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Introduction
Group 7 Folklore Collection Project
The goal of our project was to find any pre-competition superstitions and rituals that existed among the Men’s sports teams here at Dartmouth. We were open to both individual and team rituals, and then categorized them into their respective magical forms of superstitions.
While many of the found superstitions were seemingly individual, we found that their origins were from deeply prior to Dartmouth. None of the informants were aware of the origin of their superstitions, but they all noted that it was either something that they grew up with in their region or were introduced to at Dartmouth.
We conducted 35 total interviews and then graphed the results. At least one member from every Men’s Varsity sport was interviewed with the same five questions. We asked about superstitions on the individual and team level. The questions were as follows:
- Do you have any pre-competition superstitions, and if so, what are they?
- Does your team collectively practice pre-competition superstitions or rituals?
- Where did this superstition originate?
- How long has this superstition been practiced?
- Do you truly believe in this superstition, or is it just a routine/tradition that you like to keep doing?
In the folklore we collected, we found that the overwhelming majority of superstitions were classified as magical. Only one was sign and zero were conversion superstitions. We felt this was because many athletes feel like they create their own luck and success. Sign superstitions and conversion superstitions are based on outside influence. For example, a sign superstition is like if they see a black cat then they will not play well and a conversion superstition would be if they saw a black cat they would have to do ten pushups to have a good game later that day. Both of those types of superstitions involve the outside source of the cat that the athletes do not control. However, for magical superstitions, these are things that people can control for example, if an athlete eats well then they will play well. The athlete can choose to do something he knows will make him play better. So from this we concluded as we stated before, athletes believe more in creating their own luck and success rather than depending on an outside source to tell them how they will perform.
Breaking down the Magical superstitions by type, sympathetic was the biggest category, followed by homeopathic and then contagious. We think contagious was lowest because a majority of superstitions in this category include a severed body part or part of some magical item. Not many people carry around parts of magical items with them in modern times and most people do not carry around severed body parts to help them in sports. The contagious magic we did find involved someone changing their physical features like cutting their hair, not body parts. Finally we believe that sympathetic was the biggest category because sympathetic magic involves a connection between two things and the main goal in sports is to connect what is learned in practice to execution in a game. For example, if a player practices their rail shots then they will perform better in the squash match. The two are connected as the what the player does in practice should connect and happen in the game as well which is the basic principal of the cliche practice makes perfect. We think this sympathetic property in sports opens athletes up to having a larger number of sympathetic superstitions than magical superstitions of other types.
One Strip Wonder (Jack Cameron)
Title: One Strip Wonder
General Information about Item:
- Sign superstition
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: Canada
- Informant: NU
- Date Collected: 10/29/21
Informant Data:
- NU is a 21-year-old Dartmouth student in the class of 2024. He was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada and raised from age 12 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Nick is a member of the Men’s Varsity Hockey team at Dartmouth. Away from hockey, Nick is an amateur DJ who enjoys playing his music at various functions.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: Hockey players have to un-tape and re-tape their stick after almost every use. Tape on a hockey stick allows for more grip on the puck when passing, shooting, or stickhandling. Some players elect to apply wax onto the tape to prevent the buildup of snow and ice on the blade of their stick over the course of a practice or game.
- Social Context: This specific superstition was mentioned when the interviewee was their pre-game routine. Hockey players tape their sticks in a multitude of different ways, all depending on personal preference. Though the taping of the stick is often different, every hockey player does it after almost every use.
Item:
- Un-taping a hockey stick happens very quickly, but in this case, the tape must come off all in one piece. Hockey sticks are taping in a looping motion, slightly overlapping each strip so that there are no gaps. To be able to take the tape off in one piece means that the tape was worn down in a specific pattern.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
- “A sign of good luck in Canada is when your tape comes off all in one. I don’t really know where it started, but we were always told that if your tape comes off all as one piece then you have to stick it to a wall somewhere in the room for good luck. I was told that it means that your stick is ready for a new tape job which means you’re more likely to score a goal, kind of like a snake shedding its skin to get a new layer.”
Informant’s Comments:
- All of the Canadians on my team have heard of this and done this, but the Americans always look at us funny and think it’s dumb.
Collector’s Comments:
- I found this sign superstition to be very interesting. I am also a hockey player, and this was something that I was taught when I was young – maybe ten or twelve years old. I was equally as surprised as Nick when I heard that Americans do not treat it the same way, and always feel a sense of happiness when my tape comes off all in one go.
