Quidditch prepares for World Cup

Perhaps unbeknownst to most of you Muggles sitting around campus, a national event looms on the horizon. On Nov. 13 and 14, 46 teams will come from across the country (and Canada) to nearby New York City, putting pride and bodily health on the line in the pursuit of the all important "International Quidditch Champions" title.

"Our age is the age in which Harry Potter came out… Quidditch allows us to live out a fantasy that was a big part of our lives growing up, and it also provides a community in which we can do so," says Aaron Suzuka '12, a chaser for Vassar's team, the Butterbeer Broooers. Suzuka appeared in articles in both Time Magazine and ESPN The Magazine pertaining to quidditch as the sport has rapidly risen from joking club sport to an international non-profit organization that is attempting to get legitimacy as a varsity college sport.

The team started training in late August with the Vassar Adventures for New Students program and has since practiced every Sunday and Wednesday through sun, rain and mud. "This is the first year that there are seniors on the team [and] there's a lot of dedication. There are a lot of former varsity athletes and even current ones who are on the team." Over October break, the team traveled to Chestnut Hill College for the Philadelphia Brotherly Love Cup, and battled it out with the likes of Villanova University, Pennsylvania State University in University Park, University of Maryland at College Park and more. University of Maryland Captain Logan Anbinder summarized his team's experience against the Broooers. "Playing Vassar was a great experience for our team. They were the first team we'd ever played that had attended a World Cup, and it was great to see how friendly they were to a newer team." While the game against Maryland proved tough, Vassar prevailed by just ten points (the lowest possible margin of victory in quidditch). In the championship game of the tournament, Villanova vanquished the Broooers, despite both seekers simultaneously catching the snitch. The tournament was a grueling double elimination tournament that ended up being five games in one day of competition.

"Yeah, that's a lot. We would have maybe one or two [game breaks], but essentially we played from 12 to 5 [p.m.] straight," he continued. Quidditch can be as physical and draining as any sport. Suzuka notes that following the Brotherly Love Cup, "I bruised my quad and couldn't walk for a week." Injuries are hardly uncommon either; last year at the World Cup one player left the field with a broken leg and others got concussions. "There's gonna be so much pain afterward," Suzuka laughed in an interview. "In a good way I guess… After every Quidditch tournament I always have trouble moving for a couple days. I discover new muscles in my body because they suddenly hurt."

But this weekend, regardless of possible injuries or brutal losses, they go to compete; this weekend, they go to win. Asked to describe the team's style Suzuka explains, "We play a quick counter attack game. We're a pretty technical team: a lot of passing, spread the field a lot… We generally have really good possession but we have to watch out for the quick snitch catch. Once we're able to get control of the game we're a pretty dominant force compared to a lot of other Quidditch teams." Experience will certainly be on Vassar's side this weekend: the Broooers competed in the inaugural World Cup in 2007, placing second. Two World Cups ago—when there were only 12 teams—Vassar placed second, and last year they finished eighth out of 21 teams. Since then, they've won both tournaments hosted at Vassar, and expectations this fall are especially high. "We're looking to get to the finals. Middlebury has won every World Cup, so somebody has to dethrone them," Suzuka muses for a second before stating with a smile, "And we'll do it."

The tournament takes place at De Witt Clinton Park, which stretches from 52nd-54th street between 11th and 12th avenues in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood with games going from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m on Sunday. Vassar will play Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against the University of Richmond, at 2:30 p.m. against the Harvard University Horntails and at 7:30 p.m. against America's Finest Quidditch Club. The top 24 teams will advance in the tournament and play in a single elimination format on Sunday.