University of Texas wins 2013 Quidditch World Cup in Kissimmee
There’s so much I could talk about from the past weekend, as so much was going on in Central Florida, but the highlight for me was something I really didn’t expect, a visit to the 2013 Quidditch World Cup at Austin Tindall Park in Kissimmee.
In life, I believe you should try out new things and experiences and it was with open mind that I wandered along to take a nosy at the Quidditch event. Quidditch, as most folks know by now, was a creation from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels and the game has now taken off to such an extent that over 80 teams participated over the weekend and that’s after making it to Central Florida after a hefty qualifying period.
Before I arrived, I’d read up on the rules but they were still very cloudy for me. Fortunately, Quidditch public relations manager Leah Farrar was on hand and she explained the game to me in further depth. See the video below.
As I watched the game, it quickly became obvious that it really wasn’t so complicated. The initial problem was keeping an eye on all the action as a lot was taking place all over the field. Bludgers seem to fly everywhere and there’s a lot of rough and tumble as players exert maximum force to over power their opponents. The world’s leading soccer players need to learn from Quidditch players as they take a lot of blows but simply get back up on their feet and get on with the game. How refreshing to see!
The other factor I noticed was that the game was played by both sexes and by people of all sizes. It really made you appreciate how the human being can play to it’s strengths and how it can see an obstacle, overcome it and find a way to win! There were plenty of examples of this but watching a young college girl taking on a robust 2oo lbs guy and managing to grab the sock just showed that there’s always a way to get what you want! Maybe you have to be more cunning than powerful, maybe sometimes brain over brawn really does get things done.
Overall, it was a great way to spend a few hours and to learn about a new game and a new sport. From a business and marketing perspective, it was also interesting to see how the game has grown from being an idea to now over 80 teams competing at a World Cup. I posted here earlier about the history of the game if you want to know more. I look forward to my next visit to the game of Quidditch. It has a new fan!
More photo’s at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com and here’s some video:
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