Name: Olivia LeMay
Year: Sophomore
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Little Rock, AR
If you thought the sport of Quidditch could only exist in the fictional world of Harry Potter, you thought wrong. Currently, the president of the UNCW Quidditch Team, sophomore Olivia LeMay, has been playing Quidditch since high school. Olivia’s other interests include running, hanging out with friends and practicing yoga. Read on to find out more about Olivia’s involvement in Quidditch, the rules of the game, and, if you’re interested, how to get involved!
HC: What made you interested in joining the UNCW Quidditch team?
OL: I played at my high school in Virginia because my friend started a team, so I thought it would be fun to continue to do that in college.
HC: How did you become president?
OL: I was elected to be the president at the end of last semester by the team.
HC: What are your duties as president?
OL: I organize the tournaments, handle the recruiting process, make sure the freshmen know all the information, make sure team members knows the travel information, and talk to the presidents of the other teams in our conference–to make sure that we all know what we’re doing.
HC: What is your favorite thing about Quidditch?
OL: Probably the fact that we’re so close, even though we’re not an official sport, and we can still go and travel and have a lot of fun.
HC: What are the basic rules of Quidditch?
OL: There are four positions: the chasers score the goals; the keeper protects the hoops (like goalies in soccer); the beaters throw balls to block the other team’s players (like defense); and the seeker catches the snitch (HC note: since we live in a non-magical world, this role is played by a person), which ends the game and gives thirty points to that seeker’s team.
HC: Are there try-outs and/or cuts for the UNCW team?
OL: There are no cuts because it’s a club sport. You either make a B team or you don’t let people play, but we try and get everyone to play. We base who goes to tournaments on attendance, not ability or skill-level.
HC: What do you have to say to anyone looking to join the Quidditch team?
OL: That it’s super fun and rewarding, and its a good way to stay in shape as it is physically demanding. And, we’d love to have you!