For Asian Heritage (also celebrated as Asian American and Pacific Islander) Month, we wanted to highlight our athletes for what they bring to the pitch, but also how they affect their community inside and outside the league.
Beater, Teacher and Le(e)ader Extraordinaire
Leeanne Dillmann of the Boston Forge began playing quidditch at Emerson College roughly 10 years ago.
What got you started in quidditch? What was one moment where you really knew you’d want to stay?
I thought it would be funny to be the snitch and be a troll, but I was a bad snitch. The school I went to didn’t have any recreational sports and this was something that was active and the community was pretty great, so I decided to stick with it. I think my time on the Boston Riot, Emerson’s B-team, really solidified for me what quidditch was about: going to cool locations with friends and having a good time.
What other activities or jobs do you hold outside of quidditch?
I’m a high school math teacher and I coach track. I recently have become incredibly invested in Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the US! My favorite part about pickleball is getting outplayed by 60-year-olds who also are so kind and complimentary.
If you had to use one quote to describe how you try to live your life, or one mantra you live by, what would it be?
If it’s not fun, it’ll be funny some day. I try not to take things too seriously, it’s important to have a chuckle now and again.
If you could meet yourself from five years ago and give a piece of advice, what would it be?
I’d say chill out and take things less personally. I feel like I always ran around with a chip on my shoulder and tried to out-spite others. Now, I’m just content to play pickleball and spades whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Is there anything else you want to add or say to the general quidditch community?
Let female beaters seeker beat. I can only speak from my experience as a female player, but that is an area in which I think our community can still seek improvement and growth.
A Place to Belong, A Place to Feel Strong
Austin Villejo played for the Austin Outlaws in 2016 and is currently a San Antonio Soldado. He started playing quidditch his freshman year of college for UTSA.
What got you started in quidditch? What was one moment where you really knew you’d want to stay?
Just a fanboy having the opportunity to live out a fiction fantasy. Never did I imagine that this fantasy would introduce me to an amazing community. The people I’ve met and friends I’ve made are all so incredibly kind and truly made me feel welcomed. As an Asian American growing up in the states, I was always a target of racial slurs and discrimination, whether that be in a subtle or apparent manner. As a shy kid from Taiwan, being a part of this community has allowed me to gain more confidence and help shape the person that I am today. I am proud to be a part of this sport/community.
What other activities or jobs do you hold outside of quidditch?
I am a designer at an architecture firm.
If you had to use one quote to describe how you try to live your life, or one mantra you live by, what would it be?
真心換絕情 花心爽不停
“Sincerely change the unfeeling, and the heart is refreshing” would be the translation from Google. It is a saying that describes a mindset of never being contemptuous, and you can always strive for more.
If you could meet yourself from five years ago and give a piece of advice, what would it be?
Doge to the moon!
Is there anything else you want to add or say to the general quidditch community?
No matter how others may view this sport, playing quidditch is really hard. Holding a broom between our legs sure is unconventional. I found myself struggling when I first started playing, but there’s a learning curve for all beginner quidditch athletes. As I turn into the 8 to 5 corporate slave, it is more and more challenging to find time to play quidditch and also to keep going all day long, but at the end of the day, it always leaves me wanting more.
Keeping People Healthy and Safe 24/7
Rosie Craine is the MLQ Player Health and Safety Manager. She has been pivotal to MLQ’s Return to Play Guidelines creation and maintenance and the improvement of the league’s concussion-related resources.
How long have you been involved with quidditch?
This is actually my first step into the quidditch world! I am not on an active team but I am the MLQ Player Health and Safety Manager, so I work a lot with the gameplay staff.
What got you started? What was one moment where you really knew you’d want to stay?
Shoutout to MLQ Marketing Director Tuesday Nolen for showing me how great quidditch is! For quite some time quidditch was on the back burner. As a DIII student-athlete, I didn’t have a ton of free time. I knew I wanted to stay when I saw how dedicated the staff are to the game and how welcoming everyone is at MLQ!
What other activities or jobs do you hold outside of quidditch?
As for my “day job,” I am a Certified Athletic Trainer and licensed to practice in the state of Illinois. I enjoy anything that keeps me moving! Longboarding, rollerblading, weightlifting and my recreational fastpitch softball league come to mind!
