n o T re d ame and s ain T m ary’s
Nd London students safe after attack
College checks abroad students’ status
Observer Staff Report
n otre d ame has confirmed the safety of its 167 students currently studying abroad in l ondon following a terrorist attack wednesday near the b ritish h ouses of p arliament and westminster bridge, according to a u niversity press release.
n ine students were interning with the p arliament during the time of the attack, according to the release. m any of the other students were at the u niversity’s
l ondon g lobal g ateway, located in m arian Kennedy Fischer h all near Trafalgar s quare, or c onway h all, n otre d ame’s residential facility located near waterloo s tation and King’s c ollege l ondon.
a dditionally, all students from other study abroad programs who registered their travel plans with n otre d ame i nternational have been accounted for and are safe, university spokesman
Notre Dame remembers Travis McElmurry
By LUCAS MASIN-MOYER a ssociate news e ditor
s tudents, faculty and administrators came together wednesday to remember Travis m c e lmurry, a firstyear law student who died m arch 12.
u niversity p resident Fr. John Jenkins presided over a memorial m ass held in the b asilica of the s acred h eart, during which Fr. p at r eidy delivered the homily and talked about the pain losing a loved one often brings.
“ i t’s a fearful thing, to love something death can touch,” he said. “ we fear
Fordham professor delivers civil rights lecture
By NICOLE CARATAS senior news writer
i n the midst of increased race-related activism across the u nited s tates, Fr. b ryan
m assingale, professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham u niversity, spoke at s aint m ary’s on wednesday about the new civil rights movement in a merica and redeeming the
a merican soul.
m assingale said he tried to come up with a depiction of a racially just society, but was unable to do so.
“ i am not able to know what a racially just society would look like, or a just society at all, as it is something that i and none of us have ever experienced,” he said. “Trying to envision somewhere in advance of no where is an
extremely difficult task.
“ w hat are we striving for, what do we stand for, what is the goal of the struggle for justice, for the struggle against social evils based on disparaging of differences based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity? w hat does justice look like, what does
Journalist speaks on concussions
By ARTHUR ZHAO news writer
in 2007, former new york Times investigative reporter alan schwarz started writing a series of stories reporting on the staggering rate of concussions amongst nFl players, leading to new regulations and a congressional hearing. in his talk at Jordan auditorium on wednesday, schwarz discussed
his research process and how his interests in sports and math informed his research.
schwarz said that after graduating from the university of pennsylvania with a degree in math, he started to write as a sports journalist. at the end of 2006, schwarz began to receive information about brain damages of football players from
PEMCo’s ‘Grease’ premieres Thursday
By MARIE FAZIO news writer
The p asquerilla e ast
m usical c ompany ( pemc o) is shaping up to perform “g rease” m arch 23-25 on the washington h all main stage. s enior m organ r ice, who is a producer for the show, said the musical was previously performed as pemc o’s third main stage musical production in 2000, and 18
members of this original pemc o “g rease” cast will be in attendance at the s aturday show.
s eventeen years later, pemc o executive producer, senior a manda b artolini, said pemc o has grown quite a bit in terms of budget and the show is going to reflect these increased capabilities. “ we really have a strong
COURTNEY BECKER | The Observer Faculty and students gather at the reception for first-year law student Travis McElmurry, who passed away March 12.
Photo courtesy of Jake Ricci
Cast members of the Pasquerilla East Musical Company’s “Grease,” practice “Those Magic Changes,” one of the show’s musical numbers. The show will run from Thursday to Saturday at 7 p.m. each night.
see grease PaGE 3
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Grease
tech team and we wanted to emphasize that but we also wanted to have a big enough show to emphasize all the talent we have — over 100 people came to try out,” r ice said.
s enior s amantha s queri is directing the show and said she collaborated with a group of producers to choose “g rease,” taking into consideration factors such as budget and talent pool.
s queri and r ice said they were drawn to redoing “g rease,” a notorious fan favorite, and giving it a better message to make it more accessible in today’s world.
The current production team hopes to take the well-known story in a new
direction. This performance differs from the 2000 performance not only in the fact that it will utilize never-before-seen lighting effects, but also in the stronger feminist message it conveys.
“ it’s definitely going to be a new production based on the way that our director is taking it,” b artolini said.
Though the storyline and songs from the musical are well known, s queri was not exactly devoted to the musical’s sometimes controversial message, which she said was originally intended as a satire. s queri said instead she opted for alterations to the show that will give the audience an opportunity to think about something deeper.
“a t the end, s andy isn’t changing for him, she’s changing for her … she’s coming more into her own,
a dverT isemen T
being more comfortable with her own self, her own person and her own sexuality. We are trying to show that the Pink Ladies encourage her to be who she wants to be by the end, and it just so happens that being more confident in herself makes [ d anny] more attracted to her,” s queri said. s ophomore m ario s imone, who plays d anny, said the role was difficult to prepare for due to the new direction of the show.
“We basically created a new character for d anny, where he’s not as interested in s andy as an object and more in her as a confident new person,” he said.
i n addition to thematic changes, some of the songs may sound unfamiliar to audience members, as they are in the original musical, but not the 1978 movie version.
“People are going to hear music that’s probably new to them … people will be entertained by the classics but get some new stuff as well,” b artolini said. “ it’s worth their time to invest in seeing
mcElmurry
to risk the pain, the sorrow. o f course, if we only love a little, we can only a little … [but] we dare to live with our whole hearts, our whole souls.”
This grief, r eidy said, is often indicative of how much a person meant to us on earth.
