Freshman year of college, my best friend and I were touring the club booths during orientation when she, an avid Harry Potter fan, was immediately drawn to the Quidditch booth. Before we knew it, we were being convinced to not only join the intramural Quidditch club but to try out for the competitive, traveling team. To our gleeful amazement, we made the cut.

While I started out clueless about what Quidditch even was, I have slowly come to understand and love the sport. When someone asked me what “house” I was in as a freshman, I replied Frontier Hall (a campus dormitory). This response was followed by an eruption of disappointed laughter. And worse, when asked again, I replied, "Hogwarts." Needless to say, they made me take the online placement test two minutes later to proclaim my actual house. I have yet to live down this taunting joke. So yes, while I may be a disappointment to Quidditch in the terms of loyalty to Harry Potter, my obsession with the game greatly compensates.

Quidditch is a sport based off of a game played in the popular book series, “Harry Potter” by J.K. Rowling. While gravity inhibits our ability to fly, we still run around on brooms (PVC pipes—the brooms proved to be too dangerous). The objective of the game is to throw the Quaffle (a volleyball) through one of the three hoops without being hit by a Bludger (a dodgeball) and, in the end, to catch the Golden Snitch (another ball attached to a person).

But don’t be fooled by its nerdy roots, Quidditch is a relentless combination of rugby, football and magic, without any padding (save for your required mouth guard). To say "you get tackled" would be an understatement as literal blood, sweat and tears often stain the Quidditch pitch. It is aggressive, slightly dangerous and 100% worth it because you don’t play Quidditch to dunk a deflated volleyball through a hoop, you play for the people wearing your matching jersey.

Through Quidditch, I have met the kindest, unique and yes, nerdiest people. We have formed an inseparable bond through the process of suffering numerous hungover Sunday morning practices—all from the night before when the whole team was dancing in the basement and playing beer pong on the side porch. We have risked our lives traveling to tournaments in blizzards and have quite literally forged together during the classic “cuddle puddle” between games in an attempt to remain semi-warm.

You cherish the goosebumps when the pre-game chant raises your arms along with the haze of your breath as it hits the cold air that surrounds the players. Hushed stillness falls over the pitch before the whistle cracks through the silence, signaling the start of the game. We win, lose, laugh and hurt as one--the ultimate test of teamwork.

So, while my team has changed over the years, and I no longer see some of my closest friends every week, they still are my "Quidditch family"—one that progressively grows with every new player. My Quidditch team is truly my nerdy little family. And I love it.