The quidditch team became an official IU club sport in September.
Quidditch was adapted from the Harry Potter series, but “it has kind of become its own thing,” Co-president and IU senior Caroline Alexander said. IU senior Tisha Burks is co-president with Alexander.
The rules of the game largely follow those in the books. Brooms are used, but they serve as more of a handicap than anything else, Alexander said. Quidditch is a full-contact sport and takes place year round.
IU graduate Emily Deckard founded the Midnight Snipes about four years ago. Alexander said the team started out as a fun way to meet new people that shared similar ?interests.
“When we started out there were about 11 of us, and we couldn’t even throw or catch a ball when we were moving with one hand,” Alexander said. “It has slowly evolved to become a more competitive sport.”
Alexander and team captain Corey Cockrum were excited about the success of the team this year.
“The season has gone really well,” Cockrum, a junior, said. “At the Midwest tournament, our only losses were to the two final four teams, and we were really happy about that.”
The team’s qualification for the World Cup came as a surprise for some.
“No one expected us to win anything this year — which was kind of cool to come out and prove them wrong,” Alexander said.
The team is now focusing on getting ready for the World Cup. Alexander said the team is beginning to increase both the intensity and number of its workouts and practices.
Cockrum said the team works out four times a week in addition to skills training. Practices are every Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on the field between the Jordan Parking Garage and Wright Quad.
One of the main things that the team is doing in preparation for the World Cup is fundraising, Alexander said.
“Getting there, staying in hotels, paying for food and everything. It adds up pretty quick,” she said. Alexander said the team plans on having meetings to brainstorm ideas for fundraising.
Cockrum and Alexander both have experience playing sports and said they are glad to have found a team that plays competitively and allows for opportunities to maintain friendships.
“The community as a whole is so caring, and we all really care about the sport,” Cockrum said. He said another reason Quidditch is so unusual is because rivalries aren’t really a factor. Teams are able to spend time together without resentment, making it very different from most sports, Cockrum said.
“We can go and have fun and meet a lot of really cool people and play this new sport and make contributions to the sport,” Alexander said.
