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How To Speak to Your Friends and Family About Quidditch
USQ is here to help you navigate that awkward moment when you try to explain quidditch to your friends and family over the holiday season.
We all know the panic that strikes when you find yourself face-to-face with an estranged family member, and the pained effort to sustain small talk with someone you only see over the holidays.
You can only chit-chat about the unseasonable warmth for so long, before they’ll ask you what you’ve been up to. And then, more panic: how can you possibly describe the life-consuming phenomenon that is muggle quidditch?
Fear not: USQ is here to help you navigate that awkward moment when you try to explain quidditch to your friends and family over the holiday season.
1. Quidditch is first and foremost a sport
Assuming you don’t have the time to launch into an in-depth discussion of rules, positions, and strategy—I find the easiest way to explain quidditch to a family member is through muggle sport analogies. It’s sort of like full-contact basketball. Imagine rugby on broomsticks. The snitch is either a really speedy gymnast, or a warrior wrestler.
Even the whole broomstick thing can be explained using pre-existing sports concepts; just compare it to other handicaps or limitation rules like hand balls in soccer, or illegal dribbling and traveling in basketball. Brooms just make the sport harder, and make quidditch players better athletes!
2. But also quidditch season is sort of the social event of the year?
Quidditch is a social scene as much as it is a sport, and the friendships you make as a player are unparalleled. Beyond the camaraderie you can find on most athletic teams, quidditch offers a unique community founded on inclusivity, imagination, and integrity. You always want to step on that pitch as the best version of yourself.
And of course Title 9 ¾ and the Four-Maximum Rule cultivate an inclusive community that reinforces respect regardless of gender identity, while simultaneously ensuring amazing friendships and unforgettable experiences…if that isn’t something to brag about to Grandma or Uncle Bob, I don’t know what is.
3. And yeah, it’s sort of about Harry Potter
We often forget about our fictional forefather, but most people’s entryway into quidditch is through Harry Potter. I know quidkids can shy away from mentioning the Boy Who Lived in their effort to make quidditch the Sport That’s Legit, but sometimes it pays to name drop the book.
Maybe your family member caught Sorcerer’s Stone on ABC Family, or your little cousin just finished reading the series...you’ll be surprised to see how Harry Potter can bring people together, even all these years later.
4. Remember: Actions speak louder than words
When words fail, you can always show your friends and family what exactly you’re so excited about. Now, I don’t necessarily mean pull out a deflated volleyball and swap out the angel on the top of the tree for a hoop…but you can pull up some great footage to show off.
The USQ YouTube channel has a bevy of quidditch videos, we all know Billy Quach as the master of the highlight reel, and Eighth Man is another great resource for game footage. So give yourself a breather, grab a slice of pie, and let the sport do all the talking for you.
After all, quidditch sort of sells itself, doesn’t it?
