After walking off the field from pitching the top of the first inning, Turk Wendell, a former Chicago Cubs pitcher, sprints towards the bathroom with only one thing in mind. He reaches for his toothbrush and quickly brushes his teeth before the next inning begins.
Hunter Hovland, outside hitter for the men’s volleyball team, rotates the same Nike socks and pairs them with his Nike game-day sneakers because he will never mix brands when playing a volleyball game.
Filling up his tank with some extra electrolytes, David Cardona, sprinter for the track and field team, imagines himself leader of the pack, running as fast as light on the track.
Superstitions, rituals or routines, call it what you want, but many athletes have one. Starting out as a habit, athletes say it quickly becomes a routine and then turns into a superstition.
In the world of sports, such behavior has become an important part of the game.
“I always triple knot my laces,” Brice Savage, second baseman for the men’s baseball team, said. “Since three is my favorite number, it’s my good luck charm.”
Many student athletes consciously carry their superstition wherever they go. With built up anxiety and anticipation for game time, athletes use these routines to mentally prepare and get in the zone.
Athletes say superstitions “pump them up” and make them excited to play each and every game, like Hurd, who says that superstition puts her in game mode.
“I always have to wear the same sports bra, spandex shorts and socks,” Hurd said. While she does loads of laundry to keep up with this superstition, she will never stop as it might throw her off her game. Dressed in her lucky undergarments, she has her game face on.
Adhering to his routine, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers never deviates from his regiment of eating a piece of red meat before each game.
The Boston Celtics also has a routine eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches exactly 55 minutes before every game.
Like the Celtics, Hunter is also superstitious about his pre-game meal.
“I always eat 2 bananas and drink a glass of apple juice,” Hovland said.
While the fruit gives Hovland physical preparation, Jonathan Pettit, libero for the men’s volleyball team uses music to prep his mind. As Pettit busts out to classic ‘80s metal coming from his iPod, the music from the electric guitar sends a burst of adrenaline through his body.
“’Animal’ by Def Leopard pumps me up,” Pettit said. The loud music makes him focused and determined to win.
Many baseball players are superstitious of stepping on the baseline when walking on or off the field but Savage, believes in the reverse.
“I step on the baseline before each game,” Savage said. “After warm-ups, I run off the field and make it a point to step on the white line.”
He says it’s merely a superstition that gets him ready to play each and every game.
Throughout sports, many teams have its own set of rituals to prepare as a whole. The women’s basketball team is superstitious when it comes to its uniforms. Depending on a win, the team must wear the same color uniform to the following game to continue the streak of luck.
“If our team played well wearing a certain color, then we need to wear the same color to the next game,” Kristen Dresser, forward for the women’s basketball team, said.
From good omens to pregame meals and lucky undergarments, superstitions and athletes go way back.
Preparing for a competition can be a daunting task for athletes but superstitions provide pregame confidence and an edge over opponents.
Athletes say confidence fires up their physical talent and improve their overall performance so no matter how strange a superstition may be the belief is both powerful and proven to work.
“My pregame ritual fires me up,” Hurd said. “I put my game face on and am ready to play.”
