Wall of Fame
Class Project
Tribute to a Broom Maker
I sat down with the owner Flyte and Barker, makers of the Twigger 90. I couldn't find the actual name of the person who founded it...
Kyrie: Hello, sir Before we begin, I'm afraid I must ask your name because I could not find it anywhere!
Owner: I'm afraid I cannot give you that information. Due to the failure of my company I have decided to keep my identity hidden.
K: Okay then...I shall just call you Twiggy! What was the inspiration behind the Twigger 90?
T: I wanted to take down those little brats over at Nimbus.
K: I take it you are not very fond of Nimbus then?
T: No! They are brats who have just gotten lucky with their brooms!
K: Ah, I see. What do you think led to your bad luck with the Twigger 90?
T: Well, that was probably my fear of flying.
K: Wait...you are afraid of flying and yet you owned a broom company?
T: Yes, is that a problem?
K: No, not at all. Back to the question of the bad luck with the Twigger 90...
T: Yes, I hate flying and therefore when the broom was being tested, I refused to let anyone fly it over 30 miles an hour.
K: Did you really think no one would fly it faster than that?
T: No! Why would anyone do that?!
K: Well..quidditch players do nee-
T: QUIDDITCH PLAYERS! DO NOT MENTION THEM TO ME! THEY ARE AS BAD AS NIMBUS!
K: Oh, um, well, I probably shouldn't mention that I'm the Ravenclaw Captain then.
T: I'm done here.
And with that Twiggy walked off! He was quite an interesting character, but I can't say I'm surprised the broom failed!
- Kyrie Adderholt, ky830, Ravenclaw
Kyrie: Hello, sir Before we begin, I'm afraid I must ask your name because I could not find it anywhere!
Owner: I'm afraid I cannot give you that information. Due to the failure of my company I have decided to keep my identity hidden.
K: Okay then...I shall just call you Twiggy! What was the inspiration behind the Twigger 90?
T: I wanted to take down those little brats over at Nimbus.
K: I take it you are not very fond of Nimbus then?
T: No! They are brats who have just gotten lucky with their brooms!
K: Ah, I see. What do you think led to your bad luck with the Twigger 90?
T: Well, that was probably my fear of flying.
K: Wait...you are afraid of flying and yet you owned a broom company?
T: Yes, is that a problem?
K: No, not at all. Back to the question of the bad luck with the Twigger 90...
T: Yes, I hate flying and therefore when the broom was being tested, I refused to let anyone fly it over 30 miles an hour.
K: Did you really think no one would fly it faster than that?
T: No! Why would anyone do that?!
K: Well..quidditch players do nee-
T: QUIDDITCH PLAYERS! DO NOT MENTION THEM TO ME! THEY ARE AS BAD AS NIMBUS!
K: Oh, um, well, I probably shouldn't mention that I'm the Ravenclaw Captain then.
T: I'm done here.
And with that Twiggy walked off! He was quite an interesting character, but I can't say I'm surprised the broom failed!
- Kyrie Adderholt, ky830, Ravenclaw
I decided to interview Devlin Whitehorn, who is 1967 founded the Nimbus Racing Broom company and released the Nimbus 1000.
Mr. Whitehorn, thank you for talking with me! I am in a class at Hogwarts and one of the assignments is to talk with a broomstick maker. Of course, I chose the best! I have 6 questions for you -- I'm keeping the number of questions down because I know you are a very busy witch and have few minutes to spend with me.
1) What is your preferred mode of transportation?
DW: My preferred mode of transportation is a flying carpet, but don't tell anyone that! Well I guess you have to tell people that because this is a class project, but please say I said it tongue-in-cheek, okay? I just LOVE those flying carpets! When I went to Egypt, that was one of the things that most interested me.
2) If your preferred mode of transportation is not broomstick travel, how would you most incorporate your preferred mode into broomstick travel?
