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| The Greek council is bringing Quidditch back to campus with a charity cup on Saturday. Leading the charge are Caitlin Reid, Harrison Makohoniuk and Meghan Peverill. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
Sports trivia: what game includes positions like âbeaterâ and âseeker,â balls called âquafflesâ and âbludgers,â and is played entirely on broomsticks?
If you donât know, better brush up on your Rowling. The answer is âQuidditchâ - the imaginary wizard sport from the Harry Potter book series. And though Dalhousie wonât be adding âDefence Against the Dark Artsâ to their course list anytime soon (curses!), it will host a miniature Quidditch Cup come Saturday.
This wonât be the first time witch and wizard wannabes have descended on Wickwire field: an annual Quidditch match used to be staged by charity group One Moment. But since most of One Momentâs roster has graduated, Phi Delta Theta fraternity member Fahad Kabir (a One Moment co-founder) decided this year to enlist help from another source â Dalhousieâs Greek Council.
âIâm still continuing the legacy,â says Fahad, who is now in his fifth year of combined honours in history and political science. âA significant portion of when we did it (before) was helped by the Greek community.â The Greek council includes sororities Alpha Gamma Delta, Iota Beta Chi and Omega Pi, plus fraternities Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. The money they raise will be donated to Shinerama, a Canadian student charity for cystic fibrosis.
Fahad, plus fellow Phi Delta Theta Harrison Makohoniuk and Alpha Gamma Delta representatives Caitlin Reid and Meghan Peverill , meet me in the Killam Library to explain the rules of Quidditch. âWe have all the same positions they have in the books,â says Meghan. The gameâs a little like soccer â three âchasersâ on each team attempt to sink the âquaffleâ into hoops guarded by the opposing teamâs âkeeper.â The actionâs complicated by âbeatersâ throwing âbludgersâ at their opponents, as well as the âgolden snitchâ â a fleet-footed individual chased by each teamâs âseeker.â Catching the snitch ends the game, but seekers are slowed down by the fact that they (like everyone else) are obliged to travel via broomstick.
This does not daunt self-proclaimed âQuidditch virginâ Harrison, who, as well as organizing the teams, will head a lineup of his own â the Death Eaters. âWeâre going to be awesome,â he says. âI think weâre going to go for matching brooms, too.â
Fahad plans to spend this yearâs match on the sidelines â âIâm just watching the whole thing, hoping that nothing catches on fire.â Meghan and Caitlin have also eschewed bludgers and broomsticks, preferring to oversee the charity barbecue.
âWeâre trying to obliterate some of the stereotypes that have to do with fraternities and sororities,â Fahad explains. âYou assume frat boys and sorority girls donât play Quidditch.â
Caitlin agrees: pop culture is creating serious misconceptions about Greek life. âI joined because I found out what we stood for... I wanted to get more involved in volunteering... (but) you say âhey, Iâm in a sororityâ and they say âoh, you drink a lot.ââ (In fact, the Phi Delta Theta house is alcohol-free, and the Greek council spends more time organizing charity events than socializing.) Theyâre also interested in strengthening ties with the university at large, and Quidditch wonât be an exclusively Greek event. âWeâre trying to get not just Greeks involved in the teams,â says Caitlin.
Fahad agrees, then adds âWe totally should put in a toga team, though.â
The Greek Councilâs Quidditch game will be held on Dalhousieâs Wickwire field on Saturday, October 16 from 1 to 4 p.m. Entrance is by donation.