Print Edition for The Observer for Monday, September 11, 2023

Commodores lead Belles sailing team into fall season

SMC sails St. Joe’s Lake South Bend hosts Fusion Fest

By KATELYN WALDSCHMIDT associate news editor

since the beginning of the semester, more and more talk of the saint mary’s sailing team has emerged. while not a new team, saint mary’s sailing is still growing its crew.

makayla perry is president of the college’s sailing club, but officially, her title is commodore. “commodore is basically the sailing equivalent of president so we’ve adopted that,” perry said.

perry explained that while saint mary’s students have been sailing for years, the club is relatively new.

By KATHRYN MUCHNICK

a ssociate news editor

h oward p ark was transformed into a world map with the newly reimagined Fusion Fest this weekend. Tents for a frica, e urope, a sia and a ustralia, n orth a merica and s outh a merica shaded vendors and performers representing cultures around the globe.

The Fusion Fest marks the return of s outh b end’s ethnic festival, which has not happened since 2004.

“[The ethnic festival] ran for 30 years, and it’s one of the most beloved events of s outh b end,” said h annah Francis, the special events manager for the city of s outh b end’s venues, parks and arts department.

The ethnic festival was started by a group of volunteers in 1974, as part of the bicentennial celebration for s outh b end. a t its peak, the festival attracted more than 125,000 participants, according

Locals gather for Studebaker car show Supreme Court justice to visit ND

By KELSEY QUINT news writer

on saturday, south bend car enthusiasts gathered to swap stories and suggestions during the monthly installment of cars and coffee at the studebaker national museum in south bend, a car show that runs on the second saturday of each month from may to october.

a s the antiques rolled in, local and regional car enthusiasts strolled around the parking lot, exchanging the history behind each of their vehicles. a number of studebaker cars made an appearance — a brand that is rarely seen on the road today. The last model to hit the dealerships was a 1966 cruiser. south bend takes care in preserving the history of studebaker, the wagon and automobile manufacturer formerly headquartered in south bend. The studebaker national museum not only preserves the story of the company, but it works to bring together the antique-loving community through various speaker events and car shows, such as saturday’s cars and coffee. attendees said they were

grateful for the opportunity, as car shows are becoming increasingly hard to come by.

dale and marilyn dutoi are the proud owners of a 1953 pontiac catalina that still has its original paint job and interior. The couple — both in their late 80s — makes the trek to a number of car shows every year. dale dutoi even helped found a club for indiana classic car collectors, a group that marilyn dutoi said is unfortunately dwindling.

“so wherever the club had chosen, wherever they went, we went,” marilyn dutoi said.

“There was a group of us, but

they’re all our age or older, so it’s hard to go anywhere anymore.”

marilyn dutoi said she is thankful for local shows like studebaker museum’s cars and coffee because they help keep the tradition alive. For dale dutoi, studebaker holds a distinct place in his memory: his after-school job in high school.

“i worked at studebaker when i was a senior in high school. i’m 88 years old, and i’ll tell you, anybody who worked at studebaker is older than me or my age,” he said. “i installed

CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN CELEBRITY BREAKUPS MENTAL HEALTH

Observer Staff Report

u s supreme court Justice elena Kagan is coming to notre dame on sept. 22.

The office of university president John Jenkins announced the visit in a campuswide email Friday morning.

Kagan will join notre dame law school dean g marcus cole for a “conversation” in the leighton concert hall of the debartolo performing arts center (dpac) at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, sept. 22.

The event is exclusive to notre dame community members with

a university identification card. a limited number of tickets will be available on a first-come,-firstserved basis at the dpac ticket office one hour prior to the event. according to the email, the visit is in connection with the notre dame Forum, which was established in 2005 by Jenkins to stimulate campus-wide dialogue. This academic year, the theme of the notre dame Forum is “The Future of democracy.” Justices amy coney barrett and brett Kavanaugh each taught a week-long seminar at the london study abroad program last spring.

Lyons and Carroll host volleyball

By ALLISON ELSHOFF news writer

lyons and carroll halls hosted their annual tournament, volley for the vets, Friday evening. Teams of four signed up and paid $10 to compete in the sand volleyball tournament, with all proceeds going to support the south bend vet center.

The robert l miller sr. veteran’s

center, as part of the center for the homeless, aims to connect veterans to permanent housing options and provide additional supportive services. according to their website, the center has placed 75% of their veterans into permanent housing.

according to the u s department of veterans affairs, see volleyball PAGE 3

Courtesy of Makayla Perry

Saint Mary’s sailing team collaborates with the Notre Dame team on St. Joseph Lake to prepare for regattas during the fall semester.

KELSEY QUINT | The Observer

Studebaker Musuem hosted Cars and Coffee, a monthly classic car show where attendees exchange stories about their vintage vehicles.

Right to Life hosts South Quad fest

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Today’s Staff

By ROSE ANDROWICH

News Writer

Notre Dame Right to Life hosted Life Fest Friday Sep. 8., providing information about opportunities to get involved with the club and other anti-abortion organizations.

Anne Marie Bollman, a senior at Notre Dame and Right to Life commissioner said the organization was working with an outside organization called Let Them Live to raise money.

“Let Them Live is an outside organization that we’re partnering with to raise money for a particular mom who’s in a crisis pregnancy and who has chosen life for her child but needs financial support,” she said.

Bollman said being anti-abortion is truly empowering for a woman.

“I think it is truly empowering for a woman because it helps all of us see what a gift life is, and it teaches us how connected we are to

Fusion

CoNTINU eD FRoM

PAGe

1

to the Fusion Fest website. e thnic food from local vendors was the main attraction.

This year, 50 food vendors, 55 performances and demonstrations and 20 artisans populated the renamed Fusion Fest, according to Francis.

The goal of Fusion Fest is to “revive the favorite aspects of the old festival and … honor the diverse cultural heritage of our city, region and of the United States,” the website said.

Corrections

A story on page 16 Friday, Sept. 8 incorrectly characterized a quote from coach Nate Norman. The quote was referring to Morgan Roy, not Stephanie Sparkowski.

each other,” Bollman said. Right to Life encourages conversation about antiabortion issues through their presence on campus, Bollman explained.

“Because obviously, people have lots of different opinions on this campus which is great,” Bollman said. “But by having that pro-life voice, we can engage with students, who even just have questions.”

Belles for Life of Saint Mary’s president Kathryn Schneider, a sophomore, said Belles for Life is hoping to promote their club and engage with Notre Dame Right to Life.

“We’re doing different events, and then we’re trying to work with Notre Dame Right to Life more so that we can get events together,” she said. “They invited us to have a table here to let people know about our events.”

Sophia Cousins, a freshman at Saint Mary’s, said she was happy with the resources at the event.

“I am really happy with how there’s so many

April, and Andrea said he wanted to share her work with the community outside of a gallery space.

“My mom’s work totally fits the e uropean tent because she was classically trained in Italy, and her work is figurative and inspired by the art of the Renaissance,” Natella said, while offering some modeling clay to children wanting to experiment.

He said that visitors to the Fest have been asking lots of questions about sculpture and his mother’s work.

resources. I didn’t realize that the life community was so strong here,” she said. “I think that’s just wonderful.”

Cousins said the dialogue and conversation helps clarify what the anti-abortion movement stands for.

“A lot of times, especially with the pro-life movement, people don’t understand what we stand for, or stand against,” she said. “So talking about it helps clarify and usually opens people’s eyes to the good that we’re looking for.”

The anti-abortion is fighting for respect, according to Cousins.

“The pro-life movement is fighting for respect not only for women, but for their children and also for families, fathers as well,” Cousins said.

Jazmin Zamudio, a freshman at Notre Dame, said she heard about the event through the Right to Life club and her dorm.

“Actually on activities night, I had joined the GroupMe, and they started posting about it,” Zamudio said. She also

measures were implemented this year. However, last night’s canceled firework show was attributed to reports of fighting. Several Notre Dame groups were represented among the performers, including K-pop dance group ASC e ND, Dance Africa, Irish Ceili Band and more.

said she heard about the event through the Welsh Family Hall GroupMe.

Zamudio said she’s passionate about life and wants to be an o B-GYN.

“I’m very passionate about pro-life, and I’ve always wanted to be an o B-GYN,” Zamudio said. “That’s my goal in the future, so I find things like this so fascinating.”

Zamudio explained she wanted to become an o B-GYN because she wants to help girls in the future. She added that she has always held an anti-abortion stance.

“I’ve always been pro-life, but I am not against people who are in situations. I’m not gonna judge them, but me personally, it’s something that I wouldn’t do,” Zamudio said. “There’s obviously very hard circumstances that women are put in, so if they decide to do it, it’s their body. They should do it.”

Contact Rose Androwich at randrowich01@saintmarys.edu

Irish culture.

