MIDTOWN, NY (WPIX)—
Middlebury continues its four-year reign as international champions by finishing first on Sunday at the end of the two-day, " Harry Potter"-inspired, Quidditch World Cup in Manhattan.A mix between rugby, soccer and lacrosse, the sport is an adaptation of the fictional game of Quidditch from the the hit books by J.K. Rowling, minus the power of flight, of course. The association held this year's cup at De Witt Clinton Park in Midtown.
While playing quidditch athletes must be "sitting" on a broomstick at all times. This version of the game is called "muggle quidditch," or "ground quidditch."
Muggle quidditch began as an intramural sport at a Vermont college in 2005, and has attracted a sizeable following. There are now 400 colleges and 300 high schools from 45 states that have teams, according to the International Quidditch Association.
Teams from schools as far away as Texas A&M plunked down their own funds to fly to New York for a chance at the coveted Quidditch Cup.
The event organizer and founder is Manhattan resident Alex Benepe, a graduate of Bronx Science High School and the New York Yankees of Quidditch, Middlebury College.
