CHC's Slytherin Wins the Brotherly Love Cup

As part of the first ever Harry Potter Weekend in Chestnut Hill, held its 2nd Annual Philadelphia Brotherly Love Quidditch Cup on Saturday October 15th. The cup consisted of 17 teams, four from the college, eight from surrounding colleges, three community teams, and two high schools.

Last year was the first year the college invited teams outside of their own community. This year the event was much larger, with double the teams and nearly 2,000 in attendance throughout the day. According to Kaplan, “This year's Brotherly Love Cup took everything that was great about last year's event and amplified it.” The whole town had Harry Potter-themed events, which played a big role in increasing attendance.

Caitlin Kain, junior at the college, said, “The whole town being involved made it all the more fun and realistic in some sense. I had a blast with all the activities at school and in town.”

“It went above and beyond our wildest expectations,” said Stephanie Reif, junior and referee. “I don't think any of us had a clue how big it was going to get. It was great to have so much support from the school and town.” 

Denise Sprandio, a resident of Chestnut Hill for nineteen years, attended the event with her one-year-old grandson and daughter-in-law. She was happy to see everyone so involved. “ It’s so nice to see the town and the college coming together. It creates such a great sense of community. I can’t wait until my grandson is old enough to play Quidditch,”  she said.

The day started at noon and didn’t end until well after 6pm. The Commissioner of Quidditch, Alex Benepe, kicked off the event by encouraging the attendees to partake in the tradition of screaming Quidditch as loud and as long as they could. The crowd really got into it. 

There were about 24 games played and thankfully only minor injuries. The refs reported a few “scrapes and bludger bruises, but nothing too serious.” The school sold t-shirts, specialty foods, handbooks of Quidditch rules, and held broom races and a costume contest. There was never a dull moment. 

The reaction from spectators was a positive one. Kate Hamilton O’Brien, mother of four Harry Potter fans and first time Quidditch spectator, loved it. “My kids loved Quidditch. We plan on making it a tradition to go every year.” 

“I’ve never seen anything like this. It’s great,” first-timer Cara Saraco noted. 

The event also served as a homecoming for alums. Ashlinn Steele, class of 2010, was a commentator. “I can’t believe how popular this has become. I loved coming back to commentate. It was a reunion for my friends and me. It really makes me proud of the school.” 

The final game of the event was between Penn State and Chestnut Hill’s own Slytherin. Penn State caught the snitch, but Slytherin came out victorious with a 110-40 win. No matter what sport it is, there’s nothing like a win on your home field.

Overall, the day was nothing short of magical.

(For a full description of Quidditch and how it came to CHC, read our sidebar.)