Quidditch World Cup takes flight this weekend

Harry Potter by Kat Grimmett
One of the goblins in Gringotts bank eyes the guests as they move through the lobby to the Escape from Gringotts Bank exciting ride.

 

Fans of the Harry Potter series and sport fanatics alike are preparing for the United States Quidditch (USQ) World Cup, to be held this weekend in Rock Hill, South Carolina. With a lineup of 80 teams as well as the three finalist cities – North Myrtle Beach, SC; Rock Hill, SC; and Austin, Texas – Rock Hill and all of York County are bracing themselves for more than 1,680 players and thousands of spectators. York County and Rock Hill in particular will receive an estimated $1 million in revenue.

Quidditch is a highly creative co-ed sport with combined elements from rugby, dodgeball and tag. The teams consist of seven players: three chasers, who make the 10 point goals, two beaters who “knock out” players temporarily from the game, and a keeper who guards the goal posts. In addition to their individual roles, each player has the task of keeping a broomstick between their legs at all times.

A non-profit, USQ oversees the sport of Quidditch in the United States and serves more than 4,000 players on almost 200 teams across the country by providing services such as training, regular competition and organizing nine major tournaments.

USQ works through their policy called “The Three C’s”: creativity, competition and community. One of the ways USQ supports community is the “Four Maximum” Gender Rule. This provides that there be a maximum of four players on a team with the same gender, which is considered the gender with which the player identifies.

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