Andrew Tautges of Wisconsin Quidditch during a match against the Loyola University team at a Chicago tournament last year.
Chris Noble’s email signature includes the line, “Let’s bring the magic.” That makes sense, considering he’s president of Wisconsin Quidditch — a UW-Madison club that plays a sport based on the magical flying game featured in the Harry Potter novels. Ground-bound quidditch blends rugby, dodgeball and tag.
“Once people try it, they figure out it is full of strategy and a great workout,” Noble says, adding that Wisconsin Quidditch is one of three US Quidditch teams in the state. (Yes, quidditch actually has a national governing body.)
Wisconsin Quidditch will be among more than a dozen collegiate and community teams from Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota competing at the 2017 Midwest Regional Championship at Breese Stevens Field on Nov. 4-5. Admission is free, and top teams will qualify for the US Quidditch Cup 11 in Round Rock, Texas, next April.
According to US Quidditch rules, each team fields seven players holding brooms between their legs, essentially rendering them one-handed. They score points with a “quaffle” (a volleyball) either by throwing it or kicking it through a hoop. Meanwhile the “snitch” player (a neutral yellow-clad runner wearing a tail) enters an in-progress games and tries to avoid capture, similar to flag football. Once a snitch’s tail is pulled, the game is over.
“Madison’s fun personality and curiosity to embrace new events aligned well,” says Jamie Patrick, vice president of the Madison Area Sports Commission, which helped bring the Midwest Regional to town. “We’ve also enjoyed great success hosting championships outside the mainstream, including boomerang and tug of war.”
Wisconsin Quidditch members are doing their part to introduce the sport via outreach events at area libraries, summer camps and elementary schools. “We are hoping with Madison hosting regionals, and possibly future events, that we can reach a critical mass of interest,” says Noble, a UW graduate student. “Quidditch [does not require] a specific body type or specific skill set. It opens the door for people who didn’t think they could fit in traditional sports, which is why we would love to help it spread to schools in the Madison area.”
A demonstration of non-contact youth quidditch will be offered both days of the Midwest Regional.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the first Harry Potter book in 1997, and Pottermania shows no signs of slowing down, with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child hitting Broadway in spring 2018.
“We are fortunate that Harry Potter will be a phenomenon for quite awhile, so college teams will probably have a good supply of players,” Noble says. “And, hopefully, it will help us find enthusiasm in schools.”
