The first words that came to my mind were “Bring…it…on!” As I proceeded to read the Catholic Studies Weekly Newsletter to find the faculty had pooled their allowances to hire the body builder, Arnold Schwarzengger, for the annual Frisbee Tournament, I knew there was little chance of victory for my team. As I continued on, I read the starting lineup was Dr. Michael “Tackle” Naughton, Dr. Bob “Will Stop for Nothing to Win” Kennedy, and Dr. Paul “The Hulk” Wojda, I accidently said out loud while sitting in the inaudible basement of Sitzmann Hall, “no way!” I have had each of these professors and know that each of them not only have brains of brilliance, but they each have bodies of steal, which means they have both strategy and muscle. I then questioned if Mr. Schwarzengger could actually assist these men as they are already had the potential for such a strong team.
As for me, I have not been taking advantage of my ARC membership (If that’s really a surprise). I thought with team names such as “Iwe Ke Chukwu” (for those of you who don’t know what this mean, like me, it’s ‘Wrath of God’) and “The Ninjas” I thought I would pass this year. So, the day had come, and it was pouring freezing cold rain. Of course, we all know it is April and the saying does go: “April showers bring May flowers,” but that did not stop the eight teams from competing at the O’Shaughnessy Stadium. Many teams arrived in uniform and some even early to take a few laps and get a good “warm up” before the first bout began at promptly 12:30pm on Saturday, April 30. As each of us are filled with virtue and holiness, we all know it was by divine providence that the halt of the rain was all due to our prayers begging for the intercession of Blessed John Paul II. Answering our prayers, the heavens broke down and brought a delightful sunshine on us to dry the field for the championship game between teams “Nachoooooo” and “Pugnus Draconis.” With the help of coach Mauricio “the Giggle Baby” Carranza, “Nachoooo” came in first place winning no more than the proper bragging rights for the upcoming year. The “Best Team” ever, also known as the faculty and staff team, had a strong third place finish this year. Now, it seems to me that their team really has been training over the last year as rightly deserves the Most Improved Team award. Not only that, but Professor Billy Junker ought to receive an honorable mention for most intense player.
On a serious note, it truly amazes me how many faculty and staff were willing to take time on a raining, cold Saturday afternoon to play Ultimate Frisbee with a bunch of college students who get a kick out of putting teams together, creating an anomalous team name (not to mention, theology related) and maybe going so far as to create a captain, two alternative captives, and of course including nicknames for each player. To me, this shows how willing Catholic Studies professors are in wanting to know their students beyond their writing or ability to participate inside the classroom. Not only this, but many of the professors and staff brought their families to join in such a joyous event. This is just a small part of what makes the Catholic Studies Department at the University of St. Thomas top of its game.
Written by: Emily Dourney
