Brooms and magic are inextricably connected in the Muggle mind, so games like Quidditch are one of the worst-kept secrets in the world of wizardry. After learning about the magical game, we Muggles became so captivated by it that we started our own Quidditch teams one even Apparated onto Syracuse University’s campus.

 

SU conjures Quidditch team

It all began in summer 2008 when SU’s Quidditch team founders Peter Zona, a 2011 SU graduate, and Drew Shields, a senior advertising major, graduated from Saint Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. With plenty of free time on their hands, they looked for something to do. Their friend, a huge Harry Potter fan, stumbled upon Muggle Quidditch on the Internet, Zona said. And it hit them like a stray Firebolt: They would start the Ives Pond Quidditch Club in Buffalo.

‘We had nothing to do, so we started playing Quidditch with our friends,’ Zona said.

When they came to SU in 2008, Zona and Shields decided to start a Syracuse Quidditch team.

Muggle Quidditch is a semi-contact, fast-paced game that combines elements of different ball games and running.

The usual equipment of Muggle Quidditch includes three circular goals that are placed on both sides of the field, and all players are required to carry a broom between their legs. Slightly deflated balls are used as the Quaffle and dodgeballs serve as the Bludgers. The Golden Snitch is a tennis ball placed in a sock that hangs from the waistband of the Snitch runner, a neutral player who wears yellow. One player volunteers to be the Snitch. The Snitch is allowed to run across the entire campus to avoid the Seekers.

‘When you say Quidditch or Harry Potter, people think nerdy,’ Zona said. ‘But it’s actually very physical, and you’d be surprised how much endurance you need to be good.’

The team plays pickup games every Sunday. The Syracuse team is very inclusive, and anyone can join and play regardless of his or her experience or athletic skills, said Joey DiStefano, captain of the Syracuse Quidditch team.

‘Coming to college, I wanted to stay active and involved but not super committed,’ said DiStefano, a sophomore environmental engineering major. ‘You just have to be able to run around and have fun.’

 

Players transfigure for Halloween-themed game

With all the players in their positions, the Golden Snitch was released and a game of Muggle Quidditch began on Sunday, Oct. 30, on the Women’s Building Field at SU. Syracuse’s Quidditch team invited teams from the State University of New York Cortland and Niagara County Community College for a Halloween-themed game of Muggle Quidditch.

In light of Halloween weekend, the Syracuse players donned costumes instead of their usual athletic attire, which includes cleats and gym clothes, allowing players to get muddy and dirty. Wearing a red shirt, yellow shorts and a headband, Joey DiStefano, sophomore environmental engineering major and captain of the Syracuse Quidditch team, was dressed as Paulie Bleeker from ‘Juno.’ Bouncing from foot to foot, DiStefano tried to stay warm in the cold October breeze, but his spirits and expectations before the match remained high.

‘I’m freezing in these shorts, but they were a dream come true,’ DiStefano said. ‘I’m so excited. It’ll be magical, sparks will fly.’

Minutes before the game, the Syracuse team warmed up in a circle, shouting encouraging words and counting out loud to help one another do the stretching exercises. The players took their positions, and the game kicked off with the Quaffle and Bludgers placed in the center of the field. The Snitch was released and immediately began running around to avoid the chasers.

 

Quidditch spreads through Muggle world

According to ‘Quidditch Through the Ages,’ the Ministry of Magic spent a year magically constructing a huge stadium in the middle of a large deserted moor for the 422nd Quidditch World Cup in August 1994. The Ministry went to great lengths to keep it secret, putting many different Muggle-repellent charms on it.

In ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’ Arthur Weasley, a former employee at the

Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic says, ‘Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they’ve suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away. Bless them.’

But the cat got out of the bag. Ever since Muggles connected the dots between brooms, sports and the magical adrenaline rush during a Quidditch game, the sport has spread throughout the Muggle world. The first intercollegiate Quidditch World Cup was held in 2007 at Middlebury College in Vermont, according to the Quidditch World Cup website.

‘The sport has become significantly more legitimate,’ Zona said.

The International Quidditch Association is a nonprofit organization ‘dedicated to promoting the sport of Quidditch and inspiring young people to lead physically active and socially engaged lives,’ according to its mission statement.

The Syracuse team is an official member of the association and is currently ranked 76th based on the results of the 2010 Quidditch World Cup, regional tournaments and games played between official teams, according to the association’s website.

 

SU team whizzes to 2011 World Cup

This year, 17 members of the Syracuse Quidditch team joined 2,000 athletes at the fifth Quidditch World Cup on Randall’s Island in New York City from Nov. 12-13. The teams came from 27 states, the District of Columbia, two Canadian provinces, Finland, New Zealand and Argentina, according to the Quidditch World Cup website.

With improvisational comedians who announced the teams that competed against each other and the results of each match, live music performances and a variety of ethnic foods, the Quidditch World Cup was described as ‘a cross between the Super Bowl and a medieval festival,’ according to Fox News. Visitors could buy whimsical merchandise, get their faces painted, and see live owls and fire jugglers.

‘All teams try to go. That’s bragging rights for the whole year,’ said Zona about the team’s

eagerness and excitement to participate in the tournament.

This year’s Quidditch World Cup concluded with a battle between Middlebury College and the University of Florida. According to a Nov. 14 article by Dan Panzarella on the International Quidditch Association’s website, Middlebury caught the snitch, securing its fifth straight Quidditch World Cup win. 

Syracuse lost its first match to Christopher Newport University after it was caught off guard by a quick catch of the Snitch, DiStefano said. The players fared better in their second game against Brandeis University, a thrilling match that went into overtime.

A third game against the Marauders of Maryland University brought Syracuse its second down-to-the-wire win, leading to a narrow loss to Purdue University the next day. Advancing as the second best team in its group, the team lost a high-flying matchup against Green Mountain College.

‘We played the best I’ve ever seen us play, but it wasn’t enough,’ DiStefano said. ‘We lost to a Snitch snatch.’

Said DiStefano: ‘Overall, we made a lot of great friends and had an absolutely magical weekend.’

kvdolins@syr.edu

Published on November 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm