COLUMBUS – The biggest event on the major league quidditch calendar is this weekend: The Major League Quidditch Championship Weekend in Toledo.
Eight teams compete for a shot at the title in a single-elimination bracket with a best-of-three final. Eliminated teams will play in a consolation bracket to earn the highest ranking possible.
Didn’t know there was a Major League Quidditch Championship? Many muggles don’t.
Quidditch is the sport – a combination of soccer and lacrosse played on flying broomsticks – featured in the series of novels and movies about young wizard Harry Potter, written by J.K. Rowling.
It has been played for years by “muggles” (non-wizards) as best they can without flying brooms or a Snitch that darts away from the players assigned to catch it.
IN the Rowling novels and the movies based on them, quidditch is played by two teams of seven players riding flying broomsticks, using four balls: a Quaffle, two Bludgers, and a Golden Snitch.
Six ring-shaped goals are situated atop poles of different heights, three on each side of the pitch. Goals are scored by hitting, kicking or throwing one of the Quaffles through the other team’s goal while trying not to get beaned by a Bludger.
A Seeker from each team is assigned to track down the small, elusive Golden Snitch. Whoever catches it wins the game for their side automatically.
In a rule change that generated some discussion on the MLQ website, the Snitch will not be used in the first overtime period,but will be reintroduced to the game for any additional overtimes.