On Monday and Thursday evenings, the HSS amphitheater transforms into an otherworldly sports arena.
Quidditch, the fantastical sport made famous in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels, has come to UT.
“The general reaction is, ‘You know you can’t fly, right?'” Kelsey Walton, senior in linguistics and beater for UT’s Quidditch team, the Time Turners, said.
Since its inception in November 2013, Karissa Kirsch, junior in English, has led the fledgling organization. The idea to bring Quidditch to UT was sparked after viewing a documentary on the International Quidditch Association’s annual World Cup, the penultimate competition. Penultimate implies there is another competition following the World Cup) for the emerging sport.
Inspired, Kirsch said she used social media to spread the word. After two practice sessions she had assembled a squadron of 15 players dedicated to living out the magic of Rowling’s fantasy world on UT’s campus.
Kayla Sanuita, junior in English and Time Turners chaser, said her love for the world of wizardry drew her to the group she now considers a highlight of her college experience.
“It was definitely the love of ‘Harry Potter,'” Sanuita said. “I don’t think I would have checked out Quidditch if it weren’t for ‘Harry Potter.'”
Quidditch, a nationally-regulated, full-contact co-ed sport, is played on broomsticks – poles of wood or plastic between three and four feet in length – and each team fields seven players. The objective of the game is to move a “Quaffle” down the field and through one of three hoops standing on each end of the play area, thus scoring 10 points.
A Quidditch team involves players in a variety of roles: three chasers (offensive scorers), two beaters (defensive protectors of the Quaffle), one keeper (guardian of the goal posts), and the seeker (chaser of the elusive, game-ending Snitch).
According to the IQA website, Quidditch can be described as a combination of dodgeball, tag and rugby.
“I needed a sport that I was actually going to have an interest in because every time I started a sport, I stopped because I thought, ‘This is boring,'” Walton said. “This is not boring. These people are not boring.”
Members of the UT Quidditch team participate in four required practice nights per week, working on both physical conditioning and gameplay. The time commitment is almost entirely up to the player. Some participants drop in for a practice or two while others dedicate their own time to improving their skills.
“As much as you put into it, you’ll get back out of it,” Kirsch said. “So it’s rewarding on the level that you want it to be.”
Still a developing organization on campus, the Time Turners have played few matches but continue to aim for more recognition both from the university and IQA as a competitive team. Kirsch said she has her eyes set on one of seven southern region bids for next year’s World Cup.
The presence of such a singular activity at UT has created an outlet for athletically aspiring individuals from “all walks of life,” Kirsch said. In addition to Potterphiles drawn to the sport’s fictional ties, Kirsch said Quidditch brings in players who “don’t feel safe or welcome” in traditional sporting environments.
“You get people coming because they want the chance to express themselves athletically but don’t feel that any other sport really fits them,” she said, “because this is a really unique sport.”
As a rule enforced by the IQA, all Quidditch teams must include a minimum of two players whose gender identification differs from at least two other members of the squad. Kirsch said this aim for diversity makes her organization a welcoming place for anyone interested in participating.
A love for the game continues to fuel Kirsch’s involvement with Quidditch, but she said the development of an inclusive and open community is the driving force behind her dedication to the movement at UT.
“The fact that we’ve been able to create a place for people who want to express themselves athletically that don’t fit into either men’s or women’s sports, I feel, is a really great accomplishment,” she said. “That’s probably the thing that I pride myself on most as far as this team is concerned.”
