Quidditch team brings magical game to campus
Written by Jessica Thomas, Feb 21, 2012, 0 Comments
You might see them on the grassy knolls between The Grind and Davis Hall, running and kicking or throwing a ball through two mounted hoola hoops. Sometimes, a few players might be sporting broomsticks between their legs.
When someone asked them what they were playing, one player replied, “Quidditch.” The confusion inevitably followed.
With the popularity of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, fans have discovered a method to transform the extremely popular, rough, broom play from literature into a real life sport.
There is a Quidditch World Cup, hosted by the Quidditch International Association. Quidditch World Cup V was last year.
Lindsay Fussell, senior and founder of the USF Tampa Quidditch Team, shared how she helped start the USFSP Quidditch Team.
“Claire Underhill posted in the USF Tampa Facebook page that she was looking to start a team at the St. Petersburg campus,” she said. “I volunteered since I was coming back [to school] anyway.”
Underhill, a senior journalism major, leads the USFSP team along with students Frank Mathis and Glenn Ruben.
Most of the players on the team, including Fussell, say Quidditch is comparable to popular sports like basketball or football.
Real-life Quidditch began at Middlebury College in Vermont in 2005 by students and Harry Potter fans Xander Marshall and Alex Benepe. Since then, the sport has received such immense popularity that the International Quidditch Association was formed to govern United States teams.
Quidditch is played in over 13 countries, and 300 colleges and universities. Fussell and nine other students from USF Tampa, the University of Florida, the University of Miami, and the Ringling College of Art and Design founded the Florida Quidditch Conference in summer 2011.
Glenn Rubin flies in on his broomstick to block a potential shot.
Fussell said that Quidditch is difficult to explain, but easy to understand once someone starts playing it.
“Yes, we run with the brooms between our legs,” Fussell said. “The brooms must stay between the players’ legs at all times they are in play.”
The game’s dynamics are complex, featuring chasers, a keeper, a seeker and two beaters. Chasers and keepers deal with a volleyball referred to as a “Quaffle.” Each hoop is worth 10 points and they stand at varying heights.
The game is considered full contact and although it can be rough during play, the players never fail to smile even when they are tackled.
“The brooms are an integral part of the game, as for one, they make the game 10 times harder, and also to remind us actively that we are playing the ‘most ancient and silliest of wizarding sports,’ ” Fussell said.
Even with few players present on some nights, the twinkle in the members’ eyes continues. Each Quidditch member never seems to stop smiling even beyond practice.
“Taking ourselves too seriously is something that should never be allowed,” Fussell said.
The Quidditch team meets each Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m., and usually meets at the Tavern before practice.
Photos courtesy of Claire Underhill
