His breathing weak, ball in hand, eyes on the goal, he shoots for the end— get the ball through. But he loses his grip and another ball knocks him down— he is down for the count. And as he walks away, head hung in defeat, a figure blurs right past him. It’s his teammate with the ball who immediately follows it up with a shot right into the goal. Magic.
Quidditch is a sport from the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling has swept real colleges and high schools around the world off their feet. In the series, the sport requires the players to fly on brooms chasing flying balls. The objective is simple: catch the snitch, a small flying ball with wings. But the sport became reality in the fall of 2005, when Middlebury College, a small private school located in Vermont, started a real life Quidditch team.
According to the International Quidditch Association, there are currently 810 official Quidditch teams in the U.S., with New York having the most: 86 teams. Colleges such as Harvard, Yale, and Rice are home to Quidditch teams. Worldwide, Muggle Quidditch teams are ranked and the top 100 make it to the World Cup.
Although colleges dominate Quidditch, high schools like Keller High School in Northern Texas also field teams.
Quidditch at Kerr: Not a bad idea. Picture us, eyes filled with passion, sweating joy, running around with broomsticks, without a care in the world only the spirit of Harry Potter.
According to International Quidditch Association rules, players run holding a broomstick between their legs. There are seven players using a volleyball and dodge balls, and one player acts as the snitch by running around the field with a tennis ball in a sock attached to his/her waist; other players must grab the tennis ball to catch the snitch. Brooms up! the referee calls, starting the game.
When I think of Kerr I think of smart and unique people, so what better way to embrace our smart quirkiness than have a Quidditch team? It would be a way for Harry Potter fans to come together and live in a fictional sport. A Quidditch team can bring us together in the spirit of Harry Potter. Quidditch is not only for Harry Potter fans; I mean, who wouldn’t enjoy acting without a care in the world and just have fun playing a sport just for the heck of it.
Having a Quidditch team would be something unique. The sport has a little bit of everything: soccer, lacrosse, dodge ball, basketball, and even rugby, so players wouldn’t necessarily have to be a Potterhead to play.
It would be nice to just set the PAKS aside, relax and not have to take it too seriously.
Just because the chapter ended doesn’t mean we shouldn’t turn the page onto a new chapter. Just because you set your books aside on your bookshelves doesn’t mean we have to put away the magic in our hearts.
Even though the series ended, the magic still lives on.
