Quidditch at Mississippi State University welcomes those students who have an interest in the “Harry Potter” series and who want to learn how to play the iconic sport.
Currently the club meets Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., and it plans to have mandatory practices on Mondays as well as optional practices on Fridays and Sundays. Meetings are held on the Drill Field.
According to the Mississippi State website, the sport formed in 2005. Currently about 300 teams are a part of the International Quidditch Association. The Association hosts a World Cup every year.
Leah Dill, vice president of Quidditch at MSU, said they have not been playing Quidditch very long.
“We have been doing Quidditch since last semester,” Dill said. “There was a seminar class, and one of our final projects was that some of us were supposed to try and start a Quidditch Club.”
Hayden Manning, president of Quidditch at MSU, said getting people together to play Quidditch is what the club hopes to accomplish.
“Its a fun sport,” Manning said, “and I really would like to just grab some friends and just go play Quidditch. Eventually, we’d love to actually play against other schools, but what we are aiming for this semester, is just to teach people Quidditch and get them interested.”
Athletic and non-athletic backgrounds are both welcome. Anyone is allowed to come and scrimmage, particularly during the optional practices.
Fans of the “Harry Potter” series will be familiar with the ionic Hogwarts’ houses and the Quidditch game balls.
Anyone from any Hogwarts’ house is welcome: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw or Slytherin.
The club is creative when it comes to the balls and hoops they use to play the game. The Snitch is a person that holds a sock with a golf ball in it and runs around. The Quaffles are usually soccer or volleyballs, while the Bludgers are dodgeballs. For hoops, a hula-hoop is placed on some form of piping.
Manning, a junior anthropology major, said at the moment, regular brooms are being used to play the game.
“Next semester, once we get enough people, we will probably order official ones, but for right now, we are just going to stay within regulation,” Manning said.
This semester will be more informal, while next semester will be more serious when it comes to practices and dedication to the team.
Anyone interested in joining Quidditch at MSU can show up to practices this semester or contact Hayden Manning at [email protected].
