Quidditch club gives imagination flight

Muggles rejoice – the sport made famous by J.K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter" series is now available to the less magically inclined.

The West Virginia University Quidditch club is open to all students, and offers a unique game for fans and athletes alike.

Heather Hill, senior history and religious studies student, is the leader of the club and has been involved since its formation.

"I got started my sophomore year. I kind of started the whole shebang," she said. "Basically it started out as a floor program for the RA’s with four different floors playing each other. After that a lot of people were still interested, so we tried to have like little scrimmages from there. We kind of filled up. We played on the Mountainlair Green, and it kind of built up. We had more games, and then last year, we started the actual club in the dorm, drawing people from the Honors College and people that had worked with us the year before."

In order to make a game full of magic fit for the muggles of WVU, Hill said the group had to make some adaptations.

"We obviously don’t fly – that’s probably the biggest difference," she said. "The snitch is actually a person with a tennis ball, there are more bludgers than would be in ‘Harry Potter,’ and there are more referees."

Without the power of magic, Hill said WVU’s version of the game had to enforce more detailed regulations.

"Obviously, we have to get more detailed with the fouls and everything, because in Harry Potter it is more of a fictional thing to move the plot along."

Matthew Artimez, a sophomore chemical engineering student, plays the snitch position.

"You do anything by any means to stay away from the seekers. So you climb trees, you climb buildings, you hide, you run away. You have to be good at sprinting, and you jump over things," he said.

Artimez said as the snitch, he has to be more versatile than the other players.

"You’re the only player without a broom, so you have a lot more freedom, and you can even take down people. Any physical contact to take down someone – that’s what a snitch does."

Artimez said he enjoys playing the sport for the unique, fun and competitive atmosphere.

"I really like the people and the atmosphere. Everyone here seems to really enjoy it. Not everyone is really competitive," he said. "It’s just a fun thing everyone can get out there and do. And it’s a different game than what people are used to."

The first events will be two scrimmages to allow players to become familiar with the game.

The scrimmages will be held the weekend of Sept. 9 and will be in front of the Life Sciences Green.

There will also be a "Try-It Recruitment Day" held Sept. 16 on the MountainLair green.