Alexander Colle | Sports Editor
Featured Image: The team aims to give students the opportunity to play a sport with anyone in the university without the intense time commitment of varsity sports. | Courtesy of York Aurors
No, your eyes do not deceive you. York has an actual Quidditch team that plays actual games against actual teams across Ontario, and they’ve been doing it for five years. They are the York Aurors.
The team is one of many competitive clubs at York, aiming to give students the opportunity to play a sport with anyone in the university without the intense time commitment of varsity sports.
For the uninitiated, Quidditch is a sport that stems from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. In the books, it’s a magical team sport that involves contestants on flying broomsticks. Matches are played between two teams of seven players using four balls: a Quaffle, a larger ball meant to be thrown into one of three goal posts for points; two Bludgers, heat-seeking balls that are meant to chase players and knock them off their brooms; and the Golden Snitch, a small and elusive golden ball with wings that, when caught, ends the game.
Due to the non-magical nature of us mere muggles—non-magic folk—Quidditch in real life is played in a modified way that still resembles the game that Harry Potter fans know and love.
Here, the sport is played with 14 broomstick-mounted players on the ground of a hockey-rink-sized pitch. To score points, Chasers or Keepers must get the Quaffle—usually a slightly deflated volleyball—into one of the three opposing hoops, which scores the team 10 points. To prevent the Quaffle from moving down the field are the Beaters, players equipped with a dodgeball to take out opposing players. The game ends once the Golden Snitch, a player with a tennis ball attached to their body, is caught by a Seeker, awarding them 30 points.
To delve deeper into the sport, we spoke with Captain, Team President, and fourth-year Theatre major Bailey Thompson about her experiences with the club.
How long have you been with the team?
I’ve been with the team since my first year. I’m in fourth year now, so three years going on four.
What is your position with the club?
I am the captain and now the president. Along with running practice, I take care of the administrative stuff, but practice is much more fun.
And how about your position on the field?
I’m a Chaser.
What do you think drew you to join York’s Quidditch club, rather than traditional sport such as football, rugby, or dodgeball?
Well, I’ve always loved Harry Potter. I’ve always had that interest and that’s what drew me to it. When I was in high school I knew that real-life Quidditch was a thing and I heavily researched it and found out that York had a team. They were at my Frosh when I was in first year, so that was the first time I really got to try it. Everybody was so excited about everything; it was incredible. I thought: “Yeah, I’m gonna try and do this!” I went to their first open practice and fell in love with it there.
What was your most memorable moment from your experiences playing Quidditch?
In my first year—when I was still figuring out the game—I was so nervous about being in university and was struggling with that. We went to a tournament and there was one game we were playing—I think it was against UTM. I had the Quaffle, knowing I was going to get beat—if I was defeated, I would lose the ball—and there were no team members around me. I had one team member all the way at the other end of the field just behind the hoop, and I was at halfway. So I thought, “you know what? I’m gonna throw it and MAYBE it’ll get to him and maybe he’ll be able to throw.” So I threw the ball, it went through the hoop, and I scored for the team! It was absolutely amazing and I remember my team captain calling me “superstar” after that. That was definitely a highlight.
From your experience as a Quidditch player, what do you think separates an average Quidditch team from an elite Quidditch team?
I think the biggest thing that separates our Quidditch team from the ones that do really well is that they practice every day. That’s not something everyone can do, but there are some Quidditch teams where you can tell that they practice daily and they’re very cohesive. Something like that is vital. Just like any other sport—the more you do it, the better you’ll be at it.
How has playing Quidditch helped your university life?
I think it has helped in a lot of ways. The biggest thing for me, especially in my first year, was that it gave me a place to belong. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly. A lot of your first year is you struggling to find where you fit in. So that really gave me a place to realize: “Hey, I can be here. I can stick out. There are people here who are inviting and want me to keep me around.”
The other thing was having a way to be physically active. You can forget it’s a real sport, only because there’s that fun element of magic involved in it. It’s good for helping you to be a more social and outgoing person, because of the team. I ended up talking to people who I never would’ve been able to otherwise. It’s ultimately about making friendships and being a cohesive team, and having an accepting place where everyone is able to get something out of it.
It seems like it’s been a real positive force on your life.
It definitely has been. The thing I like about it is that it’s a sport anyone can play. I’m not a super athletic person, but we also had people who were offseason rugby players, or people where sports have always been their thing. It’s really great, that mix of people. It’s also one of the only co-ed competitive sports at the university level. There’s a gender rule: we need to have two males and two females on the field at all times, and the rest you can do whatever you want. It’s to make it sure that it’s not all men or all women on the field all the time.
If students want to join the team, how might they join?
All they have to do is come to practice. I’m not going to turn anyone away. We’re practicing and developing skills, until it comes around to a tournament. We’re hoping to have scrimmages with other schools, so that everyone can get the experience of playing in a real game.
Do you have any established rivalries?
Not really! Most other universities are really great. We’ve have beyond positive experiences with U of T Scarborough and Ryerson. They’ve been the main people who have been really great to us. There’s not a whole bunch of negativity, which is wonderful to see. I think that’s one thing that, in all, sets it apart from other competitive sports—sometimes, you’ll go to a tournament of another sport and people are just not that nice or ecstatic to be there. Of course when we play a game, we’re competitive on the field. Whatever friendships you have take a backseat when you’re trying to get the ball. But as soon as the game is done, everyone is super happy and we’ll hang out after and it’s overall an unforgettable time.
The program was formed back in 2012—that was five years ago. Where do you see or hope to see Quidditch going in the next five years at York?
I hope it continues! This is my last year, so my goal this year is to find people in second or third year that really have a passion for it and want to continue it. I really hope it grows and that the team becomes recognized by Quidditch Canada. We’ve had the opportunity of going to nationals and regionals a few times and I really hope over the next five years we’re able to go every year.
The York Aurors can be contacted via their email, yuquidditchclub@gmail.com, or by their Facebook Page, YU Quidditch Club. They are always looking for new members, so make sure to give them a try before the season ends. Who knows, maybe YOU could be the next York Quidditch superstar!
