Muggle Quidditch World Cup grounded

(International Quidditch Association)

The fourth annual Quidditch World Cup will be played with more than 60 teams from high schools and universities across the US and Canada gathering in New York City, November 13-14.

Universities including Harvard University, M.I.T. and Yale, are registered for the Quidditch World Cup, a game inspired by the Harry Potter novels.

Like the magical sport in the book, the players straddle brooms while tossing a "quaffle" through hoops, but the Seekers and Beaters chasing the Snitch, remain on the ground.

The land-based game of Muggle Quidditch, as it is called, began in 2005 at Middlebury College in Vermont with hula hoops for goals. Intercollegiate matches quickly grew, from 65 to 400 college and 300 high school teams in the International Quidditch Association.

There are Quidditch teams in 45 of the 50 US states, split into five regions. Other countries with leagues in the IQA include Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, France, Germany, India, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and of course, the UK.

An attempt to have the game registered in the National Collegiate Athletic Association is underway to keep the game alive after the Harry Potter generation graduates.

This all leads to the much-anticipated penultimate film in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, releasing in theaters November 19.

http://www.internationalquidditch.org

RC