Tag Archives: water polo

Knuckle Cracking (Troy Burkhart)

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General Information about Item:

  • Magic (Contagious) Superstition, repetition
  • Origin: Maryland
  • Informant: J.B.
  • 10/28/2021

Informant Data:

  • J.B. was born in Bethesda, Maryland in the year 2002. He is currently on the water polo team at Dartmouth College and on Phi Delta Alpha’s flag football team. He is majoring in PPE (Government modified with economics and philosophy). He and his family are all of Canadian or French Canadian descent.

Contextual Data:

  • Cultural Context: Sports team usually have a traditional social aspect passed down through the team. These pre-game aspects are usually superstitious in nature and are believed to help the team win. J.B. happened to pick up his superstition from his old football team which is a sport in the US which many people, players and viewers alike, create superstitions to help their team win.
  • Social Context: Knuckle cracking is a typical action that people will mindlessly do, but in J.B. case it serves to mock the opponent/signify they are going to break their bones (beat them in the game). Joseph got his knuckle cracking superstition from his old high school which he believes originated about thirty years ago. The schools rival did this to his high school before the coin flip and now it is a tradition that the whole football team cracks their knuckles to the rival right after the coin flip.

Item:

  • J.B. knuckle cracking superstition is that he must crack his knuckles before the game starts and every time before he enters the water polo game after a timeout or other stoppage (instead of a football game like in high school). He specifically cracks each knuckle one at a time starting with the right index figure and going to the pinky and then repeating it on the left hand. He believes this helps his team get the lucky bounces or calls in the game.

Associated files/pictures:

Transcript:

  • “I start on my right hand and crack each knuckle, minus the thumb, individually and then go to my right hand and repeat it. I believe it helps my team with bounces and getting lucky so to speak. Like instead of hitting a post, the ball will clip the post and go in for a goal.”

Informants Comments:

  • He hopes his high school continues this tradition and that he can get the knuckle cracking superstition to start at Dartmouth.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Although I do not crack my knuckles I have other hand warmups I do for hockey. I also find it hilarious that this tradition has continued for thirty years at his high school, just to mock the rival high school.

Collector’s Name:

  • Troy Burkhart
  • Dartmouth College ’23
  • Russian 13 Fall 2021
  • Professors – Gronas, Apresyan

Tags:

  • Water Polo
  • Dartmouth
  • Superstition
  • Repetition

Left Hand Throwing Superstition

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Title: Left Hand Throwing Superstition

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Customary, superstition
  • Example: Customary Folklore: Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA

Informant Data:

Matt Riley is a 19’ in Dartmouth College.  He is on the Water Polo team and is from Princeton, New Jersey.

Contextual Data:

  • Many players have superstitions and rituals that they follow, usually it is based on a positive or negative experience. During a game or practice Matt Riley Never passes the ball with his right hand.

Item:

Matt Riley Never passes the ball with his right hand. He threw a bad pass once with his right hand and now hesitates whenever he throws with his right hand.

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

Informant’s Comments:

  • Many other players also have this superstition of not throwing the ball with their right hands. Usually players when making a pass will try to throw the ball to their teammates left hand.

 

Collector’s Comments:

  • The water polo players never practice passing with their right hands so they are not practiced in throwing with that hand. However, because they also believe it is bad luck, they are mentally thrown off when the ball comes to their right hand.

Collector’s Name: Jonathan Schneck

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition

My Name is David

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Title:

General Information about Item:

  • Genre and Sub Genre: Verbal, chant
  • Example: Customary Folklore: chants
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from: USA

Informant Data:

Insert Informant Data Here: Kenneth Moussavian is a 19’ in Dartmouth College.  He is on the Water Polo team and has been playing water polo since high school. He was born and raised in Los Altos Hills and both his parents are from Iran.

Contextual Data:

  • Many sports teams, especially at Dartmouth, have inside jokes and chants that creates a bond between team members. After ever practice the team will recite a chant called “my name is David”.

Item:

Insert Item Here: The chant the entire team participates in is called “my name is David” each member of the team will add their own unique beat and repeat saying “my name is David”. Although David becomes annoyed when the team makes fun of him. This unites the team thus creating better chemistry during matches.

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

Informant’s Comments:

  • Insert Informant’s Comments Here: Although David becomes annoyed when the team makes fun of him. This “hypes up the team” thus creating better chemistry during matches.

 

Collector’s Comments:

  • Insert Collector’s Comments Here: the water polo team is very close and feel comfortable mocking each other. The chant also creates a bond between all the team members when they make fun of David.

Collector’s Name: Jonathan Schneck

Tags/Keywords:

  • Insert Tags/Keywords Here: Chants

Broken Nose

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Title: Broken Nose Backup

General Information about Item:

  • Verbal, Legend
  • Language: English
  • Country where Item is from:

Informant Data:

  • Kenneth Moussavian, Male, 20. Mousaavian is a 19’ on the water polo team at Dartmouth College. He was born and raised in Los Altos Hills, and both his parents are from Iran.

Contextual Data:

  • Stories of legends are told for many reasons, and the following legend is told as a figure for people look up to.

Item:

  • Kevin Hoffman made the start for Dartmouth at a tournament hosted by Brown. Hoffman who was the backup goalie was pushed into the lineup after the starter supposedly wandered off to Wellesley College. Hoffman made 37 saves and broke his nose on the first one.

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

Informant’s Comments:

  • Moussavian said that the legend of Hoffman is even more memorable, as the whole situation was comical.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Hoffman is a legend because of the attributes he stands for. They are things that the water polo team values, and this is why the legend is probably often told, as the team tries to emulate, such as toughness and being able to perform on command.

Collector’s Name: Brandon Lee

Tags/Keywords:

  • Backup, broken nose, legend