Spring is around the corner, and with warm weather comes a new season of sport. Along with baseball starting up again, other sports like soccer and lacrosse will soon inspire athletes of all ages to get outdoors and get active. Whether it’s going for a swim, breaking out the golf clubs, or taking a lap around the track, the changing of the seasons wakes up the athletic spirits that hibernate in Scituate during the winter (unless you’re a wrestler, basketball, or hockey player, of course).

     However, it’s not just these sports that keep people active this spring. Instead of swinging a baseball bat or passing a lacrosse ball, try something different. Here are some new sports you can try in Scituate this spring.

Quidditch. Yes, Quidditch. Inspired by the popular Harry Potter book franchise, Quidditch has quickly evolved into a collegiate and high school-level sport, with its own governing body, the International Quidditch Association (IQA). The concept is the same as the book, but in real life form players run with brooms between their legs (sometimes dressed in garb from the Potter franchise) in attempts toss a ball (called the quaffle) through goal posts to score points for their team. Another neutral player dressed in gold (usually a track runner) acts as the snitch. This player runs around far beyond the boundaries of the playing field for the seekers on each team to tackle (or “catch,” if you will.). The player who catches the snitch ends the game and scores 50 points (as opposed to the usual 150 points) for their perspective team. “People just love Harry Potter,” says sophomore Nina Pillsbury. “I think this sport gives people a chance to really get into the world of Hogwarts on a different level.”

Cardboard Tube Dueling. Again, you heard me correctly. This is a legitimate sport with a legitimate league: the Cardboard Tube Fighting League, based out of Seattle, WA. In mid-2007, Robert Easley came up with the sport based on three principles: People need more ways to play and take themselves less seriously, events can be fun without alcohol, and cardboard sword fighting is fun. Tournaments range from 24-64 participants, each with a cardboard tube of their own. Last man standing with an unbroken tube is declared the winner. “It’s just like LARPing (Live Action Role Playing), but without the name LARP,” says junior Charles Ahl. With a few minor rules (no stabbing, no headshots, no shields, etc.), this sport is fun for all ages. Get some friends together and hold a cardboard tube dueling tournament this spring!

Octopush. If you’re still sad about SHS hockey season being over, or the weather making your homemade rink melt, don’t despair! If you have a pool opening up this season, Octopush (better known as underwater hockey) is for you. Players push a hockey puck placed at the bottom of a pool with the end of a hockey stick (known as a “pusher”) toward one of the two goals. Because it is certainly a sport where lung capacity should be taken into account, be sure to resurface for air if needed. Combining water polo, lacrosse and hockey, this sport has (once again) its own governing body, known as Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS). Who needs ice when you can play hockey at the bottom of a pool?