[UPDATE] More information about Sunday's tournament after the jump.
Lynn University in Boca Raton might be the only school to require students to "keep a broomstick between their legs at all times."
Yes, Halloween is over. But Harry Potter season is just beginning!
On Sunday, November 14, the private university is hosting a Quidditch tournament in honor of the release of the new Harry Potter movie this month.
You remember Quidditch, right? It's that make-believe game in which wizards and witches ride on broomsticks to find a flying golden ball all while get bludgeoned by other hard, round objects. Surprise! Lynn figured out how to make flying broomsticks.
Just kidding. What it's done is combine football, dodgeball, rugby, and hide-and-seek. The snitch won't fly. It's actually a gold-painted Ping-Pong ball that will be hidden in the intramural fields. Two teams of seven students will have to hobble along with the stick between their legs to find the ball. They'll do all of this while using Quaffles (volleyballs) to score points and getting hit with dodgeballs.
Players are encouraged to wear traditional Harry Potter gear like robes. We here at the Juice expect a lot of injuries, and we'll be disappointed if the fun is kept at a kindergarten level. But we'll be even more disappointed if the spectator section isn't sectioned off by class: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
It turns out the University of Florida actually has a Quidditch team, but they don't ride broomsticks. Check out the video of one of their practices below:
UPDATE: We just heard back from Joey McNamara, coordinator for student involvement and programming at Lynn.
He says that the Quidditch tournament will follow the International Association for Quidditch's rulebook (yes, it's real.)
There won't be a New Times team because teams must be students, faculty, or staff. Your team can register this week.
McNamara doesn't expect many injuries. "We went out on the field yesterday and practiced. I held a broomstick between my legs." Either way, participants will need to sign a liability waiver the day of the tournament.
