Hidden Talent: Juan Hernandez
By: Fiona Wisehart Editors: Christian Barnes, Tom Guan Photo Credit: Shirley Lu
Juan Hernandez (#10)
Position: Beater
Team: UCLA Quidditch
Juan Hernandez, a sophomore beater from UCLA, tried out for UCLA Quidditch because he loved Harry Potter. He stayed because he loved quidditch.
Juan’s older sister previously attended UCLA and had heard about their quidditch team. When Juan committed, she insisted that he try out for quidditch.
As a talented former soccer player and track athlete, Juan did not have high expectations for the sport. However, he discovered at tryouts that UCLA Quidditch was a highly competitive, close-knit team and was immediately hooked. While he loved attending practices, Juan’s favorite part of the season has always been bonding with the team over team dinners.
Juan was nominated as a Hidden Talent by his former captain, and fellow political science major, Dana Dixon. “Juan was very motivated and into quidditch from the beginning. As a Harry Potter fan and high school athlete, he loves it,” Dixon said. “He always wants to learn more about the sport and the community. He rarely missed practice, he often joined the optional conditioning practices. He picked up beating really fast and is very driven. He hopes to make Team USA someday!”
Last season (2019-2020), UCLA Quidditch had a landmark season, becoming West Regional Champions for the first time in 7 years. They had an all-star starting line of Dana Dixon, Jonathan Garcia-Rovetta, Michael Navarro, Sami Owyang, Justin van Ligten, and Phillip Tran. However, a key component of UCLA Quidditch’s success was the talent of their second and third string players, who were able to match their starting line’s intensity.
For Juan, the first sign that UCLA might have a shot of winning regionals came early in the season, at the Chandra Classic. They won all but 1 of their games, losing 40-110* to Anteater Quidditch (University of California Irvine, UCI), 1 of their only 3 losses last season. It is a testament to UCLA’s hard work that their second loss, also to Anteater Quidditch, was in range, 70-90*. The third time UCLA played Anteater Quidditch, it was at West Regionals, and they beat them out of range, 200*-70. Juan was a starting player that game. Film of that game is below, courtesy of our friends at Face Beat It. Game starts at 3:19.
Juan was drawn to the beater position due to its intellectual and strategic nature. He loves that there's no downtime for beaters: only the play you're making and the next play you need to make. When asked about his playing style, Juan says that when given the option, he prefers to play with bludger control than without it.
Juan's smarts also lend themselves off the pitch. He is on track (pun intended) to graduate early. He acquired his associate’s degree while still in high school, so be sure to watch him play before he graduates.
To watch more Juan and UCLA Quidditch, check them out on our game archive page!
