Quadball, the sport formerly known as Quidditch from the Harry Potter universe, is aiming to beater and chase its way past the keepers of B.C.’s sports scene.
For the muggles in the room, the sport is more than just a mish-mash of incomprehensible fictional sports terminology.
Blending basketball, rugby, handball and even dodgeball, the fantasy sport created in the Harry Potter universe requires real-life athleticism and concentration, though as one member of the national team explained, it still keeps its “whimsy.”
This is exactly what Soleil Heanley and her fellow players love about it.
“I got into it seven years ago when I was at the University of Victoria,” she said. “I’d played competitive sports my whole life, and intramurals weren’t it for me.”
One of Heanley’s friends kept trying to convince her she’d love it and she’d reliably counter that “it’s not a real sport.”
Fast forward a year and she found herself in love with the game.
“I was proven wrong,” she said.
Now she’s on the national team and a spokesperson for all that makes the magical sport worth playing in the real world.
Spoiler alert, or not: The brooms don’t fly like they do in the magical tomes. But there’s more than enough to keep it fun.
“There’s a lot of athleticism and it keeps the whimsy you’d expect for a fictional sport,” she said.
Heanely is hoping that more people will join the game after watching the Quadball Canada players on the pitch on Saturday in the Okanagan, and even take part in the “try it” session at Polson Park in Vernon at 1:15 p.m.
“This is our western regional championship,” she said. “We’re competing to play at the national championship in March.”
Heanley said there are currently 11 teams across the country, and before the pandemic there were close to 20 teams. Only three will be at the competition on Saturday.
It all begins at 7:45 a.m., and will continue until 4 p.m. There will be sports, some opportunities to interact with the game, and some food trucks to boot.
Josh Welter, executive director of Sport and Culture Society of the North Okanagan, said the Science Centre and the Arts Centre are expected to put on some events, as well.
They put a bid in for the event around a year ago and got approval eight months ago.
“It was just a unique event for a shoulder season and we thought it would be a good opportunity for our sports community to combine arts and culture community,” Welter said.
“There won’t be an Okanagan team there. We don’t have a team in the Okanagan at the moment, but our belief (is) this event, in the next year or two, will spur an interest for the sport locally.”
The teams competing are from Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver and they’ll be participating in round-robin play.
The event is taking place on Remembrance Day and there will be a pause to acknowledge the day.
The event is hosted by Tourism Vernon and the Sport and Culture Society of the North Okanagan.
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