Notre Dame is a school that prides itself on traditions. While some of these trace their roots back decades, one established in recent years is Flick on the Field. This event, which will take place for the third straight year Friday evening, presents a screening of the film “Rudy” on the Notre Dame Stadium jumbotron on the first Friday night of the new school year.
Senior Abby Smith and junior Connor Whittle, Student Government’s co-directors of student life, were in charge of planning the event this year. Smith said the screening presents a good way to experience an old Notre Dame tradition in a novel way.
“I would simply describe Flick on the Field as the ability for people to experience a Notre Dame tradition in a new way,” Smith said. “It’s cool to watch ‘Rudy,’ it’s cool to be in the stadium, but to bring those two together is a really unique experience and we're really excited to be doing that for a third year and really solidifying that tradition.”
Planning for the event began in April and May, when Smith and Whittle began conferring with administration officials who had helped with the occasion previously.
“We definitely tried to plan it a lot earlier than it had been in years past,” Smith said. “I think we’re in a really good position to make it a really successful event on Friday.”
While the event is free, students can only gain access to the field if they have a yellow wristband. Wristbands were distributed Thursday night at the Best of Duncan event in Duncan Student Center and will still be available Friday before the event. The movie begins at 7:30 p.m., but gates open at 7 p.m. with some programming before the film.
"Before it starts … we’ll do Punt, Pass and Kick on the field," Whittle said. "I think RecSports is going to be helping us out with that. We’ll also have a DJ."
In addition to RecSports, Student Government is also working with GreeNDot in preparation for the event. Smith and Whittle said the first 300 attendees through the gates will receive a GreeNDot beach towel.
“Something new that we’re doing this year is partnering with GreeNDot a little bit, so helping them spread their awareness to students — especially new students,” Smith said.
The beginning of the school year often sees a high rate of safety-related incidents, Whittle added, and the collaboration between Student Government and GreeNDot aims to raise awareness of this issue.
“They’re really pushing that the first six weeks on campus are really when incidents have a particularly high occurrence, so we’re really happy to be partnering with GreeNDot to really get the message out there for student safety,” he said.
The event also presents an opportunity to unite the Notre Dame and South Bend communities, junior Aaron Benavides, Student Government’s press secretary and director of communications, said.
“I think one of the great things is it is an excellent opportunity to welcome the South Bend community onto our campus and have them around,” Benavides said. “But it’s also an excellent time for all members of the Notre Dame community — from first years, to all sorts of undergrads and even graduate students and their families as well — to come together and celebrate the beginning of the year in a unique and special way.”
Overall, Whittle said he hopes the event serves to get the community excited for football season.
"Nothing could get you more excited than actually being on the field and watching ‘Rudy,’" he said.
