Chapin High School’s Quidditch team arrived at practice Friday, October 12 to find out that despite having been formed earlier this year, their club has come to a premature end. They did not receive district approval.

“We were just tossing the Quaffle around when Ms. Brache, our sponsor, told us we lost our club status. We still don’t really know why the district disapproved,” Junior player Matthew Duggan said.

Most students, regardless of their feelings about Quidditch, expected the team to be rather upset, but they are taking it in stride.

“Yeah, it’s disappointing, but I feel like it is for the better because if we were affiliated with the high school we would not be able to play colleges. Considering that a strong majority of the teams inSouth Carolinaare colleges, we would have been very limited,” President and founder of the Chapin Quidditch Team, Ben Davis, said.

The school as a whole is rather unaffected, as very few students paid much attention to Quidditch to begin with. Some actually go so far as to express an avid dislike for it.

“It’s not a sport, it’s not even real,” Junior Cole Morgan said, “it’s just a bunch of people running around with brooms between their legs. They can’t fly.”

Many students have expressed similar distaste for the activity, but the Quidditch team refuses to play the victim.

“We’re aware that a lot of people don’t like us. A lot of people will tell me that we can’t fly; believe me, we know, but it’s fun to pretend sometimes, and isn’t that all that matters?” Junior and player Jon Simmel said.

Many of the negative feelings toward Quidditch stem from the debate of its merit as a sport. Most students claim that it is not.

“It’s fictional, it came from a book. It’s fake. Books are not sports,” Freshman Zach Dawkins said.

FounderDavisargues that it is.

“We’re not recognized by ESPN or anything like that but we do have an International Quidditch Association and an official set of rules. It is also very physical. There is sprinting, tackling, passing, anything you can think of that defines a “real” sport and more. It requires team work and determination but even with all of these elements we will always have people who doubt its legitimacy,”Davissaid.

Naturally there had to be some changes in the rules, as it was intended to be played in the air and with magic. All of the differences can be found in a 175 page handbook, but the most significant are that it is played on the ground and the Snitch is only worth 30 points instead of 150, so as not to be such a deciding factor in the winner. Critics argue that changing so many rules makes the sport even less legitimate.

Instead of fighting back the team understands the critique.

“It’s a new thing. People are always weary to accept something new. They see it as something that is silly and childish but I welcome criticism. I just hope all the judgmental people at least try and see that as a sport with over 300 teams in theUnited States, we aren’t going anywhere anytime soon,”Davissaid.

Duggan adds that he hopes people get over their dislike soon.

“We start hosting matches this year and we are going to need a lot of school support to help us crush these college teams. How cool would that be, to say that Chapin beat a college in something?” he said.

Lastly, Davis said that Quidditch is still open to everyone, regardless to what they have said about it.

“Quidditch has changed my life, and I want to give others that opportunity. I want everyone to know that no matter who they are or what they have said about it in the past, they are always welcome to come practice with us because I just want people to know what they are talking about before the form an opinion,” he said.

Clearly Quidditch is here to stay, regardless to whether they ever become a school sport or not.