University of Notre Dame - Dome Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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fighting ag ainst hunger a world away speaks for itself were awarded to a select few as the tournament entered the final rounds. Photo In Dan Rohiiiette A boxing tournament? At Notre Dame? Fo fcippilR al Bouts is nothing but a bunch of guys beating up on each other. But be assured, there is much more to the week-long boxing tournament than just that. Each man enters this tournament as a student and as an individual, but each man will leave this experience as a boxer and more importantly, as a teammate. These men, the Notre Dame boxers, participate in something indescribable to those who have not been part of an event so special. Come January, these participants have made a choice. Those that have decided to participate in Bengal Bouts will devote the next six weeks of their lives, three hours each day, and six days a week, to bettering themselves, both as individuals and as boxers. The physical exhaustion that encapsulates the next six weeks of their lives enables them to fomi a bond with one another that will prove itself unbreakable throughout the remainder of the tournament. These men who fomi friendships with previous strangers will step into the ring weeks after the day they meet to square off against one aix ther. The bond that has fomied over the previous weeks is what enables these men to look each other in the eye, fight with all their strength, and then walk out of the ring with their arms around each other, making little difference who wins and who loses. But the Bengal Bout tournament is about so much more than winners and losers. It is about friendship, it is about the impoverished people of Bangladesh, and it is about the contributions these men make to this program. Since 1931 these men have made a difference in the world. Once students, now boxers, and eventually successful professionals, these men have made a difference. Although this difference may be something tangible to the thousands of people of Bangladesh and not for the students here at Notre Dame, it is these people that inspire the students to fight. Their strength brings hope to people they may never see with their own eyes. Yet knowing that they have made a difference by raising money for the impoverished gives them a little more satisfaction at the end of each day. by Kate DiNardo i

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showers brought reigning hopes scnrnrngging With April showers came an mitamislieSiope for the students of Notre Dame as their new coach, Tyrone Willingham, and the Notre Dame football team proudly stepped onto the field. April 27 was the 2002 football team ' s season debut in what is blown as the Blue-Gold game. This was the first time Notre Dame fans were able to watch their new coach pace in anticipation on the stadium ' s sidelines- sidelines that bring with them seventy-two years of history. As ' Ty ' took the field, many fans were wondering if he had just what it took to live up to the coaching legends that walked those same steps before him. With the rain begini-iing just after kickoff and continuing through most of the afternoon, offensive execution was not what it should have been. Halfway through the third quarter, Setta kicked a 37 -yard field goal scoring the only three points of the game. Tliis field goal gave the Gold team a 3-0 win over the Blue team. Although the tradition of the Blue-Gold game was no different this year from past years, some aspects of the game did change. Tlie format was different from recent years in that both squads were comprised of both offense and defense, rather than scrimmaging the offense against the defense. The time of play was also different this year. Four twelve-minute quarters with a running clock were played, making the entire game last less than an hour and a half. Players that made themselves especially notable at this year ' s scrimmage were Ryaii Grant, who rushed for 45 yards on seven carries and was named offensive MVP, Amaz Battle, who caught five passes for 73 yards, and Gerome Sapp, who had five tackles and picked off a pass to earn defensive MVP. Drenched from the pouring rain, students, players, and coaches alike left the stadium full of excitement for the season to come. by Kate DiNardo shows his talent in this year ' s scrimmage by catch- ing five passes and aishing for 73 yards. PfuJto hv Dan RoHiiettc 208 ie ' V-iyt- ' P aA£HJ