Quidditch is Just Plain Fun
The UGA Quidditch League members simply enjoy playing Quidditch. In fact Squires remembers that at first he thought Quidditch was going to be kind of lame but then saw how awesome it really was. He also adds, “We’ve taken out bushes and run through crowds . . . people will be walking to Snelling, and I’ll be crouched in the bushes, but once they see my Snitch t-shirt they realize what’s going on and laugh. It’s fun.”
Though tensions that might make Quidditch less enjoyable arise between the four houses in the Harry Potter books, players on the UGA Quidditch League do not see much conflict. Kenny Adcox, a second-year telecommunications and anthropology major from Dunwoody, Ga., is a Beater for Ravenclaw. “UGA Quidditch is competitive but you don’t feel like you have to win. I don’t think anyone [on Ravenclaw] was disappointed last season that we didn’t win.”
Players also enjoy UGA Quidditch because of its uniqueness. Dressed appropriately in a red Gryffindor t-shirt and a UGA beanie, Chase McCallum, a second-year international affairs major from Marietta, Ga., is the Gryffindor captain and a Chaser. McCallum is right at home playing Quidditch. “I really like Frisbee, and I really like dodge ball. It’s just like playing Frisbee on the [Myers] Quad with twists, and it’s cool to participate in something unique.”
Erin Wilson, a second-year public relations major from Marietta, is Hufflepuff captain and a Chaser. “Quidditch is really fun. I’d never really done sports before but we definitely welcome non-athletic people to join us. It’s a bonding experience,” she says.
But the main reason why UGA students enjoy playing Quidditch is clear just by watching the teams warm up. Every Sunday as the Quidditch teams meet on Myers Quad, the players are meeting to enjoy each other’s company, to have fun and to keep the magic of Harry Potter alive.
In the last few minutes of the first game of spring semester 2008, before the release of the Snitch, Hufflepuff and Slytherin fight each other intensely to score. Suddenly, Hufflepuff receives the Quaffle to the excitement of the team and the sidelines. But then, to Hufflepuff’s dismay, a player from Slytherin immediately steals the Quaffle back. The Slytherin player runs down the field and shouts, “I love this game!”