DW: Oddly enough, I'm thinking of branching out from the racing broom business. It's all well and good to have a speedy, responsive broomstick for quidditch and general racing, but really, how many people do that? So there are a lot of people out there with lots of galleons to spend and I want some of them! So what I'm thinking of doing is what might be called a luxury broomstick, with super soft controls and a very steady base. There is no need for a person to have to sit on a cushion, or cushioning charm, when one could actually be sitting in something that is more like a padded chair, right? Comfort is a good thing!
3) I like the idea of a broomstick that can carry a large amount of people. Do you ever foresee something sizable, like a 'log', with built-in seats, that could be charmed into acting as a broomstick?
DW: No, I do not see that as a possibility. First off, who would be steering it, or driving it? NO WAY. I think that could lead to a lot of accidents and arguments. Besides which, the huge amount of magic required to float something that huge would be very expensive and prohibitive in effort.
4) At what age did you first ride a broomstick?
DW: Who says I ride broomsticks? I ... oh, well, don't mention this, okay? But I really DO prefer a flying carpet. I have enchanted my flying carpet to look like a broomstick.
Thank you very much, Mr. Whitehorn. That was certainly a surprising answer!
5) When did you build your first broomstick?
DW: Ah, that is a different matter altogether! I made my first broomstick when I was 11 years old. I scavenged the materials from a local cottage-industry broom maker that I was working for. I was sweeping her workshop, helping to trim the tail twigs and just doing odds and ends. I really enjoyed it! In exchange for labour, I received a few sickles a week but all the broom-making materials I could want. Of course, they were the 'left-overs' but I didn't care! I wanted to be a broom-maker since I was 7 years old and so this was really great.
6) If you wanted to be a broom maker from a young age, why didn't you want to fly on the broomsticks?
DW: I don't know. All I knew is that I wanted to build the very best broomstick in the world.
<pause>
DW: If I were to be truthful, and I suppose I should be that in this interview, I need to say that one reason I wanted to build the best broomstick in the world is that I wanted to out-do Miss Parkinson, my next door neighbor, who said she was going to build the best broomstick in the world. We were the same age, her and me, and when we were 8 years old, we thought we had the whole world in front of us! Well, we did. But 3 days after our birthday (we had the same birthday even), she fell from a broomstick. She never regained consciousness; she's in St. Mungos. I go visit her every week. The Healers say that she WILL regain consciousness and I definitely hope so. But that is why I do not fly broomsticks, because I need to NOT fall off and get hurt because I'm waiting for her to wake up and I need to be there for her when she does.
Oh, Mr. Whitehorn, how sad but sweet! I hope your Miss Parkinson wakes up and is fine very soon, for her and for you.
Thank you for your time and I wish you and your Nimbus company the very best of luck!
:)
***************** end ***********************
- Prof. Tarma Amelia Black, pr_tar, Hufflepuff
Mr. Whitehorn, thank you for talking with me! I am in a class at Hogwarts and one of the assignments is to talk with a broomstick maker. Of course, I chose the best! I have 6 questions for you -- I'm keeping the number of questions down because I know you are a very busy witch and have few minutes to spend with me.
1) What is your preferred mode of transportation?
DW: My preferred mode of transportation is a flying carpet, but don't tell anyone that! Well I guess you have to tell people that because this is a class project, but please say I said it tongue-in-cheek, okay? I just LOVE those flying carpets! When I went to Egypt, that was one of the things that most interested me.
2) If your preferred mode of transportation is not broomstick travel, how would you most incorporate your preferred mode into broomstick travel?
DW: Oddly enough, I'm thinking of branching out from the racing broom business. It's all well and good to have a speedy, responsive broomstick for quidditch and general racing, but really, how many people do that? So there are a lot of people out there with lots of galleons to spend and I want some of them! So what I'm thinking of doing is what might be called a luxury broomstick, with super soft controls and a very steady base. There is no need for a person to have to sit on a cushion, or cushioning charm, when one could actually be sitting in something that is more like a padded chair, right? Comfort is a good thing!
3) I like the idea of a broomstick that can carry a large amount of people. Do you ever foresee something sizable, like a 'log', with built-in seats, that could be charmed into acting as a broomstick?
