Harry Potter-inspired sporting event bringing teams from 4 states to West Chester this weekend

US Quidditch will host the USQ 2019 Great Lakes Regional Championship at the Voice of America MetroPark Athletic Complex, Nov. 2-3. This event will feature collegiate athletes from around the Great Lakes Region including 15 teams from 4 states. CONTRIBUTED

US Quidditch will host the USQ 2019 Great Lakes Regional Championship at the Voice of America MetroPark Athletic Complex, Nov. 2-3. This event will feature collegiate athletes from around the Great Lakes Region including 15 teams from 4 states. CONTRIBUTED

US Quidditch will host the USQ 2019 Great Lakes Regional Championship at the Voice of America MetroPark Athletic Complex, Saturday and Sunday.

The event will feature collegiate athletes from around the Great Lakes Region including 15 teams from four states.

MORE: 5 events in November you don’t want to miss in Butler County

Collegiate teams from Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania will compete in West Chester for the opportunity to attend the National Championship, the US Quidditch Cup, and for the title of Regional Champion. The event will take place at the Voice of America MetroPark Athletic Complex on Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

US Quidditch will also be hosting a free youth Quidditch workshop on Saturday, at 2:30 p.m. for elementary, middle, and high school students. Registration is not required, but RSVPs are welcome.

Quidditch is a full contact, competitive, mixed gender sport inspired by the Harry Potter series. It began in 2005 and has since spread to over 300 colleges, high schools and club teams nationwide.

Quidditch is played with seven players to a team all mounted on brooms. Three chasers score goals by putting the quaffle (a volleyball) through any of three hoops at the opposite end of the field. A keeper defends the hoops, while two beaters throw bludgers (dodgeballs) at opposing players to temporarily knock them out of the game.

Meanwhile, each team’s seeker tries to catch the snitch: an autonomous yellow-clad athlete who has a tennis ball in a custom-made velcro tail hanging from the back of their shorts, similar to flag football. A game of quidditch ends when the snitch tail is caught, and the capturing seeker’s team is awarded an additional 30 points.

To learn more about quidditch, visit www.usquidditch.org.

About the Author