IQA Representatives To Attend NIRSA Conference
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that a quidditch team exists at Weber State University of Ogden, Utah. The IQA editorial team regrets the error.
On Wednesday, June 12, representatives from the IQA will be attending the NIRSA Collegiate Sport Club Symposium in St. Louis, Missouri. The conference, which is held biennially, aims to provide educational and networking opportunities for collegiate administrators in the club sports realm. IQA Chief Operating Officer Alicia Radford and outgoing Development Director, incoming World Cup VII Tournament Director Sarah Woolsey will be attending on the IQA's behalf.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
The IQA was invited directly by NIRSA, formerly known as the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association, to participate in the National Governing Body Panel at the symposium. In sitting on the panel, The IQA will be joining the Association of College Unions International, National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association, Ultimate Players Association, USA Cycling, USA Hockey InLine, USA Triathlon, and United States Tennis Association.
Radford and Woolsey explained that increased visibility is one of the many reasons the IQA decided to attend. “It's a good way to get the IQA to be visible and to be seen,” Woolsey said. She continued, “It's a good way to really talk to the schools directly about what the IQA does, and the different programs we have... A lot of times schools and sports clubs advisors will have teams at their schools, but they don't know what it is. They don't really know what it involves.”
In addition to increasing the sport's visibility, Woolsey suggested that their attendance could aid teams that want a formal relationship with their school. “It helps to see what's going on with sports clubs around the country," she explained. “[We can] see what the expectations are that they have of national governing bodies, and the expectations they have of their students, so we can also advise teams who want to become club sports at their schools. We can also help advise what those advisors are looking for and what types of things they can do to have a better relationship with their school.”
While Woolsey and Radford believe their attendance will help teams nationwide, they also see value for the IQA as a whole. Radford explained, “We'll be able to sit in on programming [about things] like embracing LGBT participants in collegiate sports programs and managing money. There's just a whole lot of programming throughout the conference that we'll be able to take a lot away from.”
Outside of just attending the conference, Radford views NIRSA's outreach as a step in the right direction for quidditch. “It's a huge step that an organization like this would reach out to us as a real sport and as an organization that has a lot to offer as far as adding a club sport to these campuses.” She continued, “I think this shows that we're being taken more seriously, and we're just excited to get quidditch out there especially to the audience that will have the power to bring it to their own campuses.”
In total, approximately 100 school officials will be in attendance at the conference, representing colleges that run the gamut in terms of quidditch experience. Officials from schools with a variety of different quidditch programs will be in attendance. Administrators from Texas A&M University (College Station, TX), whose quidditch team reached the quarterfinals at World Cup VI and spent much of the year as the top ranked team, will be in attendance. Representatives from Towson University (Towson, MD), who once had a fledgling unofficial team that was never affiliated with the IQA, will also be in attendance.
Radford and Woolsey hope to be able to reach out to administrators from a variety of schools. “I'd love for them to become advocates,” Radford explained. “I think a lot of people, when they get the chance to see quidditch firsthand and especially talk to IQA staff members, that's a good way for people to get it,” she elaborated. She also expressed aspirations that administrators would be able to help existing teams. “I hope that we can build a relationship with these people that they can become advocates on their campus. They can help existing teams for the schools that already have them. We can give them the tools and the knowledge to go back and maybe start teams,” Radford summarized.
Radford believes that attending this conference is a great opportunity for the sport and for the league. She concluded, “We're really excited. We think this will be a great opportunity for us.”
