HarryPotter Inspires a New Classroom and Competitive Sport

Muggle

By Kara Smith, Faculty of Education, University of Windsor

Kara Smith is a teacher with the

Lamhton-Kent Board of Education

and the University of Windsor.

ksmith@uwindsor.ca

In July 2001, educators at the Faculty of Education at the University of Windsor and a Grade 7 class from Windsor created a new, competitive sports game for the gymnasium - "Muggle Quidditch". The activity was originally developed as a way to improve creative writing scores in English classes, but led to the development of a frequently played sport in physical education classes in many Windsor, Ontario schools.

Students in Windsor who had read and/or studied books from the J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series were invited to a week-long summer school session designed to role play the book and, in turn, increase the level of English comprehension and writing scores. The event, held on Rowling's birthday, was not only successful at increasing English grades, but led to the creation of the newly popular school sport called "Quidditch". In fact, a group of grade nine students from Chatham Collegiate Institute (CCI) will be filmed competing in this sport by CBC television in September.

Quidditch

Based partly on J.K. Rowling's [Science fiction] novel Harry Potter, Quidditch is an exciting, fast-paced game played by two teams of 11 players who chase quaffles, beat bludgers, seek the snitch, and keep the goal. The game may be played with a combination of both males and females. The object of the game is to score points by shooting quaffles into the opponent's circular goal. The team that wins the game has the most points after 70 minutes of regulation play - or have caught the snitch and ended the game.

The court consists of a regulation basketball court. A standard hula-hoop, or circular structure, serves as the goal space for each team and are placed at either end of the court at floor level.

Quidditch teams are comprised of I1 players each, plus substitutes that can enter and exit the court with permission from the Official. Each on-court player carries broomball sticks. Each team consists of the following players (as illustrated in Diagram A):

• 2 Beaters: Beaters act as defence. They use their brooms to try to hit bludgers out of bounds and away from players. Beaters may not touch quaffles or bludgers with any part of their bodies; a 10-second penalty applies.

• 1 Keeper: The keeper tends the goal and protects it from quaffles. There is no goalie crease.

• Chasers: Chasers act as offence. Two chasers from each team have a double face-off in centre court at the beginning of each match and following a quaffle being scored. All three chasers attempt to score quaffle shots on the opponent's goal while avoiding being hit by a bludger from the sideline. Chasers may not touch Qaffles, bludgers, or snitches with any part of their bodies; a 10-second penalty applies. Quaffle goals are worth 10 points each.

• 1 Seeker: The seeker attempts to anticipate the release of the snitch by one of the referees. S/he attempts to catch the snitch before it goes out of bounds. A successfully caught snitch is worth 150 points and ends the game. Only the seeker may catch the snitch. 4 Bludgers: Bludgers work on opposite sides of the court, out of bounds. They may not enter the court at any time. Bludgers do not carry brooms. Each bludger attempts to hit a player from the opposite team by throwing a bludger (large dodge ball) at the player. Successful bludger hits are called by the referee at which time the player who was hit must sit for 10 seconds. Bludgers pick up any bludgers hit out of bounds by beaters and throw them in bounds to force a hit. Bludgers are free to move up and down the sidelines of the court, but cannot cross into court or move along the end lines.

Equipment

Equipment is composed of a combin­ation of items from road hockey, broomball, and dodge ball. It consists of:

1. 7 Brooms (1 broomball stick per beater, keeper, chaser, and seeker)

2. 2 Bludgers (2 large dodge balls; each team begins with 1)

3. 2 Quaffles (2 orange road hockey balls for double face-off and scoring)

4. 1 Snitch (1 small, yellow/golden Indian rubber ball)

5. 1 Hula-hoop as a goal for each team

Officials are two referees [three or four referees are preferable]. The referees are responsible for calling bludger hits (10­second penalty), out-of-bounds (quaffles are awarded to opponents), quaffle goals (worth 10 points each), and successful in­bound snitch catches (worth 150 points, resulting in the end of the game). Referees are also responsible for substitutions. Players may only substitute for a player in their own position. Two time-outs per game are permitted. There is no half-time.

Each referee is also responsible for the release of the snitch at the pre­determined time. Prior to play, each referee will flip one coin. The secretive coin toss determines the time interval at which the snitch will be released. For example, there are 4 possibilities for snitch release:

1. Head-Head Released every 10 minutes

2. Tail-Tail Released every 12 minutes

3. Head-Tail Released every 15 minutes

4. Tail-Head Released every 17 minutes.

Since the snitch is released across the court from one referee to the other, the referee releasing the snitch (unknown to players) must be aware of both the coin toss interval and the time (so that the snitch may be released on time). The other referee does not have to catch the snitch. Once it bounces out of bounds, it is recaptured by the officials until the next interval for release. If a seeker successfully catches the snitch in-bounds, then 150 points is awarded to the seeker's team and the game is called.

Brooms must be carried at all times by each on-court player (i.e., by beaters, keepers, chasers, and seekers). A 10­second penalty is given for high brooming (raising the broom above waist level.) Players who release their brooms will be disqualified from the match. Bludgers are not required to carry brooms since they require their hands to catch and throw bludgers coming out of bounds from the court.

The Visiting Team chooses their goal and direction of play, and indicates their choice to the official prior to the beginning of play.

Play begins with a double face-off at centre court. Two referees drop the two quaffles at centre court. Two chasers from each team jostle for control of the quaffle(s).

Points are scored with the quaffles and snitch to win the match. The team at the end of 70 minutes with the most points wins (unless they catch the snitch during the game - in this case they automatically win and end the game.) Points are awarded as follows:

Quaffle Goals - 10 points each Successful In-bound Snitch Catch - 150 points (and end of game)

A match may be won within 70 minutes simply by quaffle scoring. Occasionally, the snitch will not be caught.

Penalties are awarded for bludger hits; high brooming (shooting above waist level and/or raising the broom above waist level); playing a position other than one's own; and substituting without official permission. In each of the aforementioned cases, the player(s) must sit for 10 seconds while play resumes.

Ball catches or hits out of bounds by an on-court player; and ball catches or throws in-bounds by a bludger result in the quaffles being awarded to the opponents team from the spot of the infraction .

Personal fouls to another player and the release of an on-court player's broom (beater, keeper, chaser, or seeker) disqualify the player from further play.

Quidditch Skills may be broken down and practiced. There are seven main quidditch skills: bludger throwing, bludger-beater defense, double face-offs, snitch catching, quaffle passing, quaffle goal scoring, and goal keeping.

Qudditch is ideal for a regular class activity since most students are familiar with the story of Harry Potter and enthusiastic about engaging in new sports. Also, the true integration between Physical Education and English (something rarely seen) increases the profile of both subject areas. Teachers who have an opportunity to try the game with classes in grades 7-12 are invited to e-mail suggestions and comments to Kara Smith at ksmith@uwindsor.ca . CAHPERD would like to publish variations of the game in future issues of the PHE Journal. Please share your experiences by sending them to agrantham@cahperd.ca.

What do you think?

The author invented this game based on an idea from a science fiction novel; however, how do you think the "snitch" should/could operate during game play? Do you think 150 points for catching the snitch (that then ends the game) is too much? Should the game end once it is caught, or should the game continue without the snitch being released again?

Please send us your thoughts to agrantham@cahperd.ca

Title: Harry Potter inspires a New Classroom and Competitive Sport: Muggle Quidditch
Doc Date: 2003
Journal Name: Physical & health education journal
Journal Volume: 69
Journal Publisher: Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
Journal Issue: 2
Journal Date: Summer 2003
Journal Pages: 24-27

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