General Information:

• Customary Folklore: Tradition

• Language: English

• Country: Hanover, NH, USA

John Gilmore III ’17 is currently enrolled at Dartmouth College. John is from Dallas, TX. He started skating when he was four years old at the local ice rink in his hometown. He is an English major with a Creative Writing Concentration. He is a captain of the Dartmouth Figure Skating Club. He is also the events director for the Dartmouth Programming Board and writes for the Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science.

Contextual Data:

John was introduced to this piece of folklore in the fall of his freshman year when he first joined the team. During a routine, when a skater looks as if they need encouragement, other members would bang on the glass with their hands to show support and help the skater through their routine.

Item:

During a routine, when a skater looks as if they need encouragement, other members would bang on the glass with their hands to show support and help the skater through their routine. This has continued every year and has been passed down.

Thompson Arena, where DFSC practices for competition

Audio File:

Transcript:

John: “At practice and when we perform, when our skaters look tired, and need an extra little burst of energy running through their program, we bang on the glass or on the board themselvves to get the skaters going and motivate them to perform a great program. “

Collector Commentary:

This tradition occurs every year and is used as a sign of encouragement to get skaters through their routines.  This seems Dartmouth specific and furthermore localized to just the skating team.

Tags/Keywords:

Figure Skating, Banging on the Walls, Tradition, Customary

Collector: 

Graydon Peterson