Quidditch championships headed to Augusta - WFXG FOX54 Augusta - Your News One Hour Earlier

The Augusta Sports Council (ASC) and the International Quidditch Association (IQA) will host the 2013 IQA Southern Regional Championship.

The two-day tournament will attract 14 collegiate and club teams from Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, and North Carolina.  Teams will compete to advance to the World Cup Quidditch Championships being held next month in Kissimmee, Florida.  The tournament will take place March 2-3 from 10am-6pm at Riverview Park in North Augusta, SC.  The teams involved in the first IQA Southern Regional Championship are:

•              Tennessee Tech University

•              University of South Carolina

•              Florida Atlantic University

•              Florida State University

•              Florida Gulf Coast University

•              Ringling College

•              University of Miami

•              University of Florida

•              University of South Florida

•              University of Southern Mississippi

•              Winthrop University

•              Florida International University

•              College of Charleston

•              Brevard Community College

In addition to the tournament, Kidditch, for children and teenagers ages 11- 18, will be held on Saturday, March 2, from 12pm-2pm. Kidditch will be led by tournament participants who will teach and allow children and teens to play the exciting new sport of Quidditch. 

Inspired by the game of Quidditch, as described in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, the sport was adapted by students at Middlebury College in 2005. The IQA is a magical nonprofit dedicated to promoting the sport of Quidditch and inspiring young people to lead physically active and socially engaged lives. With over 800 teams in 28 states, Quidditch is one of the country's fastest-growing sports. The South region represents one of the most vibrant Quidditch communities in the United States.

"The Augusta Sports Council is thrilled host the South Regional Quidditch Championships.  We continue to bring new, different and exciting sporting events, like Quidditch, to Augusta to strengthen the quality of life and economic well-being for our city," says ASC CEO Brinsley Thigpen.  "We are confident that the first Southern Regional Championship will be a fun and athletic adventure and I encourage our residents to volunteer, participant or enjoy the event as spectators." 

For more information about the IQA and the sport of Quidditch, please visit InternationalQuidditch.org.