Walk past the Intramural Fields on a Thursday night and chances are you’ll find Riley Lundmark and her teammates practicing, the field set with three goal hoops of differing heights and broomsticks made of PVC pipe. Florida State Quidditch came in second place at the 2019 South Regional Championship earlier this month, securing a spot to compete at the national championship in Round Rock, Texas in April. I caught up with Riley Lundmark who shared her experience as an athlete on the Florida State Quidditch team.
Year: Junior
Majors: Philosophy and Psychology
Hometown: Palm Bay, Florida
Her Campus (HC): What is quidditch?
Riley Lundmark (RL): Quidditch is a full contact co-ed sports club at FSU. In 2005 a college student adapted it from the fictional sport in the Harry Potter series. Now there are two official leagues: the International Quidditch Association and US Quidditch, the one FSU is a part of. It is a mix of a lot of sports, like rugby and dodgeball, but with “brooms.”
HC: Is it necessary to have knowledge about Harry Potter to join the team?
RL: Absolutely not. Some people on the team know and love Harry Potter, but not everyone has read or watched the series. Harry Potter is not the main part of quidditch, it’s more about the sport and enjoying it together.
HC: What is the normal reaction you get when you tell someone you’re on the FSU Quidditch team or they see you practicing?
RL: Usually, people ask what it is. Or, they ask “As in Harry Potter?” I usually do have to explain that is has been adapted to be a real sport. When people see us playing, they record it or want to join in just to say they’ve done it. We get a lot of people shouting their Harry Potter houses or “Go Gryffindor” at us as well.
HC: What is something you think people would be surprised to know about quidditch?
RL: People would be surprised about how physical it actually is. It is a full-contact sport, so there is tackling involved. I got an ankle injury last year from being tackled. We can get fairly injured playing quidditch. I would also like to say that as silly as it may look to hold a broomstick, quidditch really is a sport. The rules have changed a lot through the years; people used to wear actual robes and use real brooms, which is no longer allowed.
HC: What made you want to join FSU Quidditch?
RL: I found quidditch when looking for a sports club to join my first year at FSU. I was looking to get involved and just finding out that quidditch existed made me want to join. The novelty of it interested me and I thought I would meet unique people.
HC: What is your favorite part of being on the team?
RL: The camaraderie. I have a lot of fun with my teammates. I ended up getting a great group of friends and it made me feel comfortable in college. It is also great exercise.
HC: How can we get involved with FSU Quidditch?
RL: We’re happy to bring in anyone. All you have to do is show up to one of our practices and let us know you want to join. All we ask is that you go to practices. We practice on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
For more information about Florida State Quidditch, you can visit their Facebook page.