Tag Archives: swimming

Legend of the Overexerted Swimmer

General Information about Item:

  • Text Folklore – Legend
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: James Edward Thompson III
  • Date Collected: 03-03-2018

Informant Data:

  • James Thompson was born and raised in Tracy, CA. A lifelong swimmer, James came to Dartmouth as part of the Class of 2017 and was an accomplished member of the Men’s Swimming team for four years between 2013 and 2017. He is no longer a member of the Dartmouth Swim and Dive Team.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The Dartmouth Swim and Dive team has a storied tradition of lore. This particular legend utilizes a walk-on underdog figure to help the team motivate themselves and remind themselves that effort, and not reputation, is what is most important.
  • Social Context: James relayed this legend in a one-on-one interview. It is often told either after an extremely hard day’s practice to help team members vent their anger through sarcasm, or when they feel that the team is not working hard enough, in order to motivate themselves through the hyperbole of this legend.

Item:

  • James relayed a story of a walk-on (a team member who was not good enough to be recruited but eventually made the team after coming to Dartmouth), who trained so hard to be on the team and then set a pool record, but who perished in the attempt.

 

Transcript:

  • “One story I remember was from a speech a Captains gave a long time ago about a swimmer a while back who was a walk-on, but trained super hard and ended up setting a pool record, but he died while training.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This story of a hero who sacrificed everything, including their lives, to achieve some fantastic goal is quite familiar in many different types of lore, but is always inspiring to hear. It also has some elements similar to Max Luthi’s tragically underequipped hero, who still succeeds.

Collector’s Name: Ashwath Srikanth

Tags/Keywords: Text Folklore, Legend, William Bascom, Max Luthi, Swimming

Kipsalana Chant

General Information about Item:

  • Text/Music Folklore – Chant
  • Children’s Folklore – Draznilka
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Henry Senkfor
  • Date Collected: 02-19-2018

Informant Data:

  • Henry Senkfor was born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 15, 1996. Henry lived in Cleveland his whole life and has never moved. Henry started swimming when he was 7 years old because his parents made him do it. He is a senior at Dartmouth. He was captain of the swim team but just finished his swimming career a day ago.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context of this folklore represents something that many teams do before games or races; a cheer. A cheer/chant is preformed across almost every sport, whether it be saying the team name, or a bunch of random words put together and cheered before the games.
  • Social Context: The data was collected during a one on one interview in Andres Hall. Henry described a ritual of folklore that was passed down to him when he entered Dartmouth as a freshman. The ritual has been passed down from members of the team since before 1976. The ritual gets the team excited and ready.

Item:

  • Henry talked about the men’s team cheer, Kipsalana, which the team chants before every meet. This chant has been passed down for as long as people can remember.
  • Kipsalana Cheer: “Kipsalana,Kapsalana Squish Squa. Tie hi Silicon Sku Cum Wa. Mojo Mummik. Muka Muka Zip. Dartmouth Dartmouth Rip Rip Rip. Tie Hi Sis Boom Ba. Dartmouth Dartmouth Rah Rah Rah.”

Video of the Men’s Swim Team Performing Kipsalana:

IMG_4315

(Download to Play)

Transcript:

  • “The folklore that came to my mind is our team cheer, ‘Kipsalana’. This cheer is something that we do before every meet, exclusive to the Dartmouth men’s swim and dive program. The tradition was started way back before any of us were even born, and maybe before our parents were born as well. No one knows where the cheer comes from or what it means, as it is a bunch of random words. But since it was created, Dartmouth men’s swim and dive will, and has done this chant before every meet.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • The nonsensical lyrics and sing-song rhyming of this chant seems to mirror the Draznilkas of Slavic folklore. This similarity to children’s folklore may be explained by the fact that many young college swimmers are going through a liminal stage, transitioning from home and childhood, into an adult competitive environment, and so rely on these childhood tools to better explore their situation. Furthermore, Kipsalana reflects the initiation ritual purpose of children’s folklore, with the repetition and silly lyrics being an important tool for new members to join the team’s culture.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Music Folklore, Children’s Folklore, Draznilka, Swimming

