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Katie Lonergan is the associate athletic director for strategic and football communications at Notre Dame. She is joining Dick Corbett head coach Marcus Freeman as he travels around the country visiting with Notre Dame alumni clubs and representing Notre Dame football at various fundraising events.
Day 1 // Day 2 and 3 // Day 4 and 5 // Day 6 and 7
Wednesday, May 17
7:30 am
It was the first start of the day when we met with the guys for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. After fueling up to start the day, Jack Swarbrick and John Wagle opened the program by explaining John’s role and accomplishments in Notre Dame athletics. In the past, he has contributed ideas and ideas to change the performance of Kansas City Royals sports and improve what we do at Notre Dame to support our student-athletes and coaches.
Jayden Thomas (JT as we call him) returned to the spotlight when he participated in a panel titled “Physical: Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition and Medical Care.” He was joined on the panel by current Seattle Seahawks defensive back Julian Love and vice president of athlete performance Paul Winspear. Mike Golick Jr. served as the moderator and it was a very insightful discussion on recovery, preparation, getting in the zone and most importantly how good sleep plays a role in their performance. It’s very clear from listening to the panel that JT changed his sleep habits drastically after first arriving at Notre Dame and could see a direct correlation between getting better sleep and his performance on the football field.
Next, Coach Freeman took the stage on a panel titled “Technique: Skills and Coaching.” He was joined by two of his fellow coaches in Colorado, Muffet McGraw and Gia Kvaratkhelia, who coached beach volleyball at the Olympics and Angie Akers, who currently coaches beach volleyball at Loyola Marymount. Angie played indoor volleyball at Notre Dame, earning her degree in 1998. Mike Golick Sr
Summit attendees thoroughly enjoyed both panels and were able to follow the discussions with their own questions. He is hosting the Athletics Advancement Summit and they did a great job of making it engaging.
11:15 am
We took a break for lunch. But before we get to the food, a note – we have a few golfers in our group and JT and Rylie Mills took the opportunity to play golf – hitting the links at Broadmoor. It was a perfect sunny day and the guys had a great time playing golf on the beautiful property.
Now for lunch. Coach Freeman and I had the opportunity to sit down and eat with a current Notre Dame student who works at FIM (Fighting Irish Media), Maria Wainscott. While pursuing her degree, Maria held various roles at FIM. You’ve seen her on video boards at football or basketball games in the past, and she has a new show lined up for 2023 with NBC. It was great meeting Maria at lunch.
12:15 p.m
After lunch, Coach Freeman hit the pavement. Exactly right. He is currently in a weekly distance race with one of his best friends to see who can get the most steps each week. With this whole trip, he had to be very deliberate about going in. But don’t worry – he logged over 17 miles on Tuesday and 12 on Wednesday! How does he find time for all those miles? He usually gets at least 4-6 miles before most of us start our days. Every morning around 5:30, he starts logging the miles. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, he spends about two hours a day fielding calls – and as much of the day’s schedule allows – walking, talking. He is a master of timing – his competitive spirit to the end!
3:15 p.m
We followed Riley and JT on their golf outing and headed to the programming session. Reilly was set to participate in a panel discussion with Tobias Merweather and Javonte Jean-Baptiste. He was on a panel titled The Three Football Players: The Impact of Daily Sports Performance at Notre Dame. Moderated by volleyball coach Salima Rockwell, two Notre Dame volleyball players, Paris Thompson and Charity McDowell, spoke on the panel. Summit attendees enjoyed listening to this unique panel as they learned about what a day in the life of a Notre Dame student-athlete looks like, along with some of their personal journeys through sports performance. For example, Riley showed a day in the life of how he put on 60 pounds during his time at Notre Dame. Listening to him talk about his 6,000 calorie a day was very eye-opening for the group!
7:00 in the afternoon
The Notre Dame Sports Summit closed with a grand dinner at Cheyenne Lodge in Broadmoor. The lodge provided a beautiful backdrop for the evening. At the conclusion of another delicious meal, Coach Freeman addressed the crowd, thanking them for not only coming out in Colorado Springs, but for being great supporters of Notre Dame athletics all year long. Mike Maglinche was able to come down to Colorado Springs for the dinner and the audience enjoyed listening to Mike do a panel with Benjamin Morrison, moderated by Mike Golic Jr.
Both Mike and Benjamin were able to share their Notre Dame experience with the audience, along with some other interesting stories as great football players. Swarbrick closed out the night and another great day with the Notre Dame family was in the books.
Thursday, May 18
6:30 a.m. MST
It was time to go to the airport to fly to Minneapolis. Joining us for this portion of the trip were Assistant AD for Football Strategic Initiatives, Dave Peloquin, and Advisor to the Athletic Director, Senior Associate Athletic Director – Media, Brand and Communications, Aaron Horvath.
9:45 am CST
We arrived safely in Minneapolis and immediately went to the Vikings facility in Eagan, Minnesota – just outside the city. The Vikings served as great hosts. Coach Freeman visited with General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Head Coach Kevin O’Connell to watch a halftime workout.
Plus, we all got to see Sheldon Day, who is entering his eighth season in the NFL and his first season with Minnesota. After watching practice, we toured the facility and had lunch before leaving.
2:30 p.m
With a few hours left before our Minneapolis Alumni Club event, we decided to go to TopGolf for a little fun and more competition. Dave was mostly in control. I obviously spend a lot of time working on my golf game! They may have been distracted by Coach Freeman’s occasional outings to make recruiting calls on defense, but regardless of the final outcome, it was a fun way to spend some time in Minneapolis.
6:00 p.m
We have just arrived at our fifth Alumni Club event in downtown Minneapolis. The event was held during the renaissance, so it was a great location. The event schedule was similar to our previous events, starting in the VIP room for 30 minutes and moving on to dinner before finishing with a fireside chat. We are thrilled to have Notre Dame great Michael Floyd join us. Floyd, as you know, starred at Notre Dame from 2008-2011, finishing with 271 catches for 3,686 yards and 37 touchdowns, all school records. Floyd played eight seasons in the NFL, earned a Super Bowl ring with the New England Patriots, and is now finding success in the real estate industry.
Mike Sullivan stepped in for Dolly Duffy as the firefighter talk show host and did a great job. Don’t miss the conversation! The people of Minneapolis were so welcoming and it was the perfect way to end a great week with our Notre Dame family.
8:30 pm CST
We were on our way back to South Bend. It was a very short plane ride, but we managed to get in a few games of Euchre before disembarking. I was able to team up with Coach Freeman and we were two-time champions beating Dave and Aaron before we beat Dave and Mike. He may not be good at golf, but I definitely have him in the cards!
We take a short break for graduation before getting back on the road for a few more quick stops. Until the end!
In the year Experience Notre Dame football at home in 2023!
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