DW: No, I do not see that as a possibility. First off, who would be steering it, or driving it? NO WAY. I think that could lead to a lot of accidents and arguments. Besides which, the huge amount of magic required to float something that huge would be very expensive and prohibitive in effort.
4) At what age did you first ride a broomstick?
DW: Who says I ride broomsticks? I ... oh, well, don't mention this, okay? But I really DO prefer a flying carpet. I have enchanted my flying carpet to look like a broomstick.
Thank you very much, Mr. Whitehorn. That was certainly a surprising answer!
5) When did you build your first broomstick?
DW: Ah, that is a different matter altogether! I made my first broomstick when I was 11 years old. I scavenged the materials from a local cottage-industry broom maker that I was working for. I was sweeping her workshop, helping to trim the tail twigs and just doing odds and ends. I really enjoyed it! In exchange for labour, I received a few sickles a week but all the broom-making materials I could want. Of course, they were the 'left-overs' but I didn't care! I wanted to be a broom-maker since I was 7 years old and so this was really great.
6) If you wanted to be a broom maker from a young age, why didn't you want to fly on the broomsticks?
DW: I don't know. All I knew is that I wanted to build the very best broomstick in the world.
<pause>
DW: If I were to be truthful, and I suppose I should be that in this interview, I need to say that one reason I wanted to build the best broomstick in the world is that I wanted to out-do Miss Parkinson, my next door neighbor, who said she was going to build the best broomstick in the world. We were the same age, her and me, and when we were 8 years old, we thought we had the whole world in front of us! Well, we did. But 3 days after our birthday (we had the same birthday even), she fell from a broomstick. She never regained consciousness; she's in St. Mungos. I go visit her every week. The Healers say that she WILL regain consciousness and I definitely hope so. But that is why I do not fly broomsticks, because I need to NOT fall off and get hurt because I'm waiting for her to wake up and I need to be there for her when she does.
Oh, Mr. Whitehorn, how sad but sweet! I hope your Miss Parkinson wakes up and is fine very soon, for her and for you.
Thank you for your time and I wish you and your Nimbus company the very best of luck!
:)
***************** end ***********************
- Prof. Tarma Amelia Black, pr_tar, Hufflepuff
Zoki responded!! So I have TWO Projects to submit. :D
Dear Miss Black,
Thank you for choosing to interview me. I am both honored and happy that you're providing me with this opportunity. I will try to answer your questions the best I can.
I read your homework for lesson 3 with great interest. I had a few questions to ask of you, however.
1) What is your preferred mode of transportation?
That would have to be travelling through a Portkey. In all other cases, when this is not possible, then my preferred mode of transportation would be Apparition. Both of these are instant-travelling methods and I find them much safer and faster than flying or floo-powder for example. Plus, I don't enjoy spending hours and hours to reach a place, especially since if I try to read a book I often get ill, so these two transport methods sound the best for me.
2) If your preferred mode of transportation is not broomstick travel, how would you most incorporate your preferred mode into broomstick travel?
Well, my preferred way of transport doesn't seem to be fitting for a broom. It would require the broom to instantly get me to my desired destination. The only way I can see this working is if the broom can reach a speed so high that it 'warps' into time and space, or otherwise the broomstick can act as a portkey. The first one doesn't seem possible and also doesn't sound very appealing to me, so I think the second option is the way to go.
3) I like the idea of a broomstick that can carry a large amount of people. Do you ever foresee something sizable, like a 'log', with built-in seats, that could be charmed into acting as a broomstick?
Oh, oh, a flying log! I can totally see that! Heck, my brain can even imagine a whole flying tree-house. Wouldn't that be the coolest transportation method ever? I sure think so. Darn, now I wish you gave me that idea before I worked on that broomstick for multiple people.
4) At what age did you first ride a broomstick?
