Muggles fly to Quidditch pitch

Author: Anthony Adragna

As the sun rose on a crisp, fall day, students took to Battell Beach, otherwise named "the pitch," with the goal of leaving the Muggle world. On Nov. 11, college students from all over entered the world of "Harry Potter" during the first annual Intercollegiate Quidditch World Cup Festival.

var uslide_show_id = "79b87d1d-fba9-47a6-b972-b7b3b41cf222";var slideshowwidth = "468";var linktext = "";

Twelve Middlebury teams battled during the first portion of the competition for the right to play the squad from Vassar College. The festival featured Quidditch matches interspersed with entertainment from various students groups, food and souvenirs. Alex Benepe '09, an organizer of the event, estimates that over 300 people attended the festival, which featured 143 College students. The Molly Wobbles won the Middlebury portion of the event and before defeating Vassar 120-0.

Students on the Molly Wobbles declared various portions of the events their favorite.

"The best part was that it actually happened and came together," Chris Free '10 said.

"All the people that came out," Charlie Hoffmann '10 said.

"Winning the Middlebury portion," Jenny Erwin '10 said.

Benepe was very excited by student reaction and how the event went.

"I am ecstatic about the event," he said. "My committee and I worked extremely hard on this event, with weekly meetings for the past three months. I can say that I have never invested more money or time on anything in my life."

Many students share Benepe's sentiments about the event.

"The tournament was incredible," Kelsey Bakas '10 said. "The organization was great from a participants' view. We had great teamwork and team support. There was a magical feel about it."

The event featured Xander Manshel '09 and John Glouchevitch '10 as announcers. The brooms came from Alivans, a broom production company.

Many members of the Molly Wobbles did not know how to describe the feeling of winning the championship.

"I think I had the silliest grin on my face when we won," Free said. "I don't really know how to describe it."

Other students were happiest about the support shown by students across campus.

"One of the offensive linemen [from the football team] came up and said, 'you have a heck of a team,'" Hofmann said. "When Ultimate Frisbee streaks your event, you know you're a big deal."

Despite the support from many at the event, other students did not share the excitement about the event.

"This past Sunday, I wandered by Battell Beach and saw the Quidditch World ?Cup or whatever they called it," Daniel Streitfeld '08 said. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but? I think the Frisbee players legitimately have competition for weirdest kids on campus."

In spite of these objections, many turned out to watch the event. Spectators included students, professors and town residents.

"It was great seeing all the little kids," Free said. "It was awesome to see so many people having such a good time."

Many think the success of the festival will play a role in winning the sport offcial status as a campus club. Several students think the club should have been awarded the status already.

"It's about time," Erwin said. "We applied at the end of last year. And according to the Finance Committee, they doubted if Quidditch would be a sustainable club. Obviously, by the turnout, people are still interested."

Yet, some think becoming a club would actually hurt the event in the future.

"It might be dangerous to become a club," Free said. "We might be limited in how much money we can get for the group. We may not even try to attain club status."

Benepe hopes the event continues to expand and will seek to recruit additional players, both at Middlebury and at other colleges.

"A lot of people ask me if Quidditch is going to last and I tell them it absolutely will last," Benepe said. "Quidditch at Middlebury has taken on its own life. I'm a fan of the books but an even bigger fan of our real life version of the game. We also want to expand on the intercollegiate level. Next year I want at least five colleges competing on Battell Beach. I am considering an aggressive recruitment program in the spring involving road trips to colleges in the northeast."

Members of the Molly Wobbles expressed pride at the outcome of Sunday's tournament.

"It was nice how we came together as a team," Erwin said. "Everyone was on top of their game as a team. We had a deep bench. Everyone had a chance to play. We didn't have any weak points. The next person coming on was just as good."

Many student participants noted changes in event from last year.

"It is drawing a lot more of the athletes," Erwin said. "I feel like from last year to this year there were a lot of changes."

Still others have still greater dreams for the event.

"I want something to be done so we don't have school on Monday [after the festival]," Bakas said. "Because this is as big as winter carnival."

Benepe said he has seen tremendous growth in the activity this year and hopes to see continued growth in the future.

"Our group certainly grew exponentially this year but I am not surprised," he said. "We had a very large presence at the club fair which was key in creating anticipation and expanding our e-mail list. The game itself is spectacular and anyone who watches or plays loves it. I dare anyone to come and play and say they didn't have the time of their life."