Northeast | Dartmouth Folklore Archive

Title: Left Sock

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

L.W. is a male Dartmouth student in the class of 2023. He has played squash at Dartmouth all three years here. He was born in Massachusetts and is a big fan of Boston sports. He is currently studying history and would like to work in Boston after graduation.

Contextual Data:

Cultural Context: L.W. grew up playing squash in Massachusetts. Squash is a one versus one sport that is played on the same courts as racquetball courts. The squash is a smaller less bouncy version of a racquetball, but the sports are similar viewing experiences. Squash, on the other hand, is slower paced as the ball does not move nearly as fast or bounce as many times as a racquetball. Furthermore, squash requires a lot of mental fortitude and focus during matches.
Social Context: On the day of a match when he was young, L.W. realized he had forgotten to bring one of his socks. Unfortunately, he was left with the decision to either play with no socks or one sock. L.W.became anxious about his performance and did not want to wear no socks for his match. L.W.’s dad then told him that he had played with one sock when he was a child and that it was his best match of the season. L.W. then decided to wear one sock on his left foot for his game.

Item:

L.W. chooses to wear one sock on his left foot for the most important match of his season each year. When he was a child he believed he played his best match of the season the day he forgot one of his socks and attributed it to his success.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):

Transcript:

“I always wear one sock for big games. It feels different than with both socks on, but I just play better. I feel like I focus on the sock and playing well in the past and it helps me during the game.”

Informant’s Comments:

“I don’t really believe in superstitions, but this is one that I like to keep alive. It’s probably a placebo; however, I definitely get excited for the match that I choose to wear just the one sock. It hypes the match up and having one sock is a reminder of how important it is.”

Collector’s Comments:

I think this superstition is awesome. It has to feel a little awkward wearing just one sock, but I know a lot of people who wear no socks in their cleats, skates, or shoes. It is interesting to me his decision to pick his left foot instead of his right and his consistency of placing the sock on his left foot. I’m not sure if I would have even remembered which foot I placed it on in the first instance, let alone continued to keep it on just the left.

Collector’s Name:

Tags/Keywords:

Dartmouth Folklore Archive