A little taste of Hogwarts will return on a broomstick as four Cornerstone classes face off in ACU’s second Quidditch Tournament on Monday.
DumbleMoore’s Army will face off against VoldeMorris on Dead Day, led by Dr. Steven Moore and Dr. Jason Morris.
“What a way to truly celebrate Dead Day,” said Moore, assistant professor of language and literature, “it’s a great way to bring a little life to that day.”
“We thought it was a good way to release the tension and anxiety from studying,” he added. “It’s an opportunity to come out and take a break.”
Stacy Acton, senior elementary education major from Boulder, Colo., helped Dr. Jason Morris set up the first Quidditch tournament.
“Last year I was a mentor group leader for Welcome Week,” Acton said. “My group and I decided it would be really fun if we did something really ridiculous, so we started talking about intercollegiate Quidditch.”
“It’s funny – the rules are almost exactly the same as in the books, except you can’t fly” Acton said. “It’s like rugby, but with sticks.”
Each team consists of seven players – two beaters, three chasers, one keeper and one seeker. Beaters are responsible for lobbing the bludgers – in this case, two partially deflated dodgeballs – at their opponents. Keepers guard the goal hoops from the chasers, who attempt to put the quaffle through them.
The Golden Snitch isn’t a little ball at all, but an actual person, Acton explained. The snitch runner tucks a tube sock containing a tennis ball into their belt, and the seekers try to catch it. Though the playing field for the other players is small, the snitch can effectively roam over half the campus.
“The snitch runner can do anything,” Acton said. “They can steal bicycles, climb buildings or hide. I’ve heard of people throwing water balloons, as well.”
Moore said the professors were still debating whether they would join their students on the field.
“If Dr. Morris starts playing, maybe I’ll join the game,” he said. “But it looks pretty rigorous, so I don’t mind playing the role of a spectator.”
Both Moore and Acton advocated Quidditch as an intramural sport, but Dr. Moore had an even more intriguing idea.
“It’d be a great idea to have an all-faculty team versus a student team,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be great?”
The tournament will begin at 10 a.m. Monday on the field outside of the Hardin Administration Building.
