Katy Lonergan is the Associate Athletics Director for Strategic and Football Communications at Notre Dame. She is joining Dick Corbett Head Coach Marcus Freeman as he travels around different parts of the country visiting with Notre Dame Alumni Clubs, representing Notre Dame Football at various fundraising events. Click here for Day 1 of the blog. For Days 2 and 3, click here.
Friday, May 5
9:00 a.m.
Coach Freeman and Joanna were able to start the day off by enjoying a nice breakfast in Sarasota with Special Teams Coordinator, Marty Biagi, who was in the area recruiting on Friday. The Toasted Mango was within walking distance of the hotel, so the day got started there.
11:30 a.m.
After breakfast, it was back to the hotel so Coach Freeman could get prepared for the weekend’s events, the Dickie V Gala and the Kentucky Derby. Representing Notre Dame on those two big stages, he knew he had to look his best–which meant getting a haircut. 
Keeping a fresh cut is usually in the hands of Julio Rodriguez of Julio’s Cutz in South Bend, so on Monday before we left, we had Julio help us connect with Vinny, a barber near Sarasota. Vinny was kind enough to come to the hotel and get both Coach Freeman and Coach Biagi ready for the upcoming events.
3 p.m.
With just the gala on the schedule for the day, we were able to enjoy some free time. Sarasota provided the perfect backdrop with its sunny skies and 80-degree temperature, the ultimate setting for a relaxing afternoon by the water and a chance for a short Cinco de Mayo celebration.
Lucky for me, I have some family who lives in the area and we were able to catch up and enjoy the afternoon.
6:00 p.m.
Coach Freeman was invited to serve as a “celebrity” at the Dick Vitale Gala, by Dickie V himself. The mission of the Dick Vitale Gala is to raise funds for premiere pediatric cancer research across the nation, while simultaneously promoting awareness of pediatric cancer and how devastating it is for children and their families.
ESPN’s Kevin Negandhi hosted the event, which was an amazing success, bringing in a record-12.4 million dollars.
Coach Freeman and Joanna were able to serve as celebrities, but also had the opportunity to connect with NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson and his son Corey, a recent ND graduate and Irish wide receiver and current host for the ND on NBC podcast. David was honored by the V Foundation for his work in raising awareness and funds for pediatric cancer.
The Freemans had the pleasure of sitting with Dick’s daughter, Terri Vitale and her husband Dr. Chris Sforzo at the gala. Terri is a Notre Dame grad, who was on the Irish women’s tennis team, while Chris is also a Notre Dame graduate, having lettered for the men’s lacrosse team. Their children Sydney and Ryan, are both currently enrolled at Notre Dame and are following in their footsteps in athletics, as Sydney is on the women’s tennis team and Ryan plays for the men’s lacrosse team.
Saturday, May 6
9:30 a.m.
The last day of the journey was finally here as we left Sarasota and made our way to Louisville, Kentucky. Coach Biagi joined us on our flight and with two-plus hours on our hands, we taught him how to play Booray and Tonk. For those keeping up, neither Coach Freeman or Coach Biagi walked away the winner this morning.
12 p.m.
We touched down in Louisville just before noon and immediately made our way to Churchill Downs. We quickly found our seats and were able to join John and Bobbie Arlotta Offensive Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach Gerad Parker and his wife Kandi and Bob and Leslie Mohr Quarterbacks Coach Gino Guidugli and his wife Michelle for the 149th annual ‘Run for the Roses”.
It was a full afternoon of horse races, people watching and catching up with friends. Being a graduate of nearby University of Kentucky, Parker and his wife have been coming to the Derby since they were college students. They had several close friends join for the day and were able to teach us first-timers how everything works.
In all, we had three Kentucky natives at the event with Parker (Louisa), Biagi (Shelbyville) and Guidugli (Fort Thomas) all in attendance.
Coach Freeman and Joanna have attended the Derby before also, but this year was a special experience as they had the opportunity to spend time in the ‘Mansion’ as guests of NBC. Thanks to the Chairman of NBC Sports and Notre Dame grad, Pete Bevacqua, the Freemans were able to represent the Irish and mingle with a who’s who of the sports and entertainment world.
6:30 p.m.
The anticipation for the big race was in full force as the 170,000 in attendance all had our eyes fixed on the track as the horses and their jockeys made their way to their race stalls. Two-time Super Bowl Champion Patrick Mahomes delivered the ‘Riders Up’ call and My Old Kentucky Home was played and then they were off!
It was an exciting race from start to finish, with Mage edging out Two Phils by one length. The excitement in the air was palpable and it was an unforgettable experience. For me (and others), more than anything there was a sense of relief that all of the horses made it through the race healthy after a rough week at Churchill Downs.
7:15 p.m.
After the race was finished, we started to head out and ran into some Notre Dame legends in Zack Martin, Tyler Eifert and Dan Fox.
Coach Freeman was able to say hello and catch up for a minute before we had to go into stealth mode to exit the stadium and get to our car so we could avoid both an approaching thunderstorm and all of the traffic of those 170,000 people leaving the area. Thanks to our driver, Charles, and some terrific navigating by Coach Parker, we were able to do just that and hop on our plane before the runway became standstill traffic.
9:30 p.m.
We landed safe and sound back in South Bend, at the very same place we started the trip five days ago. It was a very busy week, but Coach Freeman was able to get out and meet many of the wonderful people who make up Irish Nation and also represent Notre Dame Football for a good cause. That’s it for the travel blog until May 15, when Coach Freeman gets back on the road, this time heading to the Rocky Mountains!
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