New Swim Shoes

General Information about Item:

  • Material Folklore – Tools
  • Conceptual Folklore – Superstition
  • Conversion Superstition
  • Contagious Magic
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: John Hall
  • Date Collected: 02-19-2018

Informant Data:

  • John Hall was born in Manhattan, New York on July 15, 1998. John lived in New York City for a couple years before moving to New Jersey. John started swimming when he turned 11, because his younger brother has started swimming and he wanted to join. He is a sophomore at Dartmouth, and he swims sprint freestyle.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In many sports, and life in general, people will do or wear things that they think can help. Even though the superstition may do nothing, it gives the person a sense of reassurance and confidence.
  • Social Context: The data was collected in a one on one interview in Baker-Berry library. John described a superstition and tradition he did with a friend on the days of swim meets. The folklore was created to help bring good luck before the meet. He started doing his superstition in 7th grade, and has continued to do it since then.

Item:

  • John would wear the same shoes for every meet until he did bad. Once he did bad, he would go purchase new shoes to wear for meets until he did bad in the new shoes. He has done this with his friend for years.

Image of Flip Flops (Deck Shoes):

Transcript:

  • “Starting in 7th grade, my friend and I bought the same flip flops for a summer swim meet. We wore them to every meet until we did bad in the meet, then we would switch to wearing a different pair of shoes on the day of the meet. As soon as we did bad, we would switch to a new pair, to help bring good luck. The bad shoes would still be worn, just not during swim meets. “

Collector’s Comments:

  • I thought it would be expensive to maintain, but deck shoes are only a couple of bucks.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Material Folklore, Tool, Conceptual Folklore, Conversion Superstition, Contagious Magic, Swimming

Origin of Kipsalana Chant

General Information about Item:

  • Text/Music Folklore – Chant
  • Etiological Myth
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Asst. Coach Eliot Scymanski
  • Date Collected: 02-25-2018

Informant Data:

  • Eliot Scymanski was born in Hamden, Connecticut. He attended Franklin and Marshall, where he swam there and graduated in 2012 with a degree in environmental studies. Eliot began assistant coaching at Dartmouth in 2015, and has just completed his third year of coaching. Eliot is taking a break from coaching to pursue his dream of being a professional tri-athlete.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: This chant is one of the oldest, most binding traditions of the Dartmouth Swim & Dive Team. It has been lead by coaches and team leaders for a long time, and has helped the team bond, not only with its immediate teammates, but across generations.
  • Social Context: Eliot reported on rumors that he has heard while coaching the Dartmouth Swim Team, especially about the supposed origin of the team’s famous chant, in a one-on-one interview.

Item:

  • The Dartmouth men’s team cheer – “Kipsalana” – and its mysterious origins and creation.
  • Kipsalana Cheer: “Kipsalana,Kapsalana Squish Squa. Tie hi Silicon Sku Cum Wa. Mojo Mummik. Muka Muka Zip. Dartmouth Dartmouth Rip Rip Rip. Tie Hi Sis Boom Ba. Dartmouth Dartmouth Rah Rah Rah.”

Video of the Men’s Swim Team Performing Kipsalana:

IMG_4315

(Download to Play)

Transcript:

  • “I heard that the Men’s Team cheer, ‘Kipsalana’, was created the first year that the program was created, passed down all these years. Whether this is true or not, no one alive knows, it is just rumors I have heard. There is also supposedly a secret meaning to the cheer, however no one knows for sure.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • I haven’t been here quite long enough to totally understand some of this team history.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Kipsalana is so old, no one really knows the origin of the chant, yet everyone seems so committed to preserving it.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Music Folklore, Etiological Myth, William Bascom, Swimming

Licking Goggles Superstition

General Information about Item:

  • Conceptual Folklore – Superstition
  • Magic Superstition
  • Practical Magic
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Paul Cane
  • Date Collected: 02-20-2018

Informant Data:

  • Paul Cane was born in the UCLA hospital, on May 31, 1997. Paul has lived in California his whole life. Paul started swimming when he was eight, and changed to a year-round swimmer when he started his freshman year. He is a junior swimmer at Dartmouth College, but went to Georgetown his freshman year before transferring.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context of this folklore represents the rituals people do to make sure they are prepared for their sport. In swimming, goggles become very foggy quickly, and it can make it hard to see when you race. There are certain ways to help it so that it does not get foggy.
  • Social Context: The data was collected during a one on one interview in Baker-Berry library. Paul described a ritual he performed back when he first started swimming. He actually started the ritual himself, and spread the folklore to all his friends who were swimming at the time.

