Title: Weight-cutting rituals

General Information about Item:

• Genre: Customary Folklore
  • Subgenre: Ritual

• Language: English

• Country of origin: USA

Informant Data: Will Allan ’18 is a 21-year-old white male from Southhampton, New York. He has two brothers, a mother, and a father. He has been rowing for eight years and has been rowing light-weight crew since being recruited for college.

Contextual Data:

Social Context: For many people, the need to cut weight to be eligible to row for light-weight crew begins in college. Older members of the team, captains, coaches, and alumni teach new members what strategies work and do not work, acting as a resource for the freshmen. Although weight-cutting is a solitary, individual process, there are many components of the ritual that involve others. For example, the team eats together at the dining hall, and upperclassmen guide freshmen through dietary choices in the space. Freshmen are encouraged to heed the advice “because the way they cut weight impacts the performance of the team.” Rituals such as restricting certain foods and liquids, sweating together, spitting, and urinating are all performed with the purpose of creating a qualified team for competition.

Cultural Context: Weight-cutting rituals are not only to qualify the team but also promote bonding through hardship among the teammates. Additionally, while no one (including the coaches) wants the athletes to damage their health and go below “normal weight,” the athletes often must do it in order to fit into the category of light-weight crew. The maximum weight limit of 150 lbs is thought to have been created to separate lighter men from heavier men, eliminating the advantage in the boat for lighter men. That standard has expanded to 165 lbs, although the name D150 references the original limit sticking with sport tradition. Weight-cutting might not have been as significant in the past, as people might have only maintained low weight rather than changed their weight.

Item: To be allowed to compete as a light-weight rower, athletes must prove that they are of a low maximum weight preceding a race by recording their weight at Weigh-In usually at 5PM on Fridays. There are many strategies for cutting weight, and they all depend on the person. If an athlete only needs to cut a little weight, he can simply have a light breakfast and restrict fluid intake. If an athlete needs to cut more, he might limit or eliminate sodium and carbohydrate intake three to four days preceding Weigh-In and flush out those chemicals by drinking lots of water. Constant urination and sweating are used to eliminate water from the body to lower weight. On the day of Weigh-In, an athlete might have light, calorie-rich foods.

Informant’s Comments:

• Athletes have about three days of eating what they want before they have to start thinking about the next Weigh-In.
• “As soon as you’re done [weighing in], the goal is to get back to your normal weight.” Athletes immediately eat and drink everything they couldn’t eat before and recover before the race.
• The team glorifies heavy athletes to make them feel better about doing more work to cut weight, calling them “Thicc boiz.” They are viewed as heroic and impressive.

Collector’s Comments: It seems antithetical for the athletes to have to cut weight so drastically if they are only going to gain weight again before the race even happens. The goal of weight cutting is to satisfy an arbitrary standard (expressed by informant) set by a rowing organization in order to be qualified to race, but the weight doesn’t actually impact performance. Further, athletes are weakest when cutting weight, so they feel the need to gain weight again before the race.

Collector’s Name: Sam Gochman

Tags/Keywords: D150, Dartmouth Light-Weight Rowing, weight-cutting, ritual