The only fantasy sport that'll make you break a sweat.

Hello! My name's Alexis and I guess this makes me the first guest blogger for the week! Megan and Brianna are both hilarious and a lot cooler than I am, so count me honored to be here! Here's your first warning: I can be a very wordy person. I'm not a true blogger, either, so really I should be something like a "guest poster" -- the closest thing I own to a blog on the internet is my tumblr, which kind of counts! ...right? (Nope, not at all.)

I wasn't too sure what I should write about for the longest time. I finally decided to go through a list of things I could write a lot about -- Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Merlin, Survivor... fortunately for me, the last three aren't widely known topics, so it left me with one choice:

Q u i d d i t c h .

I could go on for hours about this sport, so I'll try to stop myself from rambling on. Muggle Quidditch is exactly what it sounds like -- the fantasy sport created by J.K. Rowling adapted for those of us who, unfortunately, can't fly (or for wizards trying to fit in with the muggle world, obviously).

It's played nearly the same way as in the Harry Potter series (3 chasers, 2 beaters, 1 keeper, 1 seeker) but the bludgers are dodgeballs and the snitch is a runner with a flag football-esque sock hanging from his/her shorts (it's also only worth 30 points since, well, 150 is a bit unrealistic). What makes quidditch so awesome is how it combines such a wide variety of people, from hard core athletes unable to make a collegiate team to book worms fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Quidditch is currently being played in over 400 schools across the US and is sprouting elsewhere in the world (the last World Cup hosted teams from South America, Canada, and Finland!). Australia has even hosted a tournament, and the IQA (International Quidditch Association) is planning a match outside the 2012 London Olympics. Its vast popularity is impressive considering it only began 6 years ago.

I love this sport because it's endlessly quirky but can be extremely competitive at the World Cup level. I started a Quidditch club at my high school last year and am currently starting one at Brigham Young University, and I strongly encourage anyone interested to have a deeper look at the sport (as it's absolutely fantastic) and take a look around to see if there's a college, community, or high school team near you (if not, you can always go my route and start a team yourself!).

If you're still unsure, there are plenty of videos online that do a great job
explaining just how awesome Quidditch is, including this short clip from NBC:

View more videos at: http://nbcmiami.com.

Maybe I'll see you on the pitch sometime!

x Alexis

P.S. Some useful links!

International Quidditch Association

Brigham Young Quidditch

P.P.S. Sorry for the length -- I warned ya!

[Most photo credit to quidditchphotos.com]