Emerson College's two best teams went up against their rival, Boston University, on Nov. 11, 2008, in an attempt to keep their first place standing in Massachusetts. The World Cup Team put up a fierce fight in the match and came out with the win, while Emerson's Boylston Berserkers were not so lucky.
The match, held at Boston Common on a rainy and muddy day, drew about 50 spectators in support of Emerson's teams, while BU's teams had a showing of about 15 fans. Not only did the teams attract their own respective fans for support, but also the Emerson Quidditch Fairies and a few dozen intermitent passersby.
Emerson College Quidditch from hechtphoto on Vimeo.
Quidditch, adapted from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter, is the newest club sport craze to sweep across the nation's colleges. A World Cup Tournament is held every year in Middlebury, Vermont, which all colleges who participate in the sport are invited to.
At Emerson last year, a small group of students living on the same floor in a dorm came together to establish the college's first Quidditch team. After becoming an official club sport, Emerson College gave $500 to the students to start building up their club. "We took that $500 and made it grow by selling t-shirts," said Joe Rechtman, the Boylston Berserkers' team captain. "I think we've sold about 150 t-shirts so far. Now, we have about 60 players on four different teams. It really blew up."
It may seem like Quidditch may not be such a rough sport because of the fact that college students are running around with broomsticks between their legs, but it is actually a very intense contact sport. Quidditch is a mixture of "soccer, rugby and football," according to Rechtman. Besides the normal rules of the game, there really aren't any guidlines as to how much contact can be made and how rough it can be.
During the match against BU, one Emerson player was caught up in a dogpile, which ended up in a bloody wound to his eyebrow. "The guy's broomstick hit me right in the eyebrow bone," said Jefferey Rissy, a World Cup player. "There's just no stopping in the game though, so you have to keep going. Someone finally pulled me out and told me I was bleeding." This particular match also included shoving, wrestling and everything shy of throwing punches.
The game between the World Cup teams ended in a revision of the rules for the day's matches due to the intensity of the roughness. Fouls were created to keep players in line and reduce the amount of injuries and overly forceful roughness.
No matter how intense the sport may get, it is still a fun event for college students to participate in and experience. It builds team community and allows college students to make a close group of friends.
The World Cup team and the Boylston Berserkers are now in the process of preparing for next year's World Cup Tournament. They have high hopes to remain the top athletes in Massachusetts and maintain their high standing nationally.