You mean at what age I 'tried' to ride a broomstick, right? Because the first time I tried, at the age of 8, I failed horribly. My dad had his hopes up that I'd be able to fly as swiftly and skillfully as he does, but I was everything but a flying master. I think he still holds a grudge toward me for failing at flying.
5) You say that you would use oak as the wood for your broomstick. Had you ever considered mahogany? If so, why did you decide against it?
Oh many types of trees came on my mind when thinking about the broomstick, Mahogany included. However, I see it as a more elegant-type of tree. And while I wouldn't have anything against using it in broom making, I created a list of pros (silly me couldn't find any cons) for all the tree types, and Oak won. It's simply a stronger and more 'powerful' tree when it comes to the use of trees in the wizarding world in my opinion. It has a better magic core, if one can say so. Mahogany was definitely a close second option though.
6) Once you create your broomstick, how will you market it? Will you approach official organizations, like the Ministry of Magic, to tell them of this novel mode of transportation?
Hah, telling people about a broomstick doesn't sell a broomstick. Nor does showing up at their door and boring them with details. My plan to get it to the market was exposure - I would fly and fly the sky until I would get tired or people would be dying to know what broomstick model that is.
Then, once it gets everyone's attention, I would get a newspaper (or put that in plural) to publish a story on my new broomstick design along with contact info so that people can start reaching to me. It would be the fastest selling broomstick ever, I just hope I can manage to fulfill the needs for all wizards and witches.
7) How many of the Crystal Carriages do you think you could create in one year's time?
By my statistics and estimations, I can create 12 to 15 (average of 13.5) brooms per month. That would mean that in a year I can probably create 144 to 180 (average of 160) brooms, assuming that everything goes according to my plan. These are travelling brooms that do not require finesse and elegance like sporting brooms do, which by definition allows me to create them faster and thus in bigger numbers.
Hopefully, I'll be able to hire an assistant or two that are willing to help me with the creation of the Crystal Carriages and through that mass produce my dream boom.
Thank you for taking the time to interview me! I hope the next time you're interviewing me is for the success of my brooms.
- Prof. Tarma Amelia Black, pr_tar, Hufflepuff
Dear Miss Black,
Thank you for choosing to interview me. I am both honored and happy that you're providing me with this opportunity. I will try to answer your questions the best I can.
I read your homework for lesson 3 with great interest. I had a few questions to ask of you, however.
1) What is your preferred mode of transportation?
That would have to be travelling through a Portkey. In all other cases, when this is not possible, then my preferred mode of transportation would be Apparition. Both of these are instant-travelling methods and I find them much safer and faster than flying or floo-powder for example. Plus, I don't enjoy spending hours and hours to reach a place, especially since if I try to read a book I often get ill, so these two transport methods sound the best for me.
2) If your preferred mode of transportation is not broomstick travel, how would you most incorporate your preferred mode into broomstick travel?
Well, my preferred way of transport doesn't seem to be fitting for a broom. It would require the broom to instantly get me to my desired destination. The only way I can see this working is if the broom can reach a speed so high that it 'warps' into time and space, or otherwise the broomstick can act as a portkey. The first one doesn't seem possible and also doesn't sound very appealing to me, so I think the second option is the way to go.
3) I like the idea of a broomstick that can carry a large amount of people. Do you ever foresee something sizable, like a 'log', with built-in seats, that could be charmed into acting as a broomstick?
Oh, oh, a flying log! I can totally see that! Heck, my brain can even imagine a whole flying tree-house. Wouldn't that be the coolest transportation method ever? I sure think so. Darn, now I wish you gave me that idea before I worked on that broomstick for multiple people.
4) At what age did you first ride a broomstick?
You mean at what age I 'tried' to ride a broomstick, right? Because the first time I tried, at the age of 8, I failed horribly. My dad had his hopes up that I'd be able to fly as swiftly and skillfully as he does, but I was everything but a flying master. I think he still holds a grudge toward me for failing at flying.
5) You say that you would use oak as the wood for your broomstick. Had you ever considered mahogany? If so, why did you decide against it?