If you had to use one quote to describe how you try to live your life, or one mantra you live by, what would it be?
I don’t think I can pick one mantra, but I live my life with strong morals. I’m pretty quiet until someone gets to know me and, even then, I don’t like speaking in front of more than five people. Dedication, effort and kindness will get you places in my book. A few quotes that stand out to me are “Whatever you are, be a good one” and “Work in silence, let success be your noise”.
If you could meet yourself from five years ago and give a piece of advice, what would it be?
Be kinder to yourself. There are enough people who will give you a hard time. Don’t let yourself be one of them.
What is your position within MLQ? How do you feel you impact quidditch through your volunteer work? Is there any other volunteer work you’ve been proud of?
I’m the MLQ Player Health and Safety Manager! As for my background, I grew up playing a ton of sports, including in college. I know everyone has different experiences but knowing what I know from years of sports and as a healthcare professional, I am all about keeping up the competitive nature of quidditch while doing so in the safest ways possible. Whatever way I can help move the game forward, I’m happy to!
Making the Future Better Across North America
Ema Shiroma-Chao is the MLQ DEI Assistant Director and a seasoned quidditch athlete and volunteer.
How long have you been playing quidditch? And when was your first MLQ season?
It’s been pretty much a decade! I started playing quidditch in 2009 with McGill University and my first (and so far, only) MLQ season was in 2017 with the Ottawa Black Bears. I was an active player until the end of Fall 2018 when a move distanced me from practicing on a more regular basis. Since then, I’ve tried to play whenever given an opportunity. For example, a summer off in 2019 meant traveling back home to the West Coast and participating in some rec play, including Vancouver Fantasy and West Fantasy. The pandemic has halted most chances to play since then, but I’m hoping I can get back to it in the near future.
What got you started in quidditch? What was one moment where you really knew you’d want to stay?
I stumbled upon McGill Quidditch at an orientation event. At the time, I was looking for something to fill the void of dragon boating, a sport I was involved in throughout high school back home in Vancouver. Because Montreal’s climate only allows for outdoor practice in the summer, it was on my mind to be on the lookout for an active hobby and quidditch ended up being a perfect match. I wasn’t immediately sold on it, but a couple of new music school friends signed up to try it with me (spoiler: I was the only one to stay in the long term). I realized very quickly after stepping onto the pitch that the sport offers so many possibilities when it comes to strategy and I got hooked trying to “solve” the game. Of course, I am also incredibly thankful for the social circle I found.
What other activities or jobs do you hold outside of quidditch?
I’m currently an ESL teacher, a violin instructor, an orchestral musician and servant to Ginny the yellow Lab mix.
What is your position within MLQ? How do you feel you impact quidditch through your volunteer work?
I’m currently a member of MLQ’s DEI team and am proud to be fostering a greater sense of diversity, representation and inclusion within the North American quidditch community.
Is there anything else you want to add or say to the general quidditch community?
Whether it’s on or off the pitch, everyone in this sport has something to learn and offer all of the time. Experience is nothing if you let it grow stale.
Care About the Community, Care About the World
Tim Kwan has been playing quidditch for five years, starting his career in 2014 at University of Rochester. He was part of the Boston Forge in 2018 and currently plays for Indianapolis Intensity.
What got you started in quidditch? What was one moment where you really knew you’d want to stay?
I started playing quidditch on a whim during orientation. Everyone was so nice and inviting, I just had to stay! But I think what kept me involved in the community was its commitment to diversity and inclusion. Quidditch really is the only all-gender sport I’ve ever played, and I’m glad it’s helped me recognize and improve upon my gender biases.
What other activities or jobs do you hold outside of quidditch?
I’m a graduate student at Midwestern University.
If you could meet yourself from 5 years ago and give a piece of advice, what would it be?
Be proud of yourself. Tell yourself that you did a good job; don’t wait for or rely on someone else to do it for you. We’re all very critical of ourselves, and I personally struggle with self-confidence and insecurities. So to the little voice inside your head that says that you’re not good enough, go out there and prove that voice wrong and continue to love yourself.
Is there anything else you want to add or say to the general quidditch community?
Thank you for being such an incredibly welcoming community. We still have a lot of work to do to improve equality in our sport, but I’m glad to see the strides we’ve taken. Support Black and AANHPI communities, and free Palestine!