“When someone we know dies, we find out how much we really loved them — the more we hurt, the more we loved,” he said. “That hurt stays with us forever, it helps us to remember the person we so deeply loved and it reminds us that the
it again.”
r ice said she was confident that the production will be a success.
“We’re hoping that with this production we can bring more than just entertainment value and bring home a more important message,” r ice said.
person we loved will never forget us.”
o ne must remember this love, r eidy said, when remembering m c e lmurry.
“We bring Travis to the Lord tonight through our love and prayers,” he said.
Through this love, r eidy said m c e lmurry could truly be at peace.
“Travis m c e lmurry rests with g od tonight,” r eidy said. “ h e rests from the problems, the doubts, the insecurities and fear, he rests from all the worries in his heart, he rests from all the brokenness of this world.”
c iting a reading from the g ospel of m ark read at the service, r eidy talked about
Performances will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, f riday and s aturday. Tickets are on sale at the La f ortune box office at $7 for students and $10 for general admission.
Contact Marie Fazio at mfazio@nd.edu
how it is necessary to remain open to healing for the process to take place.
“[Those who sought Jesus] only half expected that healing was possible, as if their condition of brokenness was contingent on no one else seeing,” he said. “That’s the thing about darkness in the gospels — it’s always hiding somewhere.”
a fter the memorial m ass, the e ck s chool of Law held a reception in e ck c ommons to honor m c e lmurry’s memory.
o ne of m c e lmurry’s professors, associate professor of law b ruce h uber, shared a reflection at this reception.
“ i join all of you tonight in mourning the loss of our peer, our student [and] our brother, Travis,” he said. “… With our brother Travis, many of us had not yet gotten to know [him] well and had not yet experienced the joy of community with him, yet we still bear the burden of grief [and] certainly of dismay.”
h uber said the strength of the n otre d ame community would help it endure the loss of a community member.
“ c ommunities suffer. i t is as though, by sharing our lives with so many others we gain an enormous blessing, and yet simultaneously render ourselves that much more vulnerable to pain and to grief,” he said. “… i t is often said, and for a very good reason, that one of the enduring hallmarks of n otre d ame is the strength of the community that exists here. The community brings us great good.”
Lucas Masin-Moyer at lmasinmo@nd.edu
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Paid
Photo courtesy of Jake Riccir
Members of PEMCo’s cast for “Grease” rehearse one of the musical numbers for the show. Tickets are on sale in the Lafortune box office.
justice feel like? s uch questions take us beyond abstract intellectualizing and move us into the realm of animating visions, guiding ideals and sustaining dreams, yet these questions are of great urgency.”
m assingale said he would not attempt to answer these questions, but he turned to d r. m artin Luther King, Jr. to begin to address them, referencing King’s principle of the soul of a nation.
“ d r. King viewed the mission of the s outhern Leadership c onference as being the transformation of
a society, not merely social change,” he said. “King knew that a merica’s problem was bigger than legal segregation of Jim or Jane c row. b ecause the country’s long and dark history of genocide, slavery and segregation, he knew that without a moral transformation, racism would continue to mutate into different forms even after legal segregation was dismantled.”
s egregation in a merica ended, m assingale said, but integration has failed. h e said this could be seen in the way a merican cities were laid out — predominantly a frican- a merican communities tended to be separated from predominantly white communities.
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“To redeem the soul of a merica, what King meant was we have to go deeper beyond superficial surface changes, laws and customs,” he said. “Those are necessary, they’re important, but they’re only a first step. The true solution to the nation’s problems requires a transformation in moral values. i t requires articulating what those values of the nation are.”
m assingale said King’s principles could be seen even in modern movements, especially the b lack Lives m atter movement.
“ r acism is a soul sickness,” m assingale said. “ i t’s a profound warping of the human spirit, one that enables
concussion
his friends, which caught his attention.
“i, like everybody else, thought [a] concussion was a brain bruise,” he said. “but it can bring on early a lzheimer-type symptoms — cognitive impairment, cognitive decline, memory loss … that’s pretty awful.”
schwarz said he observed four consecutive football players diagnosed with concussions — he figured there must be a correlation between playing football and concussions.
“The chance for these players to have this disease is greatly higher than the
human beings to create communities of cold, callous indifference towards their darker sisters and brothers. s tripped to its core, racism is that disturbing interior disease that enables people to not care for those that don’t look like them.”
m assingale said the way to fully solve the issue of racism is more than just political policy, but more a matter of changing the country’s morals.
“The problem we face in a merica is not that we have a President Trump,” he said. “President Trump is us. h e’s the a merican psyche — our shadow side on steroids. h e simply reflects our ambivalence toward the weak, our
national population,” he said. “something is going on here.”
When schwarz told nfL commissioner roger goodell that four out of four football players he observed suffered from concussion symptoms, goodell refused to believe it.
schwarz’s persistent research with mathematical modelings further convinced him of the cause-and-effect relation between repetitive head collisions and concussions. several months later, schwarz said he obtained the nfL’s research on brain disease, which was conducted by the university of michigan. schwarz said this critical study revealed that nfL retirees aged 30-49 are 19 times susceptible to memory
s afe
con T inued from Page 1
d ennis b rown said in an email.
s aint m ary’s did not have any students in London this semester, and the c enter for Women’s i ntercultural Leadership is currently working to confirm the
pursuit of national strength, our belief in a merican exceptionalism, the belief that we are special in a way that no one else in the world is. s o removing Trump alone. … will not solve the problem. We have to interrogate the a merican soul.”
People have the power to make the changes necessary to end racism, m assingale said.
