Your Front Row Seats to a Real Quidditch Game

By Caitlin Corsetti

On Sunday, I was a part of something truly magical: Quidditch on the Quad. Yes, you read that correctly. My university and place of employment put on the second annual Quidditch on the Quad tournament. I am fortunate to work for Creative Campus, an organization so innovative and awesome that it turns our campus into Hogwarts. Last year’s Quidditch tournament was great with over 400 students registered to play, but this year we more than doubled in team registration. Thousands of people surrounded the fields and Diagon Alley to watch Muggle Quidditch, which was been adapted from the Harry Potter books in 2005 by students at Middlebury College.

Quidditch has become an international sensation with over 400 teams in the United alone. Many schools have intramural Quidditch leagues and compete against other teams in the area. There are reports of the International Quidditch Association petitioning to make Quidditch an official NCAA sport. The Quidditch World Cup has been going on since 2007, and this year’s was held this past weekend in New York City. Quidditch isn’t just about bringing this magical sport to life; part of the mission is community outreach. Since Harry Potter was and is such an influential part of our generation, communities that play Quidditch make a point to raise money and awareness for literacy. All of the money we at Creative Campus earned for Quidditch on the Quad went to benefit Alabama literacy.

I’m constantly amazed by the community here in Tuscaloosa. I never thought when I came to school here that I would hear Denny Chimes play the Harry Potter theme song or be around so many people that would share a love for something that means so much to me. As I watched kids run around the Quad on Sunday, it brought me back to those days when I was reading Harry Potter as an escape for what was going on in my life and feeling comforted by the story. All was well. While Quidditch may seem ridiculous to some, what it stands for isn’t. If one kid left this campus on Sunday wanting to go home and read a book, I am a happy camper.

Check out the awesome photos here: