One of my favorite memories from college will always be… ice skating.
Not football. Not dorm events. Not SYRs. Ice skating.
I know — it sounds a little unexpected coming from a girl who grew up in California, where ice rinks definitely weren’t part of my daily landscape. But Notre Dame has a funny way of introducing you to things you never knew you’d love.
During freshman year, everyone had to take physical education, and we were allowed to pick five different rotations. On a whim, I signed up for ice skating. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing… but apparently, I was a natural! Even my instructor was surprised, and I walked away from that rotation completely smitten with skating.
That Christmas, my parents bought me my very first pair of ice skates — something this California girl never imagined she’d own. And I put them to good use. Students could skate at lunchtime in the Joyce Center rink (the old one, where the hockey team used to play), and the best part? It was free.
In the winter months, skating became my escape. When it was far too cold to run the lakes — another one of my favorite ND pastimes — I would head inside, lace up my skates, and glide across the ice to clear my mind. It was peaceful, refreshing, and uniquely Notre Dame.
To this day, I still have those skates. Every time I see them, I’m taken right back to those moments — the sound of blades on ice, the sharp winter air, the break from classes, the surprise of finding joy in something completely new.
Notre Dame gives us football memories, of course — plenty of them.
But it also gifts us little pieces of ourselves we didn’t know were missing.
So I’d love to hear from you:
What are some of your favorite non-football Notre Dame memories?
The unexpected ones… the quiet ones… the ones that still make you smile years later.
With love, laughter, and a little Irish magic. 💚