“ s ocial life is made by human beings,” he said. “The society we live in is the result of human choices and decisions. That mean that human beings can change things.”
Contact Nicole Caratas at ncaratas01@saintmarys.edu
problems, while nfL retirees aged above 50 have six times the chance of having memory-related diseases, compared to all u s men.
despite the consequences of schwarz’s stories, he said he never harbored any resentment against the sport itself.
“i’ve never said that football should be banned. i’ve never said that there should be different rules, anything like that,” schwarz said. “my whole point is just that ‘Look, there’s an increase of risk.’ People should know about that so that they can make better-informed decisions for themselves and their kids.”
Contact Arthur Zhao at szhao4@nd.edu
safety of its students studying abroad in other programs that may have been traveling in London at the time of the attack, associate director for international education a lice Yang said in an email. The c ollege currently has one student studying at o xford u niversity and others in various e uropean countries, Yang said in the email.
EMMET FARNAN | The Observer
Alan Schwarz speaks at Notre Dame on Wednesday. Schwarz broke the news on the connnection between football and concussions.
Take a road trip
This spring break I got the opportunity to do something that was once an integral part of Americana.
I went on a road trip.
specifically, I, along with two other members of The observer made the 14-hour round-trip drive to buffalo, new York, to cover the men’s basketball team in the nc AA tournament.
despite the snowstorm warnings on the drive up, and the rain all the way back, the drive itself was maybe the best part of the trip for me.
For some people, being stuck in a car for long period of time with other humans is their personal definition of hell. For others, like me, getting time to just relax and chill out with other people while zipping by the great American countryside is a positive experience.
It’s nice to get away from the daily routines and regular places of our everyday lives and set off for somewhere a few states over. maybe it’s just me, but I like watching the different houses go by and imaging what their residents’ lives are like. And if you’re lucky enough to have a guide like former Assistant managing e ditor Alex carson, you can actually learn a lot about speed traps, road paving techniques and normal traffic conditions along the ohio Turnpike.
And then there’s the music. The tunes, the jams, the funky bass — whatever you want to call it.
The traditional, correct road-trip music is classic rock and that’s where I’m in my element. Tom Petty, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Foreigner, Journey; anything in that vein of upbeat, driving classic rock is acceptable.
If classic rock isn’t your thing, some Iggy or e minem or anything you can blast and sing along to works just fine, as well.
And one of the most underrated part of road trips is the length of time you have to listen to all your jams. do you like Pink Floyd, but never have time to finish their concept albums? do all your friend like “hamilton,” and you’ve been meaning to find some time to sit down and really digest it? Turn it on for the drive and take it all in.
Unfortunately, with so many flights available and increased television coverage of major events, road trips are falling out of vogue. Why watch your favorite team play live when you can watch it on high-definition T v ?
however, this is the wrong mindset to have. d riving is often cheaper and really isn’t that much slower than you think when you consider that you spend about two hours before each flight going through security. And that’s not to mention delays and cancellations. Weather can’t cancel a road trip as long as you’ve got guts.
but really, the most important and enjoyable part of the drive is building relationships. It makes existing friendships stronger and potential friendships emerge. heck, road trips can be a great way to tell if your romantic partner and you are compatible. my mom, in fact, took a road trip with one of her former boyfriends and found out that he, while a great guy, just wasn’t quite what she wanted in a relationship. so don’t underestimate the power of the road. It can be a fun experience and one that is sadly falling out of fashion. Whether you’re a collegiate newspaper trying to cut costs, a group of friends going to Las vegas or a couple taking a romantic getaway, top off your tank and hit the road.
Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Jordan Peele’s
o ver break, I finally had the chance to burst the “ n otre d ame bubble” and catch up with the rest of the world. n o, I did not spend my break reading up on all the current global turmoil and political disasters. Instead, I headed to the movie theater with some friends to see the latest movie craze — Jordan Peele’s “Get o ut.” I’ll be the first to admit that I had no idea what to expect. I’d seen all the hype the movie was getting, but seeing Peele’s name front and enter led me to expect a stupidly funny parody a la “ s cary m ovie.” Perhaps the raving reviews from intellectuals and celebrities alike, as well the 99 percent on r otten Tomatoes (it was only kept from 100 percent by one critic — the very same one who prevented “Toy s tory 3” from reaching the coveted perfect score) should’ve clued me in that this movie was a lot more than a farce. c hris and r ose are a perfect couple, young and beautiful. The fact that he is black and she is white wasn’t even a blip on their radars — until she decides to bring him home to meet her family. Without giving too much away, “Get o ut” took me by complete surprise by being simultaneously one of the most wickedly funny and terrifying movies I’ve ever seen. The unique thing about it is that there’s little that separates the moments that made me laugh versus the ones that caused me to jump in fear. The most scary elements of the film were tinged in a very purposeful humor — take the scene where a young white man uses a lacrosse stick as a brutal weapon, for instance. Aside from the jump-scares (and there were plenty), what really makes this movie scary is the fact that the horror isn’t disguised by a mask-wearing psychopath or a disfigured monster. The real terror shines through in the almost-recognizable elements of everyday society that Peele masterfully
shaped into a sinister and bloody tale. m y laughter flowed freely at first, when the absurd behavior of the white people seemed foreign and comically stereotypical. e ventually, however, my giggles shifted to more of a nervous titter, as I checked around the theater to make sure it was okay for me to laugh; I began to recognize that I was witnessing behavior that I had experienced in my own life, if not quite as exaggerated. r ose’s pedantic father, who humbly shows off all his luxuries and memorabilia from his extravagant travels while giving c hris a tour of the home, could be one of any successful person from my neighborhood. The borderline-insane brother represents the extreme mentality of the incredibly privileged and well-off frat star. “I would have voted for o bama for a third term if I could” is tossed around, both in the movie and in real life, as a meager attempt to show just how not-racist someone is. These minor details and characteristics of r ose’s white family and friends seem unimportant until their far more sinister intentions are slowly revealed as the movie continues.
