Yesterday, even though Bronx Science High School was playing on NYC turf, it lost 50-30 to Lenox High School from Lenox, Mass in a Quidditch game. The magical sport, invented by author J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series, is really supposed to be played on flying brooms high above the ground, but Muggle Quidditch has had to make a few concessions. Players must keep a broom between their legs at all times, and instead of a golden, winged ball, the "snitch" is a tennis ball in a sock. Intercollegiate Quidditch Association commissioner Alex Benepe (and son of NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe) told 1010WINS, "This version of the game is the best it could possibly work in real life, short of flying brooms."
The league started at Middlebury College in 2005 as an intramural league, slowly expanding to play other colleges and, eventually, other countries. For those of you who don't remember the rules to Quidditch, each team is composed of Chasers, Beaters, one Keeper and one Seeker. Chasers try to get Quaffles, large red balls, into the circular goals past the Keeper, while Beaters attempt to keep the bewitched iron Bludgers from hitting their teammates. The Seeker spends the whole game attempting to find the Golden Snitch, worth 150 points if caught.
One nine-year-old watching yesterday's game said, "It's pretty cool. You never know what you're going to find in New York."
