Flying around on broomsticks and dodging self-propelled balls is obviously the stuff of fiction, but at Moorpark College, students are transforming magic into reality with the game of Muggle Quidditch.
On Sunday Oct. 4 at 4:30 p.m., fourteen Moorpark students will bring to life the magical game of Quidditch from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” in Griffith Park located directly across the street from the Moorpark Campus, on Collins Drive.
Event organizer Harrison Homel, 19, a Political Science major at Moorpark College, acknowledged the unusual nature of the sport and said it will be entertaining to witness the game in a true-life scenario–watching people running around on brooms when it’s not Halloween.
“There will definitely be lots of laughter and fun occurring,” said Homel. “It’s about having fun, nerding out and finding people that share your interest.”
Since the game was created in 2005 as an easy-going Sunday afternoon activity, Muggle Quidditch (that is, Quidditch played by non-magical humans) has become an international intercollegiate sport. Now, over 65 colleges in over 25 states have Muggle Quidditch teams. Californian intercollegiate teams exist at colleges such as Occidental College, Scripps College, and even Stanford University.
Although Sunday will be the first official Moorpark Muggle Quidditch match, games are hoped to be held regularly every following weekend. Anyone interested in playing or watching is welcome to attend.
Homel, a self-proclaimed Harry Potter nerd, first began playing Muggle Quidditch last summer with a group of friends. After watching countless You-tube videos of games played at other colleges, and realizing that the game requires little athleticism, Homel decided that Muggle Quidditch had to be played at Moorpark College.
Developed by two students from Middlebury College in Vermont, Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe, the game is played exactly like the game of Quidditch from “Harry Potter,” except with less magic and more imagination.
According to Manshel and Benepe’s “Intercollegiate Quidditch Rules and Guidebook,” the game is played by fourteen ‘fliers’, seven on each team, and one person acting as the Golden Snitch, usually a track runner who, when caught, ends the game and gives the catching team 150 points. Each team has: three Chasers, responsible for throwing a ball called the Quaffle through the opposing team’s hoop; two Beaters, who throw a ball acting as a Bludger at opposing players trying to knock them off their brooms; one Keeper responsible for defending the team’s hoop; and one Seeker responsible for chasing down the Snitch.
However, the game is not to be taken too seriously. “Players running around with brooms between their legs lend and air of irony and humor to the entire sport,” said Benepe. “It keeps things lighthearted and entertaining, even when the game-play gets really intense.”
At this time, Muggle Quidditch has not been made an official club on the Moorpark College campus, and will not be played as an intercollegiate sport.
For more information, visit the Moorpark College Muggle Quidditch Facebook group by searching: Moorpark College Muggle Quidditch.
MC student Francis Juliano tosses the ‘quaffle ball’ away from the goal while managing to keep a firm grip on his broom, as per the official rules of Muggle Quidditch. (Ariel Bloomer)
MC students (from left to right) Melissa Carlson, Harrison Homel, Danielle Kaufman, and Sean Ferguson enthusiastically fight for the ball in a practice Quidditch match. (Ariel Bloomer)
Player Carlon Assells gives the illusion of flying with a spirited leap for the ‘quaffle ball’, being tossed by fellow MC student, Jake Foster. (Ariel Bloomer)
Moorpark Muggle Quidditch creator, Harrison Homel plays the role of goal keeper by trying to block his opponent from scoring. (Ariel Bloomer)
Francis Juliano loses sight of his broom in an attempt to prevent his opponent from scoring. (Ariel Bloomer)