I left the theater in as state of shock, trying to wrap my head around what exactly I had just seen and how I felt about it. To be honest, I’m still forming new thoughts and opinions about the movie. o ne thing for certain, however, is the Jordan Peele defied every expectation I had for this film, and created a masterpiece horrorcomedy that won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Aside from incessantly quoting “Hamilton” and other perfect works of theater/film, Lucy Collins majors in economics and history, is a sophomore at Notre Dame and is often found trying to balance her hopeless romanticism and nearly constant cynicism. Please direct comments to lcollin8@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Lucy Collins stuck in the m iddle
Marek Mazurek Assistant managing e ditor
Ray Ramirez The c rooked Path
I was poring through the newest volume of the Journal of Known etymology ( vol. 9, April 2017), when I spied a few items that looked ripe for sharing with informed and educated readers. Please enjoy them in moderation and do not over-inflate your mind beyond recommended safe limits.
red herring
We are most familiar with “red herrings” as plot twists in detective stories contrived to mislead the audience into believing the wrong suspect committed the crime. o ne origin story is of a fugitive dragging a red herring (reddened when smoke cured), along the ground to set up a stronger misleading scent trail for hounds to follow. more likely is the explanation from the bbc nature series by d avid Attenborough, “s omething Fishy,” rarely if ever seen in the U. s ., which features dramatic footage of a pack of murderous sea lions chasing adorable herring across the north Atlantic. In one of evolution’s clever — albeit cruel — tricks, in each school of herring one or two fish are born bright red. The sea lions chase after the ruddy mutants and — to the sound of a solemn minor chord — the rosy fish are eaten by the pinnipeds while normally hued herring escape. s atiated by the altruistic fish, the sea lions move on, and the remaining fish swim free.
A red herring is also a type of logical fallacy, known in Latin as “ignoratio elenchi,” or “ignorance of refutation.” A person employing such a fallacy completely ignores the conclusion to be refuted. For example, in response to concerns about what recent tax returns might indicate regarding potential conflicts with, say, r ussia, a (narrowly) elected official under scrutiny might produce — directly or via a likely leak — a 12-year-old partial tax return that puts the person in a supposedly positive light. This red herring of a response may well fool a dog or a sea lion, but cautious
Wordplay
individuals should not be misled by the acrid smell of such an effort.
Partridge in a Pear Tree
This phrase, which is the stopping point for yet another mind-numbing verse of “The Twelve d ays of c hristmas,” originated with b ritish schoolboys gently poking fun at a beloved instructor. Apparently the old don was fond of blowing and rubbing his large, pear-shaped nose. In an effort to get at a dry and somewhat recalcitrant fleck of mucosa, he attempted to slyly slip a digit up one nostril. h is vigorous exertions to loosen and retrieve the object were likened by certain of the lads under his care as “hunting for a partridge in the old pear tree.” e xactly how the phrase made its way into the rambling song about seasonal gifts is not clear. The song is sometimes touted as having been a way for persecuted c atholics in e ngland to teach important religious traditions in a “coded” form, even though the Anglicans pretty much followed the same lessons, and the song apparently was French in origin. A more probable explanation is that the song was created as a method to extract confessions from prisoners, especially when delivered A cappella.
acronyms
The use of acronyms has a long tradition, and many common words are attributed to the shorthand use of the initial letters of an underlying phrase. “Posh” is often endorsed as an abbreviation for “port out, starboard home,” this cabin location being perhaps cooler, with north-facing rooms favored by rich passengers traveling from b ritain to India (apparently prior to the invention of window shades). This class-conscious explanation is well thought out, and likely incorrect. A more direct origin is the r omani, also known as Gypsy, term “posh,” meaning “half,” as in “half a crown.” If a performer found that amount tossed into an upturned hat (as opposed to a penny) then the contributor would indeed be seen as posh.
Another overwrought fictional acronym is “tips.” While many cherish the idea the word is an acronym for “to insure prompt service” or “to insure promptness” (for the singular “tip”), this is another word that is simply too simple to be accepted for what it is: a good old Anglo- s axon word that means pretty much what it says, the tip or the top. Take a bit off the bill for a meal, add it back in to thank the wait-person, and there you have it. h ere’s an etymological tip: If the word predates the 20th c entury, odds are good it did not start out as an acronym, as the mania for acronymic compression is largely a product of more recent military and government nomenclature. Take for example the Affordable c are Act, which has been shortened to the A c A, and even nicknamed “ o bamacare,” as a contraction of o bama’s role in championing the A c A. r ecent attempts to “repeal and replace” the A c A have produced the American h ealth c are Act. The A hc A sets itself apart with a four-letter acronym, even though “healthcare” is an acceptable word. o ne supposes the extra word was included to avoid the acronym “A h A,” the involuntary sound of surprise at how much or how little the A hc A actually changes the A c A, depending on whether or not you pay for your own healthcare. If the A hc A has any support at all, it comes largely from the conservative end of the political spectrum, so I propose it should more correctly be designated as the c onservative American c are Act or c A c A. As c A c A makes its way through the lengthy and convoluted halls of power, and the nation strains at its arrival, we anticipate c A c A will be dragged across our path as a posh answer to our health problems. r ed herrings are beginning to smell better already.
