For anyone who has read the Harry Potter series, you know Quidditch as the main competitive wizarding sport. As you may or may not know, this fictional game has translated over into a highly athletic competitive venue for many universities, including the University of Guelph.
Tia Julien, one of the presidents of the Guelph Quidditch team’s executive committee, is part of the group responsible for planning, organizing tournaments, and communication with the Athletic Department at the university.
“It’s really similar to what you see in the movies and what you read about in the books,” Julien explained. “Except obviously, we can’t fly.”
The Guelph Quidditch team uses brooms made out of regulation PVC pipe. Each team has three chasers who attempt to score on three hoops. There are also two beaters for the team, who throw bludgers, which are dodgeballs, to take people out of play. If you are hit with a bludger, you have to run back to your hoops before you can resume play. There’s also a keeper, who functions as a goalie and guards the hoops, and a seeker to catch the snitch. The snitch is worth 30 points and catching it ends the game, either winning it or losing it depending on the score.
Laura Brown, a student at the university, founded Guelph’s team four years ago. “Back then, it was kind of a fun recreational thing and now we actually travel and compete all the time, and it’s really evolved,” says Julien. “It started out from a Harry Potter club, and people just kind of came together and threw hoops up in trees and tried to play the game.”
Today, Quidditch is an international sport, with teams at many universities including Queen’s, McGill, Waterloo, Ryerson, and York. “We travel Canada and the US usually, but we play against all different universities and colleges,” explains Julien.
She adds, “There’s a big stigma around Quidditch, that it’s just nerds running around on brooms. Once people come they realize that it’s very athletic and it is full contact. I think people are very excited about that.”
As the game has gained popularity, however, it has established its own niche outside of Harry Potter fans.
“Almost everyone knows of or likes Harry Potter and the game itself is from Harry Potter, so it’s always going to be a part of it,” Julien explains. “But it’s also become its own thing right now in athletics.” Quidditch in general, and the Guelph team in particular, boast a unique team dynamic. “There are a lot of different people from different athletic backgrounds so you get a good mix, but it’s very much a competitive mindset,” says Julien. “It’s pretty cohesive, the dynamic of the team is always interesting but always very tight-knit.”
Julien says that her favourite part of this unique sport is the team competition. “Being able to go up against other teams and just knowing that no matter who wins or loses, your team is behind you, I think that’s probably the most important quality of Quidditch that Guelph has.”
Quidditch is a full-contact sport, and its players are committed to the game. “This is a team who takes what they do really seriously,” says Julien. “Other people should realize that this is a sport, like soccer or hockey or football, this is a physical athletic sport.”