July 14, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 23 Julia Bauer, an eighth grader at Ramapo Ridge Middle School, has brought Quidditch to Mahwah. According to the widely popular “Harry Potter” books, Quidditch is the most popular sport in the wizarding world. “Ever since the foundation of the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association in 2007, Quidditch is no longer just for those with magical powers,” Bauer said. “Now this new sport, as adapted for the ‘muggle’ world, has come to Mahwah with the formation of Ramapo Ridge Middle School’s Quidditch team.” Bauer, who has been a fan of J.K Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books since fourth grade, particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the Quidditch matches. “My friends and I wished we could play Quidditch, but never thought that it was a possibility, because we’re not wizards!” (Quidditch players are required to be proficient at flying on broomsticks.) She added, “The idea of playing Quidditch came up again just this past winter, when my friends idly wished we could have our own school Quidditch team. This time, I looked into the issue. I found out that some schools were doing just that. There are high school teams that actually play Quidditch, and even colleges. The Intercollegiate Quidditch Association includes colleges from all over the country, including Princeton University. Obviously, they have adapted the wizarding rules for ones that fit the ‘muggle’ laws of physics. I sent an email to the founder and was sent back a long rulebook for their adapted rules.” Bauer immediately began to write a proposal to start a Ramapo Ridge Middle School Quidditch Club. “While I was doing this, my friends were a big help in collecting names of people interested in the club. We also found our faculty sponsor, Ms. Browne, to be our coach. She was really into the idea, and has been a big help making this club a reality. Several months, meetings, and a whole lot of work later, our school now has a fully functional, up and running team. We’ve had meetings once a week since the middle of April, and we’re still getting new members each time we play.” While Bauer was working on creating the club, she was also looking for a project idea to earn her Silver Award for Girl Scouts. Her Scout leader told her to pick a project she is passionate about, and Quidditch seemed like the perfect fit. “Many kids I know are either into reading, but not sports, or are athletics, but not into reading. Quidditch is a highly active sport that is based on a popular book (series). So I planned an event to inspire more people to get into both reading and athletics by getting them into Quidditch. My goal is to spread the word about this fun and exciting sport, and encourage kids at other middle and high schools to start their own clubs.” The school’s Quidditch Club Showcase took place in June at the Lenape Meadows Elementary School gym. Mahwah student brings Quidditch to school The Ramapo Ridge Middle School Quidditch Club and Coach Browne. Students take part in a Quidditch match.