Sure, college-age kids running around on broomsticks and tackling each other to the ground playing a once-fictional game and winning an international competition for the fifth year in a row is newsworthy. But was it necessary to include the cost of tuition? Simply put, no.

NYMag’s intent was to highlight the absurdity of the fact that some Middlebury students pay nauseating sums of money to play a game ripped from the pages of a fictional series. Listing the College’s yearly cost was inappropriate and, in some ways, factually incorrect. The “tuition” that the magazine lists is our comprehensive fee, which includes the meal plan (or lack thereof) and room and board.

New York Magazine made the same error in classifying the College’s yearly fee that countless other news sources have made. Middlebury is regularly listed as one of the top 10 most expensive colleges in the country, ranked alongside schools that have separate meal plans and housing fees. In that regard, the College’s fee is actually less expensive than many other schools.

While Middlebury’s yearly comprehensive fee is expensive (I don’t think anyone would argue otherwise), we are frequently wrongly classified as being exorbitantly pricey. Our comprehensive fee is so high for a good reason — we have local, environmentally friendly, edible dining hall food (that alone is more than most other schools can say), great facilities and professors, and we are one of the best liberal art schools in the nation.

In citing our comprehensive fee in “Neighborhood News,” New York Magazine aimed to make a point, and a sassy one at that. And while their sass came across loud and clear, they could have done so without listing the tuition price. Or, if they were so insistent on including some monetary reference point, they could have at least gotten the title correct. It’s a comprehensive fee, not a yearly tuition.

A team picture of the Middlebury Quidditch team who just won the Quidditch World Cup for the fifth straight year (picture courtesy of @WellyKilson)

The set of brooms Middlebury won today.

Middlebury won an exceptionally exciting Quidditch World Cup earlier tonight, catching the snitch to beat the University of Florida 100 to 80. Their victory preserved their perfect Quidditch championship record in the game’s five year existence. The team won the game despite losing star player Phil Palmer ’12 early in the game to injury, and getting a red card for a tackle from behind.

The path to the cup was not as easy for Middlebury as in years past, suffering their first loss ever to the University of Michigan yesterday, and coming back from 30-0 against Boston University in the round of 16 earlier today.

Check out this Twitter for play by play of the game, and also check out MiddBlog’s coverage of the World Cup.

Quidditch World Cup wins from years past: 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007

**UPDATE** Phil Palmer ’12′s injury is a bad sprain, not a break.

**UPDATE** For more information throughout the day, head over to our page on the menu bar where we will be posting any and all coverage we have of the tournament.

**UPDATE** Midd is in the Final! Go to our page for more details.

**UPDATE** Midd is in the Final Four! Go to our page for more details.

**UPDATE** Middlebury just came from behind to beat Boston University 60-40 on a snitch catch. At one point Middlebury was down 30-0, but in very intense battle, Midd pulled it out.  They will now advance to the quarterfinal where they will play the winner of UCLA (who they’ve already beated earlier in the tournament) vs. Michigan State.

Also, just found this Twitter that will have score updates on the UCLA vs. Michigan State game. And see this Twitter for a recap of Midd’s win over BU. MiddBlog will let you know where to find updates of Midd’s next game on Twitter

Promo video for Quidditch World Cup 2011

Middlebury’s Quidditch Team has made it into the elimination bracket, one of 32 teams out of the orignal 60 that advanced.  Midd started playing a match against Marquette, but it was cut short when a mistake in the bracket was caught. They then played Carleton instead, beating them soundly 100- 10. Now they will advance to the round of 16 where they will play Boston University. It is single game elimination at this point.

Since the Quidditch World Cup website hasn’t been updating, nor has their twitter, Middblog will try to keep you up-to-date on the status of Middlebury’s Quidditch team with info we are getting from the sources we have at the tournament. Check out our first post on the World Cup to find out what has happened so far.

Michigan celebrating the win over Midd, they are the first team ever to do it. (via FattyFTW on Tumblr)

The University of Michigan made history this afternoon after handing Middlebury College its first World Cup defeat ever in. For a Twitter feed recap of the game, click here.

Other games from Saturday:

1st game: 100-20 win over Yale

2nd game: lost to Michigan 70-60

3rd game: win over UCLA 80-30

4th game: win over Vaasa (Finland) 140-40

UMichigan beat us in our first loss ever… Congrats, guys. @middquid coming back stronger than ever. 5:00 PM vs @UCLAQuidditch—
Middlebury Quidditch (@middquid) November 12, 2011

Organized by tri-chairs Andy Hyatt ’12, Phil Palmer ’12 and Marianne Guarnieri ’14, the Classic began with pool play and was supposed to transition to bracket play mid-day, but due to a bit of confusion and admitted disorganization, the bracket was ixnayed, pool play continued throughout the day and no Middlebury Classic champion was crowned.

