Men’s Club Soccer

Breakfast of Champions

General Information about Item:
Genre: Sports Tradition – Initiation/Integration Traditions
Language: English
Country of Origin: United States

Informant Data:
Jackson Rich is a 21 year old Jewish male born in Pittsfield, MA. He spent his childhood in Pittsfield, MA and is currently a Junior at Dartmouth College. He has played three years of Club Soccer at Dartmouth College, and has been playing soccer for 16 years. On campus he is also involved in MLDP, Club Nordic Skiing, and is the Vice President of Beta Alpha Omega Fraternity. Jackson first encountered this tradition in September 2017 during the fall of his freshman year.

 

Contextual Data:
Social Context: The following tradition occurs after club soccer tryouts, before new team members know that they have made the team. Transmission of this folklore comes from being a participant in the traditions, and leadership of the tradition is passed from one team captain to the next.

 

Item:

Following tryouts every year, the club soccer team wakes up the kids who made the team early in the morning for a surprise team breakfast at Four Aces Diner(they are unaware that they have made the team). The whole team is present for this breakfast and new members are mixed in with existing members. The goal is to introduce the new members to the team and get them familiar with the older guys on campus. At first the new members are disoriented, but once they get to Four Aces it is announced they have made the team and the breakfast becomes a celebration of that.

 

Collector: Robert Hopkins

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The Banter Wagon

General Information About the Item:

  • Customary Folklore: English Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Unites States
  • Informant: Stuart Hayes
  • Date Collected: May 11, 2020

Informant Data:

Stuart Hayes is a junior studying Engineering at Dartmouth College. He is also a member of the Dartmouth men’s club soccer team. Stuart is from Nevada and he has a strong athletic background, particularly in soccer. Stuart has been a member of the Dartmouth men’s club soccer team for his entire career at Dartmouth, and this year he has become one of the most influential leaders on the team.

 

Contextual Data:

Social Context: The informant was interviewed in person regarding the “Banter Wagon” tradition. Stuart said that he first learned of this tradition when he was a freshman at Dartmouth and he had just joined the men’s club soccer team. According to Stuart, the tradition is led by older members of the club soccer team and as you progress through Dartmouth, you take on more of a leadership role in the tradition. Stuart notes that this tradition, in which members of the team pile into the back of a pickup truck, occurs after every practice and every game. The tradition involves the team bonding or “bantering” in the back of the truck as they go to get food after a practice or game.

Cultural Context: Many teams have different bonding activities to bring their team closer together on and off the field of play. However, the closest teams are very diligent about having their team traditions regularly. According to Stuart, the “Banter Wagon” tradition after practice or a game, regardless of the result of the practice or game. Though he acknowledges that sometimes people are less enthusiastic after a bad loss or a bad practice, Stuart says that because the team has this tradition regularly, his college experience has been enhanced because of the friendships he has been able to make.

 

Item:

After every practice and game, the Dartmouth Men’s club soccer team all get in the back of a teammate’s pickup truck, known as the “Banter Wagon”, and bond as they travel to get ice cream or go to the Dartmouth dining hall. The tradition occurs regularly.

Collector: Peter Conklin

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Post-Tryout Run

General Information about Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Sports Custom
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Sebastian Carter
  • Date Collected: May 19, 2020

Informant Data:

Sebastian Carter was born in Washington D.C. and currently lives there. He is 21 years old and is of Egyptian and English descent. Sebastian has played soccer for 17 years, including three years of club soccer at Dartmouth. He also played tennis and basketball growing up. In college, he is a member of the club soccer team and the president of Phi Delta Alpha fraternity.

 

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

When Sebastian was a first year student at Dartmouth, he tried out for club soccer and made the A-team. After trying out on the Sachem fields, the entire A-team had to complete the tradition before fully becoming a team. Sebastian and the other first-year students were surprised because they had thought that the tryout was the last test before becoming a team member. However, he felt that the tradition bonded all of the new players together, but also united the new players with the returning ones. Throughout his three years playing at Dartmouth, he has repeatedly seen this tradition bring the team together at the beginning of the season.

Cultural Context:

Sports teams have “tryouts” to determine which players are good enough to play for the team that year. However, sports teams (especially in college) can have a further test of the players to see if they truly have what it takes to be a member of the team. This can include some kind of endurance or skill test, or an initiation test unrelated to the sport.

 

Item:

After the players for the A-team have been initially selected, there is a further test before the team is official. The captains organize a three-mile run that must be completed by the entire team in under twenty minutes. In order to make the team, each player must complete the challenge at some point before the season.

