If you have ever looked at Main Building and thought, “Man, this looks like it came straight out of Hogwarts,” then thank the Sorcerer’s Stone. Two St. Edward’s University students recently founded the St. Edward’s Quidditch Association, and co-Presidents Kim Valmores and Michael Haywood have ambitious plans to Potterize St. Edward’s.

The team will operate like two halves of a whole: one part competitive Quidditch team, one part student organization, similar to the Congressmen Ultimate, the ultimate Frisbee club on campus. Haywood serves as the leader of the Quidditch team, bringing his past experiences with the sport to the pitch. Valmores, a self-described “Luna Lovegood” type, serves as the events coordinator.

The pair oversees a team of house presidents, who represent the four houses at Hogwarts: Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor. The club hosted its first meeting on Sept. 21, during which all attendees were given both a cup of homemade non-alcoholic butterbeer participated in a sorting hat ceremony. According to Valmores, every new addition to the club will be sorted into his or her appropriate house.

Members who are interested in playing Quidditch will have the opportunity to play in an inter-house scrimmage in November and a bigger tournament in January. The squad will start training sessions within the next month. No, it is not necessary to be athletically inclined. 

“I get winded when I do anything like stairs, for example,” Slytherin house leader Jaqueline Jacot said, jokingly. “But I really like Quidditch. It’s really fun, and it doesn’t feel like exercise.”

If you are concerned about the flying aspect of the sport, do not fret. The International Quidditch Association—the governing body for competitive Quidditch—mandates that all players must straddle a broom and run, not fly. 

“I have seen people ride mops, Swiffers, hockey sticks, ax handles, twigs,” Haywood said. “It does not really matter, as long as it is stick-like.”

The team also plans to scrimmage against neighboring schools’ teams in the future, like the University of Texas, Texas State, Baylor and Texas A&M.

For those members who are not interested in Quidditch, the club has plans for social activities. Haywood and Valmores are open to the idea of club members participating in whatever they want, citing a pick-and-choose attitude. 

Valmores mentioned holding a campus-wide Harry Potter Day, in which participants would wear robes and house colors to school to draw more attention to the club. She also has high hopes for hosting a Yule Ball in December.

“We will decorate the location with crystalline lights, white drapery and white floral arrangements to help our guests feel as if they were transported into a Winter Wonderland,” Valmores said.

The club will pay tribute to St. Edward’s in a number of ways, from incorporating a silhouette of Main Building in its logo to giving a nod to the late Edward Shirley. 

“Instead of ‘Dumbledore’s Army,’ we are calling ourselves ‘Shirley’s army,’” Valmores said, who had a close relationship with the professor. Shirley taught a course at St. Edward’s that analyzed religious themes in the Harry Potter series, and once mentioned to Valmores how cool it would be to have a Quidditch team on campus.

The Quidditch team aims to promote team bonding and camaraderie throughout the entire St. Edward’s community. 

“I hope that we not only have fun with each other, but I also hope that we help each other grow as individuals as well,” Valmores said on her expectations for the club. 

Oh, and if you find the Room of Requirement on campus, do not hesitate to get in touch.