In spite of the unforeseen bracket problems, the Middlebury Classic was a great success. Among the spectators were people from the town of Middlebury, College students and parents of both students and Quidditch players, alike. Noonie’s Deli and American Flatbread were in attendance, selling freshly-made sandwiches and pizza. Middlebury’s own improv groups, Otter Nonsense and Middlebrow, provided witty commentary on the games and atmosphere.

The primary motivation behind the inception of the Middlebury Classic was to make up for the fact that the World Cup grew to be too large for Middlebury’s campus and was relocated to New York City last year. The tri-commissioners, in tandem with International Quidditch Association (IQA) CEO and President Alex Benepe ’09, saw the Classic as a means of bringing the sport back to its roots and giving back to the local community.

All donations and proceeds from t-shirts sold at the event went toward Tropical Storm Irene disaster relief funds, furthering the emphasis placed on community.

In addition, the Classic gave Middlebury’s Quidditch teams a chance to prove their dominance and set the style of play they want to see at the World Cup in November. Growing increasingly physical over the years, it is not uncommon to see people tackled and thrown to the ground during a friendly game of Quidditch. During Sunday’s tournament, three people were brought to the hospital — a UVM player broke his collar bone, a McGill player hurt her ankle and one of the snitches required stitches on his lip after a collision with a seeker (edited Oct. 22).

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Middlebury Classic was how lighthearted it really was. True, some schools may have attended to gauge their competition for the upcoming World Cup, but most competed for the sake of playing Quidditch. The fact that at the end of the day there was no winner, but teams continued to play with passion speaks volumes to Quidditch and the way the game has evolved over time.

Middlebury’s World Cup team has not yet been selected, but the Classic will play a major role in determining the team that travels to New York come November.

New York Magazine | Muggles Take Manhattan for the Quidditch World Cup – “Middlebury is sporting blue soccer jerseys with matching athletic shorts. They look like an athletic team. Tufts is wearing T-shirts over a ragtag collection of shorts and tights. They look like a fan club getting some exercise.”

Wired | Quidditch World Cup Seeks Wizardry’s Best – “In all, 46 teams arrived in New York for the chance to snag the first-place trophy from Middlebury College, the defending champions and prohibitive favorite going into the tourney”

GOOD.is | Quidditch takes Manhattan – “Laura Budd, a 21-year-old Middlebury beater, is undecided. ‘Quidditch started on a whim as a way to work off your hangover on a Sunday morning. You can be silly like kids. It could lose its magic.’”

Techland | Quidditch World Cup Diary Day 1 and 2 – “As the defending champions, they spoke with the confident humility of a winner: a lot of great teams, we need to play them all hard, etc. “We’re going to have to lose eventually,” said one. “We just hope it’s not today.”

WPIX 11 | Middlebury College Takes Quidditch World Cup – “…the New York Yankees of Quidditch, Middlebury College.”

Tufts Daily | Holy snitch: Tufflepuffs stun Quidditch community, finish second at World Cup – “Though the extra 30 points that came with the Snitch’s capture only cut the deficit in Middlebury’s 100-50 win, simply being in the finals was far more than the Tufflepuffs expected.”

DNAinfo | Middlebury takes gold at Midtown’s Quidditch World Cup – “Adrienne Losch, 20, a junior at Middlebury and a member of the victorious team, credited her team’s 100-to-20 victory over Tufts to plenty of experience. ‘Quidditich started at Middlebury so we’ve had time to figure out the winning strategies,’ said Losch, who said the experience would rank among the highlights of her college career.”

CBS | Quidditch World Cup Held in N.Y.

NY Daily News |

Photo courtesy Metromix New York

The numerous Middlebury fans stormed the field and went into a rousing rendition of “There’s Only One Middlebury” before being awarded the prestigious, if not flimsy gold World Cup trophy. The team and its fans celebrated their victory in true Midd Kidd fashion: a playing of the Midd Kid Rap, complete with the Quidditch verse being sung by player Phil Gordon.

