The fictional game of Quidditch has left the magical world of Harry Potter and joined the world of us “Muggles.” It first began in 2005, with annual Quidditch World Cups around the world, involving teams from prestigious universities such as Harvard and Yale. The real-life version of Quidditch involves the same roles and balls as those in Harry Potter – the only difference is that it is played on the ground instead of on flying broomsticks. After being brought to the ground, the game of Quidditch entered the halls of Dulwich College Beijing (DCB), with the helping hand of Year 12 student Jenny Xie.
The Dulwich Quidditch club was established in the spring of 2012 and has been running smoothly ever since, bringing the mystical world of Harry Potter alive for 15 students between the ages of 12 and 14. Ever since its creation, Quidditch has become a rather infamous club at DCB. It contributes to Dulwich’s supportive atmosphere and is one of the many purely student led clubs at our school.
Xie brought the game alive at DCB with her fantastical imaginings and her great enthusiasm. The game is one that is very close to the hearts of all Harry Potter lovers but also to the non-Harry Potter lovers, with its athleticism and inclusiveness. As Xie put it, “it is actually a fun sport to play” with its entertaining bludgers, snitch, seekers and keepers. The game is very intricate, which makes it all the more exciting. Although many people may look upon this game with skepticism and question the practicality of the sport, in the end, Xie was able to pull it off as more and more students seem to have the same passion for sports and Harry Potter as she does.
They really shone on Saturday, May 25 with their 60 to 10 win against International School of Beijing’s Quidditch team. The game embodied the united spirit of Founder’s Day as the snitch, Dennis Plagmann, ran around the different stalls with his yellow jersey. When the two seekers came after him, he tried his best to run away – it was adorable seeing young middle school kids chase after a giant like Plagmann.
The club’s greatest asset is its ability to liberate the mind through creativity and cultivate the kids’ imaginations. Removing the fictional element of the game, Xie chose to reveal the game’s ability to encourage open-mindedness and enthusiasm of its participants. After a successful year last year, six students from last year’s team decided to continue with it and more kids joined. It is amazing that finally there is a sport that steps out of reality and into the realm of creativity.
Xie actively encourages anyone who wants to create a Quidditch teamin Beijing to do so. If you are interested to start a Quidditch clubs for middle school or high school students, please send an email to beijingquidditch@gmail.com
Michelle Jong is a 16-year-old Year 12 student at Dulwich College Beijing and has been attending Dulwich since Year 4. From China and the US, she has been living in Beijing her entire life. Her favorite subjects are English, History and Economics.
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Photos courtesy of Dulwich College Beijing