“The music that we’re doing is not music that we’ve learned from books,” Dunne said. “They’re tunes that I’ve gotten from people or that the band has gotten from people. So we’re very much participating in that tradition rather than studying Irish music in a vacuum.”

Francis recruited the vendors, artisans and performers over the last several months, beginning with a call out for people to apply. In addition to local contributors, Francis reached out to the performers from the World Music Festival in Chicago, inviting cultural performers from around the region.

Andrea Natella, a vendor showcasing his mother’s sculptures, heard about Fusion Fest from a friend who recommended he apply. Dora Natella, his mother, passed away in

“I’m usually not the one promoting her work, so this is kind of a first for me,” Natella said. “And I’ve brought out some clay to do a little bit of modeling myself to get people excited about sculpture.”

Francis said she was pleased with the energy at the festival.

“Really positive vibes, very family-friendly and family-focused,” she said. “It’s been an extremely diverse crowd and everyone’s trying something new.”

The city ended the ethnic festival due to unruly crowds, but increased security

Shannon Dunne, assistant adjunct teaching professor in the Irish Literature and Language department and director of the Ceili band, said the band started as an Irish dance and tin whistle class after the pandemic.

The Center for Study of Language and Culture coordinated the performance of the Ceili band Fusion Fest, Dunne said.

“For me, the [South Bend and Notre Dame] communities are back and forth all the time, but I think it’s great to be able to bring students into that environment,” Dunne said.

The Ceili band, which performed traditional Irish music and taught dance for half an hour Sunday, recently traveled to Ireland. They visited Galway and Inisheer to perform and immerse themselves in

Kaitlin Mohlenkamp, a junior at Notre Dame, performed with Dance Africa Sunday. She joined the group last semester and now works as a choreographer.

“We got a positive response. People were learning our dances,” Mohlenkamp said. “It feels really nice to be able to come out and see the community that’s here.”

Francis said though the Fusion Fest’s return has not yet been confirmed, she hopes that it can become an annual event.

“There’s something for everybody here,” she said. “I hope that [attendees] learned something. I hope that they tried something new. And I hope that they … want to do it again.”

Contact Kathryn Muchnick at kmuchnic@nd.edu

about 33,000 veterans experience homelessness on any given night. These veterans account for seven percent of the total U.s. homeless population.

sophomore Libby meister, designated line judge at the tournament, highlighted the importance of supporting local veterans.

“i think it’s so important to support veterans in our community,” meister said. “by doing

this event that’s been going on for years, we’re able to show our continuing support — especially for veterans in the south bend community. We should be so grateful to them for protecting everything we have.”

The tournament returned this year after disappearing for a few years due to the pandemic.

Lyons hall vice president Kate rafford, a sophomore, said she learned about the tradition from a senior who suggested they revive the event. according to afford, Lyons hall reached out to carroll hall to bring back the

about how easy it is for anyone to join the sailing team, even if they have no experience.

annual tournament. carroll and Lyons, which are brother and sister dorms, extended team signups to every hall on campus.

“it’s nice because Lyons and carroll are both small, really tight knit communities,” rafford said. “it’s fun to be able to do something between our two dorms and i’m also really happy that we’ve got a lot of campus involvement outside of Lyons and carroll.”

Team signed up online and no prior volleyball experience was required. sophomore Will calder, carroll hall vice President, said the range of teams made the

holmquist herself only started this past school year.

atmosphere.

“We’ve seen here a combination of teams, some very inexperienced and here for fun — which i totally recommend,” calder said. “but we also have some very competitive teams who are here to win.”

almost 20 teams, consisting of students from many different dorms, signed up and competed at the sand volleyball courts beside Lyons hall. rafford and calder themselves participated in the first game to kickoff the tournament.

in addition to supporting an

important cause, calder stressed the value in planning interhall events that foster campus community.

“When Lyons approached us to do this event, we were super excited about it,” calder said. “We think it’s a great way for everyone to get back into school spirit — just giving everybody an opportunity to get outside, enjoy each other’s company, as well as play volleyball, is something that we all thought was a perfect idea.”

Contact Allison Elshofff at aelshoff@nd.edu

“originally, notre dame and saint mary’s sailing were combined. but in the late 2010s, the governing body for sailing decided that schools couldn’t combine and compete together,” Perry said. “it forced us to create our own team, but we still do everything together.”

saint mary’s sailing vice commodore emmalyn holmquist echoed the sentiment.

“We still stay really connected,” she said. “We practice together at the same time, we use their boats, we still consider ourselves a team. The only difference is when we go to regattas.”

Perry and holmquist both talked

“The great thing about sailing is a lot of people think, ‘i’ve never sailed, i’ve never had much experience on boats. am i still able to do it?’ and the answer is, ‘Yes.’ We will take anyone who wants to try,” Perry said. “There are precautions like life jackets and life guards and you’ll always start out with someone who’s more experienced than you.”

Perry said that some of team’s practice captains are notre dame students.

“They’ve been sailing their whole lives so they run practice, but we teach you everything you need to know like racing theory, boat handling, anything,” Perry said.

“my dad had a sailboat, but i’d never sailed competitively. i also rowed for four years in high school and i wanted to get back on the water, sailing was the closest thing,” holmquist said. “i joined the team this spring and i’d never sailed before. Then this summer, i just did it on my own and now i’ve come back this fall as vice commodore and am really excited for it.” holmquist said one of her favorites parts of the team is the dinners the team shares after practice. outside of sailing, Perry added that she enjoys the bonding events as well.

“We have bowling nights which can get pretty competitive but are super fun,” Perry said. “We had a

few movie nights before and we have a formal in the spring that i look forward to.”

Though the bowling nights can get quite competitive, sailing can or cannot be depending on personal preference, according to holmquist.

“You can come just for fun, you could even come once a month,” homquist said. “it’s very chill or you could come to be competitive. We kind of encourage both.”

Perry reiterated homquist’s stance about the team’s competitiveness.

“We’re not super competitive but if you want to be, by all means show up and really get into it,” she said. “but it’s pretty low commitment. We tell everyone to come when you can.”

however, Perry said one’s time commitment may dictate their chances of being able to attend competitions.

“if you are able to commit more time, you’re likely to improve your skills and you’ll probably have a better chance at going to a regatta,” Perry said.

The team has a few competitions already lined up for october. Practices have already started, but holmquist said that anyone is still welcome to join.

“i’d say if you’re interested at all, it’s worth a try,” homquist said. “There’s no deadline or anything that anybody’s missed. You can sign up at any time.”

Jesuit begins ministry at Saint Mary’s

By SALLY BRADSHAW and ALLISON BOWMAN news Writers

saint mary’s welcomed Fr. matt cortese, a second-year doctoral student in liturgical studies at notre dame, as the college’s catholic chaplain this year.

originally from Long island, new York, cortese received his bachelor’s degree in religious studies and theology from the college of the holy cross. he then earned a master’s degree in religion from Yale divinity school and a master’s degree in philosophy at saint Louis University. cortese would go on to teach college in upstate new York and attend theology seminary at the University of Toronto.

Studebaker

dashboards at Plant 1, which was in downtown south bend … and it was good money. i made $3.69 [an hour] — that was top in south bend.”

a lthough every attendee had a different story to tell and a different car to show, enthusiasts took greater pride in their vehicles and the amount of work put into restoring them. c hris Pich, owner of a 1952 c hevrolet s edan, said he is content to spend the rest of his retirement “just cruising” in his 70-year-old vehicle.

“her name is shirley, and i bought her this way about five years ago. i n my younger days i used to paint cars, upholster the seats and look at the engines. i did all that stuff, but that was a long time ago,” Pich said. “i was looking for one last old car that i could enjoy in my old age and just drive. so this is not a show car, it’s not a hot rod. it’s all pretty much original.”

Pich looked around at the gathering of car lovers and said that he was exactly where he wanted to be.

“Look at all these old cars — i love it. This is what i grew up with, this right here. a nd, this right here, shirley, is my retirement. i don’t have some fancy lodge or a place in Florida,” Pich said. “i put her in the garage and take her out day to day. This is my retirement. i can just afford her, and that’s all i need. The Lord is good.”

The parking lot swarmed with conversation — on engine replacement, interior restoration, studebaker and even notre dame. attendees reminisced on the history of their antiques, but also their memories of notre dame and the city of s outh bend. a s the University and city continue to grow and develop, these car enthusiasts said they are content to hold onto history through their vehicles.

Contact Kelsey Quint at kquint@nd.edu

cortese said he started to receive his calling to became a priest in high school, where he participated in student youth conferences and was actively involved in his youth group.

a year after graduating college, he spent a volunteer year as part of the Jesuit volunteer corps where he worked in hospice. cortese said his year as a Jesuit volunteer was when he really received the call.

