The St. Joseph Beach opened their doors for a second year of swimming, sailing and sunbathing.
The beach is located on the east side of Saint Joseph’s lake and has two trails leading directly to it. One of the trails is located near St. Liam lot with steps leading to a trail that connects directly to the beach and another trail located near St. Mary’s Road. The beach is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. with no weekend hours.
Veronica Ballinger, the assistant director of communications and engagements for RecSports, said safety is the priority for all beach and lake activities.
“RecSports conducts weekly water tests for the water at St. Joseph Beach,” Ballinger said. “However, St. Joseph Beach is not subject to typical hazardous beach conditions such as undertow, high surf, wind currents, or dangerous marine life.”
McKenna Powers, a sophomore at Saint Mary’s College and a member of Notre Dame’s sailing team, said there’s always a lifeguard present when the team is practicing.
Powers was excited to learn about sailing team since she didn’t know that the opportunity to sail would be available.
“The call out meeting was really fun, and they made it super welcoming,” Powers said. “They made it seem okay if you didn't know what you were doing.”
Sailing club meets Monday-Thursday and according to Powers, there’s flexibility in how often you come to the practices. She added that the practices meet for around two hours every day. Once the boats are rigged, the team goes out on the water for an hour and a half. She said having the boathouse right near the beach makes moving the boats easier.
Notre Dame sophomore Catherine Tuohy said she learned about the beach this year. She previously worked for RecSports and decided to become a lifeguard at the beach.
She said she enjoys working at the beach although she doesn’t think a lot of students know about it.
“I feel like in the beginning of the year when it was warmer there were a lot more people, but it kind of gets a little cold now,” Tuohy said.
The beach reopened last year to members of the Notre Dame community and remained open during the summer.
“Reopening St. Joseph Beach after COVID was a priority for RecSports to continue increasing opportunities for recreation on campus,” Ballinger said.
While Powers enjoys being out on the water during the school year she said the St. Joseph Lake is on a different scale than the one where she lives. She considers the on-campus lake to be more like a pond.
“I like being out on the water, and just kind of doing something that's not super stressful and school related for two hours out of my day,” Powers said.
Ballinger said the beach sees a drop in non-sailing beach-goers in the middle of September. She added that the sailing team usually stops their practice before Thanksgiving Break depending on their schedule.
“It's really relaxed and a lot of people just kind of show up when they want,” Ballinger said. “Whether it's once a week or once every other week.”