Ray Ramirez is an attorney practicing, yet never perfecting, law in Texas while waiting patiently for a MacArthur Genius Grant. You may contact him at patrayram@sbcglobal.net
The views expressed in the column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Pence ‘an exceptionally bleak choice’
I graduated from notre dame way back in the ’80s, and have been a proud alumnus ever since, even as my left-leaning tendencies have increased over the years. however, the “c om-Pence-ment” — ironically announced in the alumni newsletter next to an article about “healing our divided nation” — has left me confused. I simply cannot square Fr. Jenkins praise of v ice President Pence’s personal moral conviction with what feels to me, at a very basic gut level, is an administration with no clear moral compass. It would be hard to imagine, for instance, Jesus praising the latest c ongressional budget o ffice scorecard.
Pence, Trump and others should absolutely be allowed and encouraged to speak their minds and promote their positions on our campus, but does it have to be c ommencement? c ommencement is an opportunity to give clear moral and ethical advice to students. It can be spiritually uplifting to everyone in the room, it can bring the campus together and it can elevate our institution in the eyes of the world by reinforcing our values. I’m afraid that the selection of Pence fails on all accounts, and is an especially bleak choice for many graduates this year. o n the positive side, maybe m r. Pence will be
better than my c ommencement speaker, who was merely boring, and will inspire a new generation of graduates to become more politically active than those of us in the ’80s, who could only manage to protest the removal of c ap’n c runch from the dining hall menu.
c ongratulations on graduating. Looking forward to meeting some of you in the future.
John Kennedy class of 1986 march 16
LETTEr TO ThE EdITOr
Happy Birthday: don’t leave anything to chance. look at every situation carefully and find a workable solution. letting matters linger will make life more difficult. make alterations to the way you do things and be willing to cut corners and act frugally. The choices you make will determine your future. Invest in yourself and the skills you require to reach your goals. your numbers are 3, 12, 16, 23, 37, 45, 48.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take the high road when dealing with adversity or those who voice emotional differences. What you accomplish will count far more than getting involved in a stubborn stalemate. focus on yourself and the ones you love. romance is highlighted.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): emotional uncertainty and confusion will set in when dealing with peers, superiors and relatives. concise communication will help, but questioning any responses that leave you feeling doubtful should be a priority. Walk away from temptation.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): don’t stop learning. gather the facts and be open to suggestions. high returns will come from being prepared and offering sound solutions and plans. don’t put up with anyone using emotional manipulation to take advantage of you.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): channel your energy into something you enjoy doing. Take part in a rally and you will feel good about supporting a cause you believe in. nurture important partnerships instead of taking extreme actions. Patience will be required.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Travel and education are highlighted. A professional challenge will require your undivided attention. use your intelligence to find solutions and be willing to work with others in order to get things done. Anger will impede your productivity. say little but do a lot.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A business trip or partnership looks promising. If you put in the time, you will get what you want. negotiate on your own behalf and you will avoid being taken advantage of or getting too little in return.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): relationships will pose a problem. Absorb what others are telling you and don’t react until you have found a way to deal with the situation reasonably. enforce discipline and offer love and peace rather than cacophony and confusion.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): share your thoughts at networking events or when dealing with friends, family or children. your input may not always be taken favorably, but it will have an impact on those you care about. be true to yourself and offer truth and love.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): don’t mix business with pleasure or you will lose the upper hand. Put your efforts into getting ahead and improving your life both at home and at work. A personal commitment to someone you love will improve your relationship.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): mounting opposition will leave you in a quandary. back up and consider your options. don’t engage in a confrontation with someone who is unpredictable or impulsive. Protect what you have, dismiss pressure tactics and take back control.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): secrets are best kept that way. If you divulge information in a moment of emotional turmoil, it will lead to an argument that you will regret. stay calm, listen carefully and use whatever information you can gather to bring about positive changes.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Turn something you enjoy doing into a way to boost your income. start by volunteering your services and see where it leads. change can be good if you go about it the right way. make sure your motives are honorable.
Birthday Baby: you are emotional, talkative and friendly. you are adaptable and excessive.
Jumble | dAvId hoyT And Jeff knurek
Villanova reverts to heartbreak
Michael Ivey sports Writer
When Kris Jenkins sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the national championship game for v illanova last season, it didn’t seem real.
The ending itself was spectacular. b ut who it was happening to made it even more head scratching.
v illanova, the same team who made losing in the round of 32 as a n o. 1 or 2 seed a routine thing, not only made it past the round of 32 in 2016, but won the national championship on a buzzer-beater.
It’s over. The run of disappointment for v illanova had finally ended. The Wildcats beat high-powered teams Kansas, o klahoma and n orth c arolina in hardfought games during the tournament on their way to the championship. It was the opposite of what people were expecting. They had flipped the old narrative of postseason disappointments on its head. This was the beginning of the new v illanova.
Then s aturday happened.
The Wildcats had entered this season’s nc AA Tournament as the b ig e ast regular season and tournament champions and the overall n o. 1 seed in the field of 68 teams. They looked like they were going to have a clear path to the e lite e ight and a potential matchup with d uke to go to the Final Four.
The Wildcats drew Wisconsin in the second round. Wisconsin finished the b ig Ten regular season on a downward spiral before reaching the b ig Ten tournament championship game. s till, v illanova was favored to defeat the b adgers and continue their run towards defending their title.
b ut v illanova fell behind early and trailed most of the game. d espite making a late comeback and holding on to their lead for a little while, the Wildcats couldn’t finish off the b adgers and lost a 65-62 heartbreaker.
