Stony Brook Quidditch Team Brings 'Potter' Sport to Life

Campus Quidditch Team Makes World Cup Debut

Stony Brook's quidditch team won four out of the seven games it played at the third annual world cup for the sport, a real-world adaptation of the magical game from J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series.

"It was basically a rugby match with some 'Harry Potter' elements to it," said the team's captain, Daniel Ahmadizadeh.

Teams representing schools from across the country and Canada met at Manhattan's DeWitt Clinton Park over the weekend for the event.

"It was a great opportunity for us to represent Stony Brook and to meet students from some of these really good universities," said Ahmadizadeh, who described his club of roughly 50 active members as including "everyone from computer nerds to serious athletes."

Schools such as Harvard, the University of Massachussettes and New York University were represented, with teams from the latter two among those defeated by Stony Brook.

This version of the game originated at Middlebury University in Vermont in 2005 and has since spread to dozens of other campuses. Teams are open to both male and female members.

President Stanley to Assist Cuomo's Transition

University president Samuel L. Stanley has been asked to be a part of Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo's Health and Education Transition Committee, the university said Tuesday.

The committee  will be tasked with finding candidates for certain top-level positions in Cuomo's administration as it replaces that of current governor David Paterson.

"I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with the governor-elect's transition team," Stanley said in a statement. "I look forward to contributing all that I can to this important effort." 

Upcoming Events

• "Images of India" exhibition - Staller Center - Nov. 20 - 7 p.m.
• Men's basketball game vs. Wagner - Pritchard Gym - Nov. 21 - 2 p.m.
• Stony Brook Opera - Staller Center - Nov. 23 - 8 p.m.