Quidditch
Kissimmee, Florida hosted the 2013 Quidditch World Cup last weekend which was won by the University of Texas. Eighty teams and 1,600 athletes from across the United States, France, Canada and Mexico competed for the title of the world’s best Quidditch team.
Based on the sport in the Harry Potter novels, real-life Quidditch combines elements of soccer, rugby and dodgeball – in a fast moving, full contact game involving broomsticks and the golden snitch. There are seven players on each team – two different balls are used and three hoops on each end of the field serve as the goals. All players must hold on to their broomstick, usually running with it between their legs, during the match, so any passing, catching or blocking is done with the free hand. The snitch is a player dressed in bright yellow with a tennis ball tail. Capturing the tennis ball tail signals the end of the game.
In 2005, students at Middlebury College in Vermont adapted the sport from the bestselling J.K. Rowling novels and developed a co-ed league. Today, there are more than 1,000 teams from 45 states and 33 countries. The 300 most active teams compete at tournaments run by the International Quidditch Association, the sponsor of this weekend’s sixth annual Quidditch World Cup in Kissimmee.
Experience Kissimmee sponsored the event and donated facilities free of charge, including the massive sports complex. Over 12,000 visitors attended the event.
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