Originally Posted by Grangerfn1

Yes, yes - the students certainly had a grasp on many of the ideas and concepts necessary to fly well. Professor James was not entirely sure whether Captain Dixon had been referring to a beater's bat or a bat with wings, but it was a wise tip either way. "Superb! Points for your answers," she chimed merrily.
As the students began the task, Professor James moseyed up and down the pathway between the two rows, offering a knowing nod and smile to the students who had little trouble with the current assignment. "Remember to be confident," she advised the ones who were having a tough time. "This exercise is meant to establish a mutual connection between you and your broomstick. Don't yell at it, but show it who's boss. Relax, breathe, and make it come to you."

Out of the corner of her eye, Professor James kept watch of the three Board of Governors candidates on the pitch. They were making her nervous only because she was concerned that they might be making the new flyers anxious. For many of them, the thought of flying was scary enough; surely having an audience was not going to make it any easier.

Regardless, James swiftly clapped her hands four times, both to praise the students and get their attention. She picked up a spare school broomstick and held it out for them to see. "Before we take flight, I want you to take note of a few things. First, these school brooms may be old, but do not doubt them - they are mighty fine instruments. Brooms have personalities of their own and in many cases, they are capable of syncing with their riders. That is why it is important to carry out the 'Up!' exercise with an unfamiliar broom; you are forming a bond with it that is generally already there when you have your own broomstick. A broom's capability is determined by its rider."

She twisted the broomstick so that the tail was facing toward the ground. "Once you have your broomstick in your hands, hold it parallel to the grass and mount it like so," she demonstrated by kicking one leg over the broomstick. "Angle the tail toward the ground as you do so. If you're a bit nervous about discomfort, remember that brooms have cushioning charms - once we take flight, you'll find that it's not as bad as you'd think." She even went through and checked all the cushioning charms to make sure they had not worn off over the years before the term began, just to be sure.

"As your classmates noted earlier, grip is important - please place your dominant hand above the other on the broom handle. For right-handed flyers like myself, grasp the handle with your right hand then follow up with your left hand underneath. The opposite goes for those of you who are left-handed." Professor James observed the students' grips as she spoke, "A relaxed grip is crucial; tension will make you prone to crashes. Your dominant hand is on top to control steering - your broom will respond to the slightest movements." Well, at least a new, proper broom would. But she didn't mention that. It was better to have the students use subtle movements than overcompensate and go flying into one another.

"Now, to become airbourne - not now, on my mark - you will gently kick off the ground like so," she demonstrated, hovering a few feet above the ground. "To land, gently nudge the broomstick handle downward - the more gentle you are, the slower and more carefully you will descend." She landed nicely, dismounted her broomstick, and surveyed the class once more with a bright smile. "On my whistle, I would like you to kick off the ground gently, hover for a moment, then carefully return to the ground. No joy rides just yet - get a feel for the broom and how sensitive it is. It will respond to the slightest guidance of the handle. Got it?"

Before bringing the whistle up to her lips, she gave pointed looks to a few of the older kids as if to say, Be patient. You'll get to fly in a moment. She followed the look up with a knowing grin, sharing their anticipation, and blew the whistle with a quick TWEET![/color]

Originally Posted by Grangerfn1

Minus a minor broom incident between two Hufflepuffs(who earned themselves a concerned look from the professor) and a flying hat, everyone seemed to be progressing wonderfully!

"Yes, yes, brilliant work, everyone! Taking off will generally be as simple as that, but landing can be a bit trickier when you're flying faster and parallel to the ground. You have to carefully approach your descent - you'll want to lean away from the broomstick handle to slow yourself down and tilt the broomstick gently toward the ground to have a successful, smooth landing," Professor James advised, not wanting the young ones to think touching down would be as simple as going up and back down. She didn't want any of them to panic at the last moment after they were properly airbourne.

Aaand for the fun directions - the kind that meant they were almost ready for a proper take-off. "Once you're in flight, you will find that lowering your body toward your broomstick will speed you up, then leaning away from it and nudging the handle upward slightly will slow you down. You will use your dominant hand to steer - remember, the slightest movements to the left or right will take you in the direction you want to go. To ascend, pull back on the broomstick handle - once again, gently is key - we don't want you falling off the back end. Beginners especially, do not remove both hands from your broom handle. " The present Quidditch players certainly could, but it probably wasn't wise to encourage the new flyers to do the same. And she already mentioned how to descend.

"As this is a lesson on the basics, today we will practice controlling the broom," Professor James announced brightly, removing her wand from its holster and removing the disillusionment charm from one side of the pitch to reveal white poles perpendicular to the ground, hovering ten feet above the grass in a staggered line.

Text Cut: Visual

"I've set up a couple of exercises today. On this side of the pitch," she gestured to the white poles, "is your first task - we have an area to practice making turns. Turning is a vital part of flying, of course - for example, when it comes to Quidditch, one must be able to swiftly sneak by opponents with ease! Today, your mission will be to weave in and out of the poles without touching them. You can take your time, try to go as fast as you can, time yourselves, or partner up and race a friend - but if you bump a pole, even if it's just with the twig of your broomstick tail, you'll have to go back and start at the beginning!"

A simple drill, really, but surely those who were itching to fly would find the option of competition to be alluring while those who needed to practice the basics could do so as well.

"The space here in the center of the pitch will be used for general flying purposes throughout the remainder of the lesson; if anyone wants to practice flying and getting used to your broomstick, feel free to do so before or after attempting the activity, but please steer clear of the activity areas with the joyriding," Professor James gestured to both far ends of the pitch.

"For those who wish to dive right into the activity, please kick off and fly over to that," she pointed to her designated starting area, "end of the poles, form a line for either set - they're the same, I promise - and begin!" And those who wanted to fly around the center of the pitch for a bit could do so. "If anyone has any questions," she was mostly talking to those who had never flown before, "feel free to ask!"

OOC: Even though your characters have to wait in line, go ahead and post as if they're at the front of the line and have at it! Also, at least three posts are required for full points for this part of the activity with a minimum of two good-sized paragraphs in each post; the posts can consist of general flying practice or taking part in the activity, depending on what your character is most comfortable with right now. Take creative liberty and have fun with this!