Whatever could bicycles, silly string, butterfly nets and water balloons have to do with the Harry Potter world?
They were all involved in the first flight of the Flying Squirrels, Eastern Michigan University’s Quidditch team, as they faced Miami University Saturday afternoon.
A segment of the Harry Potter Book Club and Reading Group, the Flying Squirrels, named for EMU’s infamous proliferation of the furry mammals, has been developing since the fall. They eventually hope to become a recognized student organization.
As a part of the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association, formed in 2007 at Middlebury College in Vermont, EMU’s team uses the IQA’s rulebook. The general aspects of the sport have remained similar to those outlined in the Harry Potter books and movies.
There are three “chasers” in charge of getting a volleyball through the three hoops at the opponent’s end of the fields, a “keeper” who defends these hoops, two “beaters” who can get other members “out” by pelting them with slightly deflated dodge balls, and a “seeker” who pursues the Snitch.
However, the Snitch isn’t a flying ball of gold. It is a member of the team responsible for running and hiding from the opposing Seekers and if necessary, keeping them at bay. The club’s faculty advisor, professor Wendy Gouine, summed it up: “The Snitch is tag and the rest is soccer-dodgeball-basket-lacrosse.”
All of this is performed, of course, with the players keeping a firm hand on their regulation broomsticks.
Perhaps the most entertaining aspects of the game were the antics involved in the seeker’s location of the Snitch. The person who plays the Snitch is allowed to hide, run and defend his or herself – which she did using silly string, a butterfly net and water balloons. At a few points in the game, the player who portrayed the Snitch even got on her bicycle to provide an extra challenge.
Co-captain of the Flying Squirrels and president of the Book Club, Amy Loviska, said one of her favorite parts of participating in the Quidditch team is “meeting the other Harry Potter fans – it’s a really connecting experience.”
Captain Nate Gibson added, “It’s a sport I can enjoy.”
The crowd was enjoying it too. Among the approximately 80 people who showed up were Gouine’s cheerleading daughters, members of Harry Potter literature classes and several enthusiasts.
“It’s remarkable that so many people appreciate the Harry Potter universe enough to create a game based on the one from the books,” said Danielle Ross, a senior Secondary Education major who attended the game.
Miami took the first game, but the Flying Squirrels rallied and took the last two. The end of the game provided a special treat with a “for your entertainment” melee performed without the Snitch.
The Quidditch team will be traveling to face the teams at Ohio State and possibly MSU later this season. They will also be traveling to Ball State for the Midwest regionals April 17.
In addition to the training, the Quidditch team and the bi-weekly book discussions, the group also does community service projects. These include wrapping books for the Washtenaw Family Book Club and work with the Karla fund.
