Tournament Throwback: Intergalaktik Cup

Vienna Vanguards at an international Quidditch tournament in Turkey

After having played at Intergalaktik Cup in Adana for three years consecutively, January 2021 will be a sad exception to this tradition of ours. We want to use the time to look back at one of the best tournaments there is, and to tell you why you should plan to visit Intergalaktik Cup in the future as well.

An Adventurous Journey

Via Istanbul you land in Adana, famous for its Adana Kebab and orange plantations - it's one of the biggest cities in Turkey and its best known sight is the Sabancı Mosque, which is the second biggest mosque in the country.

If you don’t not know your way around the airport it might happen that you find yourself at the domestic terminal while your luggage may end up at the other end of the airport at the international arrival. Persistence and a certain use of hand signals may be key to finding your way around and retrieving your luggage.

My first Intergalaktik Cup I was the very first one to arrive. I used my technique of “follow the people”, not knowing that the airport bus would bring me to the domestic terminal while my luggage ended up at the international arrival. After realizing that my suitcase was missing and not knowing any turkish I had to rely on sign language to communicate. A LOT of confusion later I found my way to the international terminal, which is a different building. Once I managed to communicate my issue there as well somebody picked me up and ushered me through the building from the departure area to the arrival hall, and there my lone suitcase was. When my teammate Christian arrived and had the same issue I already knew how to handle it. We quickly got his baggage and were picked up from the airport by Kaan’s lovely parents. - Josephine

The best weather!?

With an average temperature of 19.2°C and low rainfall Adana promises to be a sunny destination, even in winter times. This assumption can be deceptive.

While we spent 2018 enjoying the sun and consequently having to ask our Norwegian opponents for sunscreen, we won't forget the 2019 mud fest anytime soon. However, although each and every one of us got covered head to toe in mud while playing, it did no harm to our good mood. Once you’re muddy you need to embrace it - and the thought of the upcoming Hamam was enough to help us get over our initial despair.

It will be sunny, they said! Don’t forget your sunscreen! As it turns out it is not always sunny in Turkey. And the tried and true calculation was proven again: quidditch + rain + pitch = mud. Just that Intergalaktik Cup 2019 topped everything I had seen and experienced before concerning the amount of mud that can gather on one pitch. Our hosts shoveled water and mud from the pitch, you couldn’t run without slipping or getting stuck in the mud, you could not hold a ball. However, after the first shock settled and we were soon caked in layers of dirt we all channeled the inner child in us that likes to throw mud at others.

On the second day of Intergalaktik Cup 2019 it was really muddy and the tournament team were able to make the pitches playable by shoveling a lot of mud out of the way. This meant that there was a huge puddle of mud in between the pitches. In one of the games of that day Borut from the Space Invaders was Snitch Runner and we, the spectators, had lots of fun watching him throwing seekers to the ground and into the puddle of mud next to the pitch. - Matthias

An all-inclusive tournament

Intergalaktik Cup is clearly an all-around experience. Hosted by the METU Unicorns it is extremely well organised, with accommodation, food, tournament format, shuttle service to and from the pitch, the social and the airport as well as the socials itselfs professionally taken care of.

You don’t have to worry about anything. The Unicorns thought about everything. From home-made lunch to the shuttle buses that brought us to the pitch, back to the hotel or to the social. It’s truly an all-inclusive tournament.

Next to an array of Turkish teams the crowd usually consists of the Norwegian team OSI Vikings, regulars by now, as well as 2-3 other international teams, mostly German-speaking. The Swiss tournament format sees all teams ranked according to their estimated abilities and placed into three groups. This leads to exciting matches on the first day as well as to a large number of even matches, although it can of course happen that you play against the same teams more often.

Vienna Vanguards Ranking

2018: 4th place

2019: shared 3rd place with the Metu Unicorns

2020: 6th place

A rich social experience

One feature that really sets the tournament apart is its exceptional socials. Organized with love, the Unicorns try to offer a comprehensive experience: from original Turkish food and music, to hamam visits and dance nights that make the hotel floor shake. Turkish socials never disappoint.

On Saturday after an exciting group phase followed by some mixed friendlies the Unicorns brought us to a little restaurant in the city center, where we got served an amazing variety of Turkish food accompanied by a traditional Turkish live music. After we finished our dinner the Unicorns started dancing in the middle of the restaurant and soon we all joined in. I will never forget the moment Jakob Lenz got challenged to show off his belly dancing skills. Surprisingly he had some real moves and shook his hips left and right as if there was no tomorrow. Simply iconic! - Wögi

We can’t wait for the next one!