When: Wednesday, Sept 30, at 6:30 until about 9:00 p.m.

Where: Carlisle High School, at the band field (main one)

Cost: $3.00, money goes to Junior Class Fund

What to Bring and Wear: Bring your own broomstick, (for the Quidditch tournament, any cheap broom will do), and wear house colors (depending on which team you are on). Colors listed for houses below:

Seniors are Gryffindor: Red

Juniors are Slytherin: Green

Sophomores are Ravenclaw: Blue

Freshman are Hufflepuff: Yellow

Calling all Muggles! for the first time in Carlisle High School’s history, there is going to be a Quidditch tournament. That’s right, a Quidditch tournament.

Junior Class Council Advisor David Bigelow said, “The game will just be like Quidditch from J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, except instead of flying, it will take place on foot on the ground.”

“There is going to be no out of bounds in the game,” said Bigelow. “It will be taking place on the school property at all times to insure safety.”

Many colleges and universities have added quidditch as a club opportunity and some have even added the fun game as a sport. According to Cogan Schneier of USA Today, “About 200 colleges and universities have club teams that play Quidditch.”

For the first annual CHS version, each participant was given rules and instructions upon registration.  These include the facts that “three raised goal hoops are on the field at each end inside a ring (which will be marked). Only members from the defending team are allowed inside the ring. Each team will have seven members who play with brooms between their legs at all times.”

Just like it was taken directly out of one of Rowling’s beloved series, the information and rules sheet also states that “Each team will have three chasers, one keeper, two beaters, and one seeker. The chasers can score goals worth ten points with a volleyball which will represent the quaffle. They can run, pass, and kick it. If tagged while holding the quaffle by the opposing team the tagged chaser must stand in place for a 5-stall count.”

“Keepers are meant to guard the goals, beaters use dodge balls to hit and disrupt other players. If someone is hit by the buldger (ball) they have to dismount their broom and run back and touch their goal. Each beater can have one buldger at a time, and beaters are the only one’s that are allowed to handle the nasty buldgers. The balls can’t be caught by anyone to protect them; nobody is safe from a buldger, not even in some cases the beater’s themeslves.”

The most interesting part of the game, as in the books and movies, is who is picked as seeker. Each team is allowed one seeker; it will be interesting to see what each class picks as their seeker. The seeker tries to catch the snitch, the snitch is worth thirty points, and whenever it is caught the game is over.

This year’s snitch is going to be senior Matthew Wisner, who is a very fast Cross Country and Track runner for Carlisle High School.

“A tennis ball will be attached to his waistband,” Bigelow said, “and once that is caught everything is done, the game is finished.”

Headbands for each class’s team will be passed out the day of the Quidditch tournament to help visually separate the teams during the quick movements of the game.

“There are a bracket of eight teams,” Bigelow added. “Four teams will play at a time and the top two finalists will square off at halftime during the Powder Puff Game and the winner of that will win the Carlisle’s first ever Tri-Wizard Cup!”

The junior class council promises that this game will definitely be exciting and something to remember. Even though it is too late to sign up to play, the student body is encouraged to attend Wednesday’s match.

Check back here later this week for our coverage of the match.