UA Students Mount Brooms for ‘Ground Quidditch’

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s Creative Campus will host a World Cup Quidditch tournament from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, on the UA Quad.

The event is free and open to the public.

Based on the broomstick sport from J.K. Rowling’s  “Harry Potter” books, quidditch has been modified into “ground quidditch” or “muggle quidditch” to be played in the real world.

Creative Campus invited the student body to form teams representing different countries competing in the World Cup. The tournament will feature 47 registered teams from campus groups including the UA School of Law, chemical engineers, the Million Dollar Band, Capstone Men & Women and the Japan Club. More than 490 players are expected to participate.

During the tournament, the Alabama International Relations Club is coordinating the teams to create table displays from each of the 47 represented countries.  Displays will include information about the country’s culture and literature as well as information on UA’s study-abroad programs.

In addition, Creative Campus and the Honors Assembly will offer a book drive to benefit the Alabama Literacy Initiative. Book drop-off sites will be around campus and at the event. Teams and spectators are challenged to participate in the book drive. The team that collects the most books will receive special benefits in the tournament schedule. Creative Campus also is collaborating with University Recreation on this event.

Tournament teams will be following the rules of the International Quidditch Association, which created the sport in 2005 at Middlebury College. The sport is a fast-paced combination of rugby, soccer and volleyball. Participants hold a broomstick between their legs at all times. Players shoot “quaffles” (semi-deflated volleyballs) through gold-painted hula-hoops on sticks and have to avoid getting hit by “bludgers” (dodge balls).

The snitch is a cross-country runner dressed from head to toe in gold and has free rein to run throughout the campus. Teams score points by shooting the quaffles and capturing the snitch. Teams are co-ed and are composed of seven to 12 players. Games last about 30 minutes, with seven players from each team on the field at a time.

A preliminary round will be at 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, on the University Recreation fields. Creative Campus interns have produced a video supporting the event that can be viewed online at http://www.vimeo.com/16175722.For more information, visit www.creativecampus.ua.edu or phone 205/348-7884.

Under the auspices of UA’s Office of Academic Affairs, Creative Campus is a collaborative system connecting students, faculty, and community to nurture innovative thinkers who “turn ideas into action.”  Creative Campus seeks to serve as a hub of collaboration and creative activity at The University of Alabama.  At the heart of Creative Campus is the undergraduate and graduate intern program.  For more information on Creative Campus visit www.creativecampus.ua.edu.