“i loved the work of directly ministering to the people who had a chronic or terminal illness, but then i also missed the classroom,” cortese said. “That’s sort of what Jesuit’s focus on the academic life and the pastoral life.”

ordained in June 2022, cortese has been a Jesuit for 11 years and a

priest for 14 months.

although cortese is a Jesuit priest serving and studying on a congregation of holy cross campus, he said the holy cross priests are very welcoming to all orders and communities, including the Jesuits.

acknowledging his new role serving at saint mary’s, cortese said he was looking forward to getting to know the sisters of holy and the “opportunities for collaboration.”

Junior catherine reynoso, a ministry assistant in mccandless hall, said the goal for this year was to have five priests on campus.

“We just wanted to have opportunities for students to talk to priest chaplains whether it be about faith, any questions they

have and also have a diverse group,” reynoso said.

she added that having multiple priests on campus would allow saint mary’s students opportunities to form “a connection” with a priest on campus.

reynoso described the process of getting a new priest in the residence halls and said that the college received a “pool of interviews” in response to their need for priests on campus.

“We found Fr. matt to be one of the most fitting priests for saint mary’s,” reynoso said.

reynoso met cortese for the first time 15 minutes before the first dorm mass in mccandless on Wednesday, aug. 30. said that she was “very excited to have someone who’s a bit younger” serving

in ministry on campus.

“Fr. matthew is very nice, he’s very kind, he’s very genuine and it’s awesome to have him with us,” reynoso said.

cortese underscored his excitement to “get to know more people” and to be able to meet students where they are and to preach the gospel in their own contexts.

in his final advice to students, cortese kept it short and sweet.

“number one: get enough sleep. number two: be open to prayer in various forms and styles … number three is to enjoy it because it goes quickly,” cortese said.

Contact Sally Bradshaw at sbradshaw01@saintmarys.edu and Allison Bowman at abowman01@saintmarys.edu

College welcomes new professor

By SARAH WHITE news Writer

saint mary’s welcomed new professor Lee a nn sager-smith to the science department this fall, where she has taken on the role of assistant professor of physical chemistry.

sager-smith said she has had an affinity for the classroom environment since before she could remember, and her desire to be an educator grew with her. Whatever grade she was in, sager-smith said she wanted to teach that grade.

“i have alway loved teaching,” sager-smith said. “i have always wanted to be a teacher.

You can ask my kindergarten teacher when she asked me what i wanted to be. i told her i wanted to be a teacher — just where i wanted to teach has changed.”

a s her vision of herself as an educator changed,

sager-smith said she began to see herself in an environment that was not just challenging for her students, but for herself too.

“The more i’ve learned, the more i’m like, ‘oh, i want to share this higher level knowledge,’” sager-smith said. “i like introducing students to really complicated things and hopefully doing it in a way that makes sense.”

sager-smith earned her doctorate and teaching certificate from the University of c hicago, so she said she has extensive experience with teaching. during her time at the University of c hicago, sagersmith gained experience with general chemistry, quantum physics and collaborative learning environments. smaller, conversational groups are something that sager-smith said she values in the classroom.

“i really do like the one-onone atmosphere,” she said. sager-smith teaches general chemistry, which is a traditionally large class. i n her general chemistry class at saint mary’s, she has 50 students. compared with the 250-student classes sager-smith has previous taught, 50 students is a manageable number to make a personal connection, she said.

“but i have another class that is eight students, and that is really nice because i’ve gotten to know each of them individually and know a lot about them,” sager-smith said.

sager-smith said working at a women’s college excites her because sT em is a maledominated field. The prospect of encouraging other women to enter her field is something she looks forward to during her career at saint mary’s.

“sT em, in general, is

underrepresented for women, but my particular sub-discipline of the subdiscipline is even more underrepresented,” she said. “i am a theoretical physical chemist, so that means i do coding, i do math, i do physics and i do chemistry. a ll of those are very underrepresented, so when you get to other people that do what i do, it’s a very small percentage that are women.”

sager-smith said she is enthused for her new beginning at saint mary’s.

“i am very excited to get to expose the students here to computational chemistry and hopefully get some more people interested in that, and even if they are not, just introducing them to sT em hopefully in some way,” sager-smith said.

Contact Sarah White at swhite01@saintmarys.edu.edu

Paid a dverT isemen T

Ranking concerts I’ve attended

Anna Falk Scene Editor

If you’ve read anything I’ve written for The Observer, you might be able to ascertain that I like to go to concerts. In my opinion, getting to experience live music is one of the greatest gifts life can give us. The plucking of strings, thrumming of the bass, the clash of the drums — you can more intimately experience the feeling of sound throughout your body and can connect with the artist on stage.

Not only do I love concerts, but I have also been to several (at least 36). For your entertainment, I will now be ranking some of them. Best concerts (in no particular order):

1. Stevie Nicks/Billy Joel in Columbus at Ohio Stadium

This was truly a concert of a lifetime. I’m a huge Fleetwood Mac fan and seeing Stevie Nicks has been a goal of mine for a very long time. She was delighted to be performing and she told cute stories about the songs and the people she knew. “Rhiannon,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” and “Landslide” were some of the highlights from her set. Billy Joel’s set was also insanely good. He had amazing lights and visuals to accompany his playing and he made jokes with his band throughout the performance. Hearing “v ienna” live was a dream come true.

2. Fontaines D.C./Arctic Monkeys in Chicago at United Center

Arctic Monkeys was another dream come true. I know their discography by heart (even their B-sides). I’ve loved them for nearly a decade. They’ve been my top artist on Spotify for four years straight. While I was apprehensive to see my heroes live, they lived up to every expectation.

3. Jelani Aryeh/Hippo Campus in Chicago at Riviera

Though I would not call myself the most devoted fan of Hippo campus, their performance was stellar. They had colored lighting and smoke effects that made the band look like a hallucination. Their sound was clear and resounding. The crowd was respectful and it was a wonderful environment.

4. Lollapalooza 2022 in Chicago at Grant Park

Local Natives, Måneskin, Green Day, charli Xc X, Djo, j-hope … what more could you want?

Although I only went to the festival on Sunday, I had the time of my life. The festival was well-organized and I never felt unsafe. I made friends at the Måneskin pit and I got to help bassist v ictoria De Angelis crowd surf. Seeing BTS member j-hope during his solo debut was quite surreal.

Not only were the artists amazing, but it was a prime opportunity for people-watching.

Worst concerts:

1. Melkbelly/Joyce Manor in Chicago at Bottom Lounge

Fortunately for me but unfortunately for the bands listed, this was the only genuinely bad concert I’ve been to. The circumstances surrounding the performance did not help, but the music was … interesting. Melkbelly, a very intense noise rock group, was the greatest offender. v iewpoint Editor claire Lyons was with me and she thought they were singing in German (they were not). Joyce Manor was fine, but the crowd was insane, rushing forward and moshing with no regard for anyone else. My earring got ripped out of my ear. No one had deodorant. Everyone was on drugs.

2. Hootie & the Blowfish/Barenaked Ladies in Cincinnati at Riverbend Music Center

This concert was a present to my mother for Mother’s Day. We were in lawn seating and the crowd was packed and insanely sweaty. I could barely focus on the band due to the day’s heat and I was close to passing out. My father, sister and I were not very happy to be there and we had to leave early because of my work schedule. Sorry, Mom.

3. Joywave/Cold War Kids/Young the Giant in Cincinnati at Riverbend Music Center

Joywave and Young the Giant are some of my favorite bands. I’ve seen both of the bands multiple times, but this was an interesting concert for sure. Joywave was not as well-known by the crowd and their attempt at crowd engagement was questionable. Young the Giant was great, but cold War Kids gave a bit of a weak performance. Their frontman’s vocal style is more shouty than I typically prefer.

4. bülow/Conan Gray in Chicago at Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom

This was a dark day. I didn’t make advanced parking reservations and my friends and I spent over an hour looking for a place to park. We missed the opener. conan Gray was fantastic and the visuals were stunning, but the ballroom was so packed that the set was constantly interrupted by people passing out. It’s a good thing there were interruptions — as some artists do not care enough to stop their set for their crowd — but there were a concerning amount of people passing out. I’m also convinced I caught cOv ID-19 at this concert. Take that as you will.

You can contact Anna Falk at afalk@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this Inside column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

How identity impacts mental health

Grace Sullivan I.M.P.A.c .T.

With the start of National Suicide Prevention Month this September, it is important to acknowledge all of the people who have struggled with mental health issues while also normalizing mental health care and promoting important resources. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S. and 1 death from suicide occurs every 11 minutes. Many individuals, families and communities are impacted by suicide and it is important that people are made aware of what causes this issue and are provided with appropriate resources to destigmatize taking care of their mental health.

Our society stigmatizes mental health by framing it as an issue that you can fix yourself or generally denying it when in reality, it is an issue that is impossible to fix on your own. When considering the structures of power that exist in our society, it is important to think about how the issue of mental health impacts different identities in different ways.

