CCF Trials

[alt_cedric]

It is always exciting to watch people competing by pushing themselves to the limit. Some of our best and brightest are out there racing in the bitter cold. I sure hope they were all paying attention last year when Mr Marvolo and I had to dive into that cold, cold lake. I can say that this time around I'm quite happy to be standing around with my hat, coat, gloves and warming charms while enjoying the view. Not being one of those out striving I can stand back and admire the beautiful and well-proportioned scenery and birds as a backdrop to the contest. Whatever they are doing in the maze sure is noisy, peel after peel of sound rolling out of there.

I have to agree with Megan watching a standing stone hop out of the woods was amusing. I'm also very glad the our resident wonder the Squid did not decide to get involved today. It's good to watch our fellow students powering through obstacles without qualms or hesitations.

Comments

[alt_umbridge]

I am so glad that you showed a proper interest in the activity to come out and watch. Do feel free to give appropriate feedback to any of the students for whom it might be appropriate, though of course I would like to know what you share.

One teensy correction - surely, you want to put your best foot forward in public writing - that it should be peal, above.

[alt_cedric]

Several students failed in casting specific spells. Some succeeded on second tries, others tried other more creative, less brute force approaches. Both of those paths have merit, but in dangerous, high stress combat or near combat situations casting a spell which you are insufficiently proficient with is often worse than casting nothing at all. Clearly they felt pressure to push beyond their comfort zones in spell choice. Not knowing exactly what instructions they were given I can't say whether I think those were at fault or if the students simply responded poorly to the high stress situation with physical impediments (I saw at least one failed cast that was clearly due to wand hand shaking so badly from the cold). All of my comments would be on that theme.

Since his arrival here, each year in Defence Professor Raz has lectured strenuously on proper spell choice and the incredible amount of repetitive practice it takes to make the proper response instinctual. You don't get the necessary level instinctual response without it. For example fifth years just haven't cast the Cardinals enough to make them a good choice in anything other than a pure learning environment. Maybe in the future he could be brought in before such events to give a short lecture on the topic tailored to the tasks at hand?

I'm sorry to have displayed poor word choice in public. I must only plead that homonyms make things hard and I was working without my normal support of a dictionary to check out those sorts of things. I know 'peel' was there on the page and I stared at it. Then I stared at 'peel' some more and just couldn't decide if 'peal' or 'peel' was more fit. Once I start looking at things like that they turn 'round and 'round in my head 'till I don't know if they look better coming or going and decide to pick up the first choice. In the end that's a generous way of saying it really is breast best if I work with a dictionary when witting up potion assays or other written essays.

[alt_umbridge]

Indeed, Mr Diggory. I am certain our students will take your experienced advice to heart.

As to the comments on Professor Lestrange, I do certainly intend to discuss various matters in more detail with him in the near future. You are quite right that one's choices can be greatly influenced by one's past experience.