“But you don’t have flying brooms.”

“What do you do about the Snitch?”

These are the two questions that people ask most when they hear that we play a real-life version of Quidditch.

The answer, though it sounds foolish, is simple and works better than most newcomers could imagine. Players run around the field holding a broom (more often than not a fine handcrafted one) and the Snitch is the fastest, most agile, mischievous evader that leagues can get their hands on, usually a varsity runner with a background in wrestling and gymnastics, dressed in yellow, with a ball-sock hanging out his shorts like a flag football.

Holding a broom demands greater dexterity on the field. Watching varsity level athletes pass and shoot a volleyball down the field (our version of the quaffle) with one hand, while dodging tackles and bludgers (dodgeballs), is an impressive feat to behold.

From the first moment the game was adapted in 2005 by Xander Manshel at Middlebury College, the attraction of the game was infectious. Students at colleges and high schools around the country have built up teams rapidly and created legions of chasers, beaters, seekers, and keepers and sought interscholastic competition wherever they could.

With hundreds of colleges and high schools now playing the game by IQA rules worldwide, the league is taking off, no pun intended, and it continues to surprise fans and skeptics alike with how far it has come and continues to go.

If you want a part of the action, check out our rules and join sections to find out about how to start a team or league of your own.

Those still on the fence should be left with this message: Even the most diehard detractors of the sport have changed their minds once they gave the game a try. For athletes, artists, and Harry Potter fans alike, the game is fast to learn, difficult to master, and a thrill to play.

In other words, “If you don’t go, you won’t know.” See you on the pitch.