Oh many types of trees came on my mind when thinking about the broomstick, Mahogany included. However, I see it as a more elegant-type of tree. And while I wouldn't have anything against using it in broom making, I created a list of pros (silly me couldn't find any cons) for all the tree types, and Oak won. It's simply a stronger and more 'powerful' tree when it comes to the use of trees in the wizarding world in my opinion. It has a better magic core, if one can say so. Mahogany was definitely a close second option though.
6) Once you create your broomstick, how will you market it? Will you approach official organizations, like the Ministry of Magic, to tell them of this novel mode of transportation?
Hah, telling people about a broomstick doesn't sell a broomstick. Nor does showing up at their door and boring them with details. My plan to get it to the market was exposure - I would fly and fly the sky until I would get tired or people would be dying to know what broomstick model that is.
Then, once it gets everyone's attention, I would get a newspaper (or put that in plural) to publish a story on my new broomstick design along with contact info so that people can start reaching to me. It would be the fastest selling broomstick ever, I just hope I can manage to fulfill the needs for all wizards and witches.
7) How many of the Crystal Carriages do you think you could create in one year's time?
By my statistics and estimations, I can create 12 to 15 (average of 13.5) brooms per month. That would mean that in a year I can probably create 144 to 180 (average of 160) brooms, assuming that everything goes according to my plan. These are travelling brooms that do not require finesse and elegance like sporting brooms do, which by definition allows me to create them faster and thus in bigger numbers.
Hopefully, I'll be able to hire an assistant or two that are willing to help me with the creation of the Crystal Carriages and through that mass produce my dream boom.
Thank you for taking the time to interview me! I hope the next time you're interviewing me is for the success of my brooms.
- Prof. Tarma Amelia Black, pr_tar, Hufflepuff
For this class project I decided to interview Mr. Leonard Jewkes, the creator of the famous broom model Silver Arrow.
1. Mr. Jewkes, what made you interested in the profession of broom making?
- I believe it's the human kind's greatest ambition to fly. I wanted to spend my life helping to achieve not just my own dream, but everyone's. Whether they're a friend, a foe, or even if our lives have never truly intercepted. And yes, I'm well I did not invent the flying brooms, but the ones I got to try during my life time were so slow or flawed in some way that it's outrages to call that flying.
2. Have you at any point had doubts about your profession? Why or why not?
- A better question would be how many times I had doubts about my profession. There were nights when I just couldn't sleep and all I could think of was how I've made a grave error and that I'd be a failure my whole life. It's like my brain had implemented a howler my mom would send, and had it set on repeat. This went on and on until my Silver Arrow became a world success. Then my brain changed the howler message - it was now telling me how dumb I was to doubt myself back there.
3. How did the Silver Arrow become reality?
- It took me several years to finalize my idea of a broom and start working on it. I tried out different brooms and read about them long before I started thinking about my own model. Once I started scribbling notes, I never stopped. I would add, change, or remove information on a daily basis. I used to wake up from my sleep and write down the part of my dreams that could contribute to my idea. It was fun actually, quite the sensation. Then one day I decided it's time to actually put what was now a whole book of knowledge into a broom. And after a huge working period, it was finally there, tested and better than I ever imagined it would be.
4. Did you ever notice anything about the Silver Arrow that you would like to change?
- I won't tell you I didn't notice anything, as I believe a few thoughts came on my mind in the beginning of the publication, but what I'm gonna tell is that once I got it in production, it was all over. I made the broom, it was already out in the world, there was no going back now. You can't just pull back something from the market and go "Oh, sorry, I screwed up something. Give me a few months to fix it." because that's shooting down your dream, as that broom would never get the same attention again. Plus my demands were too high for me to keep up with them, so I couldn't just drift away, forget the broom making, and go back to "creating a great model."
This was it, I had created a model that was good enough both for me and for the rest of the world.
5. You said you couldn't keep up with the demands, so why didn't you expand the production once you got the fame and money from the Silver Arrow?
