Written by John Mark Adkison
I know what you’re probably thinking: Not the sports column too. Haven’t we had enough of this Harry Potter hoopla and all the nerds with lightning-bolt scars Sharpied on their foreheads? And my answer is: never.Which brings me to this week’s topic of While Warming the Bench: Quidditch. And when I say Quidditch, I mean the real, not-in-the-books-but-actually-played Quidditch. While the players may not be zooming around in the air on brooms, this game has been made into a real sport real people can play, with all of the rules the same as they are in the books.It is a sport that is sweeping across the nation (pun intended).For those not familiar with the book series, Quidditch is a complex sport in which the Chasers try to shoot the Quaffle (or a volleyball) into one of three hoops, which are guarded by the Keeper. The Chasers must avoid the Bludgers (kickballs), which are hurled at them by two players called Beaters. If a player is hit by a Bludger, he or she must freeze and drop the ball. Meanwhile, each team has a player called the Seeker, whose job it is to grab the Golden Snitch. In the book series, the Snitch is a golf-ball-sized golden ball with wings and blinding speed. In real life, it is a cross-country runner decked out in gold holding a small ball who runs around the field getting the crowd excited. And did I mention that all players must play while clutching brooms between their legs (non-magical players unfortunately still have to run on the ground)?”Ground Quidditch,” as it’s been called, began in 2005 at Middlebury College in Vermont and has grown throughout New England college campuses and is spreading to high schools and other countries. This sport even has its own governing body, known as the International Quidditch Association (IQA), and it is seeking to become legitimately recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Recently, the IQA just had its fourth annual Qudditch World Cup tournament in New York City. It garnered media attention from TIME.com, CNN and Conan O’Brien. So even if you’re not a fan of Harry Potter and lightning-bolt shaped Sharpie scars, this sport does sound like a potentially awesome, potentially brutal, potentially hilarious sport that is sure to draw a crowd.
