In just over a week, Harriton will be getting quite a bit more magical. We are leaving our muggle ways in the past as we take to the skies and play Quidditch!

On Thursday, November 14, at 6:00 PM, the quaffle will be released as the four houses face off in a tournament to determine the 2013 Quidditch champions of Harriton High School. David Bernstein of Slytherin, Cem Atillasoy of Gryffindor, Sam Blumenthal of Ravenclaw, and Gregory Costa of Hufflepuff are the Quidditch House Captains this year. They have been working tirelessly with Student Council to make this event as successful as possible. On October 23^rd, we held Quidditch tryouts, and over 80 witches and wizards came to show off their flying, running, and throwing skills for the captains, who took notes and prepared to assemble their teams.

In accordance with wizardry laws, the public Quidditch event will be confined to the ground, since muggles will be in attendance. If these wizards and witches were to demonstrate their magical flying abilities in the presence of non-magical people, they could run the risk of losing their enrollment at the Harriton School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They would also be in some serious trouble with the Minister of Magic, who is expected to be in attendance. However, players will still have to hold their brooms between their legs at all times with one hand, and use the other hand to pass and try to score.

In addition to the great teams and captains, there will be several golden snitches at the game.  The fastest runners with the most endurance have been picked to run around the school throughout the entire game, avoiding the teams’ seekers. These snitches will probably be running too fast to see, but they will always be there, so keep an eye out.

Muggle Quidditch has drastically increased in popularity in just a few years. Since its founding in 2005 at Middlebury College, Quidditch has spread to hundreds of colleges and high schools in several different countries, including Finland, Canada, France, and Australia. In fact, in 2010, the International Quidditch Association (IQA) was incorporated, which has hosted six Quidditch World Cups, certified official referees, and arranged the television broadcast of Quidditch games.

The official IQA Quidditch rules closely resemble the matches depicted in the Harry Potter novels and movies. Three chasers run down the field with the quaffle (a volleyball) and try to score goals that are worth ten points each. There are two beaters who use dodge balls to “knock out” players from the game. Players hit by a bludger (dodge ball) need to touch their own goal to come back into the game. Then there is the snitch, who wears a flag around his/her waist, which the seekers on each time try to grab. The team that catches the snitch earns 30 points and ends the game. There are also fouls and penalties, which range from going back to touch one’s own goal, to yellow cards and time in a penalty box, and even to red cards, ejecting a player from the game. Some of you may remember certain fouls that were committed during the Harriton Qudditch game two years ago, and special safety precautions have been taken to avoid such an incident again this year.

At the time that this article was written, not all of the details of the Harriton Qudditch Tournament were finalized, but more information will be available on the Harriton Banner website, as well as on posters around the school. Teams are currently being drafted based on the performances at the tryouts, and the captains are making sure that the teams are fair and balanced, to make for the most intense and entertaining Quidditch experience. We may not know which house will win the tournament and the glory, but one thing is for sure: this is not an event that you want to miss. So remember: Thursday, November 14, 6:00 PM, on the turf under the lights. Get excited, and prepare to feel the magic.