Chasers, beaters, and seekers came out to Washington Jr. High for the Naperville Public Library’s Quidditch tournament.
“The kids really like having the opportunity to blow off some steam in the middle of the summer, and parents really like the opportunity that they get to watch the kids run around,” said Jennie Stevens, teen services librarian at the 95th Street Public Library.
Lumos Quidditch Helps Out
With the help of Loyola University Chicago’s Quidditch team, Lumos Quidditch, about 30 young muggles got a rundown of the magical sport plucked from the world of Harry Potter.
“I always compare it to tackle basketball with dodgeball included,” said former Lumos Quidditch coach Luke Yeager. “With the kids we don’t tackle obviously because we don’t need anybody getting hurt. But it’s always fun trying to explain it to people because everybody just has their own different question with it.”
This is the event’s fourth year and the third time Lumos Quidditch has partnered with the library to teach the game.
“We do stuff like this all the time because who’s played Quidditch before?” said Yeager. “We start everyone from square one and I really enjoy it because you get to see how much fun the kids have with it and how far they can go with just a couple hours or however long it is for them to learn as much as they can.”
Practice Makes Perfect
The event started off with some drills to practice each position so players could decide where their skills fit best.
“My favorite part is being the beater because I get to throw the dodgeballs and dodge from the other beaters,” said Eleanor Danno, who played as a beater at the event.
“…Brooms Up!”
Then it was time to lift off for a few matches to put those skills to the test.
“I like the game better because the drills are just one position to play, not all the time but usually that’s what it is,” said Nikolas Nolan, who played as a chaser.
The event was open to teens and tweens in Naperville and was held on Harry Potter’s birthday, July 31. The event came just days after the library’s Harry Potter-themed “A Party That Shall Not Be Named.”
Though they may never play at Hogwarts, it was an event everyone could enjoy.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.