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Tradition, excellence, but no fight song

February 29, 2008

By: Maria LaMagna <mlamagna@hilite.org>

During so many convocations and sporting events, the same scenario sets up. Surrounding me, thousands of people wear blue and gold. They root for the school and eat popcorn. Cheerleaders start to cheer. And the band starts to play… the Notre Dame fight song.

Okay, so a few words are different. Instead of “old Notre Dame,” we do say “old gold and blue,” and there’s a “hounds” thrown in there. Other than that, though, the words are virtually the same and the tune is identical.

Disappointing. I remember freshman year’s soccer tryouts. Before school even started, our coaches and captains told all the freshmen to learn the school fight song and be ready to sing it in front of the team. Piece of cake. I was thrilled; my mom went to Notre Dame and I’d grown up singing that familiar song. When it came time to sing it for the team, I was ready. I just had to change a few words and I was set.

When that initial feeling of relief and convenience wore off, though, I was disappointed. I was so excited to experience everything this school has to offer. I wanted to experience Homecoming, see the trike races, even walk the trail (the first time was fun at least). I wanted everything that this school is; I wanted to say things like “I’m eating in Greyhound,” or just know my way around such a big school, be a part of its culture. Everything about this school seemed unique and interesting. When I found out we use Notre Dame’s fight song, I felt a little cheated.

With all of the tradition and individuality here, how could we skip that detail? It seems as if the school founders said: “School motto? Check. Mascot? Check. Colors? Check. Fight song? Eh…I’m not really feeling it. Let’s just use Notre Dame’s.”

I’m sure that’s not how it went. But seriously, we couldn’t write our own? There are so many talented musicians here, it’s unbelievable. I’m completely confident that some of them could write an amazing, one-of-a-kind fight song right now.

I love the Notre Dame fight song, don’t get me wrong. That’s just the point, though. I love it for its own reasons; it reminds me of Notre Dame. To me, it’s going to football games in South Bend, eating steak sandwiches and presumably sitting in the rain. To my mom and other Notre Dame alumni, it means even more than that. It’s their song.

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but here? We’re unique for so many reasons; we’re the biggest, the best. We should carry that over to every part of our school. I’ve always loved that we’re the greyhounds because it’s at least a semi-original mascot. It would have been easy to pick the braves, lions, or any other typical “fighting” creature. We didn’t, though. We were creative.

We’re not even the only non-Notre Dame school to use that song. Cathedral does, for one. Carmel Junior High does too. Wouldn’t it be better if we could play a song at convocations and events that’s decidedly ours?

It’s convenient. This summer, I’ll be a senior, telling the freshman soccer players to learn the school fight song. “It’s easy,” I’ll tell them. “Do you know Notre Dame’s?” Maria LaMagna is a reporter for the HiLite. Contact her at mlamagna@hilite.org.

Updated by ychoi · Filed Under Perspectives 

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