When your sport is based on a series of young adult fantasy novels, its hard to be taken seriously.
But that is exactly the challenge a group of LSU students faces in the coming weeks.
This semester, the LSU Quidditch team is attempting to go from student organization to club sport, and current members Chris Rank and Rachel Ortego are key parts in making the transition happen. The team just came back from the Quidditch World Cup and has now moved its focus to club sport approval.
“Quidditch is played by 800 schools nationwide, and it is becoming something that you cannot ignore,” Rank said. “It’s only growing bigger and bigger, and it will be too difficult to play this sport down for too much longer.”
The team will be turning in the proper paperwork this week to Zach Wood, the Sport and Camp Program coordinator at the UREC. It will then set a date for a final presentation for its possible admission.
Rank and Ortego understand what first comes to mind for most when they think about quidditch, and that is exactly what they are trying to change. Neither of them have read any Harry Potter novels.
As a freshman, Rank took up a friend’s offer to attend quidditch tryouts, not really knowing what to expect. Despite coming in with 14 years of experience playing soccer, he found himself vomiting after practice because of the work the sport demanded of him.
Rank knew then he had found a physical sport he could relish.
The brute nature of the sport is real, as evidenced by from the six stitches Rank received above his left eye when an opponent head-butted him during a game. Other injuries teammates have suffered include broken collarbones, broken ribs and concussions.
“It’s full contact with one-arm tackles. You know the injuries are coming,” Rank said. “While that’s not the safest thing in the world, it is what they have in the rule book, so you have to deal with it.”
Ortego, who’s only a part of the organization and doesn’t play for the team, first heard about the team in high school. On her first day attending LSU, she went to a practice to take pictures and view the sport as a spectator.
Ortego was contacted later that week from members of the team, asking her if she wanted to become a part of the team and travel with them. She soon learned what a close bond they possessed, going to dinner with teammates and hanging out during road trips for tournaments.
“I just felt like I really belonged somewhere for probably the first time in my life,” Ortego said.
Another major appeal has been the team’s success through the years, and this season was no exception.
The team reached the round of 16 last weekend in the World Cup, a tournament featuring more than 75 teams from around the world. Its run included a win against Lost Boys Quidditch Club, one of the favorites heading into the tournament.
But four of LSU’s seven starters will be departing, leaving a hole that may be too big to fill for the remaining members of the team. Rank and Ortego said they think club sport approval could help the team gain more relevance within the University and bring in new team members.
The team currently has to pay its own way to compete in weekend tournaments, many of which are out of state. With UREC approval, the team could receive funding for the trips.
Although the team has used fundraisers to help make trips, many members still struggle to come up with sufficient funds. As a club sport, the UREC would be able to fund a set amount of money that can pay for travel fees and housing.
“By being a club sport, it’ll help a lot of players, especially for myself,” Rank said. “Because I’m always in a struggle for money, it’s a part of being in college.”
All Rank and Ortego have now is hope for approval of their presentation. Then, perhaps, more students can find the allure to quidditch they found in years past.