Item:

  • Paul would lick the inside of his goggles before every race. He did this so that his goggles would not fog, and he shared it among all his friends and teammates.

Image of Paul’s Swim Cap and Goggles:

Transcript:

  • “It sounds kinda gross, but when I get on the blocks, whether they are foggy or not, I will lick the inside of my goggles I wear every week to make sure they are clear and I can see. This ritual before races started because one time when I was 10, I didn’t do it, my goggles fogged up, and I couldn’t see. So since then, I have done it ever since. I instantly told all my friends that licking the goggles would make sure they would not fog up, and they started doing it too. Since then, my friends and I will always lick my goggles before I race.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • It works!

Collector’s Comments:

  • This superstition seems like an example of James Frazer’s practical magic, and an example of substituting magic where the actual scientific cause is unknown. Apparently, there is some scientific basis for saliva working like a barrier against moisture forming on the goggles, so the magic superstition does have some scientific basis.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Conceptual Folklore, Magic Superstition, Practical Magic, Goggles, James Frazer, Swimming

Stock Market Superstition

General Information about Item:

  • Conceptual Folklore – Superstition
  • Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Tony Shen
  • Date Collected: 02-21-2018

Informant Data:

  • Tony Shen was born in Mountain View, California on June 25, 1996. Tony has stayed in California his whole life, only moving once to a city close to where he was born. Tony started swimming when he was eight years old, because he wanted to try something new and not be lazy. Tony is a senior at Dartmouth College, and is wrapping up his swimming career forever in a week. After graduation, Tony is working at PWC.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The high stress levels of swimming can be a lot for people, so having something to do that helps take your mind off of the meet to come is helpful.
  • Social Context: This superstition was recorded during a one on one interview on the bus ride to Ivy League Championships. Tony described a ritual that he does the week leading up to his big meets. Tony noted that another member of the Dartmouth Swim Team, Jimmy Patrick, also participates in this ritual with Tony. Ever since trying it Tony’s sophomore year, and Jimmy’s freshman year, it has been something to get their minds off of racing so they can relax.

Item:

  • Tony and his teammate, Jimmy, check the markets eight times a day the week before a big swim meet.

Image of iPhone Stocks App:

Transcript:

  • “The week leading up to our big swim meets, Jimmy and I find it imparrative to maintain mental fluidity and stability. To accomplish this, we check the markets, at least eight times per day. We find that this activity both sharpens our wits, as well as takes our mind off of the meet to come. Since we started doing this, it has helped me perform better in every swim meet.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • It seems kind of crazy, but being financially aware is such a big part of Dartmouth culture, so we’re able to distract ourselves from tense meets by focusing on this other big part of Dartmouth culture.

Collector’s Comments:

  • It seems as if this superstition reflects Freud’s theory of folklore being a sublimation of our subconcious neurotic behaviors. Checking the markets 8 times a day certainly seems neurotic, but by satisfying this other part of the subconscious, they don’t have to worry about the tension of swimming.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Conceptual Folklore, Magic Superstition, Markets, Freud, Neuroses, Swimming

Special Handshake

General Information about Item:

  • Poly-modal Folklore – Ritual
  • Body Folklore
  • Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Brandon Liao
  • Date Collected: 02-20-2018

Informant Data:

