 "Photo: Courtesy of boston.com")
Quidditch has finally been brought to the Muggle world. And to USC.
Quidditch, a fictional sport invented by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series, is played on flying broomsticks with various balls and pieces of equipment. However, ambitious students around the world have created a “Muggle” or non-magical, version of the game.
Noah Clark, Dominique Johnson and Burns Newsome, all freshmen, decided to bring Quidditch to USC and are co-founders of Gamecock Quidditch, the University’s newest club sport.
“I had seen it played at other schools and saw USC didn’t have a team, so I decided to start one,” said Clark, an international business student.
Johnson and Newsome too were trying to start a team and decided to join forces with Clark.
After some preliminary work, the team made USC an official part of the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association. About 225 schools are a part of the Association. This qualifies the schools for discounts on brooms and special merchandise and lends an air of legitimacy to the team.
The Intercollegiate Quidditch Association also spells out the official rules of Quidditch.
With dodge balls being substituted for bludgers, slightly deflated volleyballs used as quaffles and a person dressed in yellow with a tennis ball acting as the lucrative golden snitch, the game has some obvious differences. However, the spirit of the game is still the same.
“We want to encourage camaraderie through the magical sport of Quidditch,” said Newsome, a marine science and environmental science student.
Clark said one of the benefits of Quidditch is that everyone will be equally inexperienced.
“No one is going to have prior experience,” Clark said. “It’s great if you love playing sports but aren’t very good at them. Everyone learns the rules together.”
While the sport originated in the Northeast, its popularity is growing among southern schools. LSU and SCAD both have large, successful teams. Currently Gamecock
Quidditch members are trying to organize a Carolina Duel competition with NC State for next semester.
Even though the sport is growing in popularity, the group says it has experienced some negativity. Playing a magical sport based on the Harry Potter series has subjected members to threats of lost friendships and confusion with things like Dungeons and Dragons.
Clark says the best way to combat these misconceptions is to watch as Quidditch is played. With YouTube videos from many of the teams, it becomes clear that Quidditch is a contact sport.
“After videos of people getting knocked down, that usually changes their minds,” Clark said. “There is a lot of sporting strategy, and you’re allowed full-on tackles. Many players are former rugby and lacrosse players.”
While Quidditch is very physical and the team hopes to be competitive, the co-founders all emphasize that ultimately it is about fun.
“We really just want people to have fun doing something that’s not typical,” Johnson said.
The team had its first interest meeting Wednesday. They plan to form small teams within Gamecock Quidditch so they can play against each other weekly. For more information or to inquire about joining a team, visit the Facebook page Gamecock Quidditch.
