Something special about Super Bowl Sunday

Olivia Schatz Associate sports e ditor

Growing up, if you asked me what my favorite day of the year was, I would always say the s uper b owl. d on’t get me wrong — I loved waking up c hristmas morning to dozens of presents. I would always be the first to wake up for the yearly e aster egg hunt. b ut as much as I absolutely love spending time with my extended family, there was something special about the s uper b owl.

m y parents are still friends with their friends from high school, and as they had children, they all happened to move to the same school district, where their kids would also become friends. While we didn’t spend holidays together, we grew up going on vacations together and having numerous backyard barbeques. The s uper b owl, for us, was a time that everyone would get together. We would have candy bets for the younglings, and an array of different desserts throughout the house. o n the morning of the game, I would pester my parents, asking how long until we could see everyone.

m ost of the time, I wouldn’t even watch the

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maintained her usual impact on other facets of the game, adding seven rebounds as well as seven assists.

It was dyaisha Fair who carried the bulk of the syracuse scoring load, notching a gamehigh 22 points. Georgia Woolley and dariauna Lewis also both pitched in with 17 and 14 points, respectively.

It was notre dame’s fourth quarter defense that determined the final result of sunday’s game for the Irish. After a third quarter, in which the orange shot over 70% from the floor and 100% from deep, niele Ivey’s squad buckled down in the final frame.

syracuse was held to just 10 points in the fourth quarter, a closeout that included a stretch of over seven minutes without a successful orange shot game. I and a group of kids would gather and just play air hockey or watch the puppy bowl. We would then all rush into the living room and gather on the floor for whatever the halftime show was. h igh on sugar, it was a night we could all stay up late on a school night, forcing our parents to drag us out of bed the next morning. n ow, almost all of those kids are in college or moved out. We still get together for barbecues over the summer. And the adults still gather for s uper b owl s unday. b ut the kids are scattered throughout the country.

I never watched football growing up, yet the s uper b owl was my favorite event of the year. m y experience is not unique. With over 100 million people tuning in, there are countless families and friends who gather together to watch the biggest game of the year.

I don’t remember the last time we all had a s uper b owl together. And I don’t know if we ever will again. b ut every s uper b owl s unday, I text those friends to tell them I miss them and I’m thinking of them.

With over $16 billion bet on s uper b owl s unday, over 1.45 billion chicken from the field. notre dame’s performance seemed reflective of duke’s exactly one week prior at Purcell, when the blue devils limited the Irish to just six fourth quarter points in a victory.

Ivey said after the game the team’s fourth quarter defense, which hasn’t allowed an opponent more than 20 points in the final frame since a Jan. 8 loss to north carolina, has been a major point of emphasis for her team this season.

“I’m always preaching the fourth quarter, finishing the final ten minutes,” Ivey said. “having that mindset defensively to lock in and focus in the fourth quarter is something that we’ve been focusing on all year. It’s been extremely important the last several weeks. They understand, when its the fourth quarter, that’s when you have to turn it up defensively and I thought wings consumed and close to 100 “ s uper b owl commercials” being aired, there are tons of other things to be thinking about than the memories being made. b ut, not to be cliche, you don’t know it’s over until it’s over. o ne day in the future, that friend will be too busy to make the journey for the game. Your brother or sister will move two states away. When you are reading this, your team has either won or lost (or not made the s uper b owl at all — Go Jags!). Philly might be on fire. You might have lost hundreds of dollars in betting. b ut, you also had spent a night filled with laughter, and sometimes rage, that you will never get back. s o yes, I don’t know anything about football. d espite going to notre d ame football games on a consistent basis the last four years and working as an Associate s ports e ditor at The o bserver, I still have to ask my dad what is going on several times a game. b ut, there is undeniably something special about s uper b owl s unday. they did that today.” notre dame will now look ahead to a mid-week matchup against Louisville, in which the Irish will close out a four game home-stand. Though the cardinals do not present the same top-ten level test they did when they dominated notre dame whistle to whistle at Purcell last season, they still sit at fourth in the Acc standings after some early struggles.

Contact Olivia Schatz at oschatz@nd.edu.

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

Louisville will enter on a hot streak, having won their last four games. If notre dame wins, they’ll provide an important boost to their hopes of a top seed in both the Acc and nc AA tournaments.

The Irish face off against the cardinals at 7 p.m. esT at Purcell Pavillon on Feb. 16. The game will be available on esPn

Happy Birthday: your emotions will interfere with what’s real. distance yourself from emotional matters to get a clear-cut picture of what’s happening. look for unique alternatives and you’ll stimulate interest in your plans. Put more thought into your surroundings, and make your space compatible with your goals. Plan to update your skills, knowledge and experience; you’ll gain better options. your numbers are 8, 13, 18, 22, 31, 36, 46.

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Birthday Baby: you are courageous, kind and sensitive. you are outgoing and secretive.