In a white-supremacist, patriarchal society, white men are the most privileged identity group. Yet, white men account for nearly 70% of suicides demonstrating that men are also victims of the patriarchy. While men still receive privilege from this system, the stereotype that men should be strong and deal with issues by themselves causes men to delay seeking health care, ignore symptoms of mental illness and hold information back when seeing a doctor, according to Baton Rouge General. Additionally, only 1 in 4 men who report daily feelings of depression have talked to a mental health professional. The stigma of receiving mental health treatment stems from gender-based stereotypes, but it is also important to consider other factors in healthcare that prevent certain identity groups from receiving adequate health care.

While white people account for most of the increase in total suicides from 2020-2021, year after year the percentage increases were greater among Black Americans and Hispanic Americans. Additionally, the suicide rates of American Indian and Alaska Native populations increased in 2020 while the statistics among white men remained relatively the same. Although there are limitations in data surrounding the connection between race and health care, racial and ethnic groups differ in their access to culturally-appropriate behavioral health treatment and experiences of discrimination and mental health trauma.

The racism that exists within the health care system is shown through the reluctance to diagnose mental health issues and instead diagnose black youth with behavioral issues which increases their risk for suicide. Additionally, structural factors reinforce racism and discrimination and elevate exposure to potentially traumatic events. For example, black youth are more likely to experience punitive treatment in education and juvenile

justice systems.

Other groups such as the LGBTQ+ community, especially the transgender community, face a wide variety of challenges with their mental health due the variety of barriers they face to receive the health care they need. The Trevor Project’s “2023 US National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People” found that over half of the transgender and nonbinary community had seriously considered attempting suicide. Researchers suggest that this statistic stems from experiences of harassment, abuse, family rejection and discrimination.

With all of these statistics, it is apparent that patriarchal norms, racial inequality and gender inequality overlap and intersect to impact the mental health and well-being of particular identities. People that fall in these identity groups are reluctant to seek health care because of harmful gender stereotypes that perpetuate toxic masculinity, racism and general discrimination in the health care system and society at large. The factor of social media only adds to these already existing issues among youth due to the increase in cyberbullying, increased feelings of loneliness and social comparison all of which intensify the prevalence of depression and suicidal thoughts.

Keeping all of this information in mind, it is extremely important that we continue to create conversation around this issue to let people who are struggling with their mental health know that they are not alone and that most importantly, it is not their fault. While there are forms of discrimination embedded in our society that exacerbate mental health issues, everyone’s mental health struggles are valid. To find important information regarding how our society functions, we need to consider how different identity groups overlap and intersect and how the effects of those overlaps impact the mental well-being of individuals. Every person struggles with mental health in a different way and regardless if those issues are connected to your identity or not, know that your life matters, you are important and that the world would not be the same without you in it. If you or a loved one is experiencing depressive or suicidal thoughts, here are some resources that will help.

During National Suicide Prevention Month, let your loved ones and yourself know that you matter by prioritizing self care and your relationships with others. Your story isn’t over, don’t end your sentence, keep on going;

Grace Sullivan is a sophomore at Notre Dame studying Global Affairs with minors in Gender and Peace Studies. In her column I.M.P.A.C.T. (Intersectionality Makes Political Activist Change Transpire), she is passionate about looking at global social justice issues through an intersectional feminist lens. Outside of The Observer, she enjoys hiking, painting and being a plant mom. She can be reached at gsulli22@nd.edu.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Used to Be Young’ and the beautiful wildness of youth

and vulnerable to grinning and wistful throughout the three and a half minutes. With her blonde hair and Mickey Mouse t-shirt, she is no longer shying away from her Disney roots, but she isn’t rejecting who she was in the years following her Disney era either.

”Me and who you say / I was yesterday / Have gone our separate ways… / …You say I used to be wild / I say I used to be young,” Cyrus sings.

/ Empty out as soon / There’s somewhere else to go, oh,” Cyrus sings.

After I first heard a clip of Miley Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young,” I made a TikTok making fun of how I came home from a birthday party before midnight to watch Gilmore Girls on my bean bag. The caption joked that I was old and washed up (I originally debated making a senior citizen joke).

One that knows me would say that I have already outgrown college—I am still very much a child at heart—but I have also changed in so many ways from the person that walked onto Notre Dame’s campus 3 years ago. Less starry-eyed about all the possibilities and far less terrified of them too. I have made a thousand mistakes, but they formed who I am.

I’m sure at least a quarter of my most memorable failures are available on someone’s camera roll or snapchat memories, but I couldn’t imagine having to deal with each and every action being readily accessible to the world. Being famous is one thing, growing up overly visible is another.

Anyone that was even marginally plugged into pop culture in the early 2010s can recall Cyrus’ twerking, “Wrecking Ball” days. She was just another child star gone wild. A Britney in the making. Nothing new.

We judged her so harshly and she was only our age, if not younger.

Miley Cyrus’ “Used to Be Young” is a “care-frontation” to all those who condemned her and a love letter to youth in one beautiful, moving package. The music video appears to be filmed in one shot with Cyrus’ emotions ranging from teary-eyed

When it comes to the “care-frontation,” she is singing to our parents and all the “grown ups” who condemned her when they should have known better than anyone that she was only working her way through all the extremes of young adulthood. She was testing her boundaries and figuring out who she was. It just so happened that for her pushing boundaries looked more like grinding on Robin Thicke on the 2013 VMA stage (rather than, say, getting drunk and crashing on a friend’s futon). They say she used to be wild. But now, at 30 years old and officially a grown up, she knows she used to be young and they should’ve known that too.

Secondly, the love letter to youth comes in the form of the nostalgia that arises throughout her expressions in the video and the song’s own lyrics. I could pick a dozen examples to showcase this, but my favorite one comes along in the second verse:

”Take one, pour it out / It’s not worth crying ‘bout / The things you can’t erase,” Cyrus sings.

In the music video, she smiles when she says these lines. It seems almost contradictory to the remorse that the lines invoke, but when you watch Cyrus sing them, it feels natural. This song is neither an apology for her wild years nor is it a cry to get them back and live it all over again— it’s nostalgia and acceptance. It’s also a message for the youth that are entering their “wild stages” as well as the ones that are getting ready to leave them behind: Save your tears for tragedy. You’re growing up and moving on because you’re ready.

”Left my living fast / Somewhere in the past / And took another road / Turns out crowded rooms

The song is also a love letter to us, the youth. She’s singing to the ones that grew up watching her and idolizing her. She’s not apologizing for being a “bad role model.” Instead, she’s letting us in on the secret: none of this is permanent. And that is something to take comfort in, as well as slightly lament over. Some day, staying up until three a.m. and traipsing through the street with people you met two hours ago will seem crazy. As will stealing traffic cones to use as dorm decorations or running through the lakes in freezing weather. Moments throughout these four years will appear absolutely wild. But for now? We’re having a good run—within reason, of course.

”Those wasted nights are not wasted / I remember every one / I know I used to be crazy / That’s ‘cause I used to be young,” Cyrus sings.

They say youth is wasted on the young, but that can’t be true. There hasn’t been a single moment of my time at Notre Dame that I wasn’t learning until my brain hurt, working until my body ached or just living to my fullest until I thought my heart couldn’t take anymore. One day, this young version of myself will pass on and make way for the wiser, experienced, mature Joy. But until then, I will love foolishly. I will live fervently. I will have fun and be wild—and you should too.

Joy Agwu is a senior at Pasquerilla West, originally from Bowie, Maryland. She is pursuing a degree in Philosophy with a minor in Constitutional Studies. In her free time, she finds great pleasure in consuming media and reflecting on the deeper meanings behind the content she encounters. Whether you have recommendations for TV shows, movies, podcasts or any other form of media, or if would like to further discuss an idea presented in a column, feel free to reach out to her on Instagram @JoyfulJoyousss.

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

“For those who don’t know me / I can get a bit crazy.”

Miley Cyrus from “Can’t Be Tamed”

CELEBRITY BREAKUPS AND THEIR SECRET STAR: THE PR TEAM

By CLAIRE MCKENNA scene Writer

What do Ariana Grande and dalton Gomez, Joe Jonas and sophie Turner, Taylor swift and Joe Alwyn and Gigi Paris and Glen Powell all have in common?

They are all long-term famous couples that have broken up this year. so many celebrities have broken up in 2023 that people have deemed it the year of the celebrity breakup. due to celebrities, well, being celebrities, their breakups are always public affairs. Their relationships are the subject of intense interest from the get-go. even though people do not really know these celebrities, they end up fans of their romance — falling in love with the idea of their love. Fans will follow all the stages of the relationship from Instagram official all the way to married with kids.

While this phenomenon is neutral at best and a complete invasion of privacy at its worst, it often causes people to want to know just what went wrong when such a couple splits. As such, when a relationship ends in any manner but amicable, celebrities turn to their public relations (Pr) teams to keep their image clean. sometimes, though, despite the best efforts of their teams, the dirty details of the split are revealed.