The final match marked one of many for Middlebury and the other 45 teams competing in the 2010 IQA World Cup IV this Saturday and Sunday in DeWitt Clinton Park in Manhattan. Earlier in the fall, many Middlebury students expressed concern at the fact that the World Cup was moving from Middlebury to the Big Apple. However, the move seems to have been a success for the IQA, gaining a multitude of press coverage for the event. With a total 757 players competing, the IQA has set themselves up for another great year of publicity. This year’s World Cup featured high school teams as well as graduate schools.

Middlebury was still very well represented at the Cup though, with many students taking advantage of the fan bus from Middlebury to NYC. Three Middlebury groups also took part in the festivities, with Otter Nonsense and Middlebrow providing commentary to the matches and the Mountain Ayres performing their Quidditch repertoire.

Overall the event was one of pride and excitement, resulting in a great weekend for not only Middlebury College but for the sport of Quidditch as well.

The tournament will follow a round-robin format on Saturday, allowing all 48 teams in attendance to play three games each.  Half of the teams will advance to Sunday’s single-elimination format based on their record and scoring differential in Saturday’s matches. Middlebury is scheduled to play Michigan State University (12:30 pm), Franklin Marshall College (2:00 pm), and Johns Hopkins University (7:00 pm) on Saturday in the hopes of advancing to the second day of the tournament.  A full list of competing teams can be found here.

It does not appear that the World Cup will be broadcast live on the IQA (International Quidditch Association) website, as it has been in years past.  Instead, people hoping to see the matches will have to make the long trip from Middlebury via car.  The Quidditch Club has helped to subsidize a fan bus, meaning that Middlebury students also have the option to pay $20 for round-trip fare if they don’t mind getting up early on Saturday morning.

[Edit 11/11 1:15 pm: As Ryan's comment has pointed out, some live video is likely, and scoring updates will be provided.  Follow the action here over the weekend if you can't make it to NYC.]

At the risk of a MiddBlog jinx, I should also mention one striking statistic: Middlebury has never lost a Quidditch match!

After last weekend’s Middlebury Cup, the team ‘Constant Vigilence’ will be representing Middlebury in New York.  Good luck!

The transition of the World Cup from Middlebury to New York City has not been without some controversy.  Largely, the appeal made by Alex Benepe and the Middlebury Quidditch Club to take the sport’s growing popularity into consideration has quelled most of the discontent.  Moving the World Cup to New York City is a good idea for at least three other reasons: 1) It allows Benepe’s non-profit organization, the International Quidditch Association, to gain publicity; 2) It is a closer venue for some teams to travel to than Vermont; and 3) It allows teams to compete on a neutral site, meaning that Middlebury no longer has the advantage of the home field.

I see a few interesting trends that followers of Quidditch might want to keep in mind.  First, Quidditch is becoming increasingly institutionalized.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, since Quidditch needs a central governing body to organize events and to keep the rules of the game consistent.  But these institutional developments might lead some people to take Quidditch a bit too seriously.  See, for example, this Op-Ed that argues that Quidditch ought to seek admission into the NCAA.

Along with this increased institutional organization, there are important questions about how decision-making power will be distributed between the IQA and its member schools.  In the future, who will get to decide where the World Cup will be played?  The IQA’s executive board?  The IQA and delegates from Middlebury? The IQA and delegates from all of its member schools? Maybe the team that wins one year should host it the next?  As the overall parity of the league increases, the answers to these questions will become more contested and less obvious.

That’s not to say that I would change any of Benepe’s decisions up to this point.  The IQA is currently in very good hands. But it will be interesting to see what direction Quidditch takes in the post-Middlebury era (that is, once Middlebury finally gets eliminated in a World Cup), and who will get to chart that course.

Edit: This post previously asserted that the IQA made this video.  In fact, the IQA did not produce or release it.  Credit for the video should instead go to Quidditch fan and photographer Stephen Mease. [10/11, 2:45 PM] –RL

With the recent announcement of the move of the cup to New York City, the International Quidditch Association (IQA) has opened up the cup for many more teams to attend.   In addition to the increase in teams, however, comes an increase in spectators from some unusual arenas.

The Feminist Majority Foundation recently put the World Cup on their calendar, citing Quidditch’s uniqueness as a coed contact sport.  They are coming with a political agenda:  to support the induction of Title 9 3/4 into the Quidditch rulebook, overwriting the current gender clause stating that at least two women must be present on every team.

“With Title 9 3/4, the IQA will use the growing popularity of real-life Quidditch to challenge the way our world thinks about gender in sports and athletics.”

p.s. if you haven’t seen it, check out the new trailer here.

