Duke Univerity Quidditch chaser makes a play on the goal as he watches the quaffle against players from University of Pittsburg / Photo by Don Petersen

College and community teams from eight states competed in Roanoke in the tournament’s first year

For many people, the world of Harry Potter exists only in books and movies.

One aspect of Harry Potter, the sport of Quidditch, [came] to life this weekend at Roanoke County’s Green Hill Park as about 350 college students [participated] in the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship Tournament on Saturday and [Sunday].

In author J.K. Rowling’s world, Harry and his friends fly around on broomsticks to play the game, which is a little like a combination of soccer, rugby and dodgeball in the air.

Liana Bayne of the Roanoke Times has more on this story here. You can see a few more photos from Saturday here.