It was an all-too-familiar feeling for v illanova and its fans (and anyone who picked v illanova to go far in their m arch m adness brackets).
s ince making it to the Final Four in 2009, v illanova has failed to advance beyond the round of 32 in seven of the last eight years. Almost every year has been marked by great regular season success followed by postseason disappointment.
The Wildcats earned a n o. 2 seed in the 2010 tournament, only to lose to s aint m ary’s in the round of 32. After losing to George m ason in the first round of the 2011 tournament, the Wildcats failed to qualify for the 2012 tournament. After losing to s outh c arolina in the first round in 2013, the Wildcats won the b ig e ast regular season tournament in 2014 and earned a n o. 2 seed in the tournament. They fell in the round of 32 to eventual national champion c onnecticut.
2015 looked like it was finally going to be the year. v illanova won the b ig e ast regular season and tournament championship and earned a n o. 1 seed in the tournament. b ut, in all too familiar fashion, the Wildcats lost to n orth c arolina s tate in the round of 32 in the game that gave us the crying piccolo girl.
The image became a symbol of v illanova’s continued postseason futility, raising their fans’ hope for glory before smashing them with an early postseason exit, ranking them up there with the Washington c apitals or the Los Angeles d odgers.
Then v illanova won it all in 2016 and shredded the postseason choker label forever. o r so we thought.
Last year now looks like a one-year exception rather than the beginning of something new.
Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
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Irish look to start new streak versus nc state
Observer Sports Staff
The Irish will play host in a matchup with north c arolina state on Friday, just after having their eleven-game win streak snapped by v irginia, and now sit at 14-2, with a 5-1 record in the Acc singles play will likely continue to be a strong point for notre dame (14-2, 5-1 Acc ), as senior monica robinson and junior brooke broda each came away with
singles victories against the c avaliers.
notre dame struggled in doubles against v irginia, losing both of the matches that finished. In the match before the streak-snapping loss, notre dame won all three of its doubles matches against William & mary. n c state (12-7, 1-5 Acc ) will bring a talented roster into s outh bend to take on the Irish. Wolfpack senior martina Frantova and freshman Anna
rogers are the nation’s 30thranked doubles pair coming off a dominating win in their most recent match against boston c ollege. n c state sophomore bianca moldovan, meanwhile, blanked her most recent opponent 6-0, 6-0 in singles.
The matchup between the two Acc foes will begin at 4 p.m. at c ourtney Tennis c enter Friday. The Irish face a quick turnaround, hosting m iami on sunday.
belles win nailbiter in overtime at Illinois state
Observer Sports Staff Lacrosse
saint mary’s lost three games over spring break, but bounced back with a thrilling 17-16 record comeback win in overtime over Illinois Tech.
The belles (1-3) lost 19-9 to smith (7-1) to open the break period. The squad trailed within three minutes of play and found themselves in an early 6-2 hole that they could not recover from. sophomore midfielder Kate Kelly scored two goals and recorded nine draw controls.
Against Wooster, the belles trailed 4-1 within five minutes but cut the lead to 8-7 late in the first half. however, two goals just before halftime and three just after helped Wooster (5-1) to an 18-13 win. Kelly scored four goals and added six draw controls.
Against Western connecticut (3-3), the belles trailed 5-1 early and — despite cutting the lead to 5-4 halfway through the first half — couldn’t stay in the game and eventually lost 199. Freshman midfielder mary singler scored three goals.
Against Illinois Tech (6-1), the belles looked set for another defeat trailing 13-7 after a 6-0 run and the score at 15-9 with under 12 minutes left. With only three minutes left, the belles still trailed by four, but singler — who scored a program-record seven total goals on the day — scored four goals in the final three minutes before Kelly scored the overtime winner after a scarlet hawks turnover. The win marked the biggest comeback in saint mary’s lacrosse history.
The belles will play ohio northern on saturday at 1 p.m.
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In a busy spring break, saint mary’s started its season with two wins but finished their spring games in Florida 4-6 before splitting a two-game series with Aurora.
The belles (5-7) got off to an ideal start on their opening day, defeating no. 21 manhattanville 5-0 before beating Western connecticut 9-3. Against manhattanville (5-7), junior pitcher morgan raymer was a single out away from a nohitter and didn’t let a single runner on base until the fifth inning. Although she allowed a double with two outs in the game’s final inning, a flyout ensured the onehit shutout win. Against Western connecticut (8-6), junior center fielder cassie Young went 3-for4 while junior second baseman Kelsey richards recorded 4 rbIs on two hits, including a two-run homer.
The following day, however, the belles dropped their first two contests to ohio Wesleyan (4-6) and bethel (1-12). Junior pitcher Jessica Alberts allowed only four hits and recorded seven strikeouts in the defeat to ohio Wesleyan, but the belles bats couldn’t get going.
saint mary’s defeated Umassboston (8-2) 10-0 in five innings, as raymer pitched four more shutout innings on her way to another win. however, raymer recorded her first loss and gave up her first runs of the season later that day to Anderson in a 5-1 defeat.
In two extra innings games, the belles lost to UW-stevens Point (7-11) 4-3 in eight innings before dropping a game with rochester 7-6 in 10 innings. The belles then lost 6-0 to millikin before defeating marywood (0-7) 11-0 in five innings in their last game in Florida. Junior shortstop Jamie
Young went 3-for-3 with four runs scored against marywood while Alberts pitched the shutout. The belles also split two games with Aurora (7-5), losing the first 4-3 but winning the second 6-1. The belles trailed 3-0 after two innings in the second encounter and 3-1 when junior pitcher mary Green came into the game in the fifth inning, but a five-run sixth inning helped earn Green the relief win.
