The Quad was littered with wizards of all ages and students were smeared in their nation’s colors Sunday as football took a backseat to Quidditch for an afternoon at The University of Alabama.
UA’s Creative Campus, in collaboration with University Recreation, hosted their second Quidditch on the Quad “Muggle Quidditch” tournament yesterday in support of local literacy programs.
This year, a mass of 938 students entered the single-elimination tournament and divided into 82 national teams, representing countries ranging from Norway and Uruguay to Sarah Palin’s Alaska. At the bracket’s end, New Zealand overcame The Colonial United States in a tightly contested 120-100 overtime victory.
Alexandria Tucci, a Creative Campus intern, UA senior and master of ceremonies acting as “Professor McGonagall” in this year’s tournament, said she brought the idea of hosting a muggle Quidditch tournament to Creative Campus after hearing of its inception at Vermont’s Middlebury College. The game emulates J.K. Rowling’s fictional sport by having seven players run with broomsticks aiming to throw volleyballs through three circular goals and catch a human “snitch.” Tucci was unsure what student response would be to such an objectively bizarre event.
Creative Campus brought the event back this year after its warm reception last year. Tucci said that the event is aimed to promote literacy and local literacy programs through the celebration of the Harry Potter novels and the donation of all proceeds to benefit the Tuscaloosa County Schools Reading Coaches Team, who take a hands-on approach to improving students’ reading levels in elementary school.
“I know when I was a kid I really looked up to students,” Tucci said. “For them to see college students getting so into Quidditch helps show that it is cool to be into Harry Potter.”
Alongside the hundreds of students around the games were scores of children and their families on campus to join the festivities. Kids watched Quidditch come to life before them, took potions class and made crafts in “Diagon Alley” (a sectioned-off piece of the Quad,) and gawked at students dressed up as their favorite characters.
Nine-year-old Tai Moses, dressed as a small Ron Weasley, was first greeted on campus with a hug from Lord Voldemort, her school’s drama teacher in costume, then made an owl letter in Diagon Alley, and then went on to catch a match’s snitch caught off-guard during his flight. With a bashful smile, Moses described her afternoon as simply being “super-fun.”
“I’m really pleased with [the tournament],” Tucci said. “We try to reach out to elementary schools and it was really exciting to see kids and their families out here.”
After nearly five hours of play, the sun began to set and only New Zealand and The Colonial United States remained. Bright lights lit the main pitch and a pair from the British Empire was brought out to provide cheeky commentary.
The match began with a quick New Zealand surge putting the team up 70-50. Soon after the snitch broke onto the field and was tackled to the ground by the New Zealand seeker, bringing fans charging onto the field. However, the contact was deemed illegal and play was reset. Announcer Chris Izor, a senior majoring in New College announcing under the name Martin Tyler, reminded fans “the Colonies were down early in the Revolution” as well, and a goal followed from mid-field by Colony chaser Brian Moor, bringing the game to a 90-90 tie once the snitch was again captured.
Only a minute into overtime, New Zealand caught the snitch again and brought the game to a close, winning 120-100. According to freshman beater Jason Johnston, his New Zealand squad of First Baptist Church members had little practice or experience.
“I didn’t think much of winning or expect much from the tournament, but when we kept winning I thought ‘oh my gosh, this could happen,’” Johnston said. “It was a great day all around.”
