Men’s Rugby (Sumner Erbe)

Title: Men’s Rugby Pre-Game

General Information about Item:

• Type of Lore: Video interview
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: United States
• Informant: Struan Coleman
• Date Collected: May 20, 2019

Informant Data: Struan Coleman is the class of 2019 at Dartmouth College. He is the current captain of the Men’s Rugby Team. While he is fully committed to the sport in college, Struan had never played rugby before arriving at Dartmouth. He is now about to complete his fourth year on the team in a leadership role and is very close to the players, coaches, and staff around the club.

Contextual Data:

• Cultural Context: Dartmouth Men’s Rugby is a club sport, meaning that they function independently of the grip of the Athletic Department. The team is touted as one of the strongest at the College – they recently won a DIAA national championship. The club’s culture and long history is also renown throughout campus.
• Social Context: In rugby, the team culture is essential. Because the sport is so violent and fast-paced, team members must be on the same page and executing the same game plan to succeed. With this, the team bond is strong, especially before a home game. The team warms up together, dresses for the game together, and takes the field together.

Item: Struan described a pregame ritual before Dartmouth home games. After each player is dressed before the game, the team leaves the locker room in a line. Each member of the team puts his hand on, or slaps, a sign that says “for the ones who went before you,” as he walks onto the field.

Athlete’s Photo:

Transcript: Struan described the ritual from start to finish. Before going out onto the field, the team listens to Reggae music together. Each player undergoes their own individual preparation during this time, such as putting on the team uniform in a particular way or taping different parts of his body for support. Once everyone is individually prepared, the team lines up, and performs the ritual. Once they are out on the field, they are together as a team and ready to play the game ahead.

Informant’s Comments: Struan described how the meaning behind the saying “for the ones who went before you” connects players to eh legacy of the club. The club having a long and rich history of rugby success, players take pride in the history that the team is now contributing. While the ritual may have changed slightly over time,  Struan believes that the ritual does help the team perform. The sense of togetherness and belonging to the club that the sign delivers allows the team to function as a more cohesive unit – a variable essential for success in rugby.

Collector’s Comments: This ritual was obviously important to Struan, and the history of the ruby club. I do believe that the sense of belonging and togetherness that Struan described is essential for the success of the club. Utilizing a history of past success to encourage future success is a useful tool that the club utilizes through this ritual.

Collector’s Name: Sumner Erbe

Tags/Keywords:

• Rugby
• Tradition
• Pregam Rituals
• Signs