Laker Life

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Muggle quidditch is quickly gaining popularity among college students. GV started its team in 2009.

GVSU students form muggle quidditch team

By Brittany Mestdagh GVL Staff Writer
1/31/2010

Several students formed a new organization to prove Quidditch is no longer a game just for wizards at Hogwarts.

Grand Valley State University's Muggle Quidditch team, a sports and recreational organization formed in the fall 2009 semester, enables players to stay grounded while participating in this fast-paced game.

President Adam Dreisbach started the team last summer as an incoming freshman. When he visited campus, he felt inspired by the Harry Potter Club, now Nerdfighters GVSU, to start a collegiate Quidditch team.

Dreisbach made it his goal to recruit at least 14 interested students to have enough players to scrimmage. There are seven players on a team.

Chasers use a deflated volleyball, called a quaffle, to score. These players can only use one hand to hold onto the quaffle as they try to throw it through the opposing team's rings to score 10 points.

Beaters hit other players with a bludger, usually a dodgeball. The player hit by the bludger goes into knockout effect and must circle around the goal zone before resuming play.

A keeper is similar to a goalie. This player defends the team's rings from chasers.

Freshman Zach Smith, the group's financial officer, is a seeker. A seeker's job is to snatch the snitch.

Unlike the snitch in J.K. Rowling's fictional world, Muggle Quidditch's snitch is a sock sticking out of the helmet of freshman Brittany Visser. Dressed all in yellow, Visser's position requires her to run and hide from seekers such as Smith.

"The first semester she was running around the Turf Building jumping over rails," Smith said. "It was hard to follow her, let alone catch her."

Visser has the advantage of being able to run without a broom. All other players must use one hand to hold onto a broom positioned between their legs while in play.

"We started out using what we had," Smith said. "Some people brought Swifers."

Dreisbach said he hopes to get funding next year for equipment and uniforms. He said his goal is to schedule a game with another Quidditch team such as Michigan State University's team.

Until then, he holds practices to condition current members in strategies, drills and plays.

"I try to find other games that will be useful to the positions," Dreisbach said. "Beaters play dodgeball. Chasers play catch. Seekers and the Snitch play tag."

It is similar to three separate games going on at the same time, he said.

"My part is like a weird game of tag, but it is definitely a sport," Visser said. "There is so much going on that you have to keep your head in the game."

Quidditch is a physically demanding sport depending on the position. There are no restrictions on how hard a player can hit, Dreisbach said. Nonetheless, he wrote an additional non-discriminatory clause in the club constitution based on athletic ability.

"I would rather have members with little sports experience, who come out to have fun, put their hearts into and respect each other," he said.

His Quidditch team is equally balanced by gender and physical ability. Regardless of their interest in the Harry Potter books or movies, all the team members just want to have a good time.

"It is funny," Dreisbach said. "I feel like I am tricking people into exercising."

Any student interested in getting involved with the team should e-mail Dreisbach at dreisbaa@mail.gvsu.edu.

bmestdagh@lanthorn.com

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