Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "Every tradition grows ever more venerable the more remote its origin, the more confused that origin is. The reverence due to it increases from generation to generation. The tradition finally becomes holy and inspires awe."
Throughout Dartmouth's expansive history, the College has developed many of its own holy and awe-inspiring traditions. We build a massive bonfire for Homecoming every fall, and we sculpt an intricate snow sculpture for Winter Carnival. No term passes without a streaking incident and it is not uncommon to see girls in fairy costumes storm the library during finals period, offering shots of vodka and rum to overstressed classmates.
If you ask most students about the history of these practices, they will not be able to tell you how, why or when these traditions started. These same students, however, would likely fight you to the death before they let you take away one of the traditions that make Dartmouth special.
Big Green athletics also have several long-standing traditions. Nearly every freshman class has a few members rush the field during halftime of the Homecoming football game. This past Homecoming, a large slew of freshmen rushed the field during Columbia University's marching band performance and disrupted the band's formation. One band member broke away from his pack and tried to chase down one of the instigators. Moments like this are why I love this college.
My favorite Dartmouth athletics ritual occurs when the men's hockey team plays Princeton University at Thompson Arena. For freshmen who do not know, it is a time-honored tradition to throw tennis balls onto the ice after Dartmouth scores its first goal against Princeton. Fans are strongly encouraged, but not required, to aim directly for Princeton players bonus points for the goalie.
For the past three years, I have blindly followed tradition and enthusiastically participated in this annual event. With the game coming up on Saturday, I decided to figure out once and for all how and why this tradition started.
According to lore, Princeton fans used to shower the ice with tennis balls after the first goal of every game. Sometime in the mid-1990s, Princeton's head coach managed to abolish the tradition in New Jersey. In response, Dartmouth fans decided to adopt the abandoned practice as their own. Every year since, students have smuggled tennis balls into the game and thrown them onto the ice after the first Big Green goal.
This somewhat underwhelming history proves that traditions do not always stem from an influential event. Dartmouth students pelt Princeton players with tennis balls simply because it is a fun and unifying experience. At Dartmouth, we love tradition because it makes us feel like we are part of something bigger. No one gets truly hurt and no one suffers, so let the students have their fun.
Over the years, the College and the Eastern College Athletic Conference have attempted to stifle this ritual. The ECAC mandates that Dartmouth be charged with a two-minute "delay of game" penalty if students continue to throw tennis balls. But this only fuels the fire. Every year, officials give Dartmouth the penalty, and it riles up the crowd even more. The noise in Thompson is deafening after the balls are released.
For all of you freshmen out there, I have some advice that will help you get the most out of this weekend. The first step is making sure that you make it to the game at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Even if you do not feel like buying tennis balls, go to the game so that you can witness the tradition. I guarantee you will never forget seeing the Princeton goalie shamefully accept a beating. Next, do not jump the gun and throw your tennis ball on the ice too early. There is still a hockey game taking place, so do not disrespect anyone by disrupting play before or after the first goal. Remember to use all your tennis balls immediately after the first goal. If we penalize Dartmouth more than once, we hurt the team. Everyone loves the tennis ball tradition but the first priority is a win for the Big Green. Finally, Safety and Security officers confiscate all visible tennis balls from students entering the arena, so get creative with your hiding places.
I'm excited for Saturday's game. I love hockey and the Big Green always puts on a good show. In addition to watching a great game, I get to see a rowdy crowd launch hundreds of tennis balls at its helpless opposition. Princeton has every idea what's coming.
