FROM READERS: Mizzou Quidditch captain explains team, why he joined

Travis Zimpfer is an MU senior and a captain of the university's club Quidditch team. The team was inspired by the sport played on broomsticks in the Harry Potter series. Practices are held a few days per week. For more information, go to the Mizzou Quidditch Facebook page.

I joined the Mizzou Quidditch team a few years ago because I'm a bit of a geek. I loved the Harry Potter series, and I figured I'd at least meet a few more people who were into the books as much as I was. I didn't account for how fun the actual sport would be.

Whoever had written the rules for Muggle Quidditch (for those of us who cannot fly around on brooms) had done a great job adapting it from the novels. It has some elements of rugby, basketball, soccer, football and dodgeball. The brooms may look silly, but they play a pretty important role by limiting someone's ability to catch, tackle or run.

That doesn't mean it's not a brutal game though. We've had concussions, broken bones, bloodied noses and most other injuries that come along with physical sports.

But I didn't stay just to play a game I love. I continue to play because my teammates make the sport so much fun. Everyone treats each other with respect and encourages each other.

Winning still plays a big role in what we want to do with the team, but we also want to be goodwill ambassadors for a game that we hope becomes a popular, serious sport.

This story is part of a section of the Missourian called From Readers, which is dedicated to your voices and your stories. We hope you'll consider sharing. Here's how. Supervising editor is Joy Mayer.