Quiditch comes to college campuses, minus magic
The hottest 'sport' on many university campuses is ripped right from the pages of 'Harry Potter'
Michael Vasquez
Issue date: 10/29/10 Section: News
"Look at how many books have been sold across America, there's a lot of kids interested in it," said Bob Beloff, whose 18-year-old son, Sean, plays quidditch at UM.
"They're all in college now."
Muggle quidditch might not have any acrobatic broom-flying, but that doesn't mean it's for sissies. There's plenty of bumping and other physical contact. Men and women play side-by side.
"I've found the girls are more vicious," said FIU quidditch organizer Chelsea Klaiber, adding that one team practice featured a snapped broom caused by a female student tackling one of the guys.
Ah, the brooms. This detail is responsible for much of the challenge that comes with playing quidditch: there's the predictable awkward running, but holding the broom also takes one arm permanently out of play.
"To me, it's a little bit dangerous with the brooms," Beloff said after watching his son play. The otherwise proud father speculated that it might be time for quidditch to add protective cups for men.
So far, the list of official "recommended" equipment includes goggles, shin guards, and capes.
How exactly does the game work? For non-Potter fans, try visualizing an oval-shaped, half-sized soccer field where each teams' net is replaced by three basketball-hoop-like spheres. The underlying principle is the same ball goes in, points get scored (with a goalie-type player standing in the way). In this case, the ball is a partially deflated volleyball known as a "quaffle."
While teams' offensive players scurry about on their brooms attempting to score goals, defensive players known as "beaters" work to sabotage any scoring attempt by knocking the quaffle-holder temporarily out of play. This is done through a method closely resembling dodgeball beaters toss partially deflated dodgeballs at opponents who are "knocked out" for a moment if they get hit.
"In high school, I wasn't allowed to play dodgeball," said UM's Levy. Back then, she said, dodgeball was frowned upon as "for little kids."
"They're all in college now."
Muggle quidditch might not have any acrobatic broom-flying, but that doesn't mean it's for sissies. There's plenty of bumping and other physical contact. Men and women play side-by side.
"I've found the girls are more vicious," said FIU quidditch organizer Chelsea Klaiber, adding that one team practice featured a snapped broom caused by a female student tackling one of the guys.
Ah, the brooms. This detail is responsible for much of the challenge that comes with playing quidditch: there's the predictable awkward running, but holding the broom also takes one arm permanently out of play.
"To me, it's a little bit dangerous with the brooms," Beloff said after watching his son play. The otherwise proud father speculated that it might be time for quidditch to add protective cups for men.
So far, the list of official "recommended" equipment includes goggles, shin guards, and capes.
How exactly does the game work? For non-Potter fans, try visualizing an oval-shaped, half-sized soccer field where each teams' net is replaced by three basketball-hoop-like spheres. The underlying principle is the same ball goes in, points get scored (with a goalie-type player standing in the way). In this case, the ball is a partially deflated volleyball known as a "quaffle."
While teams' offensive players scurry about on their brooms attempting to score goals, defensive players known as "beaters" work to sabotage any scoring attempt by knocking the quaffle-holder temporarily out of play. This is done through a method closely resembling dodgeball beaters toss partially deflated dodgeballs at opponents who are "knocked out" for a moment if they get hit.
"In high school, I wasn't allowed to play dodgeball," said UM's Levy. Back then, she said, dodgeball was frowned upon as "for little kids."
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