By Emeline Daley

If you’ve ever passed by Memorial Drive in the spring, you may have noticed some odd infrastructure on the grassy fields at Magazine Beach. Plastic stakes of differing heights spike out of the ground with hoola-hoop looking circles attached to the top of each one. Boston University students can be seen running around with various types of sports balls, aiming to defend or attack the opposing team’s side and score a point by tossing the ball through the hoop. This lively event stems from a famous, fantastical book series with a very active group of enthusiasts labeled Potterheads. You have probably guessed the sport by now—it is none other than Quidditch!

Name the top three sports that come to your mind when you think of college athletics. Most likely they include some of the following: basketball, soccer, football, hockey, lacrosse, softball, baseball, track/cross country, swimming, volleyball, tennis, and rowing. These are the most common collegiate sports, but of course, there are plenty more eccentric athletic events that colleges partake in, like Quidditch.

For those who wish to go back to the Dark Ages, Hendrix College in Arizona is one of the few schools to offer medieval combat arts such as sword-fighting. Students wield fake axes, swords, shields, and more. These staged battles often take place in central quads on campus and provide a spectacular viewing event.

Another fun sport to look into includes bass fishing. Whether you’ve gone fishing with a grandparent long ago or you’ve never so much as seen a fishing rod, you can enjoy collegiate bass fishing. Some colleges, such as Clemson, even provide scholarships to these athletes.

Another cool collegiate opportunity to take a shot at is paintball. Dickinson College is one of a few to offer such a club at their school. Also, if you like hockey and swimming, you can try underwater hockey . This game is also lovingly referred to as “Octopush” because players hold mini hockey sticks and move around underwater like an octopus .

I hope that you have found some inspiration in these sports and push yourself to try new things to make your college experience exciting!