- I'm a single man, I did the best I could on my own. And I cannot just make a break mid-production in order to open an industry and gather a team of broom makers. It was simply too late for that. You start the production, then you reach the market - you can't go the other way around by starting a production after you've reached the market. There's both a money and time sacrifice there, as well as a risk. If you ask me, the risk was too big for me to bet on it, so I kept thing as they were.
6. Which broom model in the world do you think is the closest or most similar with your Silver Arrow?
- I don't have a comment on this. I can't name you another broom model that I'd put next to my baby because frankly, this is my baby. Parents don't tell their kids they're just as good as someone else, they tell them they're the best. So I guess, in a way, every broom is the best according to their maker. Though that's assuming that everyone created their broom from heart, not for the money. I was literally in love with my creation, but I cannot know whether other broom makers feel the same way for their brooms.
Thank you Leonard for your time and answers. It was a pleasure interviewing you and we hope your broom truly leaves a mark in history.
- Zoki Phantom, zo808, Hufflepuff
1. Mr. Jewkes, what made you interested in the profession of broom making?
- I believe it's the human kind's greatest ambition to fly. I wanted to spend my life helping to achieve not just my own dream, but everyone's. Whether they're a friend, a foe, or even if our lives have never truly intercepted. And yes, I'm well I did not invent the flying brooms, but the ones I got to try during my life time were so slow or flawed in some way that it's outrages to call that flying.
2. Have you at any point had doubts about your profession? Why or why not?
- A better question would be how many times I had doubts about my profession. There were nights when I just couldn't sleep and all I could think of was how I've made a grave error and that I'd be a failure my whole life. It's like my brain had implemented a howler my mom would send, and had it set on repeat. This went on and on until my Silver Arrow became a world success. Then my brain changed the howler message - it was now telling me how dumb I was to doubt myself back there.
3. How did the Silver Arrow become reality?
- It took me several years to finalize my idea of a broom and start working on it. I tried out different brooms and read about them long before I started thinking about my own model. Once I started scribbling notes, I never stopped. I would add, change, or remove information on a daily basis. I used to wake up from my sleep and write down the part of my dreams that could contribute to my idea. It was fun actually, quite the sensation. Then one day I decided it's time to actually put what was now a whole book of knowledge into a broom. And after a huge working period, it was finally there, tested and better than I ever imagined it would be.
4. Did you ever notice anything about the Silver Arrow that you would like to change?
- I won't tell you I didn't notice anything, as I believe a few thoughts came on my mind in the beginning of the publication, but what I'm gonna tell is that once I got it in production, it was all over. I made the broom, it was already out in the world, there was no going back now. You can't just pull back something from the market and go "Oh, sorry, I screwed up something. Give me a few months to fix it." because that's shooting down your dream, as that broom would never get the same attention again. Plus my demands were too high for me to keep up with them, so I couldn't just drift away, forget the broom making, and go back to "creating a great model."
This was it, I had created a model that was good enough both for me and for the rest of the world.
5. You said you couldn't keep up with the demands, so why didn't you expand the production once you got the fame and money from the Silver Arrow?
- I'm a single man, I did the best I could on my own. And I cannot just make a break mid-production in order to open an industry and gather a team of broom makers. It was simply too late for that. You start the production, then you reach the market - you can't go the other way around by starting a production after you've reached the market. There's both a money and time sacrifice there, as well as a risk. If you ask me, the risk was too big for me to bet on it, so I kept thing as they were.
6. Which broom model in the world do you think is the closest or most similar with your Silver Arrow?
- I don't have a comment on this. I can't name you another broom model that I'd put next to my baby because frankly, this is my baby. Parents don't tell their kids they're just as good as someone else, they tell them they're the best. So I guess, in a way, every broom is the best according to their maker. Though that's assuming that everyone created their broom from heart, not for the money. I was literally in love with my creation, but I cannot know whether other broom makers feel the same way for their brooms.
Thank you Leonard for your time and answers. It was a pleasure interviewing you and we hope your broom truly leaves a mark in history.
- Zoki Phantom, zo808, Hufflepuff