USU’s greatest hidden treasure: the Quidditch team
Despite the inability to actually fly on broomsticks, the Utah Quidditch team keeps the game authentic to the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
For those who are not familiar with the “Harry Potter” series, the game of Quidditch revolves around making more goals than the other team. The game consists of three chasers, two beaters, one seeker and one keeper. The balls are known as the quaffle and the bludger. In the books, the golden snitch is worth 150 points and is an actual ball. In the real-life counterpart, a person acts as the snitch and is worth only 30.
Utah State’s Quidditch team is a four-time national qualifier and the club sports team of the year. They have traveled as far as Florida and North Carolina and have gone up against big-league schools such as Duke, UC Berkeley and Syracuse. Despite the team’s success, they have managed to stay united and humble.
“I’ve seen a lot of toxic masculinity in other sports,” said Kellan Huber, the team’s seeker. “There’s a good atmosphere and friendship here that I really enjoy.”
Beater Dru Smith added that you can’t take yourself too seriously but you also need to be competitive.
“Our team has a good balance,” Smith said.
Quidditch at Utah State began over five years ago. The last remaining founding member, Cameron VomBaur, continues to keep the team together. The journey began in the spring of 2014 when Dakota Briggs, who had played for a Salt Lake team, The Crimson Flyers, came to school at USU and began recruiting.
VomBaur wanted people to know that, despite its fictional beginnings, Quidditch is a very real sport.
“I liked Harry Potter when I was small, but it isn’t something I think about,” he said. “I haven’t seen a movie in years. Quidditch is totally disconnected from the series.”
He also added that he wanted potential recruits to keep that in mind when trying out.
“Think of it as hockey or lacrosse,” VomBaur said. “Most people don’t know they want to play Quidditch when they come to Utah State, but we’re here.”
Rookies Emily Van Wagoner and Annie Bramson may have only joined a mere six weeks ago, but they are appreciated by the team just as much as any other member. They discovered Quidditch at the Day on The Quad and instantly fell in love.
“I couldn’t believe this was a thing,” said Bramson, “but I really enjoyed it and I stuck with it.”
“There was a Quidditch team at my high school that I wanted to get involved in but never did,” said Van Wagoner. “So despite my uncertainty, I tried out, and I loved it. I came home vibrating, and I just knew I had to be a part of it.”
Blake Rodman, Taylor Groth and Amber Zehner all shared their thoughts about the family they formed through this club sport.
“That’s exactly what we are: a family,” said Groth.
Rodman mentioned that the community aspect of Quidditch was very different compared to other club sports.
“It’s something fun and something unique,” said Rodman.
At the Crimson Cup in Salt Lake on Sept. 28, they took second place, beating out the University of Utah, the Arizona Scorpions and the University of Northern Colorado.
Utah State Quidditch has a home game on Oct. 12 at the legacy fields behind the ARC. They meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Anyone is welcome to join and they hope to see some new faces soon.
@dillydahle