An example of a potential truth coming out despite the best efforts of Pr teams is what occurred after the

break-up of Ariana Grande and her ex-husband dalton Gomez. Grande and Gomez had been married for two years before divorcing earlier this year. Instead of simple silence after the split or a message that the split was amicable, “sources connected to the former couple” reached out to T m Z and said that Gomez “was taken aback by Ariana’s celebrity.” The information provided by the source openly implies that the problems in the relationship started and ended with Gomez.

It’s doubtful that a random friend of Grande and Gomez reached out to one of the most well-known tabloids to blame the relationship problems on Gomez. Instead, the most likely source of this information is a member of Grande’s team trying to create a certain narrative regarding how the couple split. This theory becomes more plausible after looking at the details released when Grande’s new romance with ethan slater, her co-star from the upcoming Wicked movie adaptation, became public.

While not negative on the surface, their budding romance was quickly eclipsed by rumors of how exactly it started. reports were soon released that slater had just filed for divorce from his wife Lilly Jay, with whom he has a one-year-old child. When asked for comment, Jay told Page six that Grande was “not a girl’s girl… my family is just collateral damage.” That quote fueled wild speculation as to what role Grande had in slater

soon a deluge of rumors began about when slater and Grande began seeing each other and how their romance began. People started to claim that Grande, Gomez, slater and Jay went on double dates together and that Grande spent time together with slater, Jay and their newborn child. Yet despite all these new rumors, others still claimed that Grande and slater did not begin to date until after both had broken up with their respective spouses.

of course, none of these rumors can be confirmed. Unless a comment comes directly from Grande or slater themselves, we cannot know for sure if the two ever did engage in an affair. however, this incident does seem to show how celebrities try to get ahead of any potential unflattering rumors about their lives. When it came to the story of why Grande and Gomez split, Grande’s team wanted to put the focus solely on Gomez’s supposed inability to handle Grande’s celebrity, not Grande’s potential affair. Again, none of this is confirmed, but when celebrity couples split — as so many have in 2023 — this example shows that you can usually find the work of a Pr team trying to spin a certain narrative. After all, if there is one thing a celebrity needs, it is to keep their image squeaky clean — or clean enough — to keep themselves appealing to the public.

GWYNETH PALTROW AND THE FALL OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

By PETER MIKULSKI scene Writer

“Ubi sunt?” or “Where are they?” medieval po etry constantly asks. As historian ronald hutton puts it, in the early m iddle Ages, europeans lived in wooden huts surrounded by “imposing stone ruins of roman towns, villas, fortresses and factories” which “awed and troubled” them. They felt a profound “sense of melancholy and disorientation provoked by a new life among the wrecked constructions.”

From this era — its awe, its trouble, its melancholy and its disorientation — were born some of the most compelling poems in our literature. In one, “The ruin,” translated by r ichard Fahey, the speaker laments the ruined city of bath: “Wondrous are these wall-stones, / broken by fortune, the citadels crumbled, / the work of giants ruined.”

but why the history lesson? Why the history major’s dreaded “one pre-1500 course?” because this is how I feel watching Gwyneth Paltrow’s recent ad for ds-01 daily synbiotic by seed.

Taking the video with her phone in one hand and the product in the other, Paltrow — her skin lusterless and strangely orange, her hair unkempt and washed out — silently tosses the pill in her mouth and then immediately spits it out. Is it a joke? Unclear. she’s expressionless and silent; she quickly moves on.

“so this is a 24 strain probio–,” she begins, but

tries in vain to explain the product: “Um, it’s not the kind you find in yogurt and stuff like that. And it’s so good for bloating and regularity.” Then, before she’s even mentioned the name of the product, she cuts the video off.

do you see the connection yet? I’m reminded of the poem “The Wanderer” whose speaker begs, “Where have the treasure-givers gone? / Where has the place of banquets gone? / Where are the joys of the hall?” This is how I feel. Where has “the goop lab with Gwyneth Paltrow” gone?

once, we were like the romans with their marble mansions and spring-fed bathhouses — we were a people who could afford to produce lavish, six-episode ads for vagina-scented candles and $2,000 yoga mats. We were like the romans in the colosseum screaming for blood as we watched Paltrow make her employees do ayahuasca with indigenous shamans, learn about their yoni and unpack their traumas. now, we’re the Anglo-saxons sitting in our barns and hovels. no more sprawling ads of operatic scope, just sponsored TikToks. Paltrow does one take, gives nothing and hits “post.”

In this way, I am more certain than any mendoza student that this recession is getting bad and will only

stream star but a genuine artist. she made hit movies like “c leopatra” and was the highest-paid actress in hollywood. she also starred in productions about lesbian neurotics and prostitute murderers like “boom!” and “secret ceremony.” Like Paltrow’s “modern lifestyle brand” goop, Taylor peddled her own line of cheap perfumes. Taylor and the stars of the past, however, would never trade profit for glamour. even during the Great depression’s darkest days when money was the tightest it had ever been, people could still spare a dime or two for the movies. When America was at its nadir, hollywood was at a zenith because stars understood a people humiliated want to see glamour, want to see a little dignity.

It seems our stars have lost this stoicism. In our culture, Paltrow Is glamour — she’s effortlessly glamorous. so what does it mean if, under the pressure of inflation, she can’t keep it up either? It means things aren’t getting better for us any time soon. Like the Anglo-saxons living among the ruins of a more advanced culture, we live among the ruins of a more glamorous one.

Contact Peter Mikulski at pmikulsk@nd.edu

happy Birthday: get on board and ride the wave. you’ll have plenty of opportunities if you show your worth and contribute what you have to offer. use your discipline, insight and influence to turn what you want into something spectacular. Don’t be shy when your objective is to follow your heart and turn your dreams into a reality. keep moving; hesitation will ruin your timing. your numbers are 6, 17, 25, 27, 31, 36, 48.

ArIES (March 21-April 19): The little things count, like being good to yourself. Putter around the house, go hiking or spend time with someone you love, and it will improve your frame of mind and help you sort through the changes you want to make.

TAuruS (April 20-May 20): Socializing will get you out of the house and away from any drama or tension you are feeling. Sign up for something that interests you or can help give you a different perspective on life. A lifestyle change might be worth considering.

gEMINI (May 21-June 20): Don’t give anyone the chance to take advantage of you. keep those you love and trust close by for backup if someone pressures you to do or take on too much. Exercise will be a good stress release for the mind, body and soul.

CANCEr (June 21-July 22): Put your best foot forward, and don’t stop until you find your happy place. get out, have fun and try something new. use your energy wisely; don’t let it fester and cause grief. learn from mistakes and you’ll ward off regrets.

lEO (July 23-Aug. 22): live life your way. refuse to let anyone take advantage of your generosity and kindness. Set boundaries, and you’ll alleviate tension and stress. Take time to do something that makes you feel and look your best and puts you in a romantic mood.

vIrgO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): get into the zone and find peace. rediscover who you are and want to become. reach out to people who can offer insight, knowledge and a peek at what you can become. Immerse yourself in events that encourage you to embrace positive change.

lIBrA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): get in the game, make a move and do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. get physical and strive for a strong body, good relationships and a stress-free relationship with money. Put your energy where it counts and make romance a priority.

SCOrPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Change begins with you. Assess what’s essential and head in that direction. Don’t ponder over what others are doing or asking of you; do what makes you happy and content with your life. Don’t take unnecessary risks.

SAgITTArIuS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Tally your financial situation and adjust to suit your plans. Energize your ideas and goals by following through and doing the work yourself. you have plenty to gain if you refuse to let others step in and take over. romance is favored.

CAPrICOrN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A change at home can make a difference in how you feel about life. If you aren’t content, it’s up to you to replace what ails you with whatever puts a smile on your face. Be frank with others and prepare for positive change.

AQuArIuS (Jan. 20-feb. 18): An energetic approach to your health, finances and relationships will help you overcome any dilemma. Actions speak louder than words, and what you do will be the only statement you have to make. liven up your life with romance and entertainment.

PISCES (feb. 19-March 20): Consider how you handle and earn money and if it’s fulfilling or perhaps time to put your energy elsewhere. Discussing your thoughts and prospects with someone you respect and trust to give you the lowdown will encourage you to make a decision.

Birthday Baby: you are mindful, cautious and benevolent. you are witty and well-liked.

Post: Irish rose to first challenge

moment for the team, to give us some juice,” Watts said after the game on the impact of his interception.

NC STATE WRAP

Irish groove in the fourth, dispatch NC State 45-24

By J.J. POST Associate s ports e ditor

The buzz was real for notre dame’s secondary entering 2023.

