General Information about Item:
- Customary Folklore: Customs, Superstitions
- English
- United States of America
Informant Data:
Name: Joshua Davis
- Dartmouth Class of 2018
- Residence: Hanover, New Hampshire (During the school year) Los Angeles, California (during off-terms)
- Age: 20 years
- Jersey Number: 18
- Years of playing experience: 3rd year (Junior)
Contextual Data:
Custom – “Hand Signs: Peace to the Ground”
- Joshua started this custom with a few friends from high school several years ago and serves as a reminder before every game to stay humble and reflect.
- He reminds himself not to be worried about other things going on in life and to just focus on football during this moment.
Custom – “Juice Check”
- This custom is used to improve everyone’s energy and aggressiveness during games.
Superstition: “Heightened Karma”
- Joshua already believes in the superstition of Karma, but thinks it is much more relevant during game days.
- This superstition benefits those around Joshua and he has an even stronger urge to help those around him during game days.
Items:
Custom “Hand Signs: Peace to the Ground”
- Joshua raises the “peace sign” (the index and middle fingers) upwards, then twirls his hand downwards before every practice and game to help him focus, reflect, and stay humbled.
Charms – “Juice Check”
- During certain periods, the defense comes together and works towards building up the intensity. Everyone repeats after the person yelling out “juice”.
Superstition: “Heightened Karma”
- He needs to do kinder things and have even better manners so that good karma is directed to him.
- Karma is heightened and there is an urge to be even nicer to people around him.
- There is also a belief to not take shortcuts because everything comes around.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript of Associated File:
“My name is Joshua Davis, I’m 20 years old and I’m Number 18 on the Dartmouth football team.
After we do some of our ritual stuff with the team, I like to do my own little thing during the game and during practice. It’s some funny thing that me and my friends started back in high school, it’s like peace, peace to the ground.
I don’t remember the last time I practiced without, so I can’t really tell you how it feels [not having done it]. As for doing it, it’s just a time to reflect because it is a moment I have to myself and where I remind myself to focus up and don’t be worried about other things going on in my life. For this one moment, be grounded in football.
As for team wise for Dartmouth College, we have certain periods during practice where we come together as a defense and we do this thing called a juice check. A juice check is pretty much building up the intensity [and seeing] how much intensity you have. We just come together and repeat after the person that’s yelling out juice so it’s a back and forth, just riling each other up.
For myself, I believe this is superstitious. I try to do everything right. Say if I go to eat a meal and I’m coming out of a door, I hold the door for people coming in. I feel like I need to do the things that have really good manners for this day. Just doing the right things, I feel like that will translate over to the football field. It just feels like I need to do those things. If somebody drops something, I need to hurry up and pick it up for them. Definitely karma is heightened and I have to keep good karma on my side. I don’t split poles, I don’t split poles in the bases anyways, but I go out of my way to make sure I don’t split poles and make sure people don’t split poles around me.”
Collector’s Comments:
Joshua shares with us several important rituals that he individually partakes in, along with the rituals that he does with his entire team, both during practice and games. He opens up and shares his emotions that occur before games and how he uses various types of folklore to cope with those emotions. Furthermore, we are able to fully understand how such folklores are embedded into the culture of Dartmouth and the football program and how such folklores influence a player’s experience and performance.
Collector’s Name:
Kang Min Daniel Lee