A fictional game, created by the mind of J.K. Rowling, is coming to life at Ohio University.
A group of students recently formed the OU Quidditch Club after each had individually tried to form the team in the past.
The group, led by sophomores Katie Simpson, who is studying biology; Blake McDonald, studying computer science; and junior Ryan Altenbach, studying broadcast journalism, was formed earlier this semester.
“I thought it would be fun,” Altenbach said. “I noticed we didn’t have (a Quidditch team) and thought, ‘Who better to start it than me?’ ”
Quidditch, a popular game played by wizards on brooms in Rowling’s Harry Potter series, continues to spread on college campuses, with more than 300 teams across the nation.
“We wanted to do it last year, but it didn’t work out,” said Simpson. “We’re very passionate; we won’t give up.”
Simpson said she thinks the fact that the group organizers didn’t know each other beforehand will help the team stay together in the long run.
“We’re trying to make sure we have a wide group of people,” she said. “If it was (my original) group, I don’t think it would’ve lasted.”
Even though the team is still in its beginning stages, its members are already enjoying some success. Members traveled to Columbus last Sunday, splitting a pair of games against Ohio State University before beating Denison University.
“It’s difficult, like rugby, and gets very violent,” said Anna Westfall, a freshman studying screenwriting and member of the team.
Currently, the team is working on organizing a game in Athens against Miami University along with looking into tournaments in Indianapolis, Ind., and Toledo.
However, before the team can be recognized as an official club by the university, it needs a faculty adviser to sign off on its activities, Altenbach said. He said the team has already contacted one and should be an official club within the week.
“I had been approached a few years ago,” said Christopher Sims, an English professor and the club’s perspective adviser, who used to teach a Harry Potter-based class. “I said I would be happy to be the adviser, but nothing ever came of it.”
As of now, the team has about 90 likes on its Facebook page and about 20 players, but it is looking for more, Altenbach said. The goal is to have enough players to have two separate teams; there can be a maximum of 21 players on a team, with only seven players on the field at a time, he said.
The club’s unconventional nature is what caught the attention of Stephanie Fisher, a member of the team and a senior studying sociology and criminology.
“It’s a really good way to be in a sport and be nerdy at the same time,” she said.
md781510@ohiou.edu
