By Cory Linsner
There’s a new club sport that’s making its way to the Cleveland State University campus. Those who are familiar with the “Harry Potter” books or movie series should check out the courtyards because you might just see a familiar scene. Quidditch is here and open for the Cleveland State community to experience.
Quidditch is a sport, based on the fictional game from the “Harry Potter” series, that involves a broomstick, a hockey rink sized pitch and two teams of seven. The sport, created in 2005, is gaining immense popularity. Schools and organizations all over the nation are adding this sport, allowing the dreams for many Harry Potter fans to come true.
The team, formed by Steven Kersey, begins its inaugural season on Sept. 28 against the College of Wooster. Kersey, a transfer student from Bowling Green State University, has enjoyed the sport and thinks a quidditch team at Cleveland State can succeed because of the university’s diverse population.
“I have played quidditch since 2013 for Bowling Green,” Kersey said. “I have been enamored by the sport, and it has given me an opportunity to meet all types of people. I wanted to create the team because Cleveland State has a diverse population, and I think having a quidditch team on campus would help to expand that.”
With the creation of the sport at Cleveland State, the university joins six other universities that already have the sport. With the creation of a new club sport, there is a need for interested students to participate. Kersey is also excited for those new students to experience all the things that a quidditch season holds.
“I am most excited about having the new players experience an actual quidditch season,” Kersey said. “That means going to different universities, playing other college students, traveling to different states and learning how to play quidditch.”
Since it is a club sport, there are no scholarships offered, and students can come and try out for the team if they are interested. The sport is full-contact, mixed-gendered and open to any students that are interested.
“If people are interested, they can either find the organization on VikesConnect or contact me directly,” Kersey said. “The quidditch team welcomes all people regardless of their background in sports and physical abilities. Quidditch is a full contact, mixed-gendered sport.”
Like all club sports, the hope is to have the team grow as the season progresses. While the first step was getting things set up to become a recognized organization at the school, the next step for Kersey is to have the team represented at school events and get the word out on social media.
“The first step in expanding was becoming an organization and club sport on campus,” Kersey said. “Both are happening this semester. Next step is recruiting at all events on campus. The Cleveland State quidditch team will have social media at some point during the semester as well.”
The Viking’s quidditch team will be hitting the pitch this fall and are ready to expand this program as a fan favorite among the students and campus.
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