Commonwealth Times

[Click to enlarge]

The brooms can't fly and the snitch is a human player, but VCU is following in the footsteps of more than 130 other schools across the U.S., Canada and Argentina by forming a campus muggle quidditch team.

After weeks of grueling practice, the team will show off its skills at a game May 4.

Quidditch was invented in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, and the muggle version combines elements of rugby, dodgeball and pure imagination to create a sometimes dangerous sport.

"It's a very rough sport," said Heather Wright, the VCU team's captain, coordinator and chaser. "We've had a lot of injuries."

Wright, an English major, has been hit in the face with a bludger and nearly has broken her foot while practicing.

Amber Cummings, one of the team's keepers, said she almost had her teeth knocked out by a teammate's broom during practice.

"The brooms have a tendency to hit people in the face," Cummings said.

Despite the strenuous nature of the game, the "nerd" stigma surrounding the sport still exists. Several members of the team have experienced a mocking response from other students.

"We'll be carrying around our brooms, and one person said, 'That's retarded,' to our faces," said English major Brooke Bernard, the team's co-captain and a beater. "People get weird about it. We're having enough fun that it doesn't bother us."

Britni Puccio, a mass communications major and a keeper, thinks because it's from the "Harry Potter" series, the sport is taken less seriously.

"I think a lot of 'Harry Potter' fans get the label of 'nerd' or 'geek.' People don't really consider quidditch to be a sport when really, it requires a lot more athletic ability than bowling-but yet that's national athletics," Puccio said.

Being a fan of the series is not expected of those who want to join the team.

"We have people who have not read the books or seen the movies," Bernard said. "It's a sport in itself."

Hassan Ahmed, the team's seeker and a chemistry major with a concentration in pre-med, said anyone can learn to play quidditch.

"The sport is simple to learn," Ahmed said. "It's easy to get used to; anyone can do it. You do look a little silly playing, but that's the fun of it."

The team's game May 4 will be held in Monroe Park at 12 p.m.

Terminology

Muggle: a non-magical person in the world of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series

Bludger: a ball thrown at other players by the opposing team to prevent them from scoring or otherwise playing successfully

Beaters: two players who "beat" the bludgers at the opposing team's players and away from their team's players

Brooms: in Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, characters fly around on brooms as a mode of transportation and to play quidditch. In muggle quidditch, players must hold the brooms between their legs as they play

Quaffle: a ball thrown through the opposing team's goal posts to score

Chasers: two players who "chase" the quaffle, trying to score

Goal posts: in muggle quidditch, these consist of three hula-hoops attached to wooden posts

Keeper: player who guards the goal posts

Snitch or Snitch runner: in Rowling's books and movies, the snitch is a walnutsized ball that flies around and is very hard to see. In muggle quidditch, the snitch runner is a person with a tennis ball encased in a sock hanging out of their shorts. The goal for the seeker is to snatch the tennis ball. In both versions of the game, catching the snitch ends the match.

Seeker: player who tries to catch the snitch

How to play

Muggle quidditch is played by a team of seven players who run around the field with (sometimes-decorated) brooms clasped between their legs. The goal is to score with the quaffle, while trying to catch the elusive snitch runner, and to do all this without being hit by bludger.

Article Tools

[Click to enlarge]

The brooms can't fly and the snitch is a human player, but VCU is following in the footsteps of more than 130 other schools across the U.S., Canada and Argentina by forming a campus muggle quidditch team.

After weeks of grueling practice, the team will show off its skills at a game May 4.

Quidditch was invented in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, and the muggle version combines elements of rugby, dodgeball and pure imagination to create a sometimes dangerous sport.

"It's a very rough sport," said Heather Wright, the VCU team's captain, coordinator and chaser. "We've had a lot of injuries."

Wright, an English major, has been hit in the face with a bludger and nearly has broken her foot while practicing.

Amber Cummings, one of the team's keepers, said she almost had her teeth knocked out by a teammate's broom during practice.

"The brooms have a tendency to hit people in the face," Cummings said.

Despite the strenuous nature of the game, the "nerd" stigma surrounding the sport still exists. Several members of the team have experienced a mocking response from other students.

"We'll be carrying around our brooms, and one person said, 'That's retarded,' to our faces," said English major Brooke Bernard, the team's co-captain and a beater. "People get weird about it. We're having enough fun that it doesn't bother us."

Britni Puccio, a mass communications major and a keeper, thinks because it's from the "Harry Potter" series, the sport is taken less seriously.

"I think a lot of 'Harry Potter' fans get the label of 'nerd' or 'geek.' People don't really consider quidditch to be a sport when really, it requires a lot more athletic ability than bowling-but yet that's national athletics," Puccio said.

Being a fan of the series is not expected of those who want to join the team.

"We have people who have not read the books or seen the movies," Bernard said. "It's a sport in itself."

Hassan Ahmed, the team's seeker and a chemistry major with a concentration in pre-med, said anyone can learn to play quidditch.

"The sport is simple to learn," Ahmed said. "It's easy to get used to; anyone can do it. You do look a little silly playing, but that's the fun of it."

The team's game May 4 will be held in Monroe Park at 12 p.m.

Terminology

Muggle: a non-magical person in the world of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series

Bludger: a ball thrown at other players by the opposing team to prevent them from scoring or otherwise playing successfully

Beaters: two players who "beat" the bludgers at the opposing team's players and away from their team's players

Brooms: in Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, characters fly around on brooms as a mode of transportation and to play quidditch. In muggle quidditch, players must hold the brooms between their legs as they play

Quaffle: a ball thrown through the opposing team's goal posts to score

Chasers: two players who "chase" the quaffle, trying to score

Goal posts: in muggle quidditch, these consist of three hula-hoops attached to wooden posts

Keeper: player who guards the goal posts

Snitch or Snitch runner: in Rowling's books and movies, the snitch is a walnutsized ball that flies around and is very hard to see. In muggle quidditch, the snitch runner is a person with a tennis ball encased in a sock hanging out of their shorts. The goal for the seeker is to snatch the tennis ball. In both versions of the game, catching the snitch ends the match.

Seeker: player who tries to catch the snitch

How to play

Muggle quidditch is played by a team of seven players who run around the field with (sometimes-decorated) brooms clasped between their legs. The goal is to score with the quaffle, while trying to catch the elusive snitch runner, and to do all this without being hit by bludger.

Article Tools