Intercollegiate Quidditch is sweeping the nation, one broomstick at a time. Originating from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter,” the sport is turning the fantasy world of wizards into a reality. However, unlike Harry and his Hogwarts classmates, these mortal students cannot fly on their broomsticks and are thus getting quite the workout.
More than 60 college Quidditch teams belong to the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association, with Vermont’s Middlebury College as its founder and one of its front-runners.
The organization, which started in fall 2005, serves as an outlet for both “Harry Potter” and fitness enthusiasts. At IU, the women’s Ultimate Frisbee team bears a striking resemblance to the magical sport. Subsequently, IU students have shown curiosity in starting a Quidditch team.
IU sophomore Molly Fitzpatrick, a handler on the IU women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, said Quidditch and UF have both similarities – each of the seven players have unique roles – and differences, including their ideas of teamwork.
“Obviously, we don’t fly,” Fitzpatrick said.
Three handlers on a UF team work together to bring the disc up the field to score a goal. She said handlers are similar to the three chasers on a Quidditch team, who try to score by throwing a “Quaffle,” (one of the three balls used in Quidditch) in the opposing team’s hoops.
The IU women’s Ultimate Frisbee team was compared to Quidditch in a 2007 article in IU’s Teaching and Learning Magazine, stating that both combine the “best parts of several different sports, including soccer, basketball, football, and netball.”
Middlebury junior Xander Manshel created the IQA rules and organized the first "muggle" Quidditch matches, Middlebury College junior Alex Benepe said. The IQA rulebook contains information for people to establish their own teams, the rules for muggle Quidditch and guidelines for hosting a World Cup.
Muggle Quidditch is similar to several conventional sports such as dodgeball, volleyball, tag and especially rugby, because the game is so rough, Benepe said.
The Seeker’s role is like tag, because he or she has to chase down the Snitch runner to snatch the Snitch. In a way similar to dodgeball, beaters block Bludgers from hitting their teammates, but also try to hit the opposing team with Bludgers. The Chasers’ main role is to advance the Quaffle down the field, which is like volleyball, Benepe said.
To be the Snitch runner, who is dressed in all gold or yellow, a person must have endurance, attitude, agility and a short and skinny stature. The IQA recommends recruiting cross-country runners or soccer players for the position of the Snitch.
The “Snitch,” according to the IQA rulebook, is composed of the Snitch ball and the Snitch runner. The Snitch ball is inside a long sock that hangs from the back of the Snitch runner’s shorts.
Benepe said UF’s spirit is similar to the one that surrounds Quidditch. He added that Quidditch is physically “very demanding, especially for the Chasers and Seekers.” He said a lot of running is involved, and according to IQA rules, players must hold a broom between their legs at all times, which weighs them down and makes it more difficult to handle the game balls.
IU sophomore Mike Gasso and IU junior Ashley Novotney are both active in fitness and are fans of “Harry Potter.” Gasso enjoys running and biking while Novotney plays various intramural sports. Gasso said his fascination with “Harry Potter” is due to its element of escapism.
“The books really do create a fantasy world,” Gasso said, “ ... each time I would open up one of the books, I would go back into that fantasy world, and I was allowed to imagine them however I wanted to.”
Benepe said that although Quidditch is based upon Harry Potter, it has “come into its own world.”
Middlebury sophomore Katie Panhorst said that the people who read “Harry Potter” in high school or middle school were the ones who initially connected to Quidditch, but now it appeals to everyone.
“It dominates campus – now it’s just cool, not nerdy.”
Middlebury’s Quidditch World Cup helped the sport gain popularity and fan support due to all the event’s publicity, Panhorst said.
Middlebury has more than 400 students on its team’s roster and its fall World Cup attracted more than 300 spectators, Benepe said.
To further increase the popularity of Quidditch, from March 22 to March 30, 25 Middlebury students are going on a road trip to play Quidditch scrimmages and/or matches at Bard, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Columbia, Vassar, Wesleyan, Amherst and Dartmouth, Benepe said.
MTV is even getting in on the action; it is planning to film at the University of Pennsylvania and potentially Princeton, Benepe said. MTV will incorporate the footage for a program that showcases alternative spring break excursions.
“I am really excited for them to come, but it definitely puts pressure on us to deliver an incredibly awesome spectacle,” he said.
Middlebury is trying to challenge existing teams or hold clinics for colleges without Quidditch.
Fitzpatrick, Gasso and Novotney said they would join a Quidditch team if IU had one. Although Quidditch is similar to UF, Fitzpatrick said she would still play UF, but added with a laugh, “Who doesn’t want to play Quidditch?”
She said one of the biggest differences between UF and Quidditch is teamwork.
“For Quidditch, it seems that the Seeker is on his own; usually the Seeker makes the team win, whereas in Ultimate Frisbee everyone is involved in the win,” she said.
Fitzpatrick is pointing to the 150-point bonus in the “Harry Potter” series that the team gets when the seeker catches the Snitch; once the Snitch is caught, the match is over.
Gasso and Novotney said they were hesitant about starting an IU Quidditch team, pointing to the hassle of getting the word out and attracting players. Novotney said it may be easy to find a lot of interested people, but some might find the sport “kiddish.”
But Benepe feels that Quidditch isn’t just for Harry Potter fans, or “nerds.” He said it appeals to all people.
“I think people are realizing how cool and fun it is. In the words of USA Today — it has lost its ‘nerd stigma,’ he said.
“It is now something that everyone can and will enjoy, rather than a ‘weird’ fringe activity.”
Check out these videos of Quidditch in action:
- Middlebury Quidditch Tournament
- Snatch the Snitch!
- Muggle Quidditch Bay Area: 08-02-2007
- Vassar Quidditch Team
- Muggle Quidditch
