This past weekend, the IQA attended the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), introducing quidditch to curious comic fans and kidditch enthusiasts alike.

Photo credit: Shayla Johnson

For the second year in a row, the IQA had a booth on the show floor, where con-goers were able to purchase merchandise and pick up literature about the league. The IQA also hosted demo matches with teams from Illinois State (Normal, IL), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), and Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) in attendance. Convention guests were then invited to participate in pickup games, which they did with enthusiasm, some players even returning to play in three or four games throughout the weekend.

“There was never a shortage of audience members who wanted to play, and it was even better when we got people who returned to keep playing,” said Shayla Johnson of ISU, who also attended C2E2 2011 with her team. “This year was even better than last year, and it only keeps getting better!”

While the demo matches were a constant draw through the two main days of the con, the most popular component of the IQA’s C2E2 program was kidditch, which had drawn a line of about 80 children and their families by the start of the event. Participants were led through a “quidditch school,” which consisted of stations where they learned to play beater, keeper, and seeker with the help of players from the IQA teams.

Photo credit: Shayla Johnson

“It was fun to see how excited the kids got over just pretending to fly on a broom,” said Elmhurst captain Jessie Cardella, who helped lead the beater class. “Though [the kids] were constantly hitting me with bludgers, the giggles as I pretended to fall off my broom made it worth the red marks!”

The IQA plans to attend several other conventions this year, including Ascendio, LeakyCon, and New York Comic Con. If you’re interested in volunteering at any of these events, either as an individual or with your team, please email the IQA’s Convention Reps, Kristina Moy and Logan Anbinder.