(See more photos below.)
Canada captured bronze at the 2014 Quidditch Global Games at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex Saturday.
The international competition drew teams from seven countries to compete for global supremacy in the Harry Potter-inspired sport.
The Canucks went 4-2 in the round-robin portion of the one-day tournament, falling to eventual repeat champions USA and to Australia, who would go on to take silver.
The home team rallied in the bronze medal game, however, defeating Team UK 60-40 with a snitch snatch from seeker Alexander Graham.
“Everybody left everything on the pitch that last game,” said Rebecca Alley, a Burnaby native and assistant coach with the team.
It was the first time Alley, who recently wrapped up four years of playing at the University of Ottawa, had had a chance to showcase quidditch in her hometown.
Friends and family were surprised and impressed by the fast pace and physicality of the full-contact, co-ed game, she said.
“My grandma talked to me after one of the games and she said that she just has a whole new respect for the sport of quidditch and what I’ve been doing for the last four years,” Alley said.
The Canadian team also had a decided hometown advantage when it came to fan support at the local venue, she said.
An estimated 1,000 people came out to check out the unusual sport, and most put their support squarely behind Team Canada.
“It was just really, really cool to experience that because none of us had ever played in a situation with that many spectators all cheering for us,” Alley said. “The entire stand was full and there were people standing along the fence and they were all cheering for us.”
