Our school has some of the best sports teams in our region, and every team has a story to tell. Each individual athlete contributes to a team’s collective success. An important part of this contribution are the numerous superstitions and pregame practices each individual athlete takes part in before they compete.
“[A superstition to me] is something you do every time you have a game or something that you’re stressed out over. It’s really to keep yourself calm and keep your rhythm,” senior 3rd baseman and pitcher for the boys varsity baseball team Thomas Koomey said.
While these pregame rhythms and rituals are important they vary widely depending on the team and from player to player.
“I always secure an energy drink. But then [I do] a little warm up routine. I do a light jog, maybe a few sprints, then I’ll get into some hip mobility stretches, quad stretches, hamstring stretches. I make sure my legs are loose. Then I run some upper body [stretches] to get the arm loose,” senior captain and catcher for the boys varsity baseball team Isaac Hobbs said.
Some rituals are more fun and relaxed than others.
“I try and keep the exact same pregame routine. I go to 7/11 and get the same drink every game, then play fungo golf on the field before every game,” Koomey said.
Although fungo golf consists of playing golf with a baseball and bat, it helps loosens the players up, and takes off the edge of the game. However, the game can be a double edged sword.
“There have been games where I performed poorly in fungo golf and hit well in the game. But there was one game recently where I had a terrible round [of fungo golf] and didn’t do well in the game, at all,” Hobbs said.
Superstitions and pre game rituals extend beyond baseball and fungo golf. Even some of the best swimmers for our school have a routine before diving into their event.
“The kids menu soft tacos, with rice, chicken and tortilla. I always go with my sister and she also gets Chipotle. Sometimes I go with Clara, like at sectionals we went together before finals,” junior swimmer Nora Sherman said.
Athletes can agree that energy drinks are a big trend when it comes to preparing for a game, but not always on the brand or flavor.
“I was on Monster for a little bit, but now I gotta go with Ghost, probably the Swedish Fish flavor,” Hobbs said.
Not all rituals are done by a single person. Some routines involve the entire team. When it comes to swimming, the girls make sure everyone gets involved.
“There’s a lot of singing and dancing. We like to play really loud music in the locker room and when we’re getting our suits on,” Sherman said.
“Before your race you have to put on the tight suit which takes like 20 mins. So we have to have music on to be motivated to do it,” junior Clara Mccarthy said.
No matter the sport, superstition and pre game habits play a big role in the lives of players. Many resort to caffeine supplements from energy drinks or try to repeat the same sequence of events before their sport. Either way, these little routines are key to many of our athletes’ success.
