“Quidditch on the Hill” Competition Set for October 2nd

“Muggle” Quidditch Returns to Chestnut Hill College

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Hold onto your hats (or should I say brooms) Philadelphia, Collegiate Quidditch season has arrived again! Chestnut Hill College is pleased to announce that their second “Quidditch on the Hill” intramural quidditch tournament will take place Friday, October 2, 2009 at 3 p.m. on the College’s softball field located at 9601 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia. The tournament was planned and sponsored by the Chestnut Hill Activities Team (CHAT), and will kick-off two days of activities for the College’s annual Family Weekend.

Muggle (or for those who don't read J.K. Rowling, non-magical people) Quidditch, the wizarding sport played on broomsticks in the beloved Harry Potter series has leapt off the pages of the fantasy book - and onto college campuses. Quidditch is a game that is a cross between football, dodgeball, rugby, as well as a game of hide and go seek, although all elements from J.K Rowling 's tale are fully represented, including riding broomsticks. The “Golden Snitch,” the flying ball that was Harry’s job as a seeker to capture, is now a track runner with the ability to run all over the campus; Quaffles can still score points, and players can still get bludgered. Muggle Quidditch, created in 2005 at Middlebury College, Vt., has since become a popular nationwide sport, with more than 180 teams forming the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association (IQA) membership.

Chestnut Hill College sponsored their first “Quidditch on the Hill” tournament in 2008 prior to making their first appearance in late October at the Quidditch World Cup at Middlebury College. In their first year of intercollegiate competition, Chestnut Hill took third place, defeating Princeton University, Louisiana State University, Emerson College, and Ives Pond before falling to Vassar College in tournament play.

Chestnut Hill College’s Quidditch on the Hill tournament is free and open to the public, and is appropriate for all ages.