The belles will play Wheaton on Friday at 3 p.m.
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saint mary’s won one of its five matchups over spring break, recording a comfortable win over Goucher but losing to UW-La crosse, saint scholastica, William smith and st. norbert.
Against no. 15 UW-La crosse (15-2), sophomore elizabeth Preister recorded the only belles win, a 6-4, 6-2 victory, while every other belles player and doubles pairing lost.
Against Goucher (2-3), the belles completed a sweep, with senior sam setterblad and sophomore monica davy both coming through in singles tiebreakers. however, against saint scholastica, the belles lost 6-3, splitting the singles contests thanks to wins from Preister, junior maddie minaudo and freshman meaghan Flynn but failing to win a doubles match.
Against William smith (5-3), the belles were swept, failing to win a singles set and winning only two games in the doubles, before a close encounter with st. norbert. Three singles matches went to a tiebreaker with the score at 3-3, but saint norbert won two out of the three to emerge as 5-4 victors.
The belles will play Wheaton on Friday at 7 p.m.
notre dame takes seventh against tough opponents
By JACK CONCANNON sports Writer
notre dame hosted the sixth annual clover cup tournament at longbow country club in mesa, a rizona, over the weekend. The irish finished seventh in a loaded field of 15 with a +23 over the three days. no. 4 a rizona state led the way, with no. 25 oklahoma, no. 2 Florida state, houston and TcU rounding out the top five.
hosted hundreds of miles away from south bend, notre dame’s clover cup has become a staple tournament in the world of women’s college golf, routinely drawing the country’s premier programs to compete.
“This was the deepest field and best-ranked that we’ve ever had,” irish head coach susan holt said. “a rizona state and Florida state are ranked in the top five and oklahoma is ranked in the top 25. We ended up having a really great event.”
The tournament got underway with a familiar face leading for the irish. sophomore emma a lbrecht posted a +3 over the three days, good for first on the team and tied for 16th amongst the entire field. she never had a
round worse than +2, and gave the irish consistent golf over all three days of the tournament.
sophomore isabella dilisio came out firing in the first round of the tournament, posting a 5-under-par 67 in the first round that included two eagles.
This was the best round that any of the irish posted over the whole weekend. it was also the third-lowest score that was posted that day, just one shot off oklahoma’s sophomore Julienne soo and houston’s junior courtney Tibiletti for the daily lead. dilisio would cool off slightly as the tournament progressed, posting a 77 and 76 in the second and third rounds, respectively, to finish with a +4.
senior Jordan Ferreira, freshman mia ayer and sophomore maddie rose hamilton also put up scores that would end up counting for the irish. Ferreira’s second-round 73 was the thirdlowest any irish golfer posted on the weekend, and she finished +7 for the tournament.
“We have a lot of balance on this team,” holt said. “We have five great players that can go out and shoot well at any time. isabella’s first round was a great round, and emma’s been really
solid all spring. For emma to be that consistent is a real positive.”
The irish were ranked eighth out of all the teams coming into the field before the tournament began, and ended up finishing in seventh.
“overall, i thought play was pretty good,” holt said. “i think we all certainly hoped we would play a little bit better. We’re still not as consistent as we need to be throughout our lineup, so we’re working to get better.”
The irish will get a weekend off from competition, then travel to Wake Forest to participate in the bryan national collegiate tournament hosted by Wake Forest.
“That’s going to be a great field, so we need to take advantage and beat a few teams ranked ahead of us,” holt said.
“With our national ranking, we need to capitalize on this tournament to improve our ranking. We had practice today, so we’ll keep working on the things we need to get better at.”
The irish will next compete on march 31 in the Wake Forest bryan national collegiate.
Contact Jack Concannon at jconcan2@nd.edu
WOrLd BasEBaLL cL assIc | UniTed sTaTes 8, PUerTo rico 0
Us defeats Puerto r ico
Associated Press
los an G eles — The eagle has landed on top.
The United s tates routed Puerto r ico 8-0 to win its first World b aseball c lassic in four tries on Wednesday night behind six hitless innings from m arcus s troman.
The a mericans planted their eagle statue mascot on the mound in celebration, a blue cap jauntily hanging from one of its large wings.
“ it’s a different feeling when the U sa is on your chest,” first baseman e ric h osmer said. “We wanted to get the U. s . back on top of the baseball world, and we did that.”
For a sport known as a merica’s pastime, the U. s had struggled since the W bc began in 2006. Twice, the a mericans lost in the second round and they went out in the semifinals in 2009.
This time was different.
“These guys were here to do their best,” Team U sa general manager Joe Torre said. “The thing i marveled at was how quickly they came together, and Jimmy ( l eyland) deserves a lot of that credit. They’re just a great group who understood what this event is all about.”
a ccepting the gleaming silver trophy from baseball c ommissioner r ob m anfred, manager l eyland told the crowd, “This is for the men and women who serve our country.”
a fter the final out, the
a mericans massed on the mound, hugging and highfiving while fireworks exploded in center field. s ome of them grabbed a U. s . flag and circled the warning track, waving it in celebration with fans in the stands.
i rish improve times at regatta
Observer Sports Staff
notre d ame opened their spring season at the sixth annual c ardinal i nvitational in o ak r idge, Tennessee, in decent form over spring break. The i rish put forward four different boats for eight races over the weekend of m arch 11 and 12. They found moderate success with a collection of second and third-place finishes while boasting a first-place performance by the third varsity e ight boat in its second race, which pulled a time of 7:00.22. most boats improved
in time in their second races compared with their firsts. This upward trend spilled into sunday when each of the four boats raced one final time. notre d ame secured one third-place and two second-place finishes and was again led by a victory from the third varsity e ight. This boat won its race by 10 seconds over second-place host l ouisville, finishing with a time of 6:46.32.
notre d ame will travel to a ustin on m arch 25 for their next contest at the l onghorn i nvitational.
