Harry Potter Quidditch Matches Held Weekly at North Georgia College and State University

The campus of North Georgia College and State University, located in the historic gold-rush town of Dahlonega, is hosting weekly Harry Potter quidditch matches. The four teams, named after the four Houses of Hogwarts, are composed of 44 students who are participating in the 9-week long English course, "Harry Potter and the Legion of Night," taught by Professor Brian Corrigan. The students wear custom-made golf shirts with logos corresponding to their particular house. Last spring, the contestants chose marbles from a wizard's hat during a Sorting Hat Ceremony to determine to which house they would belong.

Quidditch is a game that Harry Potter and his friends play on flying broomsticks in the seven-book series written by J. K. Rowling. The earthbound version of quidditch consists of ultimate Frisbee, dodgeball, keep-away, soccer, football, basketball and Trivial Pursuit. A 39-page rulebook written by Corrigan explains the regulations of the competition. The contests are free and open to the public. They are held on Thursday evenings at 7:45 pm on the Central Drill Field and will continue through August 2, 2007. The competition scheduled for July 26 will pit the highest scoring house against the lowest scoring house. During the competition, scheduled for August 2, the second highest scoring house will meet the third highest scoring house. The tournament winning team will be awarded the coveted House Cup, and each member of that team will receive a genuine Olivander's wizard wand on a display stand. Professor Corrigan has handcrafted the wizard wands himself. The week-6 match drew over 200 spectators to the campus, which is located approximately one hour north of Atlanta via GA 400/US 19, nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of northeast Georgia.