Like freshmen everywhere, Xander Manshel and his Middlebury (Vt.) College classmates found themselves pondering life’s biggest mysteries — like how to play Quidditch if you can’t, like Harry Potter, fly.

The solution: Race around in capes and goggles with broomsticks, while shooting balls through mounted hula hoops.

Their game, first played in 2005, has evolved into a sport of sorts — with rules, special tournament brooms and now a “Quidditch World Cup” in Manhattan. More than 60 college and high-school teams are registered for the Nov. 13 and 14 event at Dewitt Clinton Park.