What sport uses a volleyball but no net, a broom but no curling stones and a hoop but no basketball?

The answer is quidditch, a sport devout Harry Potter fans love as much as the riddles and puzzles that pack the pages of one of the most successful novel series ever.

And whether you love the wizarding world or are just a fan of fun exercise, you can play the sorcerous sport right here in Knoxville this summer as part of the relatively new Knoxville Summer Quidditch League.

"What KSQ brings to the community is that you don’t have to be this athletic person or this stellar player to be drafted onto a team," said Maggie Loveday, commissioner of the league and the Mid-South Quidditch Conference. "We are looking to bring more of the fun part of the competition as a sport to everybody."

The league was formed in 2017 but didn't hold tournaments last year due to leadership changes. Practices are underway again, but it's by no means late to join.

The league is looking for 75 players to be part of three teams, which will be selected in a draft — with draft beer — at Bearden Beer Market on May 4.

You don't have to be an athlete or fan

Never played quidditch before? Me neither.

While a large portion of the people who play in Knoxville are Harry Potter fans first and foremost, Loveday assured me that the no background knowledge of the books or movies is required.

She convinced me to give it a try by explaining the sport's similarities to flag football, rugby and dodgeball.

"I think one of the things I told myself when I started playing was that I'm not a super-athletic person myself," Loveday said. "So putting myself out on that field was not only me being part of a new community and finding myself but also finding so many people like me."

It all sounded like fun, so I went out to Lakeshore Park one Thursday for the league's weekly open practice to see what the hype was all about. The practices are typically from 6-8 p.m. and are posted to the Mid-South Quidditch Conference Facebook page.

Learning the basics

I ran through some drills as a chaser — these are the players tasked with throwing the quaffle (which, really, is a volleyball) through one of the three hoops at the end of the field.

"Being on that field and being on the pitch and playing a chaser and scoring a point through the hoops is magic within itself," Loveday said.

The quaffle can be passed between chasers, which is where the rugby aspect comes into play. There are also full-contact tackles, so a mouthguard is key.

The keeper position is just what you would imagine — keep the quaffle from going through the hoop any way you can. People playing the beater position can help out, too, by throwing dodgeballs at the chasers to temporarily knock them out of play.

These are the basics. And if this doesn't already sound complicated enough, each player runs with a broomstick between their legs. The good news is that it was easy for me to catch on quick — to the point I actually scored a few times while scrimmaging.

My lungs, however, did not perform so well, as the game can become very fast-paced.

Becoming part of the 'family'

"If you're not sure about playing because you think you're not athletic enough but you love Harry Potter, come out and learn about the sport you always imagined in your mind when reading the books," Loveday said.

That's how Kevin Ye got hooked. Ye was on my team during practice but had never played a sport prior to quidditch. Now that he's discovered it, he has become a vital part of the Knoxville quidditch crew.

"People who love Harry Potter are a family," Loveday said. "We have team gatherings where we watch the Harry Potter movies and hang out and talk about the games and the strategy."

But the crew will soon be splitting, as the draft approaches May 4 at Bearden Beer Market.

Want to join?

The plan is to have two drafts, but it's best to go ahead and attend a practice to see if the sport is for you. Three coaches will select the players to form teams, which will compete at parks during four tournaments this summer.

"The field has to be balanced out for our gender rules," Loveday said. "There cant be an all-male team versus an all-female team kind of thing.

"It’s a very inclusive community, and we do everything we can to make someone feel at home, whether they be an amazing stellar athlete or a Harry Potter nerd just like us, and finally get to play a sport they only dreamed about.”

Playing on a team requires a $50 fee, but there are scholarship opportunities. All you have to do is ask. Or, if you just want to help out, the league is looking for refs, timekeepers and other volunteers.

The deadline to sign up online is May 3 at midnight. You don't even have to live in Knoxville to play. Just head over to the Mid-South Quidditch Conference Facebook page and read the pinned post to sign up and learn more about the game.