Quidditch: Not just for wizards anymore

Sylvia Wertz
Guest Contributor

As a student in middle and high school, I was always looking for somewhere to fit in. I always had a love for sports, but I never found one that really fit my personality. I was fair at basketball and had aspirations for football, baseball and dodgeball, but being a girl, I was either treated more easily or not allowed to play at all.

But then I found Quidditch; the fantasy element combined with rough-and-tumble factor was what really drew me to the game. Joining the team at VCU, I found somewhere I truly felt like I belonged. I’ve found the values of teamwork and friendship. Someone is always there to offer playing advice, congratulations after a job well-done or encouragement for the next time.

It’s not every day that a sport gets invented, even one based on fantasy. To those unfamiliar, Quidditch is a sport based on the literary genius of J.K. Rowling, author of the internationally renowned Harry Potter series, where the players fly around on broomsticks.

There are seven different positions, a Keeper, a Seeker, two Beaters and three Chasers. The Keeper guards the three golden goal posts, and the Chasers try to score with the Quaffle, a round red ball, while the Beaters try to hit the various other players out with Bludgers, iron balls that fly around on their own. All the while the Seeker searches for the elusive Golden Snitch, a golden, walnut-sized ball with glittering wings.

In 2005, a single student from Middlebury College adapted this once fictional sport into a reality in which ordinary people could enjoy this exhilarating and physical sport. The adaptation of this game from the sky to the ground upped the physical factor and required the players to be able to run, dodge and tackle instead of being able to fly and shove.

With the creation of this entirely land-bound sport, Quidditch enthusiasts and players have a tough time trying to explain exactly what it entails. The most popular explanation is that it’s a cross between rugby, dodgeball and tag.

Some may argue the fact that Quidditch is not a so-called “sport,” but looking at the dictionary entry of what a sport is, Quidditch fits that definition. Not only is Quidditch physically demanding, there is also a set of rules, and the game is played competitively. I have seen many, including myself, dripping in sweat after a rough game, physically tired and completely beat. We run, toss, catch, tackle and complete plays while trying to score against the other team. Sounds like football, doesn’t it? The only real difference is that we do it running around on brooms.

The best Quidditch players work out daily to stay in shape and are known to be wrestlers and cross-country runners, specializing in strength and stamina. We are all required to work out to stay in the best shape we can, because, believe it or not, we need it come game time.

But there is more to sports than just playing and being physically strong; a sense of unity through teamwork must be created, whether through common interest of sports or fan-based.

Quidditch is a sport that appeals to the nerds, the jocks and those with a sense of imagination. It’s a place where fantasy becomes reality, and reality becomes fantasy. A few simple things bind us together, and from there we create the bonds of friendship and teamwork to bring us all to the top.

This past weekend, VCU’s own Quidditch team was at the Quidditch World Cup in New York. We raised close to $3,000 exclusively through fundraising and personal funds in order to travel there and compete against teams from all across the country. Recognize us as more than some odd fellows with brooms. We’re real athletes, and we’re here to stay.