The Quidditch Addiction

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As he turns back for his dorm after an evening jog around campus, University of Kansas (KU) freshman and 2012 East graduate Wil Kenney passes by a large group of runners. When they rush beside him, someone in the pack, a guy from his dorm, calls out his name. The group invites him to run with them. Although exhausted, Wil obliges and falls into stride. Suddenly he’s in-sync with one of the university’s newest club sports, the KU quidditch team.

The next morning he found himself at their yearly informational meeting for new members. The spellbinding sport, filled with flying broomsticks and Hogwartsian action, from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” novels appealed to Wil on a very basic level before he had even experienced the game. He, like so many others trying out for the sport, loved the books.

“In one day, I had gone from knowing nothing to pretty much being on the team,” Wil said.
For Wil, this athletic experience was much different from any he had experienced at East. In high school, he had always participated in individual sports including swimming and cross country. He wasn’t really used to team sports, but quidditch was different. It levelled the playing field — he didn’t have to worry about the skills others gained at elite club teams in high school. No one had to be worried about who was the “best” because no one had played the game before. Everything was new to each individual.

“At the end of the day, you’re all learning these fundamentals at the same time.” Wil said. “It’s inspiring because you know you’re all the same.”

According to Wil, quidditch isn’t the easiest thing to understand, whether from afar or in the middle of the action. He describes it as a mixture of rugby and dodgeball. Tackling is legal, some teammates throw dodgeballs at others and in addition to that, the point is to score in one of three hoops at either side. However, the game has one markedly different aspect from any other sport in the world: every player must keep a broom between their legs, at all times. While the brooms are at many times finicky if not annoying, they provide a much-needed slower pace for the game.page12&13spread5

“Having a bunch of football players trucking into girls and really skinny dudes probably wouldn’t end well [without brooms].” Wil said.

Other than the brooms, those accustomed to capes, wands and flying wizards might want to check the library instead of the quidditch field for the Harry Potter version of the sport. A game that once forced avid Harry Potter readers to cling to their books has morphed into something even J.K. Rowling didn’t expect: an actual sport.

From that evening jog on, Wil was all in. First he would become an active member, and then later the captain his sophomore year. Not only is the team new (formed in 2010), it’s also one of KU’s most successful club sports, continually ranking among the top college quidditch teams in the country. KU ranked tenth at this year’s Quidditch World Cup in Myrtle Beach, SC, out of the 80 teams who competed.

page12&13spread4KU Quidditch competed against other college clubs ranging from Stanford to Texas A&M. They played games every three hours, and in between games would watch others compete in the action. It was only the seventh Quidditch World Cup in history and the fourth time KU has competed. Wil said that the World Cup is unlike any other sporting event — with broomsticks, wizardly apparel and yellow-clad human “snitches” running around the field.

“It’s somewhere between a musical festival and a baseball game.” Wil said.

When Wil told his father, Kevin Kenney, about his new sport Kevin couldn’t help but feel proud.

“I played rugby in college and really never got any further than my university campus.” Kevin said. “So it’s very exciting when someone gets to travel all over the country to play a college sport.”

According to Wil, since quidditch is co-ed, physical and fast-paced, it’s the right combination of laid back fun and intense competition. The KU team practices four times a week, with light jogging and different exercises to stay in shape. As captain, Wil tries to ensure that everyone keeps up their athleticism at practice, even though most of the time, the teammates just want to play the game itself.

“It’s sort of like the first hit of a really addicting drug,” Wil said of the sport. “Everyone talks about how addicting quidditch is, and that’s totally true. Once you get going, it’s hard to stop. All it takes is one random night run.”

According to Wil, the sport has begun to distance itself from the magical and mystical Harry Potter name. Aside from the multiple lawsuits being thrown at the International Quidditch Association from Warner Brothers, the sport is becoming less tied to the book and more athletic. Quidditch is growing up.

According to Marketing Director of the International Quidditch Association (IQA), Logan Anbinder, that trend is being reflected across the country. The league is only ten years old, but has seen rapid growth, as teams pop up in colleges and communities across the nation. He said that it’s perfect for college campuses, with students who are willing to try new things and have a significant amount of independence. As it grows, it begins to naturally distance itself from the books and movies.

“It’s also really very much coming to its own as a sport.” Anbinder said. “So not only do you have people who love Harry Potter, you also have people who are looking for a unique sport.”

Although he’d read each of the books, which had originally drawn him to the sport, the shear action of the game kept him there. And now, sometimes, the wizardly connection feels like more of a nuisance. During their three-times-a-week practices, someone will drive by and poke fun at the team, yelling phrases like “For Gryffindor” out their windows.

“A lot of people just sort of knock it immediately because of the “Harry Potter” thing and don’t ever give it a chance,” Wil said. “Which I think is their loss and not ours.”

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