Quidditch in a City
Many people do not realize the unique difficulties...
Photo courtesy of Deanna Edmunds
Not only is it difficult to hold quidditch practices at urban schools, but storing equipment with a limited amount of space presents another problem. “With equipment storage, we have no official storage room on campus…minus tiny little lockers. We have to store the equipment in dorm rooms on campus, which means only on-campus students can access them, and only if the person who lives in the room is home,” noted Hess-Mahan.
Teams such as Emerson Quidditch, No. 27 Q.C. Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA), and Quidditch at NYU have had to hold some practices off-campus because their colleges are unable to accommodate them. Since Emerson Quidditch is not a Student Government Association recognized club or official athletic team, they have had to organize practices through other organizations, thus leading them to practice off-campus at the Boston Commons. However, this has caused many issues for the team. The Parks Department requires organized sports teams and leagues to obtain a permit in order to use the fields: “The police officers that have kicked us off in the past did not tell us that, but since then we have been working closely with the Parks Department and [have tried] to file for as much practice and game time as possible,” said Hess-Mahan.
Q.C. Pittsburgh has been more successful as they have been able to hold most practices on the lawn in front of the iconic Cathedral of Learning located in the center of their campus. Yet David Schreiber, captain of Q.C. Pittsburgh, explained that, “Recently we have coordinated team runs to nearby Schenley Park where there are much better field conditions.”
For Quidditch at NYU, finding a consistent practice space was difficult. Tumambing noted that, “For the past three years, we have varied our practice area anywhere from Central Park to Chinatown. We [practiced] in any open space we [could], even resorting to basketball courts if necessary.” Now, however, after many struggles, NYU holds weekly practices at East River Park, approximately a 30-minute walk from campus.
While these teams have faced difficulties due to their urban locations, both Schreiber and Hess-Mahan believe that there are advantages to being located in the middle of Pittsburgh and Boston, respectively. Hess-Mahan stated, “There are hundreds of other colleges in the area, many of whom have quidditch teams. Using public transportation has made it easy for us to qualify for Regionals because we could take the subway to Harvard [University], [No. 24 Tufts University], [No. 3 Boston University], and other colleges to play them.”
For Q.C. Pittsburgh, practicing in the center of their campus has helped them gain recognition with prospective and current students, as well as with the local press. “Because we practice in such a public location, we are mentioned during campus tours and often tours will stop to watch us,” said Schreiber. “In fact, during the activities fair at the beginning of the year, multiple students [mentioned] that they heard about us during a tour and that it played a part in them choosing to go to [the] University of Pittsburgh.”
