Aaron Pabon and Rhys Williams/ FIUSM Staff
In the magical world of Harry Potter, there is a sport that combines lacrosse, rugby and flying. It’s called Quidditch.
In 2005, the fictional sport became a reality at Middlebury College in Vermont, and has since been popular among colleges.
Two years ago a few Quidditch-loving FIU students gathered and formed the FIU Quidditch Team. Since then, the club has competed amongst themselves and other Florida universities.
“I was a member when the team was started back in 2010 and I have enjoyed watching it grow since then. I really love the Harry Potter books, and being able to do something that relates me to it is fine by me,” said coach Kiara Nydam, a senior biology major.
The rules of the sport are similar to its fictional counterpart. Two teams meet on a field. Each team consists of three chasers, two beaters, one keeper and one seeker.
The chasers have to throw a quaffle, which is represented by a volleyball, into a set of hoops on the field to gain points. Every time a quaffle is thrown into a hoop, the scoring team gains 10 points.
The beaters throw bludgers, represented by dodgeballs, at the opposing team to knock them out.
The keeper is the goaltender of the team’s hoops. Their job is to stop the quaffle from entering the hoop.
The seeker has to chase a snitch. The snitch is a third-party player that has a tennis ball in a sock attached like a flag in flag football. Once the seeker grabs the snitch, the seeker’s team gains 30 points, and the game is over.
One of the most important rules of Muggle Quidditch, is that all players must run with a broom between their legs.
While the sport may sound simple and odd, Muggle Quidditch is a sport not to take lightly. Like football or hockey, contact can get rough, players often run non-stop, and players can get injured.
The FIU Quidditch Team has been in matches as far away as Virginia, a few members of the team at FIU believe that it would be a great networking and athletic experience to compete against some teams from different places around the country.
“It is crazy to think that something most people don’t even know exists, a game made up in a children’s book series, is something that we can play against people all over the country. It would be a fantastic experience,” said Casey Lamrouex, a junior architecture major and the team’s chaser.
Recently, the FIU Quidditch team has had tryouts, increasing its roster.
Nydam believes that the club has a sturdy foundation that can survive once the founders graduate.
“There are some really reliable, determined and dedicated underclassmen on the team right now that have the chance to continue the team for a while to come. After I graduate, I feel like it will not just fall apart because of not only the returning members but also the members who we bring in now and over the next few years. It has so far been a greater success than I or any of the other founding members could have ever imagined,” said Nydam.
On Feb. 9, the team visits Brevard Community College in Titusville for the Florida Quidditch Conference to play against other Florida Quidditch teams.
The above video is courtesy of the Miami Hurricane Vimeo and is from footage in 2011.
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