By Carrying dodgeballs, volleyballs, a tennis ball and brooms, Caylen McDonald and her teammates head over to Los Altos Park a few times each week to practice a growing sport: Quidditch.
As a team, they’re known as the Long Beach Funky Quaffles (LBFQ). They’re set to play in the Southern California Quidditch Conference D1 Season Opener this October.
McDonald, a senior human development major at Cal State Long Beach, co-captains the Long Beach-based team with Justin Madriaga, a graduate from the Art Institute of California, Los Angeles, and San Pedro resident Anthony Hawkins. Madriaga and Mcdonald established the team in April.
To play Quidditch, the wizard sport created in the “Harry Potter” series, McDonald said the team members use slightly deflated dodgeballs and volleyballs as well as brooms to carry between their legs.
“Beside the fact that we don’t use magic and flying brooms, it compares fairly equally to the book,” Madriaga said. “We use quaffles, bludgers without bats and a snitch.”
McDonald, who primarily plays as a chaser on the team, said that the LBFQ beaters play both offense and defense with dodgeballs while chasers score points with volleyballs. A seeker also catches the snitch, a tennis ball, to ultimately win the game for his or her team.
According to Madriaga, who primarily plays as a beater, the snitch hangs in a sock attached to a person’s shorts with Velcro throughout the game. The snitch-carrier is not a member of either team.
Madriaga said the use of social media, namely Reddit, helped to bring the team together. He said he tried to filter his recruitment through different social media groups to gain interest in the sport.
“I started just going through the different communities like Long Beach, [Long Beach City College], [Cal State Long Beach], Quidditch, Harry Potter,” Madriaga said. “Anything that would perhaps spark some interest.”
Through his outreach efforts, Madriaga recruited 10 members for the LBFQ, and he said the team has also trained with the Lost Boys Quidditch Team of Torrance.
McDonald said she has found many friends through the LBFQ.
“I would say the team is my major source of friendship and camaraderie,” McDonald said. “We are an official team and part of the International Quidditch Association (IQA).”
Tanna Helm, a senior chemistry major and a beater for the LBFQ, said the team name was at first difficult to decide upon, but it suits the team.
“We like the name the Funky Quaffles because we are a community team; our players come from all walks of life and from many different places,” Helm said. “We might be a little off-beat, but we’re funky; we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
McDonald said the team paid $150 to register with the IQA, and each player must pay $50 to join the team.
“Quidditch has really transformed into a serious sport,” she said.
McDonald said the LBFQ practices often to help the team grow and establish itself in Long Beach.
“We are trying to recruit new players and build a strong foundation for the team,” she said.
McDonald said that playing Quidditch and the LBFQ are the first things in life she has felt passionate about, and whether someone is a “Harry Potter” fan or not, he or she can join a Quidditch team.
“I want others to have the same opportunity as I have,” McDonald said. “The Quidditch community is unique, and everyone is very welcoming.”
According to Helm, Quidditch is a very high-intensity sport.
“The most important thing I’ve learned from playing Quidditch is that being on a team sport is a really rewarding experience,” Helm said. “We build each other up, provide encouragement and constructive criticism.”
The LBFQ’s first ranked, regional qualifying tournament will be on Oct. 19 at University of California, Los Angeles at the Southern California Quidditch Conference D1 Season Opener. The LBFQ was the only D2 team that qualified for the tournament.
The team practices regularly at Los Altos Park on Sundays at 4 p.m. and Mondays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. For more information on the LBFQ, visit the team’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/groups/LBQuidditch.
