by Cody Lewis
What happened next, however, was not.
Krum beat Lynch to the Snitch and Bulgaria lost the 1994 Quidditch World Cup to Ireland, 170-160. Many defend Krum's actions as an act of pride and honor. He ended the game on his own terms. He limited Ireland – a team that had defeated its previous three opponents by an average of almost five-hundred points – to a ten point margin of victory. To many, Krum was a hero.
“I disagree,” says Krum's former teammate, Natalia Ivanova. “We could have won that game. Viktor didn't even give us a chance.”
Ivanova is not alone. Many experts agree that Bulgaria still had a shot at winning. They note that, while Bulgaria's Chasers were completely outmatched by Ireland's Troy, Mullett, and Moran and their infamous Hawkshead Attack Formation, next to Krum, Ivanova was the next fastest flier on the pitch. Ivanova had already broken free to score Bulgaria's first and only goal. Who is to say she couldn't do it again?
Krumming – catching the Snitch while losing by more than one-hundred fifty points – has become more and more popular over the years. Since the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, krumming has occurred in the British and Irish Quidditch League fifty-three times – about once in every eight
“We know we aren't going to win. I just want to catch as fast as possible so that our supporters have something to cheer about,” says Romanovski.
Romanovski krummed again last weekend against the Wimbourne Wasps. At the time of the catch, the Wasps led the Cannons by seventeen goals. The Cannons lost by only two goals.
“Losing by only two goals is a victory to us,” says Romanovski. “I had never heard our supporters cheer so loud before.”
The Cannons are not the only team that practices krumming. Other teams use krumming as a strategic move. Because ties among teams with identical win-loss records are decided by margin of victory, giving up fewer points in chasing can sometimes be beneficial.
However, there are some teams that refuse to let their Seekers krum. Kenmare Kestrals manager Eoghan Mehaffey tells his Seekers not to catch unless it results in victory. To Mehaffey, krumming is against the unspoken code of Quidditch.
“Quidditch players are taught early on to play the game a certain way,” Mehaffey explains. “There are a few unspoken rules that shouldn't be broken: you don't cherry pick, you don't , and you absolutely do not krum.”
Viktor Krum's influence on the game is undeniable. His daring style of play has been admired worldwide for almost two decades. He has done so many great things throughout his career. Krumming, however, is not one of them.
British and Irish Quidditch League: Week 1 Results
Ballycastle Bats (1-0) 270
Tutshill Tornados (0-1) 140
Appleby Arrows (1-0) 390
Caerphilly Catapults (0-1) 100
Montrose Magpies (1-0) 560
Wigtown Wanderers (0-1) 0
Pride of Portree (0-1) 340
Kenmare Kestrals (1-0) 480
Chudley Cannons (0-1) 200
Wimbourne Wasps (1-0) 220
Holyhead Harpies (1-0) 620
Falmouth Falcons (0-1) 440