Quadball through Shalina

As I have covered quad ball (I mentioned how they changed the name of the sport due to copyrights). I have come to realize how much heart the team has. Even though their numbers are small, it does not stop them from going to practices and playing tournaments by teaming up with other colleges. The one thing I learned was how coordinated you have to be. It's a team sport so It is important to make sure that you don't play by yourself or completely take over the ball.

Shalina Sabih played Quadball for the first time on April 10, at Penberthy Fields

WHY SHOULD YOU JOIN THE TEXAS A&M QUADBALL TEAM?

Flexible

The team meets every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 6:30-8:30 pm. They practice at the Penberthy fields, usually field #13. The team communicates frequently through Discord (I mentioned the link to join in my previous texts) and their email is tamuquid.social@gmail.com.

Stay Fit

Now this might be surprising but quad ball is very hard. Some athletes have told these players that they would never play this game because it "looks easy" or "it's just a bunch of Harry Potter nerds" but that is not the case at all. The game is not called quidditch anymore and it is very different from the wizarding world sport.

Being a part of a team

Everyone wants a sense of belonging and if you are a part of this team they definitely make you feel like you are one of them. In my time covering this team, I have seen them ask random people to come out and play with them. On two separate occasions, I brought my friends to act as cameramen and the team was so welcoming and asked them to play. They also guide you through what to do step by step.

Welcoming

The team is so nice from start to finish. They introduce themselves and say hi when you join the Discord. Members such as Shawnee Vaughn made sure to get a list of snacks everyone wanted for Nationals and she also texts memes that remind people to drink water. Their coach Carlos Elarba will walk you through how to play quad ball. If you're like me and worry people will laugh at you if you mess up then don't fret as this team does not care about the mistakes as they are seen as an opportunity to learn

My personal experience

After following the team and their journey for weeks I finally decided to get a first-hand experience on what playing quadball is like. I am a very uncoordinated person so holding a pole with my thighs at all times was hard. The more I played I got used to it but there was still a lot I had to think about. Coach Elarba worked with me 1 on 1 so I did not get attacked by bludgers or chased by other people. I can't imagine how much harder it would have been if I was playing with other people around. What helped me the most was the constant mental reminder that there was a stick I had to hold onto at all times. I am glad I did this when it was bright out because I could see the ball clearly.

Here is the link to my newest video that I made: https://youtube.com/shorts/poEDrkBx9g8?feature=shared

This video was made during the daytime and I had so much fun learning how to play Quadball.

Shalina Sabih practices how to play Quadball with Carlos Elarba at the Penberthy fields

Nationals

Nationals were held in Round Rock this year. The team had 3 games on Saturday and 2 games on Sunday. Check-in for nationals began on Friday, April 12. There were two different slots for people to check in, 5-7 p.m. at the Hanovers Draught House or 10:30-11:00 p.m. at Austin Marriott North.

The Quadball team prepared for their Nationals game against The Oddballs on April 13, in Round Rock, Tx.