 

Collector: Jack Mascali

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The First Team Dinner

General Information About the Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Sports Tradition – Integration Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Unites States
  • Informant: Matt Schnell
  • Date Collected: May 10, 2020

Informant Data:

Matt Schnell is a sophomore studying Quantitative Social Sciences at Dartmouth College. He is  a member of the Dartmouth Men’s Club Soccer team, and the Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity. Matt is from Atlanta, and has a strong interest in all sports, with a particular focus on soccer, basketball, and football. Matt joined the Dartmouth Men’s Club Soccer team his freshman year at Dartmouth, and has served as social chair. He will serve as junior captain next year.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: The following tradition occurs after club soccer tryouts, and before the team engages in regular season play. Transmission of this folklore comes from being a participant in the traditions, and leadership of the tradition is passed from previously elected social chairs to newly elected social chairs – who are typically sophomores.

Cultural Context: Many teams across all sports engage in team-wide dinners the night before a big game. Team dinners the night before the first game are usually especially meaningful and typically better attended than any other the rest of the season.

Item:

Before the start of the fall season, the freshman who have just made the team are invited to come to a team dinner along with any upperclassman who are available. The goal of the dinner is to integrate the freshman into the team, with guided questions and rituals during and after the dinner aimed at getting the freshman to know the upperclassmen and vice versa. While the event can be a bit intimidating for freshman, eventually most team members end up enjoying themselves and starting friendships with their new teammates.

Collector: Grant Gualtieri

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Club Soccer Meetings

General Information About the Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Sports Tradition – Passing of the Torch Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Unites States
  • Informant: Nikhil Lele
  • Date Collected: May 10, 2020

Informant Data:

Nikhil Lele is a junior studying Biology at Dartmouth College, with plans to further study medicine after graduation. On campus, he is a member of the Dartmouth Men’s Club Soccer team, and the Beta Alpha Omega fraternity. Nikhil is from Boston, and has a strong interest in New England sports organizations. He was a part of the Lincoln-Sudbury soccer team that made it to the MIAA State Finals and won. Nikhil joined the Dartmouth Men’s Club Soccer team his freshman year at Dartmouth. He will serve as treasurer next year.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: The following tradition occurs after the completion of the spring season, with all games and practices finished. Transmission of this folklore comes from being a participant in the traditions, and leadership of the tradition is passed from previously elected social chairs to newly elected social chairs, from previously elected team captain to newly elected team captain, and from previously elected club president to newly elected club president.

Cultural Context: Most sports organizations make it a custom to engage in a post-season celebration to honor members who have achieved success and who may be leaving the organization. Furthermore, with many club soccer players involved in Greek Life, the tradition seeks to mirror some of the practices that are seen in typical fraternity brotherhood meetings.

Item:

Following the completion of the spring season, which is comprised of an Ivy League tournament and loosely scheduled games with local schools, the team engages in a final get together to honor the seniors and put the club soccer experience in perspective for the underclassmen. The seniors are awarded with honorary titles that celebrate their achievements with the team and are given a chance to speak about what the program has meant to them during their time at Dartmouth. Following this, the team engages in a variety of competitions and games aimed at getting to know one another better and have fun one last time before everyone leaves for the summer. The event is especially meaningful for the seniors as is it typically their last meeting with members of the program all at once.

Collector: Grant Gualtieri

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Ivy Supper

General Information About the Item:

  • Customary Folklore: Sports Tradition – Postgame Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: Unites States
  • Informant: Joe Hardwicke
  • Date Collected: May 10, 2020

Informant Data:

Joe Hardwicke is a sophomore studying Economics at Dartmouth College. On campus, he is a member of the Dartmouth Men’s Club Soccer team, the Psi Upsilon fraternity, and the club soccer team. Joe is from Portland, and apart from sports, has a strong interest in improv comedy and radio broadcasting. He has started his own radio show with another Dartmouth student. Joe joined the Dartmouth Men’s Club Soccer team his freshman year at Dartmouth. He currently serves as social chair.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: The following tradition occurs after the completion of the second game of the first day of the Ivy League club soccer tournament. Transmission of this folklore comes from being a participant in the traditions, and leadership of the tradition is passed from previously elected team captain to newly elected team captain, and from previously elected club president to newly elected club president.

Cultural Context: Many teams both recreationally and professionally (or at the collegiate level) engage in either banquets or meals together following the completion of practices or games. It is a good way to bond and discuss events that happened during the game, as well as replenish energy and maintain responsibility.

Item:

After the team competes in the first day of play in the annual Ivy League Club Soccer Tournament that happens every April, the team has a large dinner together at a restaurant near the host school. The tradition is a good way for individual team members to get to know one another better, discuss strategy about games the next day, and ultimately have fun with their friends. While there is a fairly loose structure once the team arrives at the restaurant, it is a good way for the team leaders to ensure that the team members are being responsible the night before another day of play, and are taking care of their bodies and health. Team members experiencing the tradition for the first time are generally pretty excited for the opportunity to get to know upperclassmen better, but the experience is pretty uniform for all players.

Collector: Grant Gualtieri

 

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