Welcome to Broom Race - the race across Sweden!

This year sees the second running of this race, starting in the Autumn term of 2009, and it is not a conventional class with a lesson and associated assignment each month. Instead, students (or "competitors") will take part in the famous wizarding broom race - from Kopparberg to Arjeplog. Each stage on the race will be accompanied by various puzzles and challenges, and by completing these you can gain time bonuses as you compete against your fellow racers to the finish line and the Swedish Short-Snout trophy.

This annual broomrace dates back to the tenth century and attracts witches and wizards from all over the world both as competitors and spectators. For those able to race and enjoy the scenery at the same time, the route will undoubtedly offer up some fantastic views, and a spot or two of danger as well, as it cuts through one of Sweden's famous dragon reserves. The race is just a little shy of 500 miles (note that the "slightly over 300 miles" quoted in Quidditch Through the Ages is an error) and with the help of today's advanced racing brooms, organisers are expecting all the records to be smashed this year.

The current record for the fastest finish is 6 hours and 28 minutes and 52 seconds, set by Cosmo Brown of Hufflepuff in last year's race. That's an average speed of over 75 miles per hour for the entire journey, although maximum speeds during the race have been recorded well in excess of that.

In terms of this "class" obviously we can't all go to Sweden and literally take part, but hopefully there'll be enough challenge and fun for everyone to have an interesting and memorable "race." This is how the "race" will work for HOL students:

• Each month there will be a challenge, and a bonus challenge. These can come in various forms, from problem solving to code cracking to standard puzzles
• Depending on their success in these, students will be awarded points (as per normal assignment and extra credit conventions) and more importantly (!) they will receive time bonuses that will be used to determine their position in the race and their finishing time
• Students failing to submit challenge answers will not be penalised with points or time reductions, but they will obviously miss out on the available time bonuses available (and points for HOL too, obviously)
• Time bonuses and will be deducted from the average estimated finishing time of 7 hours and 30 minutes exactly, and racers this year will have the opportunity to beat the course record set by Cosmo
• The winner of the race is the student who arrives in Arjeplog in the fastest time, and this student will receive the famous Swedish Short-Snout "trophy" (other trophies are also on offer as seen on the "Standings" page)
• As well as the usual points allowance for a regular class, the Broom Race offers two quills (one per term) for competitors who complete sufficient stages and the equivalent of the exam at the end of each term

You can view the route of the race, and the current challenges for each stage by clicking on "stages" in the navigation bar at the top of each page. The current standings can also be found there, along with a link to the race discussion forum.

I hope you enjoy taking this alternative class, and if you are not taking it, you can still feel free to "spectate" and offer encouragement to the competitors.