  • Brandon Liao was born in Toronto, Canada on October 29, 1998. Brandon’s family now resides in China; however, Brandon has traveled all around North America and the world. After Canada, Brandon moved to Connecticut, California, China, and then finally went to a boarding school in Connecticut for his high school years. Brandon started to swim when he was six years old, because it was an after-school activity that was offered. He is a freshman at Dartmouth College, who is a swimmer on the Swim and Dive Team who specializes in freestyle and breaststroke.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context of this folklore reflects how some people, especially in sports and swimming, need some extra help to get themselves ready before races. Whether that be doing a ritual, or maybe even drinking a lot of caffeinated drinks, people will go through many extremes to help prepare themselves.
  • Social Context: The ritual was documented during a one-on-one interview on the bus-ride to Princeton for the Ivy League Championship swim meet. Brandon described a ritual he does before the start of his individual races to help him get excited and angry. Brandon talked about how his best friend on his team, Cam, helped him come up with his folklore ritual. Ever since Brandon discovered this ritual, he does it when he needs to get excited and ready, so he does not do it every single time.

Item:

  • Brandon and his high school teammate, Cam, would do a unique handshake before each of their races.

 

Transcript:

  • “It has been working for me since I started trying it back when I turned 16. My friend Cam helped me come up with a way to help prepare myself for my races when I could not seem to get excited. Before a race, we decided to do a handshake behind the block because we were racing next to each other. Since then, we would always do the same handshake before each of our races. Since we started it, we have perfected the handshake, and it helps us get excited and ready to race.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • Although I am not teammates with Cam anymore, this handshake helps remind me of the experiences we had together and makes me feel supported in my races.

Collector’s Comments:

  • This folklore is interesting in that it is not shared by a large folk, but only 2 individuals (still large enough for this to be folklore), making it a very intimate ritual.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Poly-modal Folklore, Ritual, Body Folklore, Handshake, Swimming

Block Ritual

General Information about Item:

  • Poly-modal Folklore – Ritual
  • Magic Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Alie Hunter
  • Date Collected: 02-18-2018

Informant Data:

  • Alexandra “Alie” Hunter is a swimmer on the Swim and Dive Team at Dartmouth College, and is a member of the Class of 2021.  Alie Hunter was born in Toronto, Canada on September 8, 1999.  Alie is the first swimmer in her family.  She began swimming at the age of five, and decided to swim and go to college in America her junior year of high school.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The cultural context of this folklore reflects the stress and pressure that many swimmers feel before they race.  The swimmers will help do rituals to calm down and relax before their races because of the environment that swimmers face. 
  • Social Context: The data was collected during a one on one interview in the RWIT studio/room, right after she finished her IVY League Championship meet.  Alie described a ritual that she does before every race.  Alie noted that every person, boys and girls, on the team would also do during their swim meets.  Their coach recommended it to the team as a way to help them build confidence and stay calm before their races.  This folklore ritual was created when Alie turned 12 years old.

Item:

  • Alie will stand on the blocks and look at her teammates at the other end of her lane before her races.  Her friends and teammates all make sure to be behind the lanes to cheer for the swimmer and give them something to look at before the race. 

Transcript:

  • Before my races, I will always stand up on the block and look at my teammates who are at the other end.  Until the starter says ‘Take your Mark,’ I will continue to look at my teammates as they cheer for me on the other end.  My Coach told us to do this when we were twelve to help us relieve stress and know that our team was there to help cheer for us.  My teammates and I started to do this before every race since then, and we make sure we are always at the other end of the pool for whoever is starting so they can see us.  The first time I tried this, it helped me go fast and stay calm, so I have and will continue to do it forever.” 

Collector’s Comments:

  • This song is pretty catchy.

Collector’s Name: Matthew Luciano

Tags/Keywords: Poly-modal Folklore, Ritual, Magic Superstition, Swimming

Miley Cyrus – “Party in the U.S.A.”

General Information about Item:

  • Music Folklore – Song
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Ziqi Wang
  • Date Collected: 02-23-2018

Informant Data:

  • Ziqi Wang is a male student in the Dartmouth College Class of 2018.  He was born in China and emigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old; he has spent most of his life in the Hanover, NH area, having attended Hanover High School. He studies economics and environmental science at Dartmouth, and intends to pursue a career in business in Boston, MA after graduation. Ziqi has been an active member of Dartmouth’s Club Swim Team since the fall of 2014.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: In order to bolster team spirit and unity, the Dartmouth Club Swim Team has a variety of fun traditions which engage the members in play. This particular ritual has the members of the team sing an adolescent pop song, which has ironically gained fame with the college community, allowing the team to mutually engage in an absurd, almost child-like song. This bonding through humor and adolescent fun helps to solidify the team.
  • Social Context: This musical tradition was explained in a one-on-one interview with the informant at Baker-Berry Library. It is performed before meets, allowing team members to channel any anxiety they may be feeling into a care-free, child-like exercise, relaxing them.

