Brooms up!
The phenomenon that is the book and movie series of Harry Potter has had a long lasting effect much greater than ever could have been anticipated. One aspect of Harry Potter that seems to have taken off is the real-world adaptation of the game of quidditch.
University of Guelph’s quidditch team held their tryouts this past week to fill their roster of 42 players.
This co-ed club has two competitive teams that play for the University of Guelph. The A team is known as University of Guelph Quidditch, while the B team is called Royal City Quidditch. Both teams attend many tournaments throughout the entire year, competing against 23 teams across Canada.
The tryouts were open to all who wanted to attend and the team is open to all genders and all levels of athleticism. This inclusive sport had a total of 75 people attend the tryouts over the span of three days.
Those who were trying out had to partake in a series of drills that tested their agility, foot work capability, and speed. One quidditch-specific drill tested their passing and catching capabilities with two people standing on either side of the three hoops. One person would run up in front of the hoops and the other person would pass the ball to them. They would then try to score by getting the ball through the hoop. The hoops vary in size but are all worth the same number of points.
After the drills were finished, players were given the opportunity to partake in a scrimmage of the game. This allowed players to get comfortable running and playing a sport with a broom between their legs, and allowed them to gain an understanding of the rules of the game. Players were split into two teams and each assigned a different position, either chaser, beater, or keeper. Many were surprised to find out that the sport is full contact.
Chaser captain Bradley Connolly said he is excited about the team they have put together and was thrilled with the high attendance of tryouts. He stated that the decision making process of who would make the competitive teams was difficult due to the level of interest and athleticism presented by all throughout the tryouts.
University of Guelph Quidditch ranked fourth in Eastern Canada in their season last year. Bradley hopes that, “with the new recruits and the returning members, we believe that we can increase our rank and be a serious contender for the national championship.” Connolly says that he understands the sport is untraditional and for that reason they are very excited with the amount of people who came out to tryouts with an open mind.