through the play-in bracket. Ocean’s 17, a reference to the Ocean’s 8 heist comedy film, will feature the talents of local Washington Admirals and Team USA keeper Rachel Heald. A veteran ballhandler at the top of the key, Heald leads all women in the league with 10 assists.

The final two teams, Team Ruth Bader Winsburg and The Red Guardians, were both drafted by women who serve in coaching positions for their franchises. Mel Kite is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Soldados and Jeannette High is the head coach for the Detroit Innovators. They will look to bring their coaching expertise to game plan for their opponents and put their players in the best position to succeed. Look for the advantage that they provide in the placement games: the third-place playoff at 1 p.m. and the championship match at 2 p.m.

Jack McGovern is the Press Coordinator for Major League Quidditch.