This year, the 17 students on Notre Dame’s first-ever women’s rugby club team are making school history and starting a successful program with an 84-0 win already under their belts. The team at Notre Dame formed during the 2009-10 school year, but began competing in matches this fall. Priscilla Nyankson, a sophomore who joined the team last year, said it has been a great experience so far. “We’re making Notre Dame history,” Nyankson said. “It’s one of the coolest things I’ve done here as of yet. A lot of people coming here aren’t going to be varsity athletes, but with rugby I get to play a sport and be part of a team.” After a loss in their first scrimmage against Eastern Illinois University, the team had two successive wins, including the 84-0 win Saturday over Northwestern University. “I noticed that we made a lot of mistakes in the scrimmage because we didn’t know a lot of the rules,” Nyankson said, “but with that we were able to learn a lot.” Learning the rules of the game was something almost all of the girls went through together, Nyankson said. Although everyone on the team was an athlete in high school, only two or three had ever played rugby before. “It was definitely difficult for everybody. We were learning something totally new,” Nyankson said. “It was kind of frustrating in the beginning.” Despite these difficulties, Nyankson was hooked on the sport ever since she began last year. “It was super exciting,” Nyankson said. “Even waking up at 6:30 in the morning last year for practice, yeah you kind of cry about it, but after you feel great about it. We really bonded as a team and it was really nice to be a part of something like that.” Last year the team was much larger, with around 30 members. Sophomore returning member Veronica Ryan said many girls were intimidated by the roughness when they began practicing the game as a contact sport. “We couldn’t play contact until the very end of the year, so there were a lot of girls who showed up then realized that they didn’t like the contact part of the sport,” Ryan said. Because they lost some players in the spring, the team hopes to recruit throughout the season. Nyankson said no experience is needed and everyone is encouraged to try it. “We’re absolutely looking for people of all ages to join,” Nyankson said. “None of us knew how to play. We can teach you everything you need to know.” The team meets Monday through Friday, with two days of contact practice, two days of weight lifting and one day of practicing plays and game-like situations. They play matches Saturdays on McGlinn Fields. The team has two home matches and two away matches remaining this season. The next home match is against DePaul University on Oct. 9 at 9 a.m. Once the official season ends, the team will practice for the rest of the year. Senior player Danielle Tan said that the team has high hopes for the future. “Notre Dame is so big on tradition, and we’re really hoping that the team becomes a permanent part of the tradition here,” Tan said. read more

Related Shows The cast will also include Gilbert Cruz, Dashiell Eaves, Maurice Jones, Chris Myers, Carra Patterson, Crystal Lucas-Perry and Carl Hendrick Louis. Tickets are now on sale for the world premiere of Jeff Augustin’s Little Children Dream of God, starring Deirdre O’Connell. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, the play, which launches Roundabout Underground’s eighth season, will begin previews off-Broadway on January 24, 2015 and run through April 5. Opening night is set for February 17 at the Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. View Comments Show Closed This production ended its run on April 5, 2015 On a balmy night in Miami, a soon-to-be mother, Sula, floats ashore on a car tire. Having braved a perilous journey to escape her native Haiti, Sula is determined to forge a better life in America for her unborn son. She soon finds safety in an apartment building that shelters refugees in need, joining a diverse community of immigrants, each with their own unique dreams and dilemmas. But even though the life she has hoped for seems within reach, Sula knows she can’t outrun her demons forever. Little Children Dream of God read more

Some of the other findings include that:·        from the random sample, over 70% ofIndependents, 64% of Republicans, 53% of Democrats and 33% of Progressivesfavor the four-year term for governor;·        active voters tend to favor the four-year termmore than less active voters;·        there is little variation based on age, genderor income level;·        the most commonly cited reason for favoring thefour-year term was: there would be fewer election cycles and lesspolitics.  Two other frequently cited reasons for support were,it would allow better long term planning for Vermont and it would allowmore time to solve complex problems;·        the most commonly cited reason for opposing afour-year term was, it would reduce the accountability of the governorto the voters. Majorityof Vermonters Favor Four-Year Term for Governor The Snelling Center for Government isa non-profit, non-partisan organization .  Its mission is to fosterresponsible, ethical civic leadership, encourage public service by private citizens,and promote informed citizen participation in shaping public policy in Vermont.  The Snelling Centers researchincluded statistically valid random sample surveys in October 2006 and 2007. It also included 900 responses from surveys administered on the Web, in groupmeetings around the state, and by paper ballot through the mail.  Based on this work Smith said,the Snelling Center recommends thatthe Legislature advance an amendment proposal so that the four-year term willbe debated during the election-year.  The amendment process requiresconsideration again in the next legislative session.  With election-yearinput Smith said, the Legislature can make a fully informed finaldecision in 2009 on whether a proposal should go to the voters.  Anyproposal to amend Vermontsconstitution must pass through two consecutive biennial sessions of thelegislature and then obtain a majority vote of the public. In testimony March 20, 2008, before the Government OperationsCommittee of the Vermont Senate, Charlie Smith,President of the Snelling Center for Government, presented the findings from 15months of survey and outreach work on the question of whether Vermonts elected leaders should havefour-year terms of office.  How we choose to be governed is a veryserious matter, Smith said.  Should we place higher value on theclose accountability afforded by a two-year term?  Or should we strive for thepossibility of more effective long term planning that might come with afour-year term. Jen EldredAdministrative AssistantThe Snelling Center for Government130 South Willard StreetBurlington, VT  05401802-859-3090 x301jen@snellingcenter.org(link sends e-mail)www.snellingcenter.org(link is external) Smith said, Our primary conclusion is that morethan 58% of Vermonters favor a four-year term for the governor and statewideelected officials.  Further, Smith said, Support for changing thesenate term to four years hovers around 50%, and a majority of Vermontersoppose changing the term length for Vermontsstate representatives.  read more

Jim Furyk goes into the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with the lead, following a third round 63. Jones looked in control of the California contest as he birdied six of the first seven holes in the third round – but his progress was checked by two bogeys. The leading European after the third round was Marcel Siem, who matched Furyk’s 63 to move to 12 under par, six shots off the lead. Ireland’s Shane Lowry was alongside the German after a 67. England’s Brian Davis and Ian Poulter were on five under after rounds of 71 and 73 respectively. They were joined by John Daly, whose challenged has faltered since his opening round of seven under – he could only manage a 73 in the third round. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington was four under and England’s Greg Owen three under – and it was a tournament to forget for Ireland’s Paul McGinley, whose third round 76 leaves him on 10 over. The former US Open champion produced nine birdies, seven of them in the last 10 holes, to take over at the head of the field on 18 under par – a shot clear of overnight leaders Matt Jones and Brandt Snedeker, who managed 67s. As a result, 44-year-old Furyk – competing for the first time since the Ryder Cup in September – is in a strong position to end a winless drought of more than four years. Press Association read more