Hogwarts-esque hoopla descends on Belinder with inaugural Quidditch tourney

Apparently it’s going to take some wizardry to make up for recent cuts to state education funding.

Around 125 students this weekend hopped on their brooms (or foam pool noodles, as it were) for the inaugural Belinder Elementary Quidditch tournament. The Harry Potter-inspired fun was the idea of Belinder mom Laura Fey, a local attorney.

“In light of all of the state budget cuts to education, it is very important to raise money for the school in order to try to fund important, special programs for the children, such anti-bullying and cyber-safety programs, technology in the classroom, and enrichment programs like Lego Robotics,” Fey said. “Although we, of course, can’t make up for all of the budget cuts, we can make a difference.” 

Fey said the idea for the tournament came after her son Andrew, a huge Potter fan, introduced her to the game.

“Then I heard about children and college students playing the game all over the country,” she said. “After doing a little Internet research, I decided to get some other Belinder parents together to put on a Quidditch Tournament as a fundraiser for the school.”

The Belinder group was able to enlist the help of the University of Kansas’s award-winning Quidditch team, who served as refs and “snitches” during the tournament. The tournament was broken down into three division, with teams made up of K-2nd Grade students, 3rd and 4th grade students, and 5th and 6th grade students.

No one kept official score. But that didn’t stop some of the older kids from claiming victory.

“I know the 5th grade boys believe they won!” wrote mom and organizer Angela Hoffman.