Today with the advent of fall camp for the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, it is fitting that these photos be leaked to the internet. Soon bruises, sweat, blood, pulled muscles, and discourging four letters words urging every player to a higher level of play will occur and echo on Carter Field.
I have been by the Carter Field Practice Complex at least half a dozen times. The gates are always locked and the best I could do was take a picture through the open canvas seam between the gates.
Last month, much to my surprise, the gates were open! My granddaughter and my two sons decided to venture out onto the practice fields with me of course in the lead. The worst that could happen was being yelled at and told to leave. Well I guess someone could have called the campus police, but no one did. Here are some amateur never before seen pictures.
It was a warm, sunny but not hot late July day in South Bend. Walking on the artificial turf you could immediately feel the heat radiating from the green plastic. Midday summer practice sessions must be brutal.
Actually, the complex is not called Carter Field anymore. Here is the scoop from the ND website:
The LaBar Practice Complex, the University of Notre Dame's three-field football practice facility was dedicated on September 6, 2008. The three fields, two of them artificial turf and the other natural grass, are adjacent to the Guglielmino Athletics Complex and comprise a $2.5 million project that is based on the benefaction of John R. "Rees"
LaBar, a 1953 Notre Dame graduate, and his wife, Carol, who reside in Cincinnati, Ohio, and in Long Boat Key, Fla. The LaBars have a grandson David who was a 2008 Notre Dame graduate, and a granddaughter Lindsay who is a current junior at Notre Dame.
Rees and Carol LaBar together are two of the largest contributors in Notre Dame history to undergraduate scholarships for deserving students. More than 100 students from the Cincinnati area have attended Notre Dame as a result of their long-time financial support.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 20, 2007, the morning of the Notre Dame-USC football game, to signify the start of the project. The project was completed in time for the Aug. 8 start of Notre Dame's 2008 fall football camp.
The FieldTurf practice fields are available for use primarily by the football squad, but also for lacrosse, soccer and RecSports use. The fields are located side by side at the far north end of the former Cartier Field configuration. They will help meet the year-round demand for high-quality practice fields and also reduce demand for the Loftus Center indoor field. Each field is lighted and secured by an eight-foot fence, with an adjacent maintenance building to provide storage.
The former track, grass field and bleachers within Moose Krause Stadium were removed beginning April 1, 2008, making room for the three new fields. A new track is being constructed just north of Edison Road, adjacent to (and east of) Leahy Drive, and southwest of Eck Baseball Stadium.
The construction of the new football fields is one of the latest dominos in the series of facility additions and changes that also will include construction of new stadia for lacrosse, soccer, track and field, and tennis, all within the large area east of the Joyce Center. All these projects are part of the University's "Spirit of Notre Dame" campaign.
Well I guess they are not so secret, but at least it got you to read the post. Scroll down.
Since the pictures are at the bottom of the blog.
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