General Information
- Language: English
- Tradition
- Country of Origin: USA
- Infromant: EL
- Date Collected: 10/1/2021
Informant Data
- The informant has been doing cross country since she was in middle school. She became the cross country captain during her sophomore year till senior year. As of right now she has no idea what she wants to major in but she does enjoy art a lot.
Contextual Data
- Cultural context: EL states that the context behind the tradition is to bring members of the track and field team closer together. Especially during the final meet called the HEPs where the entire team has dinner together and a chant right after, emphasizing team bonding and increasing morale.
Item
- The item collected is a tradition that is done by the entire team right before their final meet which is called HEP’s. Before the meet members of the track team assemble at foco and grab food together. Once they’re all done they all rally and start chanting hyping up the members getting ready for the most important meet in the season
Informants Comments
- “This bonding experience is what helps the track team be united. Our passion for the sport and our members trying to make each other feel at home helps keep the morale up”
Collectors Comments
- I can agree with the informant that having team bonding experiences helps the players get comfortable with each other. I’ve been in soccer teams where there has been no bonding experiences and it doesn’t work because the players are comfortable with each other, which ruins the chemistry of the team.
Collectors Name
- Robert Lopez