College and club quadball teams will travel to Saluda Shoals Park this weekend in partnership with Experience Columbia SC Sports to compete for the South Regional Championship title. Matches will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 11, and continue the next day on Sunday, February 12, until a winner is crowned.
“Experience Columbia SC Sports is so excited to host US Quadball again this weekend here in Columbia, SC,” said Hannah Kay, sports development manager for ECSC Sports. “We’ve had a wonderful ongoing relationship with their organization since before we hosted their world championship event in 2016. We would love for the Columbia community to come out to Saluda Shoals Park.”
Quadball is a mixed-gender full-contact sport played by an estimated 600 teams in almost 40 countries. The rules, originally adapted from the Harry Potter book series by students at Middlebury College in Vermont, incorporate a mix of elements from basketball, rugby, and dodgeball.
This past summer, the governing bodies of the sport announced they would rebrand the game, previously known as quidditch, to quadball to distance themselves from Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, as well as to open up sponsorship and broadcast opportunities. The new name refers to the number of balls and the number of positions involved in the sport.
Teams at the tournament include defending regional champions the University of Florida, Florida State University, and UNC-Chapel Hill. In addition to the regional championship title, the teams are competing for qualification spots to the US Quadball Cup 2023, being held April 15-16 in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
Tickets for the US Quadball South Regional Championship are available here. Attendees can enjoy food and beverage from Tin Can Kettle Corn, who will be onsite all weekend. Finally, games taking place on Pitch 3 will be livestreamed on Twitch.
About US Quadball:
US Quadball (USQ) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and the national governing body for the sport of quadball. USQ advances the sport by organizing events and programs that build community and empower adult and youth athletes of all identities, including all races and genders, to compete together. For more information, email jack.mcgovern@usquadball.org or visit www.usquidditch.org or www.usquadball.org.
US Quadball and its activities are not licensed by, sponsored by or associated with Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling, or their affiliates. “Quidditch,” “Harry Potter,” and all related names, characters, and indicia are trademarks and © of Warner Bros. – Harry Potter publishing rights © J.K. Rowling.
About Experience Columbia SC Sports:
The mission of Experience Columbia SC Sports is to strengthen the area’s economy by marketing and selling the region as a premier destination for sporting events, partnering with local sports organizations to grow and develop existing events and by recruiting new events that provide an economic benefit to the region by generating room nights, food and beverage sales, and associated tax revenues. For more information, please visit www.columbiascsports.com.
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