Northwestern students may soon be able to pass quaffles and dodge bludgers on their very own intramural Quidditch team.
Marc Bourgeois, NU’s Intramural Quidditch organizer, said he began reading J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books at age nine, a hobby that evolved into a “borderline obsession.”
The Weinberg sophomore lives near Middlebury College in Vermont, where the muggle, or non-magical, version of the sport was first introduced. Bourgeois said he thought intramural Quidditch could be a “fun way to spend time” and decided to create a “Northwestern Quidditch” Facebook group to spark interest in the sport.
Muggle Quidditch is a “combination of Frisbee, dodgeball and football,” Bourgeois said. There are seven players on each side and three hoops (goals) of various sizes. In the wizarding version of the game, players ride around on broomsticks, dodge enchanted rubber projectiles and dive for the winged Golden Snitch. However, in the magic-deprived world, players must be content throwing dodgeballs instead of batting bludgers.
“It’s an easy decision for a Harry Potter fan to get into it and a good way to meet people on campus – the sooner we start, the more interest we’ll generate and pretty soon we’ll have a bunch of teams on campus,” Bourgeois said.
He also believes the game could potentially expand to competitive levels, endorsed by the already existent Intercollegiate Quidditch Association, which published “The Intercollegiate Quidditch Guide and Rulebook.”
“If we get a lot of people in, hopefully people will organize their own teams and play for a cup eventually,” he said.
Claire Lukens, a McCormick sophomore, said she was immediately excited to go to a meeting.
“I think it’s perfect for NU,” she said. “I feel like our generation, who are at NU now, are the kids that grew up with Harry Potter from beginning to end. NU itself is nerdy so it fits perfectly. We embrace our nerdiness.”
Lukens, who studies engineering, is in charge of making the hoops for the game. The first meeting largely focused on appropriate attire for the new team, since most NU students don’t own wizarding robes.
Other schools who field their own Muggle Quidditch teams include Emory University and Vassar College.
Jess Elkin, who graduated from Emory in 2008, said she did not join the team because she doesn’t like competitive sports.
“I don’t think anyone will take it seriously unless they can fly,” Elkin said.
