As I sat next to Eric Mori-Qiumper ’15 for Theology last Wednesday, the twisted smile on his face told me that whatever he was about to say  was going to be completely ridiculous.  He said that he would balance a table on chin if I paid him for it.  I scoffed and, against my better judgement, agreed to his deal.

If you had fifth period lunch last Thursday in the atrium, you known that Eric was able to balance the entire table unassisted on his chin for a few seconds after a few students lifted the table in a vertical position for him.  Now you also know that my Christmas shopping is ruined this year.

Eric is one of the many students involved in the St. Ignatius Circus Company.  His interest in circus performing started freshmen year, so he naturally joined the Saint Ignatius Circus Company.  Eric has perfected his skills for more than a year and is talented in multiple categories of circus performance like juggling, card tricks, devil sticks, and cigar boxes.  Though Eric practices his circus tricks quite a bit, he had never practiced that exact trick before he performed it in the cafeteria.  He said he began practicing the task of balancing heavy objects on his chin this August.  He started with one chair and progressively added more as he mastered each step.  Eric said after the impromptu Atrium performance that the second heaviest weight he had balanced on his chin was three chairs.  Eric hopes to one day use his talents with a major circus company like Circus du Soleil.  This goes to show you that even a seemingly ordinary Thursday can be bound for greatness and to never make a bet with your friend in the Circus Company.

By Sam Royer ’15, Patrick Millican ’15, Matt Koehler ’15

Updated December 14, 2012 at 1:00 PM 

On Wednesday, December 5, Notre Dame fans rushed to LH 223 in anticipation of an appearance from Notre Dame linebacker and Heisman nominee Manti Te’o. Despite the club’s somewhat misleading announcement, Te’o, of course, didn’t show, but thirty-something diehards stuck around anyway and enjoyed a video featuring Te’o and fellow Notre Dame athlete Skylar Diggins. Once the video ended, Mr. Healey, the club’s moderator, explained that the Notre Dame club is more than football talk and film-watching: It also organizes charitable events such as Kick It For Cancer and the Rudy Bowl. They were the designers and vendors of the iShirts, raising $2500 for pediatric cancer research. The Notre Dame Club, reportedly the only club of its kind in the country, has been putting on events like these for the past ten years.

The club’s most famous former member, Danny Fox ’08, currently attends Notre Dame and still checks in with the club. Fox recently sent a picture of himself wearing the iShirt. This year, as a result of the university’s success in football, the club features an impressive turnout of over sixty five students, a substantial increase from last year.

Mr. Healey, a graduate of Notre Dame, says, \”The best thing about the Notre Dame club is that we can do good here at Saint Ignatius while having fun and watching Notre Dame games.”

With over a hundred kids participating, the Latin gladiator games was a huge success. Students in Latin formed teams of three gladiators and competed in rigorous manly activities like the infamous obstacle course, a spectators favorite. During the obstacle course, students had to climb padded barriers, run through padded blocks, and race around course flags. While they ran this course, gladiators were simultaneously being pelted by tennis and medicine balls. One gladiator, Charlie Casa ’14, said that “when you run through the course and you get hit by the tennis balls, you really don’t feel it. But when you get to the finish line and stop running, that’s when the pain comes.”

The Games have attracted other teachers to participate in them, such as math teacher Mr. Crew, and theology teacher Mr. Skerl. Crew was determined during the obstacle course to do everything in his power to knock students to the ground by using medicine balls. Mr. Skerl, on the other hand, used the Latin Canon (a pitching machine) to fire tennis balls at the gladiators. “There is pure joy in shooting kids with the canon, and it brings a smile to many faces, but mostly mine,” Mr. Skerl said. As for why Mr. Crew on why he participates in these Latin games, “I’ve always wanted to be a Latin teacher, especially like Joe Z.” These two definitely gave the spectators a show by inflicting pain on the gladiators, and the crowd loved them for it.

The games went on after the obstacle course to an event where students tried getting past teachers and then put rugby balls into different bins. After that, gladiators faced off against teachers in several rounds of jousting. Students and teachers tried knocking each other off a three foot platform, a dangerous event that tested their manliness.

The chaos of the gladiator games reigned in the Murphy Field House, and the courage of gladiators–and even the spectators–were tested. The blood shed of the gladiators was a small sacrifice they had to make to become a man, and some spectators shared this blood shed after misfired tennis balls from the Latin Canon came their way. If Mr. Skerl improves his aim, and gladiators from this year start training earlier, then the games next year will be even more fun. As for this year, we ask, “Are you not entertained?”