Quidditch at Centenary?
Forget football because we are getting our quidditch program back! That’s right, students of Centenary, after almost fifteen years, we will be officially getting a coed Centenary Quidditch program. Back in 2009, Centenary hosted a Quidditch Tournament that was free to the public and students. In the fictional world of Harry Potter, quidditch is played on magic broomsticks that fly around in the air. The player positions are as follows: three chasers, two beaters, a keeper, and a seeker. The chaser's goal is to score with the larger red ball called a quaffle, which gains ten points for each goal. The beaters have bats, or clubs, that they use to hit bludgers, a smaller ball of sorts, away from their teammates and towards the chasers on the other team. The keeper is responsible for keeping the chasers from scoring. The goals are at three large poles that extend high in the air and have a hole at the top. Finally, the seeker's only job is to catch the golden snitch. This is a very small golden ball that flies around on its own through the oval-shaped field. Both seekers are trying to catch the snitch, resulting in their team winning 150 points and ending the game. The game will continue for however long it takes for the seekers to catch the golden snitch, sometimes resulting in days-long matches.
Although unfortunately, we are not magical wizards that can fly around on broomsticks, so the rules for us muggles are a little different. All of the roles are the same, but the equipment and rules change slightly. You still “ride a broomstick,” but you need to hold it as you run, throw, and dodge. The chasers score using a slightly deflated volleyball instead of a quaffle. The beaters do not have bats or clubs but instead, just use a dodgeball to impede the other team's chasers. If a chaser gets hit with the dodgeball, they must ‘dismount’ their broomstick and run to their team’s hoop, touch it, and can then join the game again. The seekers are still trying to catch the “golden snitch,” but instead of a self-flying ball, it is a tennis ball in a yellow sock attached to a neutral person wearing all yellow who runs around the field trying to avoid the seekers. There is about a seventeen to twenty-minute period where the seekers are not allowed to come into play, giving both teams' chasers time to rack in some points. When one seeker catches the snitch, their team earns thirty points rather than 150, and the game ends.
At Centenary, teams will be picked much like they are in Harry Potter. Each dormitory will be a team (Hardin, James, Sexton, Cline, Rotary). These five teams will play each other multiple times throughout the year and then compete in Catahoula Cup right before finals week of the spring semester for the first pick at rooming for the following semester. Each dormitory is responsible for finding their own coach as well as fundraising for uniforms. The rumor is that the tennis courts are being torn up for a soccer, lacrosse, and football practice field, but this is a lie that the athletics department has concocted. That space will really be for our new quidditch program. We are all very excited about this new addition to our school and look forward to the 2023 fall season. Good luck to one and all that decide to play!
