Other Sport / Competitions
Bristol Quidditch Tournament this weekend
Quidditch players are flying to Bristol from across the country this weekend to take part in the Looking Fly All-Star Weekend Quidditch tournament.
Quidditch is the fictional sport played on flying brooms by witches and wizards in JK Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series and has rapidly become a muggle sport in its own right in the UK since 2011.
To win the game, teams must score points by getting volleyballs through the opposition’s hoops and by catching the ‘snitch’, a tennis ball carried by an impartial player dressed in yellow. Players must hold a broomstick between their legs throughout the match, but unlike their fictional counterparts, these brooms are not airborne.
Now Bristol is to play host to its own Quidditch tournament this weekend August 15 and 16 at Bristol Barbarians RFC.
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Tom Ower, a student at the UWE, set up Looking Fly, a part time business that organises quidditch tournaments with the All-Star Weekend being the first of its kind.
Tom also founded the Brizzlepuffs Quidditch Club, which has players from UWE, University of Bristol and general members of the Bristol community. The team has been playing regularly for a year and the new season starts again in September.
With 72 players and 5 teams signed up, players will take part in Quidditch related events on Saturday, including The 2 Person 1 Broom Race and The Snitch Hunger Games. The tournament itself will then take place on Sunday, with teams competing to take home the All-Star trophy. Players are able to camp overnight on site and spectators are also welcome.
“Anyone can participate in the tournament,” said organiser Tom. “Lots of people are having their first tournament experience this weekend.
“This is our first event and later on in the year we hope to run bigger tournaments as well as provide ‘Kidditch’ sessions for youngsters.”
The Brizzlepuffs welcomes anyone along (although players must be over 16 to compete in official matches) and the creation of a second team is on the horizon.
For more information visit the tournament’s Facebook event page or the Brizzlepuffs sports team Facebook page.
Picture credits: Brizzlepuffs Facebook page