Despite what you might think about Quidditch from the fantasy world of Harry Potter, it’s real, and it’s full-contact. The McGill Tribune catches up with McGill Quidditch President Jon Cohen, and first-year chaser Robyn Fortune, fresh off their championship win at Queen’s University this past Sunday.

McGill Tribune: How did McGill fare this weekend?

Robyn Fortune: There were 12 teams there, and we played Algonquin, University of Toronto, Carleton, and U of Ottawa. Our game against Carleton went into overtime; that was the semi-final. We were up by 30, but then they caught the snitch, and then we were tied. [During overtime, the winner is] the first team to 30 points—so either score three goals, or catch the snitch. If that hasn’t happened after five minutes, [the winner is] just who has the most points. Our [game with] Carleton was really tight; they’re a really strong team and that game was neck-and-neck. We were glad to win that one; it was probably our most exciting game all year.

MT: What made you want to get involved with the Quidditch team?

RF: I heard about it during orientation week, and it sounded really cool, so I just wanted to try it. It was actually way more fun and more intense than I imagined.

MT: How far back does Quidditch go at McGill? How did it get started here?

Jon Cohen: It started in 2008, the year before I came to McGill. It was started by Reid Robinson, who’s a legend in his own right. It started out pretty small: [McGill’s] was the first Canadian team, [the] first international team outside of the United States, and was at the second World Cup. [This year, the World Cup] is in Florida. You have to vie for spots, and by winning the national championship, we now have one.

MT: So the team will be going to Florida later this year?

JC: Well it’s awkwardly right before finals in April, so the answer is ‘hopefully.’

MT: Is this strictly a university sport?

JC: There is high school Quidditch now, and there’s actually also ‘Kidditch,’ which is for kids. But the International Quidditch Association is doing a really good job of promoting the sport, and setting up this organizational structure to allow for new teams to grow and succeed, which is great for the sport’s future.

MT: How did Quiditch get started as a university sport?

JC: I think it started as a whim almost. Some kids at [Middlebury College invited Vassar] to come play … but USA Today also came with them, and that was that. Now [schools] like McGill have B teams, and it’s come beyond the imagination of the first people involved, certainly.

MT: So what exactly are the rules of Quidditch, the way you play it at McGill?

JC: It’s actually exactly like the books and the movies, except it’s running around and tackling instead of flying. Sort of takes a lot of know-how, and [there are] a lot of finer points about legal tackling. So, there’s a quaffle that you try to score with, and then bludgers [which are dodgeballs], which is kind of a separate game … and then there’s a snitch, which is [someone] in yellow running around, and you’re trying to snatch a sock from the guy. There’s a tennis ball in it, it’s worth thirty points, and it ends the game.

MT: With this version of the game, are there limits to where the snitch can go?

JC: They’ll start off the field, for about ten minutes, and when they’re back on the field, it’s just chaos. There’s basically three games going on at the same time, and to the untrained eye it’s very difficult to watch, to say the least.

MT: In other sports, there are certain body types and skills that make a person suited to them. Can you speak to that in terms of Quidditch?

JC: Athleticism is number one. Number two is the ability to play a really complicated sport with one hand, because you’re holding a broom between your legs the entire time. [That] obviously gives the whole game its flair. But, really: speed, tackling ability. We know a lot of people who played frisbee, who played soccer especially. Rugby is a big one, basketball, but I would definitely compare it, at least in terms of sports knowledge, [more closely] to soccer or hockey.

MT: So this is a full contact game, but you’re all on brooms?

JC: They want to keep the game safe and accessible. There’s no tackling from behind, there’s no tackling certain areas, like above the neck or shoulders. [The International Quidditch Association] recognizes the danger, but they account for it in their rule book.

MT: How would you like to see the team progress next year?

RF: Well, this is my first year on the team, but I think we just want to keep up the Quidditch program because we had a lot of rookies come in this year. We were able to have two full teams represented at this tournament, and I think we just want to keep that up.