Collector’s Name:
Jack Cameron
Dartmouth College
Russ013 21F
Prof. Apresyan and Prof. Gronas
No Cuts Allowed! (Jack Cameron)
Title: No Cuts Allowed!
General Information about Item:
- Magic Superstition, contagious
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: Lebanon
- Informant: GA
- Date Collected: 11/5/21
Informant Data:
- GA is a 20-year-old male Dartmouth student in the class of 2023. He was born in Manhattan and raised in a New Jersey Suburb. George is a member of the Men’s Varsity Soccer team at Dartmouth. Both of George’s parents are Lebanese immigrants. George is an Economics major, and plans on entering the finance industry after Dartmouth. During his time at Dartmouth, Kyu enjoys playing the bassoon in the orchestra. In his time away from Dartmouth, Kyu has hiked part of the Appalachian Trail (AT). His plans after Dartmouth include working as a consultant.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: Soccer players and teams have their own superstitions, but so do different countries. George’s superstition comes from his father, who brought it to him from his native Lebanon. Haircuts and hair in general are viewed differently in many Middle Eastern countries, and the connection between a severed part is well renowned in folklore.
- Social Context: This specific superstition was mentioned when the interviewee was asked about superstitions that he had before coming to Dartmouth. Immigrants often bring parts of culture that are scarcely seen in America, as is the case with George’s father.
Item:
- George does not cut his hair for the duration of his soccer season. He said that his father has told him from a young age that it is very bad luck in Lebanon to get rid of a piece of you while you strive towards your goals. George adds that his father and grandfather followed the same superstition while growing up in Lebanon, as did all of their teammates.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
- “I’ve never really cut my hair during the season. My dad always said that growing up in Lebanon it was really bad luck to lose a part of you as you move onwards, so I usually go for a haircut before the season and then one to end it. When I was young my grandfather would keep warning me about cutting my hair during the season because that’s the way they do it over in Lebanon. I have no idea where it came from, but it has been around my entire career. ”
Informant’s Comments:
- I really like it, I like getting my pre-season and post-season haircuts. I feel like they act as a distinct beginning and end of a season, and like that knowing that when I go through struggles during the season I am not losing a part of me.
Collector’s Comments:
- I found this contagious superstition to be very interesting. Not only was the superstition rooted deeply in his Lebanese family, but he also brought it over to America. This reminds me of the playoff beard superstition that often happens in my sport (hockey), but I found it interesting that his grandfather would call him to make sure he hadn’t cut his hair.
Collector’s Name:
Jack Cameron
Dartmouth College
Russ013 21F
Prof. Apresyan and Prof. Gronas
Left First (Jack Cameron)
Title: Left First
General Information about Item:
- Magic superstition, homeopathic
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States
- Informant: JM
- Date Collected: 11/08/21
Informant Data:
- JM is a 21 year old male Dartmouth student in the class of 2023. He was born and raised in the areas surrounding New Haven, Connecticut. James is a member of the Varsity Football team at Dartmouth, playing the position of Offensive Line. Away from football, James enjoys music and is an avid fan of the old folk band Carlyle Fraser.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: Football teams often stretch before their games and practices. Football is known and practiced as a very combative sport, with plenty of injury and physical toll. Stretching before a game reduces risk of injury, and is often led by seniors or captains on any given team. Offensive Linemen tend to be the biggest people on the football team.
- Social Context: This specific superstition pertains to all Offensive Linemen on the Dartmouth football team. While this is not necessarily the case for all of the positions, the interviewee was adamant that the Offensive Line face perhaps the most physical toll of all the positions, as their job is to block the defense from tackling their teammates with the ball.
Item:
A stretching routine is very common. Often led by team leaders, seniors or captains, pre-game stretching routines take place in almost all sports across the world. Each stretching routine can be different depending on the sport, but this routine has the Offensive Linemen always stretch the left body part before their right.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
“This is me stretching my left hip flexor. Our pregame stretching superstition always starts with the left side first. Left hamstring, then right hamstring. Left calf, then right calf, etc. I think it started almost 10 years ago because it’s luckier to stretch on the heart side first, that way if something gets banged up on the right side we can always say ‘it’s a long way from the heart’ and keep on moving forward.”
Informant’s Comments:
Found this to be interesting and now found that I do lots of things in my day left side first. Put on pants left leg before the right, socks and shoes left before right and such.
