On October 26th, 2008, the University of Washington sent nine Quidditch players to the second annual Quidditch World Cup in Middlebury, Vermont. On Saturday ten Middlebury teams competed against each other for Middlebury’s World Cup slot. Sunday’s intercollegiate tournament was double-elimination, and in addition to the games there was live music, food, juggling and fire-juggling displays, and live owls and alpacas.
Participating Colleges
Middlebury College
Vassar College
Green Mountain College
Emerson College
Chestnut Hill College
Boston University
University of Massachusetts
Ive’s Pond College Club
McGill University
University of Washington
Lousiana State University
Princeton University
UW’s weekend
After a red-eye from Seattle to Burlington on Friday night, and lots of naps on Saturday, UW was ready to play Sunday morning.
The first game: UW vs. Chestnut Hill College. As a team we were surprised at how physical the game was being played, but we turned up the heat and responded in kind. The score was tied 30-30 when UW seeker Jan Rey Pioquinto caught the snitch, giving UW our first win. Jan Rey split his lip during the chase and got scraped on the scalp, and spent the next several hours pressing bandages and ice packs to his forehead.
The second game: UW vs. Middlebury College. The score was 50-0 Middlebury when seeker Jan Rey again caught the snitch.
The third game: UW vs. McGill College. McGill played tough. From the moment “brooms up!” was called, everyone was on the ground, sliding in the mud, all the time. This was definitely the most physical game UW played. Chaser Noe Khalfa fractured a rib. UW was up one goal on McGill, 40-30, when their seeker caught the snitch, ending the game at 40-60.
Even though UW got out of the tournament early, we had an absolute blast. The fact that we were able to bring a team to the World Cup, with our Quidditch club all of six months old, was amazing. Without the dedication and enthusiasm of all of UW’s Quidditch players, and especially the nine we took to the Cup, this could not have happened. In the month leading up to the tournament, every Saturday the World Cup team played against everyone who showed up to the scrimmages, and they were a valuable resource in developing our playbook. UW plans to host an intercollegiate tournament in the spring, and it is our dearest ambition to come back to Middlebury next year (with more than two girls!)—and take the Cup.
Intercollegiate Quidditch at UW is a registered student organization at the University of Washington. We play Muggle Quidditch, adapted from