To Quinnipiac’s student body, the sport of Quidditch is no longer a game solely played in “Harry Potter” novels and films.
On Sunday, the Student Programming Board brought the game of Quidditch to Quinnipiac for the first time. Students formed individual teams of seven students on each side. Each team is complete with two beaters (defensemen), three chasers (offense), a goalkeeper, a seeker and a snitch. The object of Quidditch is to score as many points possible, earned by throwing the ball into the opposing team’s goal or catching the opposing team’s snitch. Players must run with a broom between their legs to simulate the high-flying games of the “Harry Potter” series.
Vincent Bond, a sophomore and the chair of Special Events and Traditions for the Student Programming Board, worked to bring Quidditch to Quinnipiac after seeing the event held on other campuses.
“I thought it would be a cool idea to bring Quidditch to Quinnipiac, especially after hearing that it has been played at other schools,” Bond said.
Victoria Adler, SPB’s Multiculture chair, thought Quidditch would be a unique and attractive event.
The proceeds of the event’s raffle went to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Free food and drink was also available at the event.
Turnout was strong, with more than eight teams participating in the tournament. Notable was the presence of Greek organizations, such as Sigma Phi Epsilon, Alpha Delta Pi and Tau Kappa Epsilon.
“I never thought I’d be playing Quidditch at college,” senior Freddy Rodriguez, a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon team, said. “This is hysterical and unbelievable.”
“We came to Quidditch out of love of Harry Potter, to support SPB and most importantly, to support philanthropy,” Kristen Murusky said.
“I came to Quidditch to help out SPB, and because this is a unique opportunity to hold an event which hasn’t transpired at QU before,” Dan Kent, a sophomore SigEp member, said. “I also feel this event is a good way to represent Sigma Phi Epsilon and Greek life in general. Quidditch on the Quad is a useful recruitment tool.”
“Hermione’s Boyfriends,” a team of SigEps, bested “Kenny and the Brunettes,” a team comprised of female SPB members, by a score of 140-0 to win the tournament.
