U of O Quidditch team heads to World Cup
Emily Manns | Fulcrum Staff
The pressure is on for our quaffle-throwing, bludger-beating, Snitch-seeking athletes, who are taking their game to the next level.
The University of Ottawa Quidditch team, recognized as an official club since 2010, is looking forward to testing out their well-honed skills at the Quidditch World Cup VI. This year, the World Cup is being held in Kissimmee, Fl., from April 13–14, and will consist of 80 division 1 teams from five different countries around the world competing for victory. Currently ranked in 28th place by the International Quidditch Association (IQA), the U of O squad is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
The tournament, which has run for the past five years and is hosted in various locations across North America, was originally open for any and all teams to compete. However, due to the ever-growing popularity and the competitive nature of the sport, the IQA found that they could not accommodate such a large number of competitors and were forced to change the rules. As a result, only the top qualifying teams are able to compete. For the eastern Canada sector, where the U of O team is located, there were only four available spots. After winning second place in the finals, and because Carleton and McGill were unable to attend, the U of O is the only qualifying Canadian team who will be taking part in the tournament.
“The team has been training hard all year,” said Chris Radojewski, one of the team coaches. “There is some practising left to go, but otherwise I think all this team has to do is pack their bags and stretch. This team has great potential to bring further recognition to the U of O.”
Before they dust off their passports, though, there is still the matter of making sure the team can pool together enough money to get everyone there. After all, sending 21 players, the coaches, and the team executives to the U.S. for a two-day tournament does not come cheap, according to Jamie Lafrance, the team’s keeper.
“Team president Clare Hutchinson has done so much work to get us all there and find us money everywhere, as well as get our exams deferred, and we thank her for it,” Lafrance said. “We have had a ton of fundraisers like bake sales, selling our swags, and using indiegogo.com [a fundraising website] to make money.”
The U of O Quidditch team’s indiegogo fundraising page includes various prizes for people who wish to donate: for instance, $5 will get you a button with the U of O crest, $10 will get you a personalized limerick, and if you’re feeling really generous, $60 will get you a personalized tote bag designed however you like. To find out more about what prizes are available and how you can help the team raise the remaining amount needed to attend the World Cup, visit www.indiegogo.com and click on their homepage ‘Help uOttawa Quidditch get to World
