Greg Waldock
Staff Writer

 

and-magic-based sport—made

mous in the Harry Potter
series—has found a home,
perhaps unsurprisingly, at the
University of British Columbia.
Founded in 2010 and 2014
respectively, the UBC Quidditch
Sports Club and its B-team the
British Columbia Quidditch
Club are two of the largest and
most successful quidditch teams
in Canada. Both are co-ed and
highly social teams, with the
UBC quidditch team throwing a

J. K. Rowling’s fictional broom-
a

Quidditch at UBC

Where nerds and jocks collide

fundraising Yule Ball annually,
along with organizing other
events and Harry Potter fan
meetups. The game itself is a
much more Muggle version of the
fictional sport. Instead of a flying
golden ball, the Snitch is a spry
individual in a yellow jersey who
isn’t hampered by a broom. Aside
from mundane changes, however,
the rules and layout of the field
remain remarkably faithful to the
books. And like in the books, it’s
extremely competitive.

The UBCQC, which refers
to itself as the “University of
British Columbia B(etter) Team,”
acts as a separate, distinct team

Ruthless Royals

> Royals face off against Capilano Blues

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

he Royals volleyball teams

are off to a hot start to mark
their 2016-17 regular season.
After thoroughly thrashing the
CBC Bearcats last weekend, both
Royals squads faced off against
the Capilano Blues in back-to-
back matchups.

The women got things
started. In Jeff Ross’ third game
in the PACWEST, his team looked
smooth and comfortable as they
played against the Blues on Friday
and Saturday. Friday saw the
Royals deftly execute their game
plan without hesitation, and sent
the Blues reeling, taking it in
straight sets with scores of 25-18,
25-20, and 25-15.

Saturday was a bit more of

a challenge. Playing at home for
the third time in four games, the
Royals were met with stalwart
opposition. The Blues came out
hard, but the Royals came out
even harder. In the tightest set
of the night, it was the Royals
that came out on top. Under

the serving of Captain Juliana
Penner, the Royals topped the
Blues with a score of 25-22. The
second set was the high point of
the Blues’ night as they would
end up securing a 25-20 set win
to tie the game up.

But it wasn’t meant to be, as
the Royals came out in the third
and fourth set and ran over the
Blues. Vicki Schlay took scoring
into her own hands and racked
up more than a few kills to her
name. Rookie Vania Oliveria
continued to impress with her
massive swings and deadly kills.

from the larger and more popular
Quidditch Sports Club. It gathers
new players and introduces them
to the world of international
quidditch, and moves the
most improved players on up
to the sports club. It competes
independently of the sports club
as well.

Despite the goofy origin
of the sport, the teams and the
UBC sports administration take
quidditch very seriously. Both
teams are funded by sports
grants, and UBC Quidditch is
supplemented by an IndieGoGo
campaign and annual
fundraisers. Bi-weekly practice

Both of them led the team toa
cushy win with 25-16 and 25-19
sets.

After the game, Jeff Ross
took some time to talk about his
team’s success so far. “I thought
we did well tonight. It was good
to get pushed and I knew Cap
was going to come out here and
put pressure on us and it wasa
good reminder for us and what
we need to do. Cap brought their
game and we just adapted to what
they were doing. But we don't
stop fighting, and we don’t stop
competing.”

While the women were on
their A game, the men found
their own ways to succeed. They
also faced off against the Blues
this weekend. Playing away on
Friday, the Royals racked up
a storm on the scoreboard. It
was a tight game between two

_

keeps the players sharp on the
field. This serious approach
allowed the team to qualify for
the United States Quidditch

Cup in 2015, in which they took
third overall in the Northwest
Regionals, with their sister team,
BCQC, taking fifth. Despite a
strong performance, in 2016
UBC Quidditch and the BCQC
officially withdrew participation
in the USQ for the foreseeable
future, for reasons that are “above
the club,” per the UBC Quidditch
website. Despite this setback,
practice continues for both UBC
clubs in preparation for a return
to the US and for participation in

teams whose youth made up the
majority. However, at the end of
two sets, the Royals looked to be
on top of their age level. They
took the first two sets 25-21 and
25-22. But the third set was a

bit of a road bump as the Blues
managed to stave off the sweep,
taking the set with a score of
25-23. They couldnt hold off the
Royal flood much longer, and
before long it overwhelmed them.
The men took a simple fourth set
to close out the match, winning
25-18, and closing out the game,
341.

Saturday’s game had a
different story, but a similar feel,
as the Royals came out guns
blazing. Sam Harder played
nearly a full game and made
his presence known to the
PACWEST, and Jerry Yan stepped
up huge for the Royals when the

 

Le

the forming Canadian Quidditch
league.

Both teams emphasize
a strong social aspect. Their
biggest fundraiser is the Yule
Ball, a general Harry Potter fan’s
party, complete with wizarding
decorations and music. Members
are encouraged to be a part of
the larger quidditch community,
and encourage new fans at UBC
by running around with brooms
on Club Days. Though no longer
competing at the big league,
the teams have found a niche in
British Columbia, and today are
a thriving part of the prestigious
UBC sports community.

third set came down to the line.
The Royals would sweep away the
Blues in three straight sets, taking
it with scores of 25-20, 25-21, and
26-24.

After the game, Coach Jay
Tremonti took some time to
speak about his team’s success.
“We're making some real serious
steps. Guys are working hard
Monday-Friday, getting ready
for the weekend, and we’ve been
challenging them and really
pushing them, and I think that
we can really see that on the
court. On paper, Capilano and
us both look like we have the
same level of experience, but
the guys in our gym that are
coming back have experience
going to Nationals and guys like
Devon Dunn has international
experience representing our
country on the beach scene.”