Author Archives: f004n5n

HEPsoween Run

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General Information

  • Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Informant: VW
  • Date Collected: 11/17/2021

Informant Data

  • VW started running in first grade. She became serious about running in 8th grade when she began to train with the high school varsity team. She competes in the 800, 1500, and 3000 meter races. For indoor track, she competes in the 1k.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: Sports teams often have team traditions and activities. The main purpose is to build cohesiveness as a group. Team spirit is crucial in team sports, and shared traditions help promote it.

Item

  • Each year the female track team joins the male track team in a tradition whereby they dress up in Halloween costumes and run around campus. They also knock on the President’s door.

Associated Audio Recording

Informant’s Comments

  • One of the main goals is for the team members to remember why they enjoy running and being part of a team.

Collector’s Comments

  • My high school teams had similar traditions. It is interesting to see completely different people from different schools come up with similar ways to promote the same values of team chemistry and bonding.

Collector’s Name

  • Alex Printsev

Team Cheer

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General Information

  • Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Informant: SM
  • Date Collected: 11/19/2021

Informant Data

  • SM was a soccer player in high school before switching to cross country. In high school he competed in the mile and 2 mile competitions. At Dartmouth he competes in the 5k and 10k for track and the 8k for cross country. He is the current captain of the cross country and track teams.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: Collective traditions are prevalent on many sports teams. They help instill comradery among the members and can improve team spirit and morale.

Item

  • The captain, or the senior most member of the team, gathers everyone about 100 meters from the starting line and says “Men of Dartmouth set a watch”. The team then responds with “Lest the old traditions fail”.

Associated Audio Recording

Informant’s Comments

  • SM says that there have been some really talented runners that came from Dartmouth and the tradition is meant to emulate them. Performing it will hopefully allow the runners to perform as well as the most talented runners that came before them.

Collector’s Comments

  • This piece of folklore is particularly interesting because the point is for the current runners to perform as well as the runners of the past. This means that the traditions span across multiple decades and people of all ages that were a part of the team at some point share a common bond.

Collector’s Name

  • Alex Printsev

Wake-Ups

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General Information

  • Tradition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: USA
  • Informant: LS
  • Date Collected: 11/9/2021

Informant Data

  • LS did three sports in high school before she talked to a private coach and began to like running more. At Dartmouth she runs the mile and 3k races.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural Context: Lots of sports teams have traditions that are meant for team building. These traditions bring the members of the team closer together and help build comradery.
  • Social Context: Freshmen in college can sometimes be nervous about joining a new team or coming to college generally. Activities that bond the team together can help them mesh into their new environment and upperclassmen can act as guides.

Item

  • Everyone dresses up in flair (colorful clothes) and go to the dorms of freshman that they are assigned to. They wake them up and pretend that the coach wants to do a morning workout. They then run around and sing songs.

Associated Audio Recording

Informant’s Comments

  • This tradition builds comradery among the team. It makes sure everyone has the mindset and brings people together regardless of ability or status.

Collector’s Comments

  • Team building activities like this are great for building team morale. They help participants feel like they are part of a large organization of which they are an important part.

Collector’s Name

  • Alex Printsev

Hair Tie

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General Information about Item

  • Tradition/Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Informant: GM
  • Date Collected: 11/9/2021

Informant Data

  • GM is from Northern California, outside of San Francisco. She competes in the 6k and an assortment of other races of varying distances – anywhere from a mile to 5k.

Contextual Data

  • Cultural context: According to GM, uptight members of the track team are very superstitious and have lots of pre-game rituals that they believe will help them perform well. Many athletes across many different sport have superstitions pertaining to certain articles of clothing.

Item

  • Before each race, GM ties two black ties to her hair. She then ties a bow to a third black hair tie.

Informant’s Comments

  • The point of the bow is to promote a “look good, feel good” mindset. She believes it will help her perform better in competitions.

Collector’s Comments

  • When I played soccer, I had a similar mindset. I always felt that making sure my apparel looked good was crucial to my actual performance on the field.

Collector’s Name

  • Alex Printsev