The unit had a star in benjamin morrison, a consensus freshmanAll American who seemed to get better with every game he played as a rookie. Across from morrison was veteran cam hart, who arrived at fall camp in the best shape of his life and with very real nFL draft aspirations. oklahoma state transfer Thomas harper slotted in at the nickel, looking to emerge from a summer position battle as a reliable starter.

The safety room contained reasons for optimism as well. Though the group lacked one standout name, it entered the season with a combined 14 years of experience in the starting rotation. continuity figured to be a major strength for a unit laden with seniors.

but until this saturday, the buzz had been just that — buzz. sure, notre dame entered its showdown in raleigh against north carolina state with a pair of games already under its belt. but neither of those contests had truly tested the potential prowess of the Irish defensive backfield.

navy threw just seven passes total in dublin. Tennessee state threw 22 — divided between two quarterbacks — but looked clearly overmatched in the process. on saturday, the Irish secondary received its first test. In a game where notre dame’s offense sputtered outside of the occasional big play and a strong fourth quarter, containing Wolfpack quarterback brennan Armstrong was pivotal to keeping the Irish ticking.

The Irish defensive backs answered the call. Armstrong threw the ball 47 times. he completed just 22 of those passes.It wasn’t for a lack of variety in the efforts of the nc state passing game. Armstrong tested hart and morrison down the sidelines. he tried the middle of the field, short throws and long throws.

but the Irish secondary kept on providing answers. And most importantly, when notre dame needed a big play from its defense most, its defensive backs provided. on the first drive of the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack had the ball and a chance to tie the game.

The energy in carter-Finley stadium was as palpable as it had been all game.

Until Xavier Watts stepped up. As Armstrong failed to connect with Kevin concepcion on a third-down pass, the opportunistic senior safety dove in and secured his first interception of the season. And just like that, the Irish offense was back in business. Five plays later, notre dame was in the end zone, once again up two scores and in control of the game.

“It was really just an exciting

head coach marcus Freeman noted the importance of the defense in shifting the momentum of the game.

“The turning point to me was when we fumbled in our own territory and the defense forced a missed field goal,” Freeman said. “And then we go three-and-out, and then the defense has an interception. And that’s kind of when we scored and the game got out of hand.”

It wasn’t the last time the Irish secondary would put the offense in position to succeed in the final quarter. on the next Wolfpack possession, dJ brown read an Armstrong throw to perfection and stepped in for his first interception on the season. It took sam hartman and company all of three plays to find the back of the end zone and put the game away for good.

It’s no secret that the secondary will need playmaking for notre dame to win its biggest games this year. ohio state’s offense has struggled under new quarterback Kyle mccord, but the buckeyes boast an armada of receiving talent. Usc has the reigning heisman winner under center in quarterback caleb Williams. even an upstart duke team that has catapulted into national rankings with an impressive undefeated start to the year is led by star quarterback riley Leonard. before the season started, the Irish felt confident that they could expect their secondary to make plays against top opposition. Through the first two games, they learned nothing that would dispel that notion. however, they were offered nothing to confirm it either.

The Wolfpack offered a real challenge, and notre dame’s defensive backs were up for it. Watts reflected on what he and his teammates in the secondary took away from their first true test.

“obviously there’s always things to clean up,” Watts said. “We’re a group of competitive individuals. We just learned that we can compete with a lot of people. [nc state’s] receivers are pretty good. They’re fast and quick. I think we matched up well with them.”

The trio of interceptions by the Irish defensive backfield against the Wolfpack now gives the team five on the year. Three of those have come from the quartet of senior safeties that notre dame needed to step up this season.

With a top-10 showdown against ohio state looming in just two weeks, the Irish hope its secondary’s showing in raleigh is the sign of a new standard in south bend.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not neccessarily those of The Observer.

o n the final play of the third quarter s aturday, n otre d ame’s offense got beat, badly.

Facing a third and short situation, the Irish went power on power with Audric e stime running downhill. The junior running back, normally the textbook definition of hard, strong running, was blown up in the backfield. A swarm of n orth c arolina s tate defenders surrounded e stime and drove him back for a loss of yardage. The spot two yards behind the line of scrimmage might have even been generous.

It was about as uninspired — if fundamental — of a play call as could have been imagined. n otre d ame showed its hand, and the Wolfpack beat them at their own game. h eading into the fourth quarter, n orth c arolina s tate had the ball and a chance to tie the contest.

b ut the Irish got a second chance. A third-and-long

pass by b rennan Armstrong deflected off a receiver’s hands, and opportunistic senior safety Xavier Watts dove in for the interception. n otre d ame now had the ball back and, four plays later, the Irish faced the same situation as they had at the end of the third quarter.

Third down, two yards to go. e stime in the backfield.

b ut this time, first-year offensive coordinator Gerad Parker dialed up a passing play.

And his graduate student quarterback s am h artman delivered. d ropping back a few steps and finding junior tight-end d avis s herwood in the flat, the former walkon tight end not only converted the third down, but found the back of the end zone to put the Irish up two scores.

It was deja vu on the next drive. Graduate student safety d J b rown read Armstrong’s pass perfectly for an interception, and the Irish once again had the ball. Two plays later, they once again faced

third-and-short.

This time, e stime got the chance to make amends for his failed first attempt. b ouncing off a tackle, he trotted into the end zone for his second score of the game.

The barrage of thirdand-shorts didn’t end there for the Irish, either. After n otre d ame’s defense held the Wolfpack to a turnover on downs, the Irish would eventually face a third and two for the third time in four drives.

Parker was once again ready. This time, h artman feigned a handoff to e stime and rolled out the other way on a bootleg. h e looked downfield and found sophomore tight end h olden s taes for a 35-yard touchdown pass. The Irish went up by 28 with four and a half minutes to play, their largest lead of the game. s taes’ second touchdown of the day would be the last one n otre d ame scored, placing a bow on a game that, at least for the first

ARIANNA DENNING | The Observer

Irish junior tight end Davis Sherwood lunges into the end zone for his first career touchdown of the season, contributing to the Irish’s 45-24 victory against the NC State Wolfpack on Sept. 9 in Raleigh.

game master providing us with about eight or nine of our three allotted hints, we escaped with less than a minute remaining.

At one point, we may or may not have noticed that time had been added to the countdown clock.

b ut we were absolutely willing to turn a blind eye and take the win, finishing the first day of the trip on a high note.

The next morning was game day. We were looking forward to getting an early start before the noon kickoff, hoping to take some time to explore the stadium and surrounding area. Those plans quickly changed when we awoke to the sight of pouring rain and the sound of nearby thunder.

If that wasn’t enough to quash our idea of heading out early, the flash flood warning that buzzed onto our phones soon after certainly did the trick.

After enjoying a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we started making our way to the stadium about 90 minutes before kickoff, anticipating heavy traffic and having little to no idea how to get to the media section.

b ut the staff was extremely helpful and friendly, pointing us in the right direction.

Upon entering the nc s tate press box, we were immediately impressed.

The box at n otre d ame s tadium is likely among the nicest in terms of college venues, but it was rivaled by the spaciousness and amenities offered at c arter-Finley. From our aerial vantage point, it looked like the stadium was nearly full. We also noticed a strong contingent of green, blue and gold shirts interspersed among the Wolfpack fans.

The Irish held a 3-0 lead after a mostly quiet first quarter and a lightning delay brought the game to a halt soon after. The announcement of the game’s suspension was met with audible disappointment from the crowd. s till, the need to find cover quickly became apparent as heavy rain began to fall and continuous thunder became audible.

o ne particularly nearby lightning strike shorted out nc s tate’s brand-new video board.

Those of us in the press box had comparatively little to complain about during

the delay. We stayed put while everyone else cleared out of the stadium.

m ost spectators found refuge in their cars or the nearby P nc Arena. e ven the n otre d ame football team may have had it worse, as they ran out of food and had no dry clothes to change into.

As the ominous weather continued, it became clear that the delay might not be a particularly brief one. I started to lose hope upon hearing other media members say that the game could proceed as long as they “get it in by midnight”. At that point, I anticipated having to stay at the stadium all night.

h owever, those fears were quickly assuaged as the game resumed after a delay of just under two hours.

The stadium contained a somewhat strange energy after fans were allowed to reenter. The nc s tate student section returned in full force, but there were notably more empty seats than before.

m any people likely weighed the pros and cons and decided that waiting out the delay wasn’t worth it.

b ecause of that, and with

n otre d ame pulling away in the fourth quarter, the crowd noise seemed to slowly dissipate over the course of the second half. We even heard some pro-Irish chants in the final minutes of n otre d ame’s 45-24 win.

The game ended more than five hours after the noon start time.

b y the time we finished writing our postgame stories, it was past 7 p.m. It didn’t really register how long we had been at the stadium until we noticed that Texas-Alabama, a game we had planned to watch several hours after returning from c arter-Finley, had begun while we were still in the press box.

o ne of our Uber drivers on s aturday evening reacted positively when we informed him of n otre d ame’s win.

h e explained that it would mean less traffic later in the night with fewer nc s tate students being out and about after the loss than after a Wolfpack win.

r egardless of the reasoning, it was nice to encounter an Irish fan after a n otre d ame victory in enemy territory.

