The Magical Cardio of Quidditch
For Dragons looking to combine their love for Harry Potter with a need for exercise, the solution was obvious.
By Daniel Enjamio, Santa Fe College
I don’t know if Harry Potter has ever visited Philadelphia, but if he did, the Quidditch Club at Drexel University would make him feel right at home.
The club, which was established in 2010, is composed mostly of students that are either fans of the Potter series or just looking to partake in a unique outdoor activity.
“I wanted to play sports in college,” says Quinn Mazzilli, “and Quidditch interest me because I enjoyed the series.”
So what exactly do members do? According to Club President Zach Shaffer, the group meets three times a week to practice skills and work on conditioning. They also partake in laidback scrimmages against the University of Pennsylvania’s Quidditch Club in order to teach the nuances of the game to new members and prepare for tournaments.
The club’s social media chair, Brody Salzman, got into Quidditch in high school, and says that when he found out Drexel had a squad, he had to be a part of it. Most participants, though, were introduced to the sport in college. One member attributed the club’s draw to its perfect marriage of her love for soccer and ardor for Harry Potter. Still, members insist that you don’t need to be a fan of the series to enjoy the sport.
Along with the opportunity to join a unique club and partake in an outdoor activity, Drexel students are also drawn by the group’s tight-knit culture. Through this supposedly imaginary sport, members have developed real bonds with one another. Event coordinator Mark Takakjy considers his teammates to be his collegiate family, and he is not alone. According to Shaffer, “We’ve all made friendships that last beyond the pitch.”
As they have only about a dozen members, the group’s small size certainly contributes to its cohesiveness. Still, members welcome expansion and are really starting to utilize social media to spread word throughout campus. What began as a fun idea for Potter fans has transformed into a group of committed participants.