DeWitt Clinton Park will host the Quidditch World Cup 2010

The International Quidditch Association (IQA) announced today that they will move the Quidditch World Cup from Middlebury College in Vermont to New York City this Fall. The Quidditch World Cup will take place the weekend of Novermber 13th and 14th at the DeWitt Clinton Park (map, street view) in Mid-town Manhattan. That is a week and half before Thanksgiving break.

Commissioner and President Alex Benepe ’09 made the announcement on behalf of the newly formed non-profit organization that has taken on organizing responsibility as the governing body for the hundreds of Quidditch associations nationwide. The summer has been a transformative period for Benepe as he incorporated his organization as a 501c3, launched a new website, and formed a board of directors. The organization is also committed to beginning a full high school league.

On the decision to move the World Cup, Benepe writes in a recent email to the College administration: “There will be a definite loss of the beautiful setting of Middlebury, Vermont, and on a personal level it will be a big change for me and other members of the Middlebury community to see the event being moved.” He cites three main reasons for the move:

The centrality of the location will allow more teams to compete, and also open the tournament to hundreds of high school teams, who expressed frustration at not being admitted to the event in past years.

Hosting the tournament in New York will allow for a larger audience to attend the free event and become inspired to start their own teams.

Time and again, Middlebury and other liberal arts students are encouraged to bring their talents out to the world and give back to communities. By transporting Middlebury’s World Cup to New York City, and most of its fans, we will be showcasing one of the many creative products that Middlebury has generated, in one the biggest cities in the world.

Will teams miss the mud of Vermont and New England fall foliage?

This will no doubt cause outcries from devoted Middlebury students who have witnessed first-hand the emergence of Quidditch as a sport. But besides losing the backdrop of the Green Mountains, carillon ringing the Harry Potter theme song, and stone faced buildings, the event will require increasing amounts of coordination that come easily to Middlebury on the secluded Vermont campus. Last year, dining halls at Middlebury absorbed hundreds of extra students eating meals, dorms housed hundreds of players, and facilities/public safety kept the World Cup crowds satisfied and safe. Benepe sees it as stepping “outside of our comfort zone,” yet also zeros-in on the very specific challenges of “helping teams set up accommodations, raising money, and dealing with a whole new set of area rules and regulations regarding special events.” Teams will also find it a lot easier to find transport to New York as opposed to navigating the maze of getting to Vermont. And there should be no shortage of helping hands in New York as a devoted fan base nationwide could make the World Cup a Harry Potter convention of sorts. Benepe also benefits from the advice of his father Adrian Benepe, a Middlebury Trustee and Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for New York City.

The Middlebury Quidditch (MiddQuid) team could face increasing competition. But the Midd organization, led by Kate Olen ’11, Phil Palmer ’12, and Andy Hyatt ’12, will have more room and resources to focus on fielding the best team for the World Cup without having to also simultaneously organize the event itself. In an email to the MiddQuid students announcing the change, they said: “…we want the Midd Cup to be as big as the World Cup was for us last year. We are not looking to just maintain our current level of Quidditch – we are looking to strengthen it. And with this fulfilling fall schedule of Quidditch, we will be able to find the Middlebury team most fit to represent our school at the World Cup.” Look for a team bus and likely (several?) fan buses to go down to New York and plenty of “friendly” games nearby at Green Mountain College and UVM.

Fans like this will have to make their way to New York City to watch the Quidditch World Cup this year.

The roots of Quidditch will always be here at Middlebury, Benepe says. “With Middlebury’s help, we started a trend not only at our College but on a national and increasingly international level. The enthusiasm and acceptance of an unconventional idea exemplify the core values of Middlebury and a liberal arts education in general, and we will not forget this.” And yet, it is definitely an experiment. “If it doesn’t work out, or even if it does, the World Cup may be back at Middlebury in the future.”

MiddBlog’s coverage of Quidditch has included: World Cups 2007, 2008, 2009.

This Op-Ed piece in the New York Times by a high school student named Lauren Edelson caught my attention because of its references to Middlebury (and Quidditch!) Lauren’s point, in a word, is that she “[doesn't] care about what percentage of the student body runs around on broomsticks.”  Ouch. Although, if Lauren secretly loves Quidditch and wants to come to Middlebury (as I presume), then getting published in a prominent newspaper isn’t a bad way to start.