Contact Matthew Crow at mcrow@nd.edu

three quarters, was anything but routine.

To start the game out, the teams traded punts for the first four drives. e ventually, Irish graduate student kicker s pencer s hrader broke the deadlock with a 54-yard field goal, setting a program record for longest field goal made in the process.

Another punt for the Wolfpack preceded a weather delay that lasted nearly two hours. n otre d ame would then resume action following the delay with some lightning of their own. e stime took the first play coming out of the break 80 yards for an Irish touchdown.

The defensive slugfest then resumed, with the teams combining to trade six second quarter punts. n otre d ame sent s hrader out again with just over two minutes remaining in the half, this time from 56 yards. s hrader had the leg, but his effort struck the goalpost.

n orth c arolina s tate took the opportunity to find their offensive momentum for the first time. d riving 62 yards in a little over a minute, Armstrong found b radley r ozner for a nine-yard score to bring the Wolfpack within one score with a minute remaining in the half.

A minute, though, proved too much time for h artman. For the third consecutive week, the graduate student engineered a scoring drive to end the half, taking all of three plays and 30 seconds to return the Irish lead to 10 heading into the break.

In the third quarter, n orth c arolina s tate brought the game to its closest point. A 40-yard touchdown by s taes was sandwiched between a Wolfpack field goal and an Armstrong score. And with e stime stuffed on the quarter’s final play, the stage was set for a thrilling finish in r aleigh.

threw for four touchdowns and 286

to carry

beaudreau stars as Irish women’s golf kicks off season at boilermaker classic

Observer Sports Staff

The n otre d ame women’s golf team participated in the b oilermaker c lassic, a three-round tournament hosted by Purdue University from s ep. 4-5. In their first tournament of the season, the Irish finished fifth among 15 teams with a total score of 879 (+15).

The best performer for

n otre d ame was graduate student Lauren b eaudreau.

s he tied for fourth in the individual standings, shooting 211 (-5). b eaudreau shot a team-low score of 67 in the third round, carding 7 birdies. b efore that, she went bogey-free in the second round, shooting a 70 (-2).

b ased on her early returns,

b eaudreau should serve as a key competitor for this

year’s team.

Among the remaining Irish golfers, freshman Anna h eck tied for 17th place in the individual standings with a score of 219 (+3). Junior m ontgomery Ferreira finished tied for 22nd with a score of 221 (+5). Freshman m imi b urton tied for 34th place with a score of 224 (+8), while senior c hloe s chiavone tied for 51st place

with a score of 228 (+12). Finally, graduate student n ina r issi tied for 68th with a score of 232 (+16).

n ext, the Fighting Irish will travel to m ichigan to compete in the m ary Fossum Invitational hosted by m ichigan s tate. n otre d ame’s second competition will take place s ep. 17 and 18 at Forest Akers West Golf c ourse.

b ut timely defending and an explosive n otre d ame offense saved the day. The Irish defense wasn’t perfect, but it answered the call repeatedly with the chips down. While the offense didn’t display the pristine efficiency that defined its first two outings of the season, it did show a knack for finding big plays when they were most needed.

And with n otre d ame clearing its first major roadblock of the fall, the hype can build, and Irish fans can hope those traits will carry over into a marquee home showdown against o hio s tate on s aturday, s ept. 23.

ARIANNA DENNING | The Observer

Irish graduate transfer Sam Hartman runs downfield carrying the ball in the Irish’s winning matchup against North Carolina State. Hartman

yards

the Irish to a 45-24 victory after experiencing a game delay in rainy Raleigh.

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final blow on a set-up from d rewnick.

The i rish enjoyed a far more comfortable win in set two. s chrader put n otre d ame ahead 4-0 with two kills and a block and i llinois would never pull back within a point. i n the middle part of the set, six consecutive i llini attack errors pushed their deficit to 13-6. b ut the visitors hung around, closing the gap to 18-16. Then, p alazzolo took over, delivering four of her nine second-set kills to wrap up the six-point victory.

Thursday’s final set emerged as its most competitive. n either team led by more than four points at any moment in the race to 25. i llinois star r aina Terry enjoyed her best set, racking up seven kills. b ut the i rish overcame her efforts, opening up a 16-13 advantage on consecutive Tarnoff aces. The i llini would level the score at 21, but n otre d ame drove home the dagger with a 4-1 run.

Palazzolo duels with Oklahoma’s Shelton in dramatic Irish victory i n s aturday’s meeting with o klahoma, the weekend’s most valuable player earned her hardware. p alazzolo amassed 25 kills at a .310 hitting percentage, countering a lexis s helton’s 30 kills at a .362 clip.

The epic duel encapsulated the intensity of the overall match, which lasted five sets. a fter two and a half

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belief and kept playing. i had no doubt they would get the result after we got ahead.”

n otre d ame controlled the opening third of a fairly even 90 minutes. i n the sixth minute, junior forward m atthew r oou earned the first chance, settling a long ball in the box and firing off a shot.

b ut c lemson keeper Joseph a ndema sized him up and made the evening’s first save.

With just two goals on their last 45 shots, the i rish finally opened the floodgates midway through the half.

a 16th-minute corner leaked out for a low drive from junior defender Kyle g enenbacher.

c lemson turned it away on the line, but junior forward e no n to slammed the rebound home for the opening goal.

With n to’s second tally of the season, n otre d ame could work on extending its 24-match unbeaten streak

hours, n otre d ame came out on top (27-29, 25-21, 1425, 25-22, 18-16). s chrader and Lange each contributed 10 i rish kills, while d rewnick (45 assists) combined for nine blocks with Tarnoff.

a s was the case Thursday, set one previewed the competitiveness of the final set.

n otre d ame sped out of the gate, opening a 5-1 lead and holding it steady at 12-8.

b ut the s ooners marched back in a hurry, embarking on a 13-4 run to snatch the upper hand. b oth teams earned a pair of set-point opportunities but could not seal the deal.

a s a result, the set reached a 27-all deadlock. Then, after an i rish attack error, s helton’s sixth kill of the set pushed o klahoma to the finish line. p alazzolo and the i rish swung right back in the second set.

The junior provided a game-high nine kills in the set and her teammates backed her up with eight more. n either team led by more than two through the first 22 points, but a 4-0 i rish run changed the picture. o klahoma drew back within a pair at 22-20 and 23-21, but n otre d ame finished the job on a s chrader kill.

The third set was one to forget for the i rish.

o klahoma enjoyed a .409 hitting percentage to n otre d ame’s -.091, cruising to an 11-point set win.

o nce again, s helton set the pace with six kills.

d aleigh e llison poured gas on the s ooner fire with three service aces. a nd after a one-block second set,

when scoring first. i n the following moments, c lemson responded well, unloading a barrage of prime looks. b ut the i rish withstood the pressure and doubled their lead in the 33rd minute. This time, n to served as the playmaker, breaking free of a tie-up to play b ryce b oneau toward the right corner of the goal area.

The junior midfielder’s first touch shot him past several defenders before an easy flick put his first career goal in the back of the net.

a fter freshman midfielder

n olan s picer put two shots on goal for the i rish, c lemson equalized in no time.

With exactly two minutes remaining until the break, o usmane s ylla charged toward the left post on a smooth one-two. n otre

d ame smothered his cross with three players sliding near the goal line.

b ut g ael g ibert, the lone Tiger among them, whipped the ball over the line from the seat of his pants.

a mere 42 seconds later,

c lemson drew level. o ff the

the i rish made no rejections in the disappointing third.

o klahoma initially extended its momentum into set four, but n otre d ame quelled the tide in plenty of time to stay alive. a t 11-7, the i rish rattled off six consecutive points, claiming a two-point lead. The s ooners would again stick around, pulling back in front at 2120 with an ace. b ut four consecutive o klahoma errors opened the door at set point and Lange slammed a kill right through it to take the set.

i n the decisive fifth set, neither team took full control right away. n otre d ame went up 6-3 and 9-6, but o klahoma immediately bridged both gaps. Then, after the i rish moved ahead 12-10, two s helton kills bookended a four-point s ooner run to match point.

b ut it was her attack error that drew the i rish even at 14. s till, o klahoma’s go-to hitter delivered two more tie-breaking kills, yet the i rish answered each blow.

f inally, at 16-16, n otre

d ame made its push to victory. a n errant

s ooner attack preceded a Lange block, which wrapped up an epic afternoon of volleyball.

n ext weekend, the i rish will play a home-and-away series with Toledo. The r ockets will visit p urcell p avilion f riday at 6:30 p.m. for a match on acc n etwork e xtra. a fter s unday’s meeting in Toledo, the i rish will begin conference action.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

restart, b randon p arrish found space from 20 yards out.

s hooting low and hard, the co-captain beat senior goalkeeper b ryan d owd and caught the inside of the left post, evening the score at two. f acing the sudden change of all sudden changes, n otre d ame regrouped at halftime.

