U.S. Quidditch Hosts Championships in North Carolina for the First Time on November 9 & 10
The City of Goldsboro is excited to welcome US Quidditch to North Carolina for the first time to host the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. The tournament is this weekend, Nov. 9-10, 2019, at the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex, 501 S. Oak Forest Road, Goldsboro. The US Quidditch (USQ) organization chose Goldsboro as their host city for the 2019 and 2020 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships.
“I am happy to welcome US Quidditch to Goldsboro! We are proud to be the host city for this organization’s first tournament in North Carolina,” said Tim Salmon, city manager for the City of Goldsboro. “I hope all the collegiate and club team athletes, staff, and spectators enjoy the excellent playing fields at our Bryan Multi-Sport Complex and the many of the other amenities our great city has to offer. I encourage our local residents to see the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship gameplay and make our guests feel at home.”
The Visit Goldsboro and Goldsboro Parks & Recreation staff have prepared a fun weekend for athletes and fans alike. A Players Party is set for Friday evening to welcome the athletes and USQ staff. The Paramount Theater is hosting a movie night of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8. The event is free and open to the public. Before the movie starts, the Visit Goldsboro staff will have a free raffle to give away several prizes.
Teams are coming from as far away as Pennsylvania to compete at the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex. “It’s exciting to see teams from such prestigious universities, such as Drexel University and Penn State, making their way to our city this weekend to compete for the championship title. We can’t wait to show off our sports complex, historic downtown, and our southern hospitality” said Ashlin Glatthar, director of travel & tourism for Visit Goldsboro. “This is a great opportunity for our community to experience a new sport for the first time. Not only can the public come out to watch the tournament for free, but the USQ staff is hosting a free ‘Introduction to Quidditch’ clinic on Saturday and Sunday.”
On Saturday and Sunday, the USQ staff will host a free “Introduction to Quidditch” workshop for those aged 5-18 (aimed at elementary, middle, and high school students). US Quidditch will go over the basics of the game, run drills, and arrange a scrimmage. The youth workshops are from 1:30 – 3:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. More information can be found on the Eventbrite link or the USQ event website. Although not required to participate, interested students can sign up in advance through Eventbrite, or by emailing events@usquidditch.org.
Games will take place at the Bryan Multi-Sports Complex, 501 S. Oak Forest Road, and are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free and bleacher seating will be available. Spectators are also welcome to bring their own lawn chairs. Concessions and food trucks will be available on-site for purchase. Spectators are also encouraged to use the free Eventbrite link to show their interest in attending, as well as a source of information for the tournament weekend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/usq-2019-mid-atlantic-regional-championship-tickets-75252587515.
The full game schedule and the list of competing teams are available online here: https://www.usquidditch.org/events/view/usq-2019-mid-atlantic-collegiate-regional-championship. More information and updates can also be found under the events tab on Visit Goldsboro’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/visitgoldsboronc.
The regional championships are part of the qualification process for teams attending the annual US Quidditch Cup, which will take place on April 18-19, 2020 in Charleston, West Virginia.
Quidditch originated as a fictional sport invented by author J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter book series. The sport evolved into reality when a freshman at Middlebury College in Vermont laid the foundation for the sport’s rulebook and the very first game of quidditch was played in October 2005. Over the last 14 years, the sport has grown into a widely respected, physically intense sport. Quidditch is a mixed-gender contact sport with a unique mix of elements from rugby, dodgeball, and tag. A team is made up of seven athletes who play with brooms between their legs at all times. The US Quidditch official rulebook is available free for download here.
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For more information, contact Ashlin Glatthar, Travel & Tourism Director for Visit Goldsboro, (919) 734-7922 or aglatthar@goldsboronc.gov.
