General Information about Item:

• Ritual/ Superstition 
• Language: English
• Country of Origin: USA
• Informant: JD
• Date Collected: 11/14/19

Informant Data:

• JD is a ‘23 on the Dartmouth Track & Field team from Andover, MA. He has been on the team for three years and participates in the throwing events, specifically hammer and weight throw. He began competing in track and field in the eighth grade.  

Contextual Data:

• Cultural context: Many athletes are very superstitious and have lots of pre-meet rituals that they participate in. These ritual superstitions can be anything from an clothing item, a song they listen to, or a ritual. JD stated that he participates in this ritual because it makes them feel calm and puts them in a competitive mindset. 
• Social Context: Rituals like this are a large part of athletic participation because how you interact with your competitors plays a big role in your competition experience. Rituals like this help make one feel more comfortable in a situation that they have little control over and provides them with an individualized action even when surrounded by a lot of people. The rituals can be playful or serious depending on the athlete. 

Item:

• JD says that before and during every meet he does not talk to the competition at all until he is finished competing. Sometimes he does this by listening to music to distract him from everything else, and other times he just goes off to the side and avoids talking to people.

Associated File: 

*Informant did not feel comfortable being recorded. 

Informant’s Comments:

• JD has done this ritual every meet since they were in high school. He said it makes him feel focused on himself and not on his competition and it makes him feel like he will do better. 

Collector’s Comments:

• As an athlete myself, I have heard and seen many of my past and current teammates and opponents who have a similar approach to preparing for competition. 
• This would fall into the categories of customary folklore, as it represents a transition from everyday life to incorporation into the competition mindset. 
• While this isn’t a Dartmouth team specific tradition/superstition, this is just one example of the many athletes on the team who have similar superstitions. 

Collector’s Name:

• Madyson Buchalski