At Vt. tourney, VCU Quidditch team falters but has fun

Virginia Commonwealth University's trip to Middlebury, Vt., for Sunday's Intercollegiate Quidditch Association World Cup III went exactly as expected.

"We met a lot of teams and made some great friends," said team captain Britni Puccio.

On the field of the Harry Potter-inspired competition, the team didn't fare so well -- it lost to host Middlebury College, as well as Louisiana State University and Texas A&M University -- but that didn't dampen anyone's spirit, Puccio said.

"Oh, no," she said yesterday while traveling with the team back to Richmond. "We'll keep playing."

She said the Quidditch team would continue practicing through the end of the semester and hoped to schedule a few more matches against the University of Richmond.

The action could really heat up in the spring, team insiders said, with plans being bandied about for a tournament here. While nothing is imminent, there's potential for a full field, with the potential draw including 11 teams in Virginia, eight in North Carolina and three in Washington.

-- Zachary Reid