Quidditch club sweeps AU students off their feet

College students holding a broomstick between their legs, or any cleaning agent for that matter, are sure to shock the average passerby. But they won’t be cleaning — they’ll be getting ready to play their next Quidditch game.

As it turns out, some diehard Harry Potter enthusiasts are still waiting for their acceptance letters from Hogwarts and are not ready to succumb to total Muggle, or non-magical, status just yet. Just in case that elusive letter arrives in the mail, a group of freshmen created AU’s first Quidditch club at the start of the ‘09 fall semester.

JORDAN COUGHENOUR / THE EAGLE

For those who do not speak Parseltongue and have no idea what a butterbeer is, Quidditch is a fictional sport created by author J.K. Rowling in the popular Harry Potter book series. The game, which requires its players to fly on broomsticks, has been tailored for non-wizards to enjoy. Players must keep the broom between their legs at all times. Three “chasers” try to score points with the “quaffle” — usually a soccer or volleyball — by throwing them through hula-hoops, which serve as the goals. In order to deter the chasers, there are “beaters,” who can throw balls, dodgeball style, at the other team’s players. Then there is the “seeker,” who must catch the evasive “snitch.” In the books, the snitch is a small, golden ball with wings that must be caught by the seeker, ending the match and also giving the seeker’s team 50 points. However, in this Muggle version, the snitch is a person with a ball in a sock attached to their body. The seeker must chase the snitch and grab the ball to end the game.

But just because the players can’t actually fly on their brooms does not mean the game should not be taken seriously.

How it Works Broomsticks: Players are required to keep their broomsticks between their legs at all times. Chasers: Three players per team will be the chasers. They move up and down the field, passing the ball - a quaffle - between them. Three hoops are assembled on each end of the field, serving as goals. The chasers score points by throwing the quaffle through one of the opposite team’s goals, getting 10 points-per-goal. Chasers are the only players allowed to touch the quaffle. Keepers: Similar to a goalie. The keeper protects their teams three hoops to prevent the chasers from scoring. Seekers: Each team has one. Seekers try to catch the snitch, nabbing 50 points for its team and officially ending the game. The Golden Snitch: A small, flying ball in the book - in the version for the gravitationally challenged, it’s played by a neutral-party person. A ball is placed in a sock and then attached to the snitch’s body, the seekers must obtain this ball in order to end the match. The snitch is allowed to run in and out of the field’s boundaries, thus the seekers, who must catch it, are permitted to follow it anywhere it goes. The snitch is the only player who does not have a broomstick. Beaters: Two players per team who each possess two small balls, the bludgers. The beaters can throw these balls dodgeball style at the chasers to prevent them from scoring goals. Additionally, they can throw the bludgers at the seeker to inhibit them from seizing the snitch. Winning: Although a team may grab the snitch and bag 50 points, it may not be the victorious one. Whichever team has the most points at the end is the winner.

The club’s Facebook page gives a link to purchase some “legit brooms,” but also concedes that “a regular house broom will work.” That is “unless we’re playing a high-profile school, in which case your busted-ass broom is not going to embarrass our school.”

However, club Co-President Ann Nguyen, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, insists that the club will be very relaxed. People will be able to show up when they feel like playing and there will be no strict rules, she said. Nguyen said she used to play back at home in New Hampshire, where people would show up in their wizarding garb. Players at AU will not be required to dress up.

The Quidditch club’s creation was a collaborative effort, with several freshman involved. Nguyen said when she came to AU she created a Facebook group to see if anyone was interested and received considerable amounts of positive feedback. The club’s executive board was then created with the people most intrigued by the idea.

The club is yet to have its first general interest meeting — Nguyen predicts it will take place within the next week — but its Facebook page boasts over 180 members. Additionally, during the AU Club Fair, over 300 people signed up, Nguyen said.

Satchel Kornfeld, the club’s vice-president and a freshman in the School of International Service, said they are not entirely sure how the club will deal with the large number of people who are interested in playing. Kornfeld said he thinks they may split people into teams based on AU residence halls, similar to the way the teams in the books are named after the Hogwarts houses. In the book series, the students play for their corresponding houses and compete with the other house teams in order to win the annual Quidditch Cup.

“We’re working on ideas right now — we might do it based on halls, we might do it based on schools,” Kornfeld said. “There’s a variety of options available, and it really depends on what people want.”

Kornfeld also said a goal for next school year is to have the team participate in the World Cup, an event in which college teams from all over the country meet to compete.

“If you play well enough, and notify the intercollegiate Quidditch Association you can go to the World Cup and play and get a trophy,” Kornfeld said.

Although he is a fan of the books, Michael Silver, a senior in CAS, said he would not be interested in playing Quidditch.

“It sounds nerdy to me, and I’m a theater major straight-up,” he said. “It’s so popular. I’m sure people would [want] do it and I’m sure it’s fun if you like that kind of thing.”

For those who do not want to play, both Kornfeld and Nguyen expressed hopes that people will come and watch the matches.

“You have to be enthusiastic,” Kornfeld said. “It’s as much a spectator sport as it is a playing sport.”

You can reach this staff writer at srudnick@theeagleonline.com.