Hey, I'm as geeky as anyone, but this is just too much. I know the end is near.

"Muggles" took over Memorial Glade Thursday as onlookers, athletes and fans of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series gathered to try out for the UC Berkeley Quidditch league.

Quidditch, originally a fictional game where players fly on broomsticks, has slowly captured the attention of college students nationwide. To date, there are more than 200 Quidditch collegiate teams in the U.S. alone, according to the the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association Web site.

UC Berkeley is the third UC campus to develop a Quidditch league. Campus rival Stanford University also has a team.

A total of 36 students braved the cold weather and fog to try out for the inaugural squad, composed of the four positions of Seeker, Keeper, Chaser and Beater.

Team co-founder Charlie Strauss, a junior at UC Berkeley, said he decided to start a team after witnessing a Quidditch match on the East Coast.

"I knew people here were dorky enough to join," he said.

Strauss said he was surprised by the large turnout of hopeful teammates, as well as their willingness to employ their imagination to play the game.

"They are definitely enthusiastic," he said.

Quidditch has become a popular sport since its introduction in the Harry Potter series in 1998. The Association was formed in 2007 to help support and organize competitive play, according to its Web site.

Come on people! What are you thinking? You're never going to find a girl this way. Once she learns that you're on the Quidditch team, it is all over. It is even worse than the collection of Star Wars figures you have displayed on the wall of your bedroom next to the bed with Spiderman sheets.