Since “ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was released back in 2001, fans everywhere have loved everything about the series. Now, one of the fictional sports, Quidditch, is not so fictional anymore. It’s a legitimate sport. All you need is a broomstick, a bat, a soccer ball or volleyball, a hula hoop and about eight players per team. The mortal version of Quidditch was created at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, in 2005. In 2009, there was a world cup held in Middlebury, and teams from across the nation participated in the first annual Muggle Quidditch World Cup. Middlebury won the tournament against Emerson College and has won the past three world cups as well. Local students also play Quidditch. Sacred Heart senior Elise Martino said, “Not that I am a total loser or anything, but in the Harry Potter Club my sophomore year, we did play Quidditch. I was pretty horrible at it so I bailed out like mid-game, but yes I have played it, and it would be easier with a broom.” Martino says she doesn’t take Quidditch seriously and does not see it as being a serious or competitive sport, but she prefers the book version of the game to real life. “In real life, (the game’s) lame,” she said. “But in book and movie world, it adds a sense of danger and suspense. If it were exactly how J.K. Rowling wrote it in real life, then I’d probably be a huge fan, but for now, it’s still our lame muggle adaptation.” The point of the game is to catch the Golden Snitch. The snitch is worth 150 points, and if it’s caught, then you win the entire game for your team. There are three different balls in the game — the Snitch, the Quaffle, which is used to score goals, and the Bludger, which is used to knock players off of their broomstick. The players are the Chaser, who throws the Quaffle to players trying to score goals; the Keeper, who is like a soccer goalie; the Beater, who uses a baseball-like bat to knock the Bludgers at the other team; and the Seeker, who flies around trying to catch the Golden Snitch, scoring 150 points if it’s caught. “ The thing that most intrigues me is the fact that it was once an imaginary thing that has quickly come to reality,” Trinity senior Joseph Clark said. “I have never before played this, but I think if I were given the chance, I would wish to fully participate in the activity.” Quidditch is sweeping the nation, but will it last? Running on broomsticks may seem bizarre, but will this new innovative game be in for the long haul? Only time and Muggles will tell.