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Prior to spring break, it’s easy to fall into a slump — days start to feel like a dreary, endless cycle of papers, projects and the permacloud. The cloud cover rolls in, the sun disappears for days at a time and just when you think spring is finally here, snow starts to fall — it’s a recipe for seasonal depression. It’s nice to know that we aren’t the only students who feel this way. According to the December 1975 edition of Scholastic, the winter blues have affected Domers for generations.

 

Bill Delaney wrote, “Notre Dame can be a very boring place at times. In order to combat the stream of tests, papers, lectures, labs and finals, there must be some form of relaxation available to the student.” 

 

In 1975, this relaxation often took the form of recreational sports, as it does now as well. Notre Dame’s student body is, on the whole, fairly athletic. In addition to our talented student athletes, many Notre Dame students participate in intramurals within their residence halls. Club sports teams, like ultimate frisbee, are also very popular, as are athletic groups like Bengal and Baraka Bouts. Student culture is active, as many Notre Dame students look to athletics as a way to build community, maintain health and have fun. 

 

While the specific opportunities available to students have changed over the years, the culture of the student body has remained the same. In 1975, for example, it was common for students to go ice skating on St. Mary’s lake — Alumni Hall even organized hockey matches there! Racquetball was all the rage in 1975, and Karate and Tae Kwan Do were surging in popularity, inspired by “Bruce Lee’s exploits,” according to Delaney. While racquetball has given way to rock climbing and the “finest basketball courts around” at the Rock have been replaced by the Smith Recreational Center and the JACC, Notre Dame students remain committed to fitness of the body, in addition to fitness of the mind, heart and soul.