Jillian Soh is in her element. The biology student and One Moment president is wearing a pink bed sheet as a cape, giving out cookies, and explaining the regulations of One Momentâs latest charitable event to volunteers (including yours truly.)
âYou have to be on your brooms at all times,â she begins. âIf youâre not on your broom, then youâve fallen off it, and then you canât play.â Jillianâs co-organizersâFahad Kabir, Geoff Seto, and Avia Malcolmâlisten intently. One Moment (a ratified Dalhousie charity raising money for AIDS research) is in the midst of organizing this Sundayâs second annual Quidditch tournament. Organizers, volunteers, and team members agree; everything has to be magic.
Quidditch (for those Muggles not in the know) is the witch-and-wizard sport made famous by J. K. Rowlingâs Harry Potter novels. The game involves trying to score points with a ball (âQuaffleâ). If youâre having trouble picturing Quidditch, hereâs a recipe: one part rugby and one part dodge ball, with a liberal dose of theatrical silliness thrown in.
The most vital Quidditch strategy is for players to watch out for the âGolden Snitchââthe team with eyes sharp enough to retrieve the tiny golden sphere takes home a cool 50 points and ends the game. In order to make the task tougher, the Snitch will be attached to the back of a seasoned track-and-field runner. âItâs going to be attached to Velcro, and the Velcro will be attached to Velcro, and that Velcro will be attached to your back,â Jillian cheerfully explains to a nearby Snitch runner, showing off the Velcroed Snitch.
âWhere did you get that Snitch?â A team members asks, impressed by the Velcro pulley system. âThatâs legit.â
âE-bay,â Jillian beams, opening another box of cookies.
Another key feature of Quidditch is avoiding âBludgersâ (deflated dodge balls thrown by âBeatersâ.) âBludgers will mess you up,â warns a sober Mitch Handley, captain of âP.D.T. United.â âIâve taken a few Bludgers in my day.â Come Sunday, Mitch will have one eye on the Bludgers and one hand on his broom as he leads P. D. T. United into battle. Other teams competing include the Chudley Cannons, Team Music, the Golden Thimbles, and the Appleby Arrows. Iâm the captain of the Appleby Arrows. Iâm still not quite sure how that happened.
âYou need a team chant,â Jill tells me. âSomething for the crowd to cheer.â
I blink and rack by brain. âUm⊠âARRRRR, me hearties?ââ (Donât give me that look. I just write, OK? I donât play Quidditch.)
Actually, the Quidditch tournament has tempted out a surprisingly large number of volunteers, many of whomâlike meâwould otherwise never dream of venturing onto Wickwire field. Some are veteran Quidditch players back from last yearâs tournament (which was bravely held in Nova Scotia snow.) âThe (volunteers) are just really nice people,â demurs Geoff Seto, a microbiology honours student here at Dal, and One Momentâs treasurer and events coordinator. But thereâs more to it than that. The Quidditch teams and the other tournament volunteers will be showing up on Sunday to support a cause they believe in. And to have some fun, for one moment, anyhow.
Having fun is a specific part of One Momentâs mission statement. âPeople donât do anything exciting any more,â says Fahad Kabir, the enthusiastic arts major who serves as One Momentâs vice-president and official spokesperson. âPeople donât do anything whimsical.â
That sentiment gave rise to the idea for One Moment, which Jillian, Fahad and Geoff founded last year. âI was ranting to Geoff (that) people donât enjoy life as much,â explains Fahad, who has a problem with the guilt-trip tactics some charities utilize to earn funds. âThatâs something I donât like. It doesnât come from the heart.â
So thatâs what is One Moment is really about â helping a good cause and having a good time? âSure. Take a break,â says Fahad. âEnjoy yourself. Um, play a game of Quidditch, apparently.â
Despite this playful attitude, Fahad and his associates take what they do seriously. âThereâs been a lot of thought put into this â not how we can host it again, but how can we make it better,â says Fahad. He hopes that the Quidditch tournament could raise as much as $1,000 for the charity.
Jillian has just finished explaining the rules. She looks out over the gathered players to ask if there are any questions.
âYeah,â says Mitch. âWhatâs the policy on performance-enhancing charms?â
Jillian considers this. âWell, that Ministry (of Magic) official will be there,â she says thoughtfully. âSo I wouldnât try it.â
Jillian, Geoff and Fahad have lots of One Moment events planned throughout the year, from a Valentineâs Day rose sale to a midwinter masquerade ball. In the meantime, the Quidditch tourney will kick off on Sunday, Oct.19 at Wickwire Field. One Moment wants everyone to come out and watch local undercover witches and wizards struggle for the Quidditch Cup. âWe have a trophy full of candy! CANDY!â enthuses Jill.
Really, whatâs not to like?