Lest you think that the fictional game of Quidditch exists only in the fantastical world of Harry Potter, think again. This weekend, NYC played host to the 2010 Quidditch World Cup tournament that pitted real life muggle teams against one another for ultimate supremacy. Now, because muggles can’t fly, the game of Quidditch as described in the Harry Potter books has to be adapted a bit for human play but as you can see from the following photos, the game can be played in real life almost the way it is played in the Harry Potter books:“Harry Potter” enthusiasts have gathered at DeWitt Clinton Park in Hell’s Kitchen to watch quidditch leap from the pages of author J.K. Rowling onto the playing field. Five years ago, Middlebury College students in Vermont adapted the literary sport into a live-action, non-flying field game. Now, seven non-magical people, or “muggles,” form a team, straddle brooms and chase a ball. “This sort of developed from Sunday bocce into Sunday quidditch. It was just a time when we got together and played, and all of a sudden in over the past five years it’s become something a lot more than that,” said Quidditch World Cup founder Rainy Johnson. Organizers said competitors came from as far as Texas, Florida and Canada to take part in the tournament and two of the teams are from New York City. “It’s a fantasy game. When you read the game, you’re like, ‘Wow, I want to play this.’ And then someone creates a game that muggles can play, and now we’re here and we’re playing 46 other schools. That’s amazing,” said player Chris Shaw. Never in their wildest dreams did the organizers imagine that their love of the Harry Potter franchise would turn into such a large-scale sporting event that attracts legions of fans of the boy wizard. “We’re all a bunch of book lovers and if it wasn’t for this one book, or seven books, we wouldn’t be here. And it’s so fantastic to be able to see our love bring us out here on this gorgeous day, to be able to run around and have so much fun,” said Christine Scott, a diehard Harry Potter fan. The weekend-long competition’s winning team will earn a big trophy and international quidditch bragging rights, but some players said being in such a welcoming community made them already feel like winners. “For us, it’s just about having fun, enjoying ourselves. It’s about the experience, the atmosphere. You know, having a bunch of people around that feel the same way you do,” said player Chelsea Harris. International Quidditch Association officials estimate more than 100 schools now play the game.
OMG … looks like fun, yeah? After the jump, check out some video footage from this weekend’s Quidditch World Cup tournament in NYC this weekend …
Leave it to the hipsters to take a make-believe game and turn it into a bona fide sports tournament. Bless their hearts … at least they keep things interesting (if oftentimes annoying). Still, I really love the idea of real people playing almost real Quidditch. It actually looks like fun … for the spectators ;) What do y’all think … do YOU think you’d like to participate in next year’s Quidditch World Cup?
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