for freshman?
The year was divided into quarters, and you pursued a different sport each quarter. My sequence was soccer, wrestling, gymnastics, and handball. Soccer was fun because it was outside. Wrestling was awful--we paired up on the basis of size/weight. I had a bruiser who had wrestled in hs, and he was about 20 lbs heavier than I was. I spent the quarter being thrown all over the place. Gymnastics was a total joke. A nutsack-crushing joke.
Handball was fun, and I played handball for the rest of my time at ND. I played handball during the years I lived in Chicago in the early 80's and was a member of the CAA. It had the only handball courts I knew about.
It was a 3-hr, non-credit course which meant that you had an 18 hr load in your freshman year. Attendance was mandatory as were all classes. I'm sure they have modified the rule, but 3+ absences = F in those days.
I walked from the Main Gate to the Pay Caf, got a chocolate malt, and walked back to the main gate. O'Sullivan busted my balls for not lying. I refused to do a twenty minute run . I knew I would hurt myself. I offered to do a 5 mile swim, but they (Noel) wouldn't accept it. After the season was over I never went back to gym. Senior year I went to see Dean Waddick to get my schedule signed. I told him I needed to pass gym. He laughed and told me that he had never made a Senior take gym.
Coach Stark, while one of the great men at ND and a marine, was loathe to fight any sort of power.
Was the only PE (or ND) class guaranteed to have 50/50 males/females. Good times
What was funny is that we had several football/basketball players in my PE class and during the swim test the way they thrashed about the water as if sharks were nipping at their heels was comical.
Handball was great and I still prefer it to racquetball.
The best was G-O-L-F.
...per semester. I did the required swimming, then ice skating twice for fall semester; then handball, because that was our dorm's nickname for the rector, and two successive rotations of golf. "Full swings, gentlemen--full swings!" (Noel O'Sullivan.)
...there were two in the fall and three in the spring.
I remember doing volleyball first (sprained my ankle a week in) followed by fencing, then in spring I did advanced fencing, social dance, and weight training.
A nice bonus was getting to do the rotations with the varsity coaches from some sports.
I think I did racquetball, fencing with Yves Auriiol, social dance, the beautiful game of G-O-L-F with Noel O’Sullivan, and tennis with Bob Bayless.
I watched him on attack against an Olympic medal winner. It was like Yoda vs. Jabba. An absolute master.
Which I did.
Something about a sore shoulder from weight lifting, which was true, but 4 hours of sleep and a crushing hangover had way more to do with it.
Mind you I was captain of the my high school swimming team, and seriously considered swimming for Notre Dame, but ultimately decided against. Yet somehow Br. Louis did not like this way I swam side stroke or some such nonsense.
I then spent a semester swimming laps while the rest of the class wore floaties.
getting high scores on the swim test. Rumor was they graded it on a curve. They had a certain number of spots for the swim class to fill.
... skating, circuit training, tennis and handball.
They all were fine, if a bit of a pain to do.
didn't have to take PE. I know they are the first class that didn't have to take the swim test.
Yes, not a joke.
Q
From his cage in the Rock shower room in 1981.
freshman were eligible for varsity. Before the first rip the Captain and stark told me I had to stay in the same roomwith Eddie and the Bus Driver on roadtrips. I told them I quit and skipped practice the next day.