Auburn University of Witchcraft and Wizardry will hold its first quidditch tournament April 2.
The Quidditch for Quesimpuco tournament will take place at the hayfields on the corner of Donahue and Lem Morrison drives.
The Auburn chapter of Engineers Without Borders sponsors the event.
"Basically it's going to be as close as you can get to magical quidditch without the magic," said Alicia Denning, EWB president and senior in chemical engineering.
In quidditch, a magical sport made famous by the Harry Potter series, teams of seven players fly on broomsticks until the "seeker" catches a small, winged ball called the golden snitch.
Players are required to keep their brooms between their legs at all time.
"Even though we can't fly, that's probably going to be one of the most entertaining parts of it," Denning said.
The snitch will actually be a person dressed in gold from head to toe, said Katie Gauthier, freshman in industrial engineering and Spanish.
The snitch, who will enter the game intermittently, will wear flags on his or her clothes and carry a bag of pingpong balls. Each time a seeker pulls a flag off the snitch, the snitch will pull a ball from the bag. The game ends when the golden ball is drawn.
Gauthier said the event organizers hope to find a cross-country or track runner willing to play the role of the snitch.
Last summer, Gauthier attended a Harry Potter convention in Orlando, Fla., where she learned to play quidditch.
"People of our generation tend to associate Harry Potter with their childhood," Gauthier said, "and I think participating will bring them back to better days in a way."
Proceeds from the tournament will benefit EWB and its work in Quesimpuco, Bolivia.
"We partner with third-world and developing communities to implement sustainable, appropriate technology," Denning said.
For the next five years, EWB will work in Quesimpuco, designing and implementing engineering projects for the local community.
"We basically harness our problem-solving skills that engineering teaches us, and we solve third-world problems," Denning said.
EWB is currently developing a solar water heater and alternative fuel source in Quesimpuco.
Members of EWB take a 10-day trip to Quesimpuco once a year and will go this year in August, said Carolyn Salyers, senior in mechanical engineering.
Money will be used to pay for costs of materials.
If enough money is raised, it will be used to offset travel expenses for the students going to Quesimpuco.
"It's going to hopefully raise a lot of awareness about what we're doing in Bolivia," Salyers said. "For people in Auburn to be aware of Quesimpuco and the work we're doing--I think that would be really cool and really encouraging."
Participants can register for the tournament as teams or individuals.
Each team captain must attend a meeting at 6 p.m. March 31 in Room 2227 of the Student Center.
Team uniforms must be the same color, and capes are encouraged.
EWB will provide brooms and equipment--including the quaffles and bludgers used in quidditch--but players can bring their own brooms if they wish.
Since EWB is partnered with Quesimpuco for at least five years, the event organizers said they hope to make the tournament an annual event.
"It hasn't been done on Auburn's campus yet," Denning said. "There are quite a few people that seem pretty excited about it, so we're hoping that will grow year after year."
Application forms are on the Quidditch for Quesimpuco Facebook event.
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