Here they are announcing the BU vs. Midd match:

And part two:

The Quidditch Club has finalized the match schedule for Sunday’s Quidditch World Cup.  The tournament features a round of pool play, where teams play a round-robin format, followed by four rounds of single-elimination play.  Here’s how the teams were divided and when they will be playing:

A. NORTH

1. McGill University
2. St. Lawrence University
3. University of Vermont
4. Green Mountain College

B. PENN

1. Moravian College
2. Chestnut Hill College
3. Lafayette University
4. Villanova University

C. FREQUENT FLIER MILES

1. Middlebury College
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
3. Louisiana State University
4. Texas A&M University

D. IVE’S POND DIASPORA

1. Syracuse University
2. Ive’s Pond QC
3. Vassar College
4. QC Pittsburgh

E. BOSTON/IVIES

1. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
2. Harvard University
3. Emerson College
4. Yale University
5. Boston University

*All times approximate*

9:20

Field A: University of Massachusetts-Amherst vs. Harvard University
Field B: Middlebury College vs. Virginia Commonwealth University
Field C: Moravian College vs. Chestnut Hill College
Field D: McGill University vs. St. Lawrence University

9:40

Field A: Louisiana State University vs. Texas A&M
Field B: Lafayette University vs. Villanova University
Field C: Ive’s Pond QC vs. Vassar College
Field D: Harvard University vs. Boston University

10:00

Field A: University of Vermont vs. Green Mountain College
Field B: Emerson College vs. Yale University
Field C: Middlebury College vs. Louisiana State University
Field D: University of Massachusetts-Amherst vs. Boston University

10:20

Field A: Vassar College vs. QC Pittsburgh
Field B: University of Massachusetts-Amherst vs. Emerson College
Field C: Syracuse University vs. Ive’s Pond QC
Field D: Moravian University vs. Villanova University

11:00

Field A: Chestnut Hill College vs. Villanova University
Field B: St. Lawrence University vs. Green Mountain College
Field C: Yale University vs. Boston University
Field D: Ive’s Pond QC vs. QC Pittsburgh

11:20

Field A: Middlebury College vs. Texas A&M
Field B: McGill University vs. University of Vermont
Field C: Harvard University vs. Emerson College
Field D: [Open]

11:40

Field A: Harvard University vs. Yale University
Field B: Moravian College vs. Lafayette University
Field C: Syracuse University vs. QC Pittsburgh
Field D: Virginia Commonwealth University vs. Texas A&M

12:00

Field A: Emerson College vs. Boston University
Field B: Virginia Commonwealth University vs. Louisiana State University
Field C: McGill University vs. Green Mountain College
Field D: [Open]

12:40

Field A: St. Lawrence University vs. University of Vermont
Field B: Chestnut Hill College vs. Lafayette University
Field C: Syracuse University vs. Vassar College
Field D: University of Massachusetts-Amherst vs. Yale University

The top two teams from the pools of four will advance to single-elimination, as will the top three teams from the Boston/Ivies pool.  An additional three teams (Wild Cards) will advance from the pools of four.  All told, fourteen teams will advance out of pool play.

The 20-some-odd teams: Miami of Ohio, Sacred Heart, Yale, Harvard, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Umass Amherst, Lafayette, St. Lawrence, Villanova University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Louisiana State University, Pittsburgh, Syracuse University, Moravian College, Emerson, McGill, Vassar, Chestnut Hill, Ive’s Pond, Boston University, Green Mountain College, University of Vermont, and your very own Middlebury.

Okay, this pulsating College Quidditch icon is driving me up the wall. You can find the details of the Cup and more College Quiddich action at the CollegeQuidditch.com website (which seems to be intermittently available over the past few weeks). Or twitter that shiz.

Looking for coverage of last year’s Cup? Look no further to get in the mood: the MiddBlog liveblog, photos, and audio (below).

Courtesy of collegequidditch.com

[Edit 10/16, 7 pm: Revised the time and location of the match.]

For all of you Quidditch junkies looking for something to do this Saturday, Middlebury Quidditch is making the short drive north to Burlington to scrimmage the University of Vermont.  The match is scheduled to start at 12:45 pm, and is going to take place on the Central Campus Fields (between the Davis Center and Fletcher Allen.)

UVM Quidditch, in its first year, is also attending the Third Annual Quidditch World Cup on Sunday, October 25, at Middlebury College.  As many as 26 teams are expected to compete in the World Cup, and according to estimates from Quidditch Commissioners Charlie Hofmann, Chris Free, and Kate Olen, approximately 2,500 spectators are expected to attend.

The University of Vermont is a formidable D-I foe in most sports…but will they add Quidditch to the highlight reel?