UCLA Quidditch President Asher King Abramson is one of the team’s beaters. His role within Quidditch gameplay is a combination of offensive and defensive. Armed with a bludger (think of it, more or less, as the equivalent of a dodgeball), the beater attempts to hit opponents with the ball—sending players back to the goalposts at the beginning of the pitch—while at the same time blocking adversaries’ bludgers from hitting his or her own team. At any given time, two beaters can be in play and there are three bludgers available on the field.
“Quidditch is different from other team sports because it has such a theatrical element,” said Abramson. “The sport is really brutal: everyone on our team has a bruise somewhere on their body from being tackled of bludged.”
Gryffindor beaters included Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter novels.