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Attention Harry Potter fans: Goldsboro to host first ever US Quidditch championships in North Carolina

This is not a drill, Harry Potter fans.

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US Quidditch headed to Goldsboro
By
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall
, Go Ask Mom editor
GOLDSBORO, N.C. — This is not a drill, Harry Potter fans.

Goldsboro will be hosting US Quidditch's 2019 Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in November. The event, one of seven regional championships across the country, will feature 25 college teams. The regional events are qualifiers for the US Quidditch Cup, which takes place in April in Charleston, West Virginia. This year's Mid-Atlantic Regional is the first US Quidditch event held in North Carolina.

Quidditch, of course, is the fictional sport featured in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and involves players flying on brooms and catching an enchanted ball. Players in this Muggle version of the sport don't fly through the air on brooms, but they do actually ride them.

Here's a brief history and description of quidditch, courtesy of a press release about the event.
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. While the game can appear chaotic to the casual observer, once familiar with the basic rules, quidditch is an exciting sport to watch and even more exciting to play.

The Mid-Atlantic Regionals will stop at Goldsboro's Bryan Multi-Sports Complex on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10. It's free to watch. Goldsboro is about an hour south and east of Raleigh.

And, if you can't make it this year, never fear: Goldsboro inked a deal with US Quidditch to host it in 2020 too.

“Our office saw this as an exciting opportunity to bring new visitors and their families to Goldsboro, as well as provide a great experience for our residents. Quidditch is a unique sport, and Goldsboro is a unique city,” said Ashlin Glatthar, director of travel and tourism for Goldsboro-Wayne County, in the press release.

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