There's something for everyone – On the fringes of university sport

Ever since my first semester, whenever I enter the philosophy institute, I walk past a pink poster on which is written in striking capital letters: "Quidditch Wednesdays 20:00-21:30". In the background an abstract drawing of a Snitch. The little golden ball, whose capture in the Harry Potter series not only ends the game, but also brings the team 150 points.  

With so-called Muggle Quidditch, however, it works a little differently, as I discover after a brief Google search. The Snitch only brings a measly 30 points and is embodied by a person who must be caught. 

The other balls and positions have retained most of the properties of the book series alongside their names. Of course, the Bludgers, whose intention is to hit players, don't fly around magically enchanted, but the teams don't fly on broomsticks either. Instead, they push PVC rods between their legs, and why this rather comical detail hasn't been omitted remains a mystery to me.  

On the university sports website, however, I find neither Quidditch nor Quadball, as the sport is sometimes called nowadays to distance itself from the trans-exclusionary author J.K. Rowling, and to remain openly inclusive for players of every gender, both within and outside the binary system. To create fairness in the mixed-gender teams, no more than four people who identify with the same gender are allowed to play in one team. If you're now keen on Quidditch, I'm afraid I have to disappoint you. Because even the unanswered Instagram DM to the Würzburg broom.breakers indicates that you currently cannot play Quidditch in Würzburg.  

However, you can do quite a few niche sports, which I associate even less with Quidditch than I do, as I notice on the university sports website.  

Bikram Yoga, for example. According to the ever-reliable source Wikipedia, Bikram Yoga is a sequence of 26 yoga exercises. These are performed at high temperatures of up to 40°C and is actually one of the most well-known types of yoga.  

At university sports you pay fees of €45 for this. Or alternatively, in the summer semester, you can stand on a meadow in the blazing midday sun to achieve those temperatures. And even though it sounds a bit absurd at first, Bikram Yoga is supposed to be quite healthy. The combination of heat and sweat creates deeper stretches in the body with less risk of injury. Furthermore, Bikram Yoga can solve exactly the tensions that have built up in all our shoulders after a long day in the library or at the computer. It stimulates the circulation and during one session up to 700 calories can be burned. So roughly as much as 3½ hours of slow jogging.  

Speaking of jogging. Only in a much more relaxed way. Meditative running. Not race walking, which you might have seen at the Olympic Games. Meditative running is also offered at university sports. A mindful way of running. Its goal is to achieve a clear mind without worries and instead with relaxation. Those who – like me – get aggressive when jogging probably wonder: How is that supposed to work? Quite simply, the focus is on mental attitude rather than performance-oriented running. Through the so-called Alpha run, this is supposed to be possible. A short stride length, low tempo and breathing through the nose are the most important points to consider when using the running technique, whilst you go through the five phases – body scan, concentration of the mind, relaxed running with a clear head, personal phase and finally cool-down. 

If all that sounds a bit too relaxed for you, you can try ultimate Frisbee, for example. After all, the name of the sport already contains its degree of intensity. Ultimate, after all.  

The non-contact sport consists of a mixture of basketball and American football, and the irony that body contact in ultimate Frisbee is a foul has probably never been noticed by anyone. The attacking team tries to run into free spaces to get into the opposing team's end zone, whilst the defending team marks and blocks to get the Frisbee. Even though it actually sounds quite simple, there are so many special rules and variations that you almost wonder whether you shouldn't just run the Frisbee back and forth like children.  

And if you want to feel like rich kids at an elite school, you can try Lacrosse. Because at university sports there really is something for everyone. Except for people who want to play Quidditch. For them, a poster is incorrectly hanging on the wall.