Carolina’s Quadball Club turns fantasy into full-contact sport

Astride broomsticks and ducking dodgeballs, young athletes weave around one another with skill and precision as they head downfield, trying to toss a ball through one of three hoops mounted there. And every so often, the “Golden Snitch” glides across, raising the stakes of the game and sending the players into a frenzy.

This isn’t a Quidditch scene from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” It’s just another practice for Carolina’s Quadball Club. The “broomsticks” are just plastic sticks. And that “Golden Snitch” isn’t some magical device; it’s another player wearing a pair of gold-colored gym shorts and running as fast as possible.

Inspired by J.K. Rowling’s fictional game, quadball is a mixed-gender sport that began more than 20 years ago and, in recent years, has evolved from a role-playing experience for Harry Potter fans into a full-contact athletic endeavor.

“When I joined, I thought I might be joining more of a Harry Potter fan club,” said junior club president Bonnie Hernandez. “But it turned out to be a mix of dodgeball, basketball and handball. I was immediately surprised by how physical it wound up being.”

The intersection between fandom and athleticism is one of the driving factors behind the diversity of the players who make up the Quadball Club.

The club’s vice president, junior biology major Jack Weinard, believes this is one of the sport’s greatest attributes.

“Accessibility is at the core of this sport,” Weinard said. “We’re competitive, no doubt, but we want to make our club easy for anyone to jump into regardless of how fast or far they can run.”

The club’s sense of acceptance particularly moved Jacob Emejuru, a senior business major who joined the team early in his first year at Carolina, mostly due to the connection to Quidditch. He credits the club with helping him come out of his shell and make lasting friendships over the past four years.

“I didn’t really grow up with sports, but instead of my teammates being upset with me, they gave me guidance and mentored me,” Emejuru said. “When you join Quadball, you’re not just joining a team, you’re joining a community of friends.”

That friendship is evident when observing a standard Quadball Club practice. There’s strategy and intensity, but there’s also laughter and joking around. It’s an acknowledgment of the quirkiness of a sport that requires its players to run around while riding a plastic stick.

Some of the connections made at Quadball Club have lifelong impacts. That’s especially true for the club’s student organization adviser, Stephanie Peck, who began playing quadball at NC State as an undergraduate.

“I’ve been involved with this sport for almost a decade now,” Peck said. “I’ve made great friends through quadball, and I even met my husband through playing this sport. It’s been such a rewarding thing for me to commit to.”

With fun and friendship also comes competition, and the Quadball Club will compete in a regional championship in Maryland on Feb. 28.

Emejuru first went to regionals during his freshman year. He said the entire experience, from the road trip to the actual event, was one of his favorites as a Tar Heel. Going back to regionals in his senior year will be a full-circle moment.

“This will be my last regionals with the team,” Emejuru said. “And I intend to go out with a bang.”

View more photos from the club below and click to enlarge.