On Saturday, April 24, the Texas A&M University Quidditch team hosted the first official Intercollegiate Quidditch Association (IQA) tournament in the Southwest. Teams from Texas, Louisiana State, and Texas Tech all traveled to College Station in search of Quidditch glory. The tournament was divided into two parts. The first, a round-robin in which each team competed against each other. The second, a single-elimination tournament seeded by the results from the opening round of games.
By the end of the day the teams played a combined 12 games of Quidditch, including a riveting IQA record 80 min. final that featured a furious comeback from Texas before LSU captured the snitch that took home the championship.
TAMU and LSU were the largest and most experienced teams at the tournament. Both squads had over 15 members, professional jerseys and big-game experience from competing in the 2009 IQA World Cup at Middlebury College in Middlebury, VT, where the IQA was founded.
Their experience translated to the field. All the opening games were competitive, but LSU and TAMU defeated both Texas and Texas Tech during the round-robin, earning them the top two seeds.
As the actual tournament drew near, it was clear that despite Harry Potter's fairy-tale origins, the sport produced the same competitive nature and rivalries as any other collegiate athletic competition.
"We have a history with LSU," one TAMU player remarked.
The tournament also produced its share of drama. Texas players captured the snitch three separate times in their opening round match with LSU, but all three victories were overturned by the referees who ruled the snitch was obtained illegally.
The second semifinal game was between top-seeded LSU and Texas Tech. Although LSU took an early and commanding lead, the game lasted appr. 30 minutes until the snitch finally returned and was captured by the Tigers.
The championship game between LSU and Texas featured the longest IQA game ever. LSU, who placed sixth at last year's world cup, took an early lead but the Longhorns continued to battle back. UT overcame numerous multi-score deficits to draw even with LSU at on point in the match. Finally, after 80 hard-fought minutes, LSU captured the snitch as well as the tournament title.
Many of the Longhorns, who will focus this off-season on raising funds and building equipment, said they enjoyed the experience and grew as a team despite falling short.
The loss may have been heartbreaking, but the Texas Quidditch team gathered together, put their horns up and finished the day the only way Longhorns know how, with a spirited rendition of "The Eyes of Texas".