“ f or me it was just like, ‘ i t’s tied again,’” r iley recalled. “ b ut now you have more information to know that you can be better than this team tonight, so you go out there with a lot of confidence for the second 45 and you’ve got 45 minutes to win the game.”

b arely four minutes into the second half, r usso answered the call.

h aving gone without a point through four games, the forward was due a big moment. a s he stepped up to a 20-yard free kick, that moment manifested itself. r usso’s left-footed smash curled into the tiniest of windows between a ndema and the left post, bringing the home crowd of 1,703 to its feet. Just like that, n otre

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left shot, keeping bowling green scoreless in the first half.

at the 35th-minute mark, senior defender eva gaetino assisted graduate forward maddie mercado’s third goal of the season. mercado’s further-out, wellstrung ball put the irish on the board.

graduate and freshman midfielders Kiki van Zanten and morgan roy attacked in both the first and second periods, but both struggled to execute. Their facilitation on offense, however, opened the field for their teammates to find the back of the net. out of the halftime break, the coaching staffs on both sides made substitutions. for the falcons, redshirt sophomore madison vukas stepped into the goal for the second half of the match, while junior defender isabelle gilmore remained in the backline for the falcons. The captain, who

has played every minute for the falcons this season, remained consistent. but bowling green’s offense struggled, only tallying two shots on goal for the entire match.

mercado was not the only one to score her third goal of the season. freshman forward meg mrowicki also tallied her third goal of the season, a high left goal assisted by sophomore midfielder Leah Klenke.

The goal pushed notre dame ahead 2-0 against the falcons in the 53rd minute.

Three seemed to have been the lucky number for the irish. vukas saved graduate midfielder Kristina Lynch’s second shot of the day, but Lynch remained determined.

immediately after, she took her shot high center over the head of vukas for notre dame’s third and final goal of the game.

The irish are scheduled to take on Wake forest friday night at a lumni stadium. The demon deacons, with a 6-0-1 record in 2023, are 3-0 on the road and have only allowed two goals.

d ame led 3-2.

“ i t was a great finish, great free kick,” r iley said. “ h e works on those a lot, so it was great to see him stick it in the net.”

Two minutes later, r oou put another shot on goal. b ut after that, n otre d ame would fire away no more.

h owever, even as the Tigers dominated secondhalf possession time, they struggled to break through the i rish backline. i n the half-hour following r oou’s goal, c lemson registered just three shots.

“The big thing on our team is bend, don’t break,” d owd said. “We knew c lemson is a phenomenal side [and] we’d be facing a little adversity.

b ut we knew that ‘bend, don’t break’ mindset, and we were able to just handle whatever was thrown at us.”

c lemson threw its best second-half opportunity at d owd in the 89th minute. s ettling a corner kick near the back post, s ylla cut back toward the penalty spot. a s he found a lane through traffic, the a ll- acc midfielder wired a shot toward the

upper right-hand corner. b ut d owd soared through the air to his left, making n otre d ame’s save of the year to preserve the lead. a fter the game, the keeper spoke of his four-year experience as a guiding light in a wild game.

“ i t means everything for a goalie,”

d owd stated. “ g iving up two quick, unfortunate goals, being disappointed ending the half and then having to fight for 40 minutes to keep a lead. Thankfully, i ’ve seen it all before and i ’ve done it with my boys before. i knew what had to be done and we were all able to do it.”

a t the final whistle, n otre d ame exacted some revenge upon a c lemson side that had ended its previous two seasons.

The i rish also captured their first acc -opening win since 2018. To finish out its six-game homestand, n otre d ame will host m ichigan s tate at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the acc n etwork.

Contact Tyler Reidy at treidy3@nd.edu

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer Irish senior defender Eva Gaetino prepares to kick the ball downfield in the Irish’s winning 4-1 home matchup against Butler.

observer on the ground: nc state

By MATTHEW CROW

Associate s ports e ditor

o ur journey began just before noon on Friday when we headed to the s outh b end airport to fly to r aleighd urham, a direct flight that was only available temporarily for the game. As a resident of the r aleigh area, I couldn’t help but wish that the flight would become a permanent fixture. In this case, though, I was very grateful to cut several hours off the time the trip usually takes.

The flight was short and not very crowded and we made it to r aleigh without issue. h aving dropped off our bags in the hotel, we shifted our attention to determining dinner plans. After a long deliberation, we eventually settled on m organ s treet Food h all.

This didn’t do any favors for our decision-making difficulties. o ur restaurant of

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choice was, in fact, a large food court-style plaza in downtown r aleigh that contained more than 20 separate restaurants. r ound two of deliberations commenced and it ended up turning out well. We found outdoor seating and each selected varying cuisines that ranged from empanadas to a prime rib sandwich to pizza.

At the last second, we decided to go to an escape room after dinner on Friday night. We were delayed while attempting to find a ride, but the employees generously accommodated our late arrival. We got off to a relatively strong start in the cursed mansion-themed room. h owever, we lost some traction toward the middle of the hour that we were given to solve the puzzles.

With things looking grim, we made a clutch run down the stretch. Aided by the

Irish women’s soccer defeats Bowling Green

Observer Sports Staff

After suffering their first loss of the season against michigan in south bend last Thursday, the Irish were not hitting the road for another loss. Instead, the notre dame women’s soccer team secured a 3-0 win against bowling Green on sunday ahead of starting Acc play.

The Falcons, coming off of a tough 5-1 loss against no. 22 Pittsburgh, were ready to take on no. 11 notre dame at cochrane stadium. only averaging 1.2 goals per game, bowling Green had struggled to score coming in.

The Irish endured a slow start to the first half. While the Falcons faced the pressure of notre dame’s fourteen shots, bowling Green’s senior goalkeeper Lili berg successfully snagged three of four shots on goal. opposite her, goalkeeper Atlee olofson made two total saves for the Irish. one of the freshman’s impressive saves denied ellie Pool’s low

notre dame outlasts

c lemson, opens Acc play

By TYLER REIDY Associate s ports e ditor

To close out a perfect s aturday for Irish athletics, n otre d ame men’s soccer topped c lemson in a thrilling A cc opener. The Irish jumped out to a twogoal lead early, only for the Tigers to claw back on two shots before halftime. Then, in the 50th minute, n otre d ame took an insurmountable lead on senior forward d aniel r usso’s magnificent free kick. After full time at Alumni s tadium, the n o. 20 Irish remained unbeaten (40-1) with a 3-2 victory.

“I’m really pleased with the way we competed tonight. It was kind of a sucker punch the last few minutes to give up two goals on two shots, which was against the run of play at that moment,” Irish head coach c had r iley said. “ b ut I loved the response of the group and I knew they showed a lot of

Irish top Power Five opponents

By TYLER REIDY Associate s ports e ditor

After just missing out on a sweep at v illanova last weekend, n otre d ame volleyball won its first two home games of the season. The Irish took care of business at the Irish Invitation, taking down Illinois (3-0) on Thursday and o klahoma (32) on s aturday. Junior outside hitter s ydney Palazzolo continued her eye-opening introduction to n otre d ame, garnering the tournament’s m ost valuable Player award. n ow 4-2, the Irish have started 2-0 at home for the first time since 2020.

Balanced effort leads Irish to sweep of Illinois

n otre d ame opened up the weekend with a dominant showing Thursday night. The Irish took care of Illinois in three sets, winning 25-21, 25-19 and 25-22. Palazzolo and freshman outside hitter Ava Lange combined for 27 kills, while senior middle

blocker Lauren Tarnoff contributed six blocks up front. Junior setter Phyona s chrader was active across the board, providing seven kills, five digs and five blocks. And n otre d ame’s All-Tournament players, graduate transfer setter n icole d rewnick and senior libero h attie m onson were their usual selves. d rewnick accumulated 36 assists, benefiting from m onson’s 17 digs. s et one went back and forth with Illinois jumping out to a 6-3 lead. At that point, sophomore libero c ailey d ockery picked up consecutive service aces to pull the Irish ahead. d ockery would ultimately amass six digs as well in the first set. Later on, the Irish surged out to a 16-10 advantage before the Illini reeled them back in. Trailing 20-19, n otre d ame snatched six of the next seven points — all via kills — to take the set. s chrader provided the

SOFIA CRIMIVAROLI | The Observer

Irish sophomore midfielder Laney Matriano dribbles the ball against Butler, helping the Irish capture the 4-1 win at Alumni.

MAddIe SCheAReR | The Observer

Irish senior defender Paddy Burns exclaims in victory after the Irish’s 3-2 victory against the Clemson Tigers on Sept. 9 at Alumni.

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