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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Lifestyles

Gryffindor for the win

Justine Stone
Justin Leman, 19, sophomore of Douglas, Wyoming, looks to make a move with the Quaffle at the Quidditch Tournament Friday at the Amphitheater. — Photo by Justine Stone
Justin Leman, 19, sophomore of Douglas, Wyoming, looks to make a move with the Quaffle at the Quidditch Tournament Friday at the Amphitheater. — Photo by Justine Stone

J.K. Rowling’s first “Harry Potter” book was released nearly two decades ago and not only is her series the most popular in publishing history with 450 million copies sold worldwide, according to thedailybeast.com, but her imaginary game, Quidditch, has become a reality around the world and at CSC, minus the flying broomsticks and magical balls, of course.
Four teams, Gryffindor, I Ain’t No Snitch, Slyther In, and the Greasy Grapplers, competed in RLA’s double elimination Quidditch tournament Friday at the Amphitheater.
Gryffindor came out on top after the championship match. “Butterbeer,” a drink referenced in the series, and cookies shaped like Snitches were available for attendees.
In the “Harry Potter” series, teams from the dormitories, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, compete against each team throughout the year resulting in six games for the students and teachers to watch. Final standings in the competition for the Quidditch Cup are based on the total points scored by each team rather than the teams’ win-loss records.
There are three types of balls in Quidditch: a Quaffle, used to score points by kicking or throwing it through the hoops; a Bludger, used to hit someone so they must drop any ball they have, go to the sideline, then touch one of the goalposts before returning to the game; and the Golden Snitch, a winged ball that flies around the field avoiding the players. In CSC’s case, the Quaffle was a volleyball, the Bludgers were dodgeballs, and a resident assistant ran around the oval-shaped field avoiding the players as the Snitch.
Each team has one Seeker, whose goal is to catch the Snitch and end the game; three Chasers, who throw or kick the Quaffle through the hoop to score 10 points; a Keeper, who is the goalkeeper and protects the hoops from the opponents’ Chasers; and two Beaters, who throw the Bludgers at their opponents, for a total of two 7-player teams on the field. Three hoops are set up on each side of the field for the Chasers to score in and the Keepers to protect. The books and movies show wizards and witches flying around the field, but since CSC students are “Muggles,” they ran around the field on broomsticks.
Committing fouls, such as blatching—intentionally colliding with opponent—results in players being sent to the penalty box and, if serious enough, being ejected from the competition.
To win the competition, teams must score 150 points or catch the Snitch. Visit usquidditch.org for more information about the game and to read the US Quidditch Rulebook.