For a Cause, Greeley Students Play 'Harry Potter' Game of Quidditch

Fields at Horace Greeley High School during the spring are often filled with people playing baseball or lacrosse. The game of quidditch, adapted from the Harry Potter book series, was a new arrival Friday, with a tournament organized by members of the junior class as part of a fundraising effort for relief in Japan.

The game, which is normally played in the books with people flying on brooms, had to be adapted to what author J.K. Rowling wrote are "muggles," or non-magical people. This means that the teens were firmly anchored to the ground, riding flightless brooms. Several dressed up for the event, either with wizard attire or scarves.

The event was originally considered last fall by juniors looking to do something for their class, said Steve Warren, a Spanish teacher and one of the advisors for the Class of 2012. A few students came up with the idea, but “the whole class came together," said MaryRose Joseph, another teacher and advisor, adding that students chose to go with “the most current and most needed effort" for a cause.

The muggle version has become organized in recent years, notably on college campuses.

A typical game, according to sites referencing the sport, is played with seven people on two teams. The positions include a "keeper," who is the goalie for an area that includes three hoops (for this game, they were three hula hoops held by wooden poles), three "chasers" who carry through a "quaffle" - a volleyball for this game - and try to pass it through the goals, and two "beaters," who play a defensive role and throw two smaller bludger balls at those carrying the quaffle.

There is also what is called a "snitch." In the books the snitch is basically a moving golden orb, but in real life students took on the role by dressing in yellow. In the game, it is the job of a team's "seeker" to catch one, thereby ending the game (this won't necessarily mean the seeker wins the game for their job, through). In the Greeley game, there were multiple people dressed as snitches on the field, with those who weren't selected to be caught acting to block attempts to catch the snitch who was running, students explained.

Henry Simon, who was one of the students who helped organize the event, described some of the notable differences. They include reducing the point total for catching the snitch from 150 in the books to 30 in the muggle version, and making the game more challenging by having more than one snitch. He described his interest in the sport, which included a trip to the sport's World Cup last fall in New York City.

“I think it’s a great cause," said Jennifer Taylor, one of the students who turned out.

While the event was originally geared towards high school juniors, it was explained that students from other grades came, paid the $5 needed and played. Turnout was at least 50, Joseph said. Overall, it was estimated that several hundred dollars were raised. 

To learn more about quidditch, click here for the International Quidditch Association, which is organizing the sport.