The idea of young wizards on flying broomsticks sounds like something straight out of a storybook.
But junior theater major Cedric Gegel brought this storybook sport to life. While already involved in many student organizations, he decided to bring Quidditch, a sport from the Harry Potter series, to Capital’s campus.
“It’s a game that everyone can play,” Gegel said.
According to J.K. Rowling, Quidditch involves matches that are played between two teams of seven players riding broomsticks using four balls: a Quaffle, two Bludgers, and a Golden Snitch. Six ring-shaped goals are situated atop poles of different heights with three on each side of the field.
Because no one at Capital is a wizard or went to Hogwarts, there were some alterations made to play the game on Capital’s campus. The Quaffle is a volleyball, bludgers are dodgeballs, and the Golden Snitch is someone wearing all yellow running around campus. Theses games in the story can last for days, but, for the sake of students’ sanity, they will last for one and a half hour.
The Quidditch Club at Capital has been on campus officially for about a month and a half. However, Gegel has been trying to get this club off the ground for a couple of years. At first he thought this club would be a good way to get a dear friend of his to come to Capital, but in that Gegel found the true passion for the game. He founded this club because he wanted a sport that everyone could join.
“It’s a cool chance for people to get out and be athletic,” Gegel said.
Quidditch clubs have been popping up around campuses across the country.
“There are 170 teams across the nation, 170 college teams, and there is a national Quidditch association,” Gegel said.
The games will start in the spring semester.
“Hopefully we’ll play in March or early April, before exams,” Gegel said.
The Capital team will not being going against other schools for most of the games. There will be two to four teams picked at Capital, and they will play against each other. At the end of the year, Gegel is hoping all the players will vote on an all-star team that will then play another school in a charity game.
This club also has some events planned to get people excited for the upcoming season. There will three on-campus games played with the four teams, and they will be selling merchandise along with team memorabilia.
To join Quidditch Club, look for upcoming posters around campus for try-outs. Interested students can also email Cedric Gegel (cgegel@capital.edu) or Facebook him for specific meeting times.
