Students and siblings bond at Quidditch clinic
The CMU Club Quidditch team teaches students and their siblings the game of Quidditch on Jan. 29 in the Student Activity Center.
Students and their siblings learned how to play Quidditch with CMU's club team on Friday night in the Student Activity Center.
“Quidditch is a very complicated game," said Novi senior Emily Patterson, vice president and captain of the CMU Club Quidditch team. "So to break it down for kids we just want to instill a love of the sport and get them really exited about it, and then the details can come later if they want to keep playing.”
Patterson led the clinic with her teammates.
“So today we’re just going to start with just the basics and in-and-outs of the sport, and then we’re going to go to broom handling, which is one of the hardest things to pick up in the beginning,” Patterson said. “And then from there we’re going to show them the positions and then after that we’re going to throw them into some games.”
Patterson believes the sport of Quidditch is very inclusive and is for more “non-traditional” athletes.
“It’s gender inclusive, it’s body inclusive, I’ve seen every type of person play Quidditch," she said. "If you can give kids who typically aren’t involved in sports something they can relate to, like a kid who reads a lot, it gives them an easy path into learning new things."
Grosse Pointe Woods sophomore Chrisoula Pitses attended the clinic with her younger cousin. This was the duo’s first time participating in Siblings Weekend.
“He was hoping he could fly on the broomsticks,” Pitses said, referring to her 11-year-old cousin Nicholas Lipinski.
Lipinski said he was familiar with the sport of Quidditch because he had read the Harry Potter books and watched the movies.
Three Rivers sophomore Melanie Eickhoff cheered on her three younger siblings during the Quidditch clinic.
“This is my second Siblings Weekend, I only brought my oldest sister last year,” Eickhoff said. “I really hope they learn how to play a sport they enjoy. I’m very exited to be with them for the rest of the weekend.”