Collector’s Comments:
I found this pregame superstition to be quite interesting, especially since it has since carried over into his everyday life. I think that protecting the heart side is an interesting concept that I would highly consider incorporating into my own life for a feeling of safety.
Collector’s Name:
Jack Cameron
Dartmouth College
Russ013 21F
Prof. Apresyan and Prof. Gronas
Setting Watches for Dartmouth (Jack Cameron)
Title: Setting Watches for Dartmouth
General Information about Item:
- Magic Superstition, sympathetic
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States
- Informant: SW
- Date Collected: 11-1-21
Informant Data:
- SW is a 20-year-old male Dartmouth student in the class of 2023. He was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Seth is a member of the Varsity Cross Country team at Dartmouth. Seth’s father also ran Division I cross country at Duke University before going on to complete three marathons in his 40s. Seth has also spent time on the Varsity Track & Field team at Dartmouth. Seth is a Religion major who hopes to pursue consulting after graduation.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: Cross Country races are 8km for men, and 5km for women. All runners start at the same starting line, lined up by team. Because of this, they have ample opportunity for team bonding, last second words of encouragement and strategy all the way up until the starting gun.
- Social Context: This specific pre-race chant was the first thing Seth mentioned when talking about pre-race superstitions. Seth said this was a call and response chant – the captain would issue a call, to which the rest of the team would shout the response in unison for good luck into their race.
Item:
- Captain: “Men of Dartmouth set a watch!”
- Team: “Lest the old traditions fail.”
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
- “Men of Dartmouth set a watch, lest the old traditions fail is the last thing we say to each other before the gun. This photo is taken moments after the call and response, right before we are taking off. I like the chant, it reminds me where I am, to be proud of what I have accomplished, and to go out and make the history of Dartmouth and former Dartmouth runners proud”
Informant’s Comments:
- I love it. It reminds me that I am part of something much bigger than myself. This has been a Cross Country team staple for decades.
Collector’s Comments:
- I found this pre-race chant to be very interesting, especially after my informant told me that it makes him feel special to be a part of something much larger than himself, and bringing him into hallowed history of Dartmouth athletics.
Collector’s Name:
Jack Cameron
Dartmouth College
Russ013 21F
Prof. Apresyan and Prof. Gronas
White Left Wrist (Jack Cameron)
Title: White Left Wrist
General Information about Item:
- Magic Superstition, homeopathic
- Language: English
- Country of Origin: United States
- Informant: PO
- Date Collected: 11/3/21
Informant Data:
- PO is a 21-year-old male Dartmouth student in the class of 2023. He was born and raised in Schenectady, New York. Pete is a third baseman on the Men’s Varsity Baseball Team at Dartmouth. Pete has played baseball since he was six years old, and also enjoys fishing and golfing. A Government major, Pete plans on attending graduate school after Dartmouth.
Contextual Data:
- Cultural Context: Baseball players are some of the most superstitious athletes in the world. Baseball is a very mental sport, with preparation and focus being a big part of success – more than the physical aspect. Baseball is traditionally played more frequently than any other sport in America, often being played almost every day.
- Social Context: This specific superstition was mentioned when the interviewee was asked about pre-game preparations. Baseball players often have regional superstitions or routines before facing a pitch that are shared with one another when players from all over the country. This particular superstition comes from the Schenectady/Troy/Saratoga region of New York State.
Item:
- Right-handed batters tape their left wrist with white tape, and left-handed batters tape their right wrist with white tape. This is used to help remind the batter to keep the wrist locked while swinging a bat, making for more likely and more powerful contact with the ball. In this picture, we can see that Pete is a right-handed Tbatter, with his right wrist taped in white tape even though he is fielding a ball and not batting.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript:
- “I’m not sure where it started, but everyone in my area tapes their wrist of their bottom hand on their bat. We were told it helps you keep your wrist locked, but after I got stronger and didn’t need that anymore it just felt right. After a while it just became customary and made me feel more connected with the bat”
Informant’s Comments:
- “I like taping my wrist because it reminds me of home, and it’s cool to see other players now at different colleges with the same white tape and know they’re from my region”
Collector’s Comments:
- I liked how Pete was able to relate this regional superstition and not only bring it to college, but also use it as an indicator when he sees other people around at different schools from his region. I find this superstition to be especially effective after he said that it makes him feel more connected with the bat.
Collector’s Name:
Jack Cameron
Dartmouth College
Russ013 21F
Prof. Apresyan and Prof. Gronas