Item:

  • Before meets, members of the Dartmouth Club Swim Team get together to sing Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.”

Music Video for “Party in the U.S.A.”:

Transcript:

  • “Before meets, people like to sing this Miley Cyrus song – ‘Party in the U.S.A.’ I forgot exactly how it goes, but it’s a fun, easy way for people to shake off the nerves. They know like, maybe half of the lyrics. It’s such a silly song.”

Informant’s Comments:

  • “It’s a great song, I love it.”

Collector’s Comments:

  • This song is quite catchy

Collector’s Name: Ashwath Srikanth

Tags/Keywords: Music Folklore, Ritual, Miley Cyrus, Swimming

“123 Dartmouth” Chant

General Information about Item:

  • Textual Folklore – Chant
  • Poly-modal Folklore – Ritual
  • Language: English
  • Country of Origin: United States
  • Informant: Ziqi Wang
  • Date Collected: 02-23-2018

Informant Data:

  • Ziqi Wang is a male student in the Dartmouth College Class of 2018.  He was born in China and emigrated to the United States when he was 9 years old; he has spent most of his life in the Hanover, NH area, having attended Hanover High School. He studies economics and environmental science at Dartmouth, and intends to pursue a career in business in Boston, MA after graduation. Ziqi has been an active member of Dartmouth’s Club Swim Team since the fall of 2014.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: The Dartmouth Club Swim Team has a variety of bonding rituals which help the team come together. This particular ritual is mandatory for all members, with the repetition helping to enforce the primacy of the team in all members heads, while establishing the hierarchy of the team, by having team leaders lead the chant in a loud, authoritative voice and having junior members echo the leaders.
  • Social Context: This chant was explained in a one-on-one interview with the informant at Baker-Berry Library. It is performed at the end of the meet, with the members all huddling up together in close contact, creating a close bond. Various team leaders then lead the chant, with the rest of the members following them in the chorus. The chant is also used to signal the end of practices, illustrating the transition from the intensity of practice to post-practice relaxation.

Item:

  • At the end of every practice, the members of the Dartmouth Club Swim Team come together in a huddle and finish with the “123 Dartmouth” chant. It is led by one or more of the team’s leaders or senior members, with the rest of the team acting as a chorus. The text of the chant is shown below.
  • “Team Leader: ‘Club Swim on 3! 1, 2, 3!                                                                                         Rest of Team: ‘Club Swim!'”

Transcript:

  • “We end practice every day with a simple chant which is called 123 Dartmouth. One of the seniors or older people on the team shouts ‘Club Swim on 3!’ And then counts off “1,2,3.” Then everyone else shouts ‘Club Swim!'”

Informant’s Comments:

  • It seems kind of simple and is pretty similar to what a lot of other teams do, but it still adds a lot of excitement and energy for the team after practices.

Collector’s Comments:

  • This chant does seem similar to the huddle-ending practices of many sports teams at Dartmouth, but uniquely, it is led by senior team members, rather than the coach, like in most teams, illustrating a greater level of independence. It has a vague similarity to children’s folklore, in that as Bettelheim emphasizes, repetition is used to reinforce ideas for junior members. Also, it is composed and performed exclusively by and for students. This reflects the nature of club sports, which generally do not have formal coaching staff, requiring club athletes to learn and maintain their traditions and skills independently, much as children’s folklore is used by children to teach themselves and others, as opposed to adults teaching them.

Collector’s Name: Ashwath Srikanth

Tags/Keywords: Textual Folklore, Poly-modal Folklore, Ritual, Chants, Children’s Folklore, Swimming