For years, students have likened the Gothic architecture of West Campus to Hogwarts, the dazzlingly magical school of witchcraft and wizardry made famous by Harry Potter.
But it's no longer just the stony buildings that help draw parallels between Duke and J.K. Rowling's iconic institution. Quidditch-the wizarding community's most popular form of recreation-is the newest sport on campus.
Over the past few weeks, passersby have stopped to stare as a group of about 12 freshmen congregate on East Campus Quadrangle and toss a slightly deflated volleyball through hula hoops mounted on poles-all while clutching brooms between their thighs.
Freshman Malia Lehrer is spearheading efforts to prepare aspiring Duke players for participation in the Intercollegiate Quidditch World Cup, a tournament that began when Middlebury College defeated Vassar College's visiting team in the first intercollegiate Muggle Quidditch match last fall.
The rules of Quidditch have been necessarily altered for Muggles. Instead of flying on broomsticks, players run across the field with brooms held firmly between their legs. Dodgeballs act as the violent Bludgers that zoom around knocking players to the ground, and the Snitch-the elusive gold ball with wings whose capture ends the game-is replaced by a cross country runner who darts around campus with a tennis ball hanging from his shorts.
Freshman Jenna Barbee has been appointed treasurer of the team and will be responsible for helping to secure needed equipment, including capes, which are required by the official Intercollegiate Quidditch Rules and Guidebook.
In the meantime, it's B.Y.O.B.-bring your own broom-Lehrer said.
Although the team has a sponsor and Lehrer says the Office of Student Activities and Facilities is excited about the prospect of a Duke Quidditch team, the group has not yet become an official club and do not have players for each position.
In fact, the only guarantee is that freshman Ben Jones, a member of Duke RoadRunners Club, will play the role of Snitch runner. Because of his speed and endurance, Jones is perfect for the position, Lehrer said.
"He's the only one who can run and tackle people and be an a- to everyone equally," she said. "I played Seeker once during practice, and chasing Ben Jones is terrifying, I'm not going to lie."
Though the team is still coming together, members maintain a competitive spirit and hope to contest this year.
"The Southeastern League Games won't start until Spring, so we hope by then we'll be good enough to start playing," Lehrer said.
To prepare for this goal, Lehrer has begun holding practices Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons in accordance with the official Quidditch rulebook.
"We scrimmage, we have throwing drills and we're going to start having Bludger avoidance drills," she said. "The learning curve is not very steep here, but we need to get in shape."
Lehrer said that over the summer, an incoming freshman posted a video of a Quidditch match between Middlebury and Princeton University on the "Duke 2012" Facebook group, accompanied by the comment, "We need this at Duke!"
"If people like this, why not do this?" she said.
She then contacted Alex Benepe, a Middlebury senior responsible for the development of the official Intercollegiate Quidditch Rules and Guidebook, and asked him to register Duke on this year's official Muggle Quidditch team list.
Throughout the past several years, college Muggle Quidditch has spread from competition between Middlebury league teams, with Harry Potter-themed names such as the Bad A- Muggle Flyers and the Mollywobbles, to more than 180 teams registered with the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association.
The response to the burgeoning team by Duke students, who grew up alongside the Harry Potter characters, has been overwhelmingly positive, Lehrer said.
"We've gotten a lot of people saying, 'Oh, my God, is that really Quidditch?'" she said. "Some kids in a Jeep rode by during practice and one yelled, 'Wingardium Leviosa!'"
Freshman Stephanie Weiss is one such student thrilled by the idea of a Quidditch team on campus.
"I called my brother when I saw them practicing and said, 'John! Guess what! They're having a Quidditch match!'" Weiss said. "It sort of made my day, I'll be honest."
But collegiate Muggle Quidditch is not just about the "The Boy Who Lived."
"None of us are really Harry Potter experts or whatever," Lehrer said. "It's more that it's a really fun game and nothing like it is really done-it's kind of handball-ish and kind of dodgeball-ish and kind of tag-ish. It's unique and entertaining and anyone can play."
College Quidditch Rules
Each team consists of three Chasers, two Beaters, one Keeper, one Seeker and the Snitch Runner. Chasers throw the Quaffle, a deflated volleyball, through one of their opponents' three hula hoops mounted on wooden posts in order to score 10 points.
Keepers attempt to block the Quaffle from entering their teams' hoops. When inside the Goal Zone and Keeper Zone, Keepers may kick the Quaffle and are not penalized for being hit by Bludgers.
Bludgers are red rubber balls pelted by Beaters at all players. If a player is hit by a Bludger, he must drop any ball he is holding and circle around the Goal Zone to simulate the time it would take to fall off his broom.
The Snitch is a tennis ball stuffed inside a long soccer sock that is tied to a cross-country runner's shorts. This Snitch Runner should possess endurance, attitude and agility. He may travel anywhere within the predetermined bounds of East Campus and may hide from the Seeker. He may also rely on headlocks, slapping and take-downs if they help elude capture.
It is recommended that the Snitch Runner wear as much yellow and gold as possible. The Seeker must pull out the Snitch from the back of the Snitch Runner's shorts in order to earn his team 50 points and end the game. This must be a clean grab. If the Snitch Runner falls before the Snitch is entirely removed, the Snatch does not count and gameplay resumes.
Players must keep their broomsticks between their legs at all times, either holding them with one hand or gripping them between their thighs. No means of artificial attachment are allowed.
Cape-grabbing is forbidden. But pushing, shoving, side-tackling and tripping are encouraged.
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