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nd set to take on v irginia Tech
By MICHAEL IVEY sports Writer
n otre d ame is set to take on conference foe v irginia Tech in b lacksburg, v irginia, on Friday.
i rish head coach r yan s achire said he expects a challenge from the h okies (6-8, 1-3 acc ).
“ v irginia Tech is a good team,” s achire said. “ i t’s going to be a tough match.
i t’s on the road down in b lacksburg, and any road match in the acc is going to be a challenging one and we know that. We’re expecting it to be really close and really competitive and we’re going to have to earn everything
that we get. We played them now the last three years and all of the matches have been ultra-competitive. We expect the same thing this time around and hopefully we can go down there and play well and compete well and come out with a win.”
The i rish (9-6, 1-2) are coming off of hosting a doubleheader in which they lost to n o. 2 v irginia 6-1 and beat d ePaul 7-0.
a gainst v irginia, freshman Guillermo c abrera recorded the only singles victory for the i rish, winning in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 in singles. a gainst d ePaul, however, the i rish won across the board in singles and doubles.
s achire said his team will go through the same practice routine they usually go through to prepare for the h okies.
“[We’ll] get the week going with a practice on m onday and kind of build as the week goes on,” s achire said. “We’ll leave on Thursday morning and get a good practice in down there on the courts in b lacksburg and be ready to tee it up on Friday. i t’s not a long week. We only have a few days to prepare, so we have to be pretty efficient with our preparation and get a good practice in on Thursday when we’re down there.”
s achire said his message to his team before the match will be to play aggressive and play to the level he knows they are capable of playing.
“We know we’re a good team and we know they’re a good team and we’re going to need to play well to win,” s achire said. “ i think it’s about getting our guys to perform at their optimal level and if they feel relaxed and confident, they’ll have the best chance to do that.”
The acc match begins at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu
MICHELLE MEHELAS | The Observer
Irish sophomore Alex Lebedev reacts to scoring a point during Notre Dame’s match against Northwestern on Feb. 24 at Eck Tennis Pavilion. On Sunday, Lebedev lost his singles match against the Cavaliers.
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and Wester slid in safely to give notre dame the 2-0 lead.
a nd the i rish weren’t done. Later in the inning, with runners still on second and third, marino blasted a line drive to deep right field. The spartan right fielder couldn’t handle it, and brooks scored from third to make it 3-0. senior right fielder Kimmy sullivan walked to load the bases again and designated player sara White walked as well to bring in another run.
i rish junior pitcher Katie beriont rolled in the second inning on the help of a double play and a diving stop by marino, but the spartans got on the board in the top of the third as junior outfielder Lea foerster clubbed a line drive home run to right center field. The spartans managed to put two runners on with two outs, but beriont found a strikeout to end the inning with just one run given up.
The i rish answered back in the bottom of the third as sophomore third baseman melissa rochford and marino got on base. White walked for a second time and loaded the bases for sophomore catcher maddie mccracken with one out. m ichigan state switched
to freshman pitcher Jordan Watson, but mccracken took Watson’s first pitch on the ground into left field to score a run and put the i rish up 5-1.
i n the fourth inning, senior rachel nasland replaced beriont on the mound. nasland put up a scoreless frame — despite a hit batter — with the help of two more diving plays by marino.
marino said she felt her big defensive plays were a product of the tone set by Wester’s home run theft in the first inning and that her play in turn helped build momentum for the rest of the game.
“my defense is my favorite part of the game,” marino said.
“We’re a team about momentum and we’re really focused on getting momentum ourselves so once we could continue the momentum from the first inning into the rest of the game. That was big for us.”
The spartans closed the gap in the fifth frame as a triple from sophomore left fielder ebonee echols drove in foerster to make it 5-2. echols scored on a sacrifice fly one batter later and the m ichigan state deficit was down to just two runs. however, the i rish were determined to put the game away. i n the bottom of the fifth, freshman madison heide fouled off six pitches before knocking
a towering homer to left field to score herself and White to make it a 7-3 ballgame. Later in the inning, both Wester sisters reached base on infield hits and brooks walked to load the bases, still with no outs. reed picked up her third rbi of the day with a walk and rochford took a pitch off the elbow to score another run, making it 9-3. a few batters later, heide came back up and singled with the bases loaded to end the game via mercy rule, 11-3.
next up for the i rish is v irginia Tech. The hokies (1313, 3-6 acc ) come to town for a three-game set that is currently scheduled to start friday evening. gumpf said she thinks the team can take the lessons it learned from m ichigan state and apply them to v irginia Tech.
“i look at v irginia Tech and i think they’re a lot like m ichigan state,” gumpf said. “They have pitchers who keep them in ballgames who do a nice job and their hitting is definitely their strength. We have to be in charge of ourselves and making sure we’re making those same great plays against v irginia Tech because they can flat out hit.”
Contact Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@nd.edu
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KATHLEEN DONAHUE | The Observer
Junior pitcher Katie Beriont winds up to deliver a pitch during Notre Dame’s 11-3 win over Michigan State on Wednesday.