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Monday 25 October 2010

Real Life Quidditch - November World Cup

Real Life Qudditch is actually old news. However, my blog is shiny and new!

Muggle Quidditch was concocted in 2005 by university students at Middlebury College. Around the States, the sport has now spread and students are grabbing their brooms and donning their capes to go head to head in real life competitions to catch the snitch.



Over 400 teams now play the sport represented by the The Intercollegiate Quidditch Association or (IQA).

Wondering how it works? Each Muggle Quidditch team has seven players: three chasers, two beaters, a keeper, and a seeker. Chasers score points by throwing a quaffle (volleyball), through one of three hoops (worth 10 points) while trying to avoid bludgers (dodgeballs!!) that are thrown by beaters. Chasers hit by a bludger must drop the quaffle. The keeper's job is pretty standard - protect the goalposts, while the seeker must capture the snitch! Unfortunately the snitch isn’t a golden ball with wings but a sock stuffed with tennis balls carried by a person dressed in gold, however, I’ve also heard they have recently been using a toy helicopter to represent the snitch. Capturing the snitch gets you an additional 30 points and ends the game.


The sport has come a long way since 2005 and The "Quidditch World Cup" is moving to New York this year with More than 60 college and high school teams have registered to compete. The event will be in DeWitt Clinton Park from Nov 13 to 14.
If you’re interested in the idea of Muggle Quidditch, be warned that it really isn’t some frolic in the park but a real sport. New rules have been brought in to accommodate for last year’s broken bones but in general pushing, tripping and some tackling is allowed!

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