Title: Shammie Superstition
General Information about Item:
- Customary Folklore: Superstition
- English
- United States
Informant Data:
- Emily Green is an 18 year old from Orange County California. She is currently a freshman at Dartmouth College. Emily has only been diving for nine months, however, prior to this she competed as an elite trampolinist and competitive gymnast for 13 years. She is currently a member of the Varsity Diving Team.
Contextual Data:
- Social/Cultural Context: Emily has been involved in the diving community at Dartmouth since she got here. She shows leadership potential among her teammates and this exemplifies the bond created between under and upperclassmen that she will one day be able to carry on.
Item:
- Insert Item Here: Emily explains that it is a Dartmouth Diving Team tradition that the upperclassmen pass their shammies (water absorbing towels) down to younger teammates. This creates a bond between upper and lower class-men.
Associated file (a video, audio, or image file):
Transcript of Associated File:
- “So basically we all get our teammates from older teammates and then you always use the same shammies and you dry off before every dive so that it goes well.”
Collector’s Comments:
- This allows the diving team to create a bond between team members. It is a good way for the older teammates to bond with the younger class-men. Superstitions were common among many informants.
Collector’s Name: Molly Brickman